SB 1.2.2

सूत उवाच
यं प्रव्रजन्तमनुपेतमपेतकृत्यं द्वैपायनो विरहकातर आजुहाव ।
पुत्रेति तन्मयतया तरवोऽभिनेदुस्तं सर्वभूतहृदयं मुनिमानतोऽस्मि ॥२॥

sūta uvāca
yaṁ pravrajantam anupetam apeta-kṛtyaṁ
dvaipāyano viraha-kātara ājuhāva
putreti tan-mayatayā taravo ‘bhinedus
taṁ sarva-bhūta-hṛdayaṁ munim ānato ‘smi

sūtaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsutah

a son (born of Lord Brahmā's mind); a son; as Your son (you wanted a son exactly like Me); her son; his son; one son; son (Baladeva, born of Rohiṇī); son; the soma-yajña; the son (Prahlāda); the son; was the son.—Sūta Gosvāmī; uvācaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biguvāca

answered; described; explained; he recited; he said; inquired; prayed; replied; said; she said; she spoke; spoke; talked with them.—said; yamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigyam

about whom; He who; He whom; him (Vena) whom; Him; Him whom; one who; that which; the person; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; the Supreme Personality of Godhead who; to which; to whom; unto anyone to whom; unto one; unto the Personality of Godhead who; unto the Supreme Person; unto whom (Ambarīṣa Mahārāja); unto whom (Marutta); unto whom (Ṛṣyaśṛṅga); unto whom; upon whom; what; where; which (bridge); which (Vedic path); which; which son; who; whom (Paraśurāma); whom (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); whom (You); whom.—whom; pravrajantamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpravrajantam

while going away for the renounced order of life.—while going away for the renounced order of life; anupetamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biganupetam

without being reformed by the sacred thread.—without being reformed by the sacred thread; apetaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigapeta

devoid of; not having undergone; not undergoing ceremonies; subsided.—not undergoing ceremonies; kṛtyamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkrtyam

acknowledged by them; activity; dutiful; ought to be done; prescribed duties; the regulative function.—prescribed duties; dvaipāyanaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdvaipāyanaḥ

Vyāsadeva; Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the giver of all Vedic knowledge.—Vyāsadeva; virahaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigviraha

by separation; from separation; of separation; separation.—separation; kātaraḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkatarah

being afraid of; distressed; eager; who is troubled.—being afraid of; ājuhāvaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigājuhāva

called; called for; exclaimed.—exclaimed; putraplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigputra

a son; children; children, sons; His son; my dear son; my son; of her son; of the sons; son; sons; the son. itiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigiti

thus; all these; also; and so on; as; as such; considering all these things; considering in that way; here; in this way (after giving everything to the brāhmaṇas); in this way; it is thus; known by these names; like that; like this; so it is; such; taking it as; that; therefore; they; this; thus (Hariścandra said); thus (saying out of contempt); thus (thinking in the above-mentioned way); thus (thinking); thus; thus accepted; thus accepting the words of Lord Brahmā; thus deciding; thus stated; thus thinking; thus vituperating.—O my son; tatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtat

establishment of the statement tat tvam asi.-mayatayāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmayatayā

being absorbed in that way.—being absorbed in that way; taravaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtaravaḥ

all the trees; large trees; O trees; the trees (on the bank of the river); the trees; trees.—all the trees; abhineduḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigabhineduḥ

responded.—responded; tamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtam

by Him; Dhruva; Dhruva Mahārāja; for that reason; from him (Kardama); from him (Maitreya); him (Ajāmila); him (Arjuna); him (Bali); him (Cyavana); him (Dhruva Mahārāja); him (Gajendra); him (Gargamuni); him (Hiraṇyakaśipu); him (Indra); him (Jaḍa Bharata); him (Kardama); him (King Yayāti); him (King Yudhiṣṭhira); Him (Kṛṣṇa); him (Lord Indra); Him (Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva); him (Lord Śiva); Him (Nara-Nārāyaṇa); him (Nārada Muni); him (Prahlāda Mahārāja); him (Prajāpati Dakṣa); him (Pṛthu); him (Pṛṣadhra); Him (Rohiṇī-nandana, the son of Rohiṇī); him (the bull); him (the condemned person); him (the he-goat); him (the King of heaven, Indra); him (the King); Him (the Lord); him (the male bird); him (the saintly person); Him (the Supreme Lord); Him (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); Him (the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa); him (Tṛṇabindu); him (Vasudeva); him (Vidura); him (Viśvarūpa); Him (Vāmanadeva); him (Vṛtrāsura); him; Him, Lord Rāmacandra; him, Mahārāja Sumitra.—unto him; sarvaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsarva

all; all around; all kinds; all kinds of; all over; everyone; everything; for all; for everyone; in all; in all respects; of all; of all demigods; of all kinds; of everyone; of everything.—all; bhūtaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhuta

all living entities; all that is created or born; an ordinary ghost; and of the Bhūtas; body; by other living entities; by the five material elements; created; creation; ego; elements; everything that be; evil spirits; ghost; ghosts; ghosts named Bhūtas; gross material elements; jinn; living entities; living entity; material elements; material ingredients; of all existence; of different nations; of living entities; of ordinary living entities; of the living beings; of the living entities; of the material elements; other living beings; other living entities; past; the evil spirits; the five elements; the five gross elements (the sky, etc.); the five gross elements; the five material elements; the ghost; the gross; the gross elements; the material elements; the material energy; the physical elements; to other living entities; with all the gross material elements.—living entities; hṛdayamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bighṛdayam

a heart; core of the heart; heart; heart and soul; His heart; in the core of the heart; intelligence; intention; mind; My heart; the core of the heart; the heart; the location of the mind; the mind; within the core of the heart; within the heart.—heart; munimplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmunim

Gargamuni; sage; the great sage; the great sage Jamadagni; the sage; to the great sage; to the sage (Maitreya); unto Cyavana Muni; unto the great sage; who was equal to a saint.—sage; ānataḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigānataḥ

offer obeisances. asmiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigasmi

am; I; I am; I have been.—offer obeisances. ¶

Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī said: Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto that great sage [Śukadeva Gosvāmī] who can enter the hearts of all. When he went away to take up the renounced order of life [sannyāsa], leaving home without undergoing reformation by the sacred thread or the ceremonies observed by the higher castes, his father, Vyāsadeva, fearing separation from him, cried out, “O my son!” Indeed, only the trees, which were absorbed in the same feelings of separation, echoed in response to the begrieved father. ¶

The institution of varṇa and āśrama prescribes many regulative duties to be observed by its followers. Such duties enjoin that a candidate willing to study the Vedas must approach a bona fide spiritual master and request acceptance as his disciple. The sacred thread is the sign of those who are competent to study the Vedas from the ācārya, or the bona fide spiritual master. Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī did not undergo such purificatory ceremonies because he was a liberated soul from his very birth. ¶

Generally, a man is born as an ordinary being, and by the purificatory processes he is born for the second time. When he sees a new light and seeks direction for spiritual progress, he approaches a spiritual master for instruction in the Vedas. The spiritual master accepts only the sincere inquirer as his disciple and gives him the sacred thread. In this way a man becomes twice-born, or a dvija. After qualifying as a dvija one may study the Vedas, and after becoming well versed in the Vedas one becomes a vipra. A vipra, or a qualified brāhmaṇa, thus realizes the Absolute and makes further progress in spiritual life until he reaches the Vaiṣṇava stage. The Vaiṣṇava stage is the postgraduate status of a brāhmaṇa. A progressive brāhmaṇa must necessarily become a Vaiṣṇava, for a Vaiṣṇava is a self-realized, learned brāhmaṇa. ¶

Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī was a Vaiṣṇava from the beginning; therefore, there was no need for him to undergo all the processes of the varṇāśrama institution. Ultimately the aim of varṇāśrama-dharma is to turn a crude man into a pure devotee of the Lord, or a Vaiṣṇava. Anyone, therefore, who becomes a Vaiṣṇava accepted by the first-class Vaiṣṇava, or uttama-adhikārī Vaiṣṇava, is already considered a brāhmaṇa, regardless of his birth or past deeds. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted this principle and recognized Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura as the ācārya of the holy name, although Ṭhākura Haridāsa appeared in a Mohammedan family. In conclusion, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī was born a Vaiṣṇava, and, therefore, brahminism was included in him. He did not have to undergo any ceremonies. Any lowborn person—be he a Kirāta, Hūṇa, Āndhra, Pulinda, Pulkaśa, Ābhīra, Śumbha, Yavana, Khasa or even lower—can be delivered to the highest transcendental position by the mercy of Vaiṣṇavas. Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī was the spiritual master of Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī, who therefore offers his respectful obeisances unto Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī before he begins his answers to the questions of the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya. ¶