Text 25
na me ’bhaktaś catur-vedī
mad-bhaktaḥ śva-pacaḥ priyaḥ
tasmai deyaṁ tato grāhyaṁ
sa ca pūjyo yathā hy aham
na — not; me — My; abhaktaḥ — devoid of pure devotional service; catuḥ-vedī — a scholar of the four Vedas; mat-bhaktaḥ — My devotee; śva-pacaḥ — even from a family of dog-eaters; priyaḥ — very dear; tasmai — to him (the pure devotee); deyam — should be given; tataḥ — from him; grāhyam — should be accepted (remnants of food); saḥ — that person; ca — also; pūjyaḥ — is worshipable; yathā — as much as; hi — certainly; aham — I.
“ ‘Even though one is a very learned scholar in Sanskrit literature, if he is not engaged in pure devotional service, he is not accepted as My devotee. But if someone born in a family of dog-eaters is a pure devotee with no motives for enjoyment through fruitive activity or mental speculation, he is very dear to Me. All respect should be given to him, and whatever he offers should be accepted, for such devotees are indeed as worshipable as I am.’
This verse, spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is found in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa.