Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s well-known statement — “Whether one is a brāhmaṇa, a sannyāsī or a śūdra, he can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa” (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 8.128) — is often cited as a rejection of social status in spiritual life. Many think it means neither birth nor social status matters; only realization of kṛṣṇa-tattva matters. Yet ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC) as per a resolution in 2014 requires candidates for dīkṣā-guru to be “twice-initiated for at least ten years.” This raises a doubt: does ISKCON’s law contradict Mahāprabhu’s teaching?
Initiation and Varṇa
By the process of pāñcarātrika dīkṣā-vidhāna, even the varṇasaṅkara (mixed castes) and antyajas (those born outside of varṇāśrama altogether) can become purified brāhmaṇas. Within the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava paramparā since the time of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, this pāñcarātrika system has been accepted. And in that system, “second initiation, ” not first initiation, has been understood to confer dvijatvam—the quality of being twice-born. In the context of ISKCON dvijatvam is synonymous with brāhmaṇatvam (the quality of being a brāhmaṇa), because ISKCON does not yet sanction the creation of kṣatriyas or vaiśyas through pāñcarātrika dīkṣā-vidhāna. But before second initition, what is an ISKCON member’s varṇa (caste) within the varṇāśrama system?
Before second initiation, the default caste for most of ISKCON’s members—especially the “foreign-born”—is śūdra. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in Harināma Cintāmaṇi explains that varṇasaṅkaras and antyajas should renounce their previous habits and accept the role of śūdras:
jagate mānava-gaṇa varṇa-dharmācari’ |
karibeka deha-yātrā dharma-patha dhari’ || 5.42 ||
saṅkara-antyaja-sabe tyaji’ nīca-dharma |
śūdrācāre kare sadā saṁsārera karma || 5.43 ||
saṅkara-antyaja thākibeka śūdrācāre |
cātur-varṇa vinā dharma nāhika saṁsāre ||5.44 ||“Those humans who follow the duties of varṇa in this world walk on the path of dharma as they travel in this material body. (42) The saṅkara and antyaja should completely renounce their low-class nature and activities, and always accept the role of śūdras in the material world. (43) The saṅkara and antyaja should follow the conduct of the śūdras, because without the four varṇas there is no dharma in this world. (44)”
Within ISKCON, varṇa remains ever-present. The varṇasṅkaras and antyajas who renounce their low-class nature and activities are regarded as śūdras until second initiation by pāñcarātrika-vidhi. Through dīkṣā-vidhāna—dīkṣā-vidhānena dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛṇām (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 2.12)—such śūdras can become brāhmaṇas. Alternatively, in ISKCON, boys born into brāhmaṇa-initiated families, and who undergo the upanāyana-saṁskāra, may be considered brāhmaṇas even before second initiation. Yet they too are ineligible to serve as dīkṣā-guru until receiving pāñcarātrika second initiation. Thus, ISKCON’s law is clear: eligibility for dīkṣā-guru depends not on birth but on qualification—only those who attain second initiation may serve. All qualified candidates necessarily possess dvijatvam. Therefore, as per GBC policy, a śūdra in ISKCON can never become a dīkṣā-guru.
But such first‑initiates are still eligible to return back to Godhead. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa says, striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te ’pi yānti parāṁ gatim. Nevertheless, if a disciple is denied second initiation, it is usually due to impurity or instability in following the regulative principles. As Prabhupāda explained: “If someone falls down after being initiated he should not be credited with second initiation” (28 April 1974). Another reason may be attraction to śūdra‑type work (guṇa‑karma‑vibhāgaṣāḥ): varṇa is defined by both quality and occupation. Even a sat‑śūdra, a śūdra of pure character, is not expected to be learned in śāstra or conversant with brāhmaṇical duties. A brāhmaṇa must be both pure and knowledgeable, able to guide others and impart mantras at second initiation—functions a śūdra cannot fulfill. Thus, by GBC policy grounded in śāstra and sadācāra, a first‑initiated devotee who remains a śūdra is not eligible to become a dīkṣā‑guru.
Reconciling Mahāprabhu’s Statement
Mahāprabhu’s declaration seems to contradict this restriction. If even a śūdra can become guru, why does ISKCON’s law exclude them? The answer lies in recognizing exceptional cases. Mahāprabhu spoke to Rāmānanda Rāya, who by external perception was considered a śūdra, but he was nevertheless spiritually exalted. His detachment was so profound that ordinary rules did not apply, and his exceptionality manifested in a perceptible way.
For example, when Pradyumna Miśra went to receive instruction from Rāmānanda Rāya, he witnessed him training young girls in dance for Lord Jagannātha, even massaging them, yet remained unaffected, as if touching wood or stone:
kāṣṭha-pāṣāṇa-sparśe haya yaiche bhāva
taruṇī-sparśe rāmānandera taiche ’svabhāva’“While touching the young girls, he was like a person touching wood or stone, for his body and mind were unaffected.” (CC Antya 5.19)
This was very wonderful to the learned Pradyumna Miśra, who duly reported what he saw to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Mahāprabhu Himself then confirmed Rāmānanda Rāya’s status as a topmost devotee of the Lord who is beyond the Vedic rules and regulations required for conditioned souls.
Similarly, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, being born in a Muslim family and therefore an antyaja, resisted temptation from a prostitute sent to seduce him and elevated her to the platform of pure devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. Such devotees transcend ordinary qualifications because of their direct realization of Kṛṣṇa. In these cases, Mahāprabhu’s statement applies: realization of kṛṣṇa-tattva alone qualifies them as guru.
Varṇāśrama and Bhakti
Śāstra consistently teaches that varṇāśrama rules apply until one attains bhāva, the stage of pure devotion. Harināma Cintāmaṇi explains:
nisargataḥ vidhi-vādhya ye paryanta nara |
varṇa-dharma sva-nirvāhe karibe ādara || 5.50 ||
bhakti-yoga-nāme ei tattva-nirūpaṇa |
bhakti-yoge bhāvodaya siddhānta-vacana || 5.51 ||
bhāvodaye vidhira pravṛtti nāhi raya |
bhāvodita-kārye deha-yātrā siddha haya || 5.52 ||“During the time a man is under the rules of this world, he should take care to conduct himself according to varṇa-dharma (50). This science is defined by the name ‘bhakti-yoga.’ In bhakti-yoga, bhāva arises – this is said to be the culmination of perfection (51). When bhāva arises, there is no need to follow the scriptural rules. One’s journey within this material body attains perfection at the appearance of bhāva. (52)”
Similarly, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.20.9, Kṛṣṇa tells Uddhava:
tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta na nirvidyeta yāvatā |
mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā śraddhā yāvan na jāyate ||“As long as one is not satiated by fruitive activity and has not awakened his taste for devotional service by śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, one has to act according to the regulative principles of the Vedic injunctions.”
The Bhagavad-gītā (12.8–9) also confirms that if one cannot always think of Kṛṣṇa, one should follow the rules of bhakti-yoga to cultivate a desire to attain Him. Thus, varṇāśrama safeguards purity in the early stages, but complete realization transcends it. Varṇāśrama-dharma is required for those who have not yet fixed their minds on Kṛṣṇa without deviation.
Vidura as Example
The case of Vidura in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.13.15 illustrates this principle. Though born a śūdra, he instructed Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Vidura was qualified because he was educated by Maitreya Ṛṣi and thoroughly versed in transcendental knowledge. Thus, by qualification, he was kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā. Prabhupāda also notes that Vidura was in fact Yamarāja, a Mahājana, cursed to take birth as a śūdra. His transcendental identity placed him beyond mundane divisions. As Prabhupāda summarizes: “Such a devotee is neither a śūdra nor a brāhmaṇa. He is transcendental to such divisions of mundane society…”
Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa affirms this, noting that Vidura, being Dharmarāja, directly realized the Supreme Lord. In his own commentary, he says,
tathā ca viduraḥ kaniṣṭho ‘pi. śūdro ‘pi sākṣād-dharma-rājatvena pratyakṣī-kṛta-pareśāt tasya tad-upadeṣṭṛtvam iti. ata eva bhāradvāja-saṁhitāyāṁ strī-śūdrādīnāṁ tan niṣidhya sākṣātkṛta-para-tattvānāṁ teṣāṁ tad āha
“And so, though Vidura was younger [to Dhṛtarāṣṭra and] though he was a śūdra [by birth], because he was Dharmarāja himself, he had directly realized the Supreme Lord; therefore, he instructed Dhṛtarāṣṭra. It is for this reason that the Bhāradvāja-saṁhitā forbids women, śūdras and the like [from becoming gurus] and allows women, śūdras and the like who have directly realized the Supreme Truth [to become gurus].”
As evidence, he cites the Bhāradvāja-saṁhitā. His commentary explains that while ordinary śūdras are barred, those who have attained direct realization are exempt from such restrictions.
Harmonizing Guru, Sādhu and Śāstra
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa quotes the Bhāradvāja-saṁhitā:
na jātu mantra-dātāro na śūdro nāntarodbhavaḥ, nābhiśapto na patitaḥ kāma-kāmo ‘py akāmitaḥ; striyaḥ śūdrādayaś caiva bodhayeyur hitāhitam, yathārhaṁ mānanīyāś ca nārhanty ācāryatāṁ kvacit; kim apy atrābhijāyante yoginaḥ sarva-yoniṣu; pratyakṣitātma-nāthānāṁ naiṣāṁ cintyaṁ kulādikam ||
“Even then, a woman, a śūdra and an antyaja can never act as initiating gurus, nor can anyone who is accused of a great sin or is fallen. … Women, śūdras, etc., can give ethical and moral instructions and are also worthy of respect as per their qualifications and conditions but are not entitled to get the position of ācārya. But, because perfect yogis who are on the stage of yoga-pratyakṣa (i.e. are self-realized – seeing God face-to-face), may take birth in any family tradition, in such cases no consideration of kula, gender, etc. as mentioned earlier apply (they can become ācāryas).”
Thus, śāstra recognizes two paths: one may be elevated to brāhmaṇa status by a bona fide guru, or one may transcend varṇāśrama through direct realization of Kṛṣṇa. This is corroborated in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 18.120–123), which states that simply by seeing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu “the entire universe becomes mad with ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa” (tomā dekhi’ kṛṣṇa-preme jagat pāgala). Even once seeing Him, “women, children, old men, meat-eaters and members of the lowest caste immediately chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, dance like madmen and become spiritual masters capable of delivering the whole world.” And also by merely hearing His name, “whoever listens is made mad with ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa and is able to deliver the three worlds” (ye tomāra ‘nāma’ śune sei kṛṣṇa-preme matta, tāre tribhuvane). Here, persons ordinarily ineligible to become guru become qualified on attaining kṛṣṇa-prema, the mature stage of bhāva.
This accords with the Bhāradvāja-saṁhitā, which allows those who directly perceive the Supreme Lord to act as dīkṣā-guru despite prohibitions. Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa glosses such souls as sākṣātkṛta-para-tattvam, able to directly perceive the Absolute Truth. In harmony with Mahāprabhu’s statement—kibā viprā kibā nyāsī etc.—śūdras advanced to bhāva may become dīkṣā-guru; otherwise not. This is the actual policy the GBC has set for ISKCON.
The term kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā represents a range of eligibility. For the brāhmaṇa it can be just niṣṭha, which is steadiness—an advanced stage of spiritual development attained after bhajana-kriyā and anartha-nivṛtti, as indicated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.3.21 by the term upaśama-āśrayam. However, for the non-dvija (śūdras, etc.) one is eligible to become dīkṣā-guru at bhāva and prema. In a letter to his disciple Janārdana, Prabhupāda hints at this distinction:
“A person who is liberated acharya and guru cannot commit any mistake, but there are persons who are less qualified or not liberated, but still can act as guru and acharya by strictly following the disciplic succession.” (26 April 1968)
“Strictly following” necessarily means strictly following varṇāśrama-dharma, since śāstra requires those who have not yet attained bhāva to follow it. And varṇāśrama rules require dvijatvam, or the status of being a brāhmaṇa, to become dīkṣā-guru.
As already mentioned above, this is further confirmed by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in Harināma Cintāmaṇi:
“During the time a man is under the rules of this world, he should take care to conduct himself according to varṇa-dharma. . . When bhāva arises, there is no need to follow the scriptural rules. One’s journey within this material body attains perfection at the appearance of bhāva. (5.49 – 51)”
For those who have reached the stage of bhāva, the varṇāśrama rules need not be followed, and persons at this stage are automatically eligible to become dīkṣā-guru. But for everyone else, varṇāśrama rules will also determine one’s eligibility. Thus, the GBC’s resolution (2014), that a candidate for dīkṣā-guru must be “twice-initiated for at least ten years,” means that in ISKCON, śūdras cannot become dīkṣā-guru, unless they attain the status of a brāhmaṇa conferred upon them through second initiation, or that they have reached the level of bhāva-bhakti.
Works Cited
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Hari-nāma Cintāmaṇi. Translated by Swami B.V. Giri. Bhaktivinoda Institute. Accessed November 28, 2025. https://bhaktivinodainstitute.org/writings/books/hari-nama-cintamani/.
“Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa on ŚB 1.13.15.” ISKCON India Scholars Board, November 29, 2021. https://iisb.co.in/2021/11/29/baladeva-vidyabhusana-on-sb-1-13-15/.
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Vedabase.io. Accessed November 29, 2025. https://vedabase.io/en/.
