1568 Stimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 31

born a ksatriya or vaisya or even lower, and, in the eighteenth year, attain-
ing elevation to the brahminical platform by the process of initiation.
Therefore Narada Muni says:

yasya yal laksanam proktam
pumso varnabhivyaijakam
yad anyatrapi drsyeta
tat tenaiva vinirdiset (Bhag. 7.11.35)

It is not a fact that because one is born in a brahmana family he is auto-
matically a brahmana. He has a better chance to become a brahmana, but
unless he meets all the brahminical qualifications, he cannot be accepted as
such. On the other hand, if the brahminical qualifications are found in the
person of a Sidra, he should immediately be accepted as a brahmana. To
substantiate this there are many quotations from Bhdagavatam, Mahabharata,
Bharadvaja-samhita and the Paficaratra, as well as many other scriptures.
As far as the duration of life of the demigods, concerning Lord Brahma
it is said:
sahasra-yuga-paryantam
ahar yad brahmano viduh
ratrim yuga-sahasrantam
te ‘ho-ratra-vido janah (Bg. 8.17)

The duration of one day of Brahma is one thousand times greater than the
four yugas aggregating to 4,300,000 years. Similarly, Brahma’s one night.
Brahma lives for one hundred years of such days and nights. The word
vibudhayusa indicates that even if one gets a long life span, his life span is
useless if he is not a devotee. A living entity is the eternal servitor of the
Supreme Lord, and unless he comes to the platform of devotional service,
his life span, good birth, glorious activities and everything else are null and
void.

TEXT 11
wer TIA aT FH TATA Arerf a: |
PC EIBC ROC UDIE CHICO mEea|

Srutena tapasd va kim
vacobhis citta-vrttibhih

buddhyé va kim nipunaya
balenendriya-radhasa
