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In the Gītā, Kṛṣṇa mentions:
māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye ’pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
te ’pi yānti parāṁ gatimO son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth – women, vaiśyas [merchants] and śūdras [workers] – can attain the supreme destination.
This construction may sound objectionable to some modern readers. Kṛṣṇa speaks about a category, pāpa-yonayaḥ (those of sinful birth), and women, workers, and merchants are included within it. Does this mean women are intrinsically inferior?
As in other passages, we need to understand it in context. Immediately after this verse, Kṛṣṇa mentions three other classes: brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā (the righteous brāhmaṇas), bhaktāḥ (the pure devotees), and rāja-ṛṣayaḥ (the saintly kings), which are very high. This makes the meaning clear. The point is that if even ordinary persons, who are mainly engaged in mundane occupations, can attain the supreme destination through the process of devotional service, what about devotees who are surrendered to Kṛṣṇa? They are surely even more eligible.
Another detail is the word used for “woman” in the verse: strī. Strī means “that which increases the field of material entanglement.” In this context, this is the word for an ordinary materialistic woman. The Sanskrit language is very specific. There are many other words used to identify other types of women. A virtuous woman is called sādhvī, or satī; a chaste wife is called pati-vratā, and so on (check SB 1.13.30, 3.23.1, and 3.23.10, for example). The context also makes it clear. Sūdras apply to uneducated workers who lack a higher direction in life, and vaiśyas in this context apply to people involved with money and business. In this way, Kṛṣṇa classifies the three classes as pāpa-yonayaḥ because they are generally materialistic and have less facility for spiritual advancement.
Another problem is that when a man reads these verses, he will often classify himself among the brāhmaṇas or rājarṣis. Here, however, we come to an inconvenient truth: the verdict of the scriptures is kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ: In this age of Kali, everyone is born a śūdra. We thus have a greater category, called “śūdra,” in which both modern men and women are included. Because in the current age the Vedic purificatory system is not followed, people are born without the qualifications traditionally required for higher Vedic culture. The vaiśyas, also mentioned by Kṛṣṇa, are already vastly beyond the qualifications of most modern people.
One could argue that, if everyone is a śūdra, then why is it that Kṛṣṇa explicitly adds “women” to the list? Kṛṣṇa names groups that traditional societies might consider less qualified. Without this, one could argue that śūdras and vaiśyas can attain the supreme destination, but not women.
The central point is that even a person with no education, no status, no wealth, and no social support can become perfect by taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa, a point emphasized by Prabhupāda in his purport:
“According to the different modes of material nature, men are classified in the mode of goodness (brāhmaṇas), the mode of passion (kṣatriyas, or administrators), the mixed modes of passion and ignorance (vaiśyas, or merchants), and the mode of ignorance (śūdras, or workers). Those lower than them are called caṇḍālas, and they are born in sinful families. Generally, the association of those born in sinful families is not accepted by the higher classes. But the process of devotional service is so strong that the pure devotee of the Supreme Lord can enable people of all the lower classes to attain the highest perfection of life. This is possible only when one takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa. As indicated here by the word vyapāśritya, one has to take shelter completely of Kṛṣṇa. Then one can become much greater than great jñānīs and yogīs.”
We can also add that just before, in text 9.29, Kṛṣṇa mentions: “I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.”
Still earlier, in 5.18, Kṛṣṇa also mentions: “The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].”
This gives the framework through which 9.32 should be interpreted. Everyone is equal on the spiritual platform. Kṛṣṇa is equal to all, and therefore He gives an equal chance to everyone to come to Him; women are explicitly included.
It is not even just about women. SB 2.4.18 further expands it to all people and communities that one could classify as low:
“Kirāta, Hūṇa, Āndhra, Pulinda, Pulkaśa, Ābhīra, Śumbha, Yavana, members of the Khasa races and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.”
All these different references are thus part of a larger Vaiṣnava doctrine, the conclusion that bhakti can purify anyone, regardless of birth, nation, social class, or previous condition, and that, once one is purified, all divisions introduced by birth, caste, social status, and so on become irrelevant as measures of worth. He thus urges us: anityam asukhaṁ lokam, imaṁ prāpya bhajasva mām: “Therefore, having come to this temporary, miserable world, engage in loving service unto Me.”
Certain types of birth are more favorable as a starting point than others, but the main point is not the start, but the destination. In the age we live in, we all start from a disadvantaged position, but as Kṛṣṇa emphasizes through the word vyapāśritya, once we take shelter under Him, we all have the opportunity of attaining the supreme destination.
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