न वाङ्न बुद्धिर्नाकृतिस्तोषहेतु: ।
तैर्यद्विसृष्टानपि नो वनौकस-
श्चकार सख्ये बत लक्ष्मणाग्रज: ॥ ७ ॥
na vāṅ na buddhir nākṛtis toṣa-hetuḥ
tair yad visṛṣṭān api no vanaukasaś
cakāra sakhye bata lakṣmaṇāgrajaḥ
brahmā śiva kāṅde yāra dekhiyā mahimā
kevala bhaktira vaśa caitanya-gosāñi
jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
[Madhya 19.167]
SYNONYMS
na—not; janma—birth in a very polished, aristocratic family; nūnam—indeed; mahataḥ—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; na—nor; saubhagam—great fortune; na—nor; vāk—an elegant manner of speaking; na—nor; buddhiḥ—sharpness of intelligence; na—not; ākṛtiḥ—features of the body; toṣa-hetuḥ—the cause of pleasure to the Lord; taiḥ—by all those above-mentioned qualities; yat—because; visṛṣṭān—rejected; api—although; naḥ—us; vana-okasaḥ—the inhabitants of the forest; cakāra—accepted; sakhye—in friendship; bata—alas; lakṣmaṇa-agra-jaḥ—Lord Śrī Rāmacandra, the elder brother of Lakṣmaṇa.
TRANSLATION
One cannot establish a friendship with the Supreme Lord Rāmacandra on the basis of material qualities such as one's birth in an aristocratic family, one's personal beauty, one's eloquence, one's sharp intelligence or one's superior race or nation. None of these qualifications is actually a prerequisite for friendship with Lord Śrī Rāmacandra. Otherwise how is it possible that although we uncivilized inhabitants of the forest have not taken noble births, although we have no physical beauty and although we cannot speak like gentlemen, Lord Rāmacandra has nevertheless accepted us as friends?
PURPORT
In a prayer to Kṛṣṇa expressing her feelings, Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī called Him akiñcana-gocara. The prefix a means "not," and kiñcana"something of this material world." One may be very proud of his prestigious position, material wealth, beauty, education and so on, but although these are certainly good qualifications in material dealings, they are not necessary for achieving friendship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who possesses all these material qualities is expected to become a devotee, and when he actually does, the qualities are properly utilized. Those who are puffed up by a high birth, wealth, education and personal beauty (janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī) unfortunately do not care for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, nor does the Supreme Personality of Godhead care about all these material qualifications. The Supreme Lord is achieved by devotion (bhaktyā mām abhijānāti [Bg. 18.55]). One's devotion and sincere desire to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead are the only qualifications. Rūpa Gosvāmī has also said that the price for achieving God's favor is simply one's sincere eagerness to have it (laulyam ekaṁ mūlyam). In the Caitanya-bhāgavata it is said:
brahmā śiva kāṅde yāra dekhiyā mahimā
kevala bhaktira vaśa caitanya-gosāñi
jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
[Madhya 19.167]