1. Throw away the thread

    In this age, nobody is actually born of a brahmana family or ksatriya family. That is accepted. Because nobody is keeping up their standard. They are simply following some false prestige. So therefore the pancaratrika-vidhi, they do not recognize anybody as qualified brahmana. Everyone sudra, beginning from the lowest stage. Get him conversant in Krsna consciousness, and then initiated, and gradually elevate him by this process.

    So our this Krsna conscious movement is based on this process, that we accept everyone as lowborn.

    My Guru Maharaja, even if he is born of a brahmana family, he would not recognize that he is a brahmana. He would treat him as others. And even if he had his sacred thread from his family, Guru Maharaja will say, “Throw it away. Take new thread.”

    Bon Maharaja was from a brahmana family; he had to throw away his old sacred thread, and he was further initiated. He did not recognize anyone as brahmana or high class. No. Everyone is sudra. “Come on. New beginning. New life again.” And that is the whole basic principle of our Krsna consciousness movement.

    From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.10 — March 11, 1969, Hawaii