17.60
yahan vipra nahi tahan ’sudra-mahajana’
asi’ sabe bhattacarye kare nimantrana
SYNONYMS
yahan—wherever; vipra—brahmana; nahi—there is not; tahan—there; sudra-maha-jana—devotees born in families other than brahmana; asi’-coming; sabe—all of them; bhattacarye—to Balabhadra Bhattacarya; kare nimantrana—make invitation.
In some villages there were no brahmanas; nonetheless, devotees born in non-brahmana families came and extended invitations to Balabhadra Bhattacarya.
PURPORT
Actually a sannyasi or a brahmana will not accept an invitation extended by a person born in a lower family.
However, there are many devotees who are raised to the platform of brahmana by their initiation.
These people are called sudra-mahajana.
This indicates that one who is born in a non-brahmana family has accepted the brahmana status by initiation.
Such devotees extended invitations to Balabhadra Bhattacarya.
A Mayavadi sannyasi will accept an invitation only from a brahmana family, but a Vaisnava does not accept an invitation from a brahmana if he does not belong to the Vaisnava sect.
However, a Vaisnava will accept an invitation from a brahmana or sudra-mahajana if that person is an initiated Vaisnava.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself accepted invitations from sudra-mahajanas, and this confirms the fact that anyone initiated by a Vaisnava mantra can be accepted as a brahmana.
One can accept an invitation from such a person.