198
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 5, Ch. 5]
human beings are supposed to be the best, but they are few. Of these small numbers of human beings, there are many low-class human beings like  mlecchas ,  Pulindas ,  bauddhas  and  śabaras . The human being elevated enough to accept the Vedic principles is superior. Among those who accept the Vedic principles generally known as  varṇāśrama  (presently known as the Hindu system), few actually follow these principles. Of those who actually follow the Vedic principles, most perform fruitive activity or pious activity for elevation to a high position.  Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye : out of many attached to fruitive activity, one may be a  jñānī —that is, one philosophically inclined and superior to the  karmīs .  Yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ : out of many  jñānīs , one may be liberated from material bondage, and out of many millions of liberated  jñānīs , one may become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
TEXT 23
न ब्राह्मणैस्तुलये भूतमन्यत्
पश्यामि विप्राः किमतः परं तु ।
यस्मिन्नृमिः प्रहुतं श्रद्धयाह-
मश्नामि कामं न तथाप्रिहोत्रे ॥२३॥
na brāhmaṇais tulaye bhūtam anyat paśyāmi viprāḥ kim ataḥ paraṁ tu yasmin nṛbhiḥ prahutaṁ śraddhayāham aśnāmi kāmaṁ na tathāgni-hotre
na —not;  brāhmaṇaiḥ —with the  brāhmaṇas ;  tulaye —I count as equal;  bhūtam —entity;  anyat —other;  paśyāmi —I can see;  viprāḥ —O assembled  brāhmaṇas ;  kim —anything;  ataḥ —to the  brāhmaṇas ;  param —superior;  tu —certainly;  yasmin —through whom;  nṛbhiḥ —by people;  prahutam —food offered after ritualistic ceremonies are properly performed;  śraddhayā —with faith and love;  aham —I;  aśnāmi —eat;  kāmam —with full satisfaction;  na —not;  tathā —in that way;  agni-hotre —in the fire sacrifice.