রায কহে,—আমি শূদ্র, বিষযী, অধম তবু তুমি স্পর্শ,—এই ঈশ্বরলক্ষণ
राय कहे,—आमि शूद्र, विषयी, अधम तबु तुमि स्पर्श,—एइ ईश्वरलक्षण
rāya kahe,—āmi śūdra, viṣayī, adhama tabu tumi sparśa,—ei īśvara-lakṣaṇa
Synonyms
rāya kahe—Bhavānanda Rāya replied; āmi śūdra—I belong to the fourth class of the social divisions; viṣayī—engaged in mundane affairs; adhama—very fallen; tabu—still; tumi—You; sparśa—touch; ei—this; īśvara-lakṣaṇa—sign of the Supreme Personality of Godhead..
Translation
After hearing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's praise, Bhavānanda Rāya submitted, "I am in the fourth class of the social order, and I engage in mundane affairs. Although I am very fallen, You have still touched us. This is proof that You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
Purport
As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (5.18):
vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śvapāke ca
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
"The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste]."
Those who are highly advanced in spiritual understanding do not care about a person's material condition. A spiritually advanced person sees the spiritual identity of every living being, and consequently he makes no distinction between a learned brāhmaṇa, a dog, a caṇḍāla or anyone else. He is not influenced by the material body but sees a person's spiritual identity. Consequently Bhavānanda Rāya appreciated Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's statement, which showed that the Lord did not consider the social position of Bhavānanda Rāya, who belonged to the śūdra caste engaged in mundane activities. Rather, the Lord considered the spiritual position of Bhavānanda Rāya, Rāmānanda Rāya and his brothers. The servant of the Lord is also similarly inclined. He gives shelter to any person—any living entity—regardless of whether one belongs to a brāhmaṇa family or is a caṇḍāla. The spiritual master reclaims all people and encourages everyone in spiritual life. By taking shelter of such a devotee, one can make his life successful. As confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.4.18):
kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā
ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ
ye 'nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ
"Kirāta, Hūṇa, Āndhra, Pulinda, Pulkaśa, Ābhīra, Śumbha, Yavana and the Khasa races, and even others who are addicted to sinful acts, can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him."
Whoever takes shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His pure devotee is elevated to the spiritual order and purified from material contamination. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.32):
māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim
"O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth—women, vaiśyas [merchants], as well as śūdras [workers]—can approach the supreme destination."