SB 1.4.25

स्त्रीशूद्रद्विजबन्धूनां त्रयी न श्रुतिगोचरा ।
कर्मश्रेयसि मूढानां श्रेय एवं भवेदिह ।
इति भारतमाख्यानं कृपया मुनिना कृतम् ॥२५॥

strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ
trayī na śruti-gocarā
karma-śreyasi mūḍhānāṁ
śreya evaṁ bhaved iha
iti bhāratam ākhyānaṁ
kṛpayā muninā kṛtam

strīplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigstrī

a woman; by women; female; of women; such as women; the wife; the woman; the woman class; wife; with women; wives; woman; women.—the woman class; śūdraplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigśūdra

a śūdra; a fourth-class man; belonging to the śūdra community; born of a śūdra family; fourth-class men; the fourth social division; the laborer class of men; the laboring class; the lower caste.—the laboring class; dvijaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdvija

brāhmaṇa; brāhmaṇas; birds; O brāhmaṇa (Śaunaka); O brāhmaṇa; O twice-born; of birds; of the brāhmaṇas; of the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas; of the brahminical culture or the brāhmaṇas; of the twice-born; teeth; the brāhmaṇa; the brāhmaṇas; the birds; the twice-born; the twice-born birds; twice-born.-bandhūnāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbandhūnām

of the friends.—of the friends of the twice-born; trayīplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtrayī

in the Vedas; the Vedas; the principles of the three Vedas; the three goals, namely religion, economy and salvation; the three modes of Vedic ritualistic ceremonies; the Vedic principles of karma, jñāna and upāsanā; the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies; three Vedas; three; Vedic sacrifices.—three; naplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigna

never; not; are not; but not; cannot; certainly not; could not; did not; do not; does it not; does not; is not; it is not; it is not so; may not; neither; never; never does; never to be; no; no one; none; nor; not; not like that; not preceded by oṁ; not suitable; nothing; or not; shall not; should never; there is none; there is not; there should not be; was not; whether; without.—not; śrutiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigśruti

by hearing; the Vedas; the aim of understanding; the Vedas; the Vedic version; Vedic mantras; Vedic revelation.-gocarāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biggocara

an object of perception; appreciable; appreciated; information; with in the knowledge; within knowledge; within the jurisdiction; within the purview.—for understanding; karmaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkarma

karma; according to work; act; action; actions; activities (to support the Daityas); activities; activities being dedicated to You; activities of service to You; activity; activity of life; acts; and activities; and fruitive activities; and work; another activity; by actions; by activities; by fruitive activities; by predestined resultant actions; by wonderful activities, pious activities; by work; duties; duty; fruitive action; fruitive activities; fruitive activity; fruitive desires; fruitive work; in activities; material activities; my deeds; of activities; of fruitive activities; of the activities; one's prescribed activities; pastimes; pastimes, activities; prescribed duties; prescribed duty; reaction of the past; reactionary work; story; such service to the master; the accomplishment; the act; the activities; the activity; the business; the fate of the living entity; the fruits of action; the fruits of activities; the interaction; the objective; the sacrifice; these activities; to such activities; transcendental activity; uncommon deeds; whose transcendental activities; work.—in activities; śreyasiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsreyasi

in life's genuine welfare; in the ultimate good; in welfare; of the path of auspiciousness.—in welfare; mūḍhānāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmūḍhānām

of the fools.—of the fools; śreyaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsreyah

benediction.—supreme benefit; evamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigevam

also; as; as exhibited by him; as I have done; as mentioned above; certainly; in that way; in the same way; in this manner; in this way (as described previously); in this way (some sons having been cursed and some blessed); in this way (while they were enjoying their lunch); in this way; it is so; just in the same way; like this; only; similarly (as earthly wealth and possessions are impermanent); similarly; so; so living; such; that; therefore; this; thus (as above mentioned); thus (living a devotional life); thus; thus being always engaged; thus prescribed; thus, as aforementioned; yes, this is right.—thus; bhavetplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhavet

bhavet; achieved; become; becomes; can be; can be achieved; can become; can there be; could have been; develops; he may have; he must be; is; it should be; it so becomes; it so happens; may; may appear; may arise; may be; may be possible; may become; may happen; may result in; must be; one becomes; one can become; one must become; one should be; shall become; should be; should become; should become like that; should so become; so becomes; there can be; there is; there may be; there should be; there were; will become; would be.—achieved; ihaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigiha

as a matter of fact; at the present moment; at this place; by this; during this span of life; here (in this body); here (in this life); here (in this universe); here (on this water); here; here in Jagannātha Purī; here in the spiritual world; here in this world; here in Vṛndāvana; here, in this arena of sacrifice; herein; herewith; in material sense gratification; in the foolish species of life; in the material world; in the matter of this offense; in the sacrifice; in the universe; in this (material world); in this (the holy name); in this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; in this; in this battle; in this body; in this case; in this connection; in this existence; in this human society; in this land of Bhārata-varṣa; in this life; in this material world (especially in this pious land of Bhārata-varṣa, India); in this material world; in this matter of creation; in this millennium; in this narration; in this place; in this place, in this spot; in this situation; in this universe; in this very life; in this water; in this world; in this world of mortality; in this world or in this life; in Vaikuṇṭha; in which house; it; now; on this planet; on this subject; this; within the universe; within this life; within this material world; within this world.—by this; 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.—thus thinking; bhāratamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbharatam

Bharata; Bharata Mahārāja.—the great Mahābhārata; ākhyānamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigākhyānam

delineation; historical facts; narration; statements; the narration.—historical facts; kṛpayāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkrpaya

being merciful; by being merciful to all other living entities; by causeless mercy; by causeless mercy upon them; by compassion; by His causeless mercy; by His causeless mercy upon His devotee and mother; by mercy; by the mercy; by your mercy; graciously; mercifully; out of causeless mercy; out of compassion; out of full compassion; out of great mercy; out of heartfelt sympathy; out of His causeless mercy; out of mercy; with compassion; with mercy.—out of great mercy; munināplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmuninā

by the muni; by the philosopher; by the sage; with the muni.—by the muni; kṛtamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkrtam

all that has been done by me; all that I have done for You; already done; as performed; by so doing; created; did; done; due to; executed; forced into this position; has been committed; has been done; having been done; is completed; magnanimous work; performed; produced; so accepted; the action done; the age of Satya; the order; the work executed; was committed; was created; was done; was performed; what is done; which had been done; which had been performed; you have done.—is completed. ¶

Out of compassion, the great sage thought it wise that this would enable men to achieve the ultimate goal of life. Thus he compiled the great historical narration called the Mahābhārata for women, laborers and friends of the twice-born. ¶

The friends of the twice-born families are those who are born in the families of brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, or the spiritually cultured families, but who themselves are not equal to their forefathers. Such descendants are not recognized as such, for want of purificatory achievements. The purificatory activities begin even before the birth of a child, and the seed-giving reformatory process is called Garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. One who has not undergone such Garbhādhāna-saṁskāra, or spiritual family planning, is not accepted as being of an actual twice-born family. The Garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is followed by other purificatory processes, out of which the sacred thread ceremony is one. This is performed at the time of spiritual initiation. After this particular saṁskāra, one is rightly called twice-born. One birth is calculated during the seed-giving saṁskāra, and the second birth is calculated at the time of spiritual initiation. One who has been able to undergo such important saṁskāras can be called a bona fide twice-born. ¶

If the father and the mother do not undertake the process of spiritual family planning and simply beget children out of passion only, their children are called dvija-bandhus. These dvija-bandhus are certainly not as intelligent as the children of the regular twice-born families. The dvija-bandhus are classified with the śūdras and the woman class, who are by nature less intelligent. The śūdras and the woman class do not have to undergo any saṁskāra save and except the ceremony of marriage. ¶

The less intelligent classes of men, namely women, śūdras and unqualified sons of the higher castes, are devoid of necessary qualifications to understand the purpose of the transcendental Vedas. For them the Mahābhārata was prepared. The purpose of the Mahābhārata is to administer the purpose of the Vedas, and therefore within this Mahābhārata the summary Veda of Bhagavad-gītā is placed. The less intelligent are more interested in stories than in philosophy, and therefore the philosophy of the Vedas in the form of the Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Vyāsadeva and Lord Kṛṣṇa are both on the transcendental plane, and therefore they collaborated in doing good to the fallen souls of this age. The Bhagavad-gītā is the essence of all Vedic knowledge. It is the first book of spiritual values, as the Upaniṣads are. The Vedānta philosophy is the subject matter for study by the spiritual graduates. Only the post-graduate spiritual student can enter into the spiritual or devotional service of the Lord. It is a great science, and the great professor is the Lord Himself in the form of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And persons who are empowered by Him can initiate others in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. ¶