Madhya22.52

TEXT 52

rahūgaṇaitat tapasā na yāti

na cejyayā nirvapaṇād gṛhād vā

na cchandasā naiva jalāgni-sūryair

vinā mahat-pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekam

SYNONYMS

rahūgaṇa—O King Rahūgaṇa; etat—this; tapasā—by severe austerities and penances; na yāti—one does not obtain; na—neither; ca—also; ijyayā—by gorgeous worship; nirvapaṇāt—by renounced order of life; gṛhāt—by sacrifices while living in the home; vā—or; na chandasā—nor by scholarly study of the Vedas; na—nor; eva—certainly; jala-agni-sūryaiḥ—by those who worship water, fire or scorching sunshine; vinā—without; mahat-pāda-rajaḥ—of the dust of the lotus feet of a mahātmā; abhiṣekam—the sprinkling.

TRANSLATION

" ’O King Rahūgaṇa, without taking upon one’s head the dust from the lotus feet of a pure devotee [a mahājana or mahātmā], one cannot attain devotional service. Devotional service is not possible to attain simply by undergoing severe austerities and penances, by gorgeously worshiping the Deity, or by strictly following the rules and regulations of the sannyāsa or gṛhastha order, nor by studying the Vedas, submerging oneself in water, or exposing oneself to fire or scorching sunlight.’

PURPORT

Madhya22.53

TEXT 53

naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ

spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ

mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṁ

niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat

SYNONYMS

na—not; eṣām—of those who are attached to household life; matiḥ—the interest; tāvat—that long; urukrama-aṅghrim—the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is credited with uncommon activities; spṛśati—touches; anartha—of unwanted things; apagamaḥ—vanquishing; yat—of which; arthaḥ—result; mahīyasām—of the great personalities, devotees; pāda-rajaḥ—of the dust of the lotus feet; abhiṣekam—sprinkling on the head; niṣkiñcanānām—who are completely detached from material possessions; na vṛṇīta—does not do; yāvat—as long as.

TRANSLATION

" ’Unless human society accepts the dust of the lotus feet of great mahātmās-devotees who have nothing to do with material possessions-mankind cannot turn its attention to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Those lotus feet vanquish all the unwanted miserable conditions of material life.’

PURPORT

Madhya22.54

TEXT 54

’sādhu-saṅga’, ’sādhu-saṅga’--sarva-śāstre kaya

lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya

SYNONYMS

sādhu-saṅga sādhu-saṅga—association with pure devotees; sarva-śāstre—all the revealed scriptures; kaya—say; lava-mātra—even for a moment; sādhu-saṅge—by association with a devotee; sarva-siddhi—all success; haya—there is.

TRANSLATION

"The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success.

PURPORT

According to astronomical calculations, lava is one eleventh of one second.

Madhya22.55

TEXT 55

tulayāma lavenāpi

na svargaṁ nāpunar-bhavam

bhagavat-saṅgi-saṅgasya

martyānāṁ kimutāśiṣaḥ

SYNONYMS

tulayāma—we make equal; lavena—with one instant; api—even; na—not; svargam—heavenly planets; na—nor; apunaḥ-bhavam—merging into the existence of the Supreme; bhagavat-saṅgi-saṅgasya—of the association of devotees who are always associated with the Supreme Personality of Godhead; martyānām—of persons destined to die; kim uta—what; āśiṣaḥ—the blessings.

TRANSLATION

" ’The value of a moment’s association with a devotee of the Lord cannot even be compared to the attainment of heavenly planets or liberation from matter, and what to speak of worldly benedictions in the form of material prosperity, which is for those who are meant for death.’

PURPORT

Madhya22.56

TEXT 56

kṛṣṇa kṛpālu arjunere lakṣya kariyā

jagatere rākhiyāchena upadeśa diyā

SYNONYMS

kṛṣṇa—Lord Kṛṣṇa; kṛpālu—merciful; arjunere—Arjuna; lakṣya kariyā—aiming at; jagatere—the whole world; rākhiyāchena—has protected; upadeśa diyā—giving instructions.

TRANSLATION

"Kṛṣṇa is so merciful that simply by aiming His instructions at Arjuna, He has given protection to the whole world.

Madhya22.57-58

TEXTS 57-58

sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ

śṛṇu me paramaṁ vacaḥ

iṣṭo ’si me dṛḍham iti

tato vakṣyāmi te hitam

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto

mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru

mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te

pratijāne priyo ’si me

SYNONYMS

sarva-guhya-tamam—most confidential of all; bhūyaḥ—again; śṛṇu—hear; me—My; paramam vacaḥ—supreme instruction; iṣṭaḥ—beloved; asi—you are; me—My; dṛḍham iti—very firmly; tataḥ—therefore; vakṣyāmi—I shall speak; te—to you; hitam—words of benediction; mat-manāḥ—whose mind is always on Me; bhava—become; mat-bhaktaḥ—My devotee; mat-yājī—My worshiper; mām—unto Me; namaskuru—offer obeisances; mām eva—to Me only; eṣyasi—you will come; satyam—truly; te—to you; pratijāne—I promise; priyaḥ asi—you are dear; me—My.

TRANSLATION

" ’Because you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you the most confidential part of knowledge. Hear this from Me, for it is for your benefit. Always think of Me and become My devotee, worship Me and offer obeisances unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.’

PURPORT

Madhya22.59

TEXT 59

pūrva ājñā,--veda-dharma, karma, yoga, jñāna

saba sādhi’ śeṣe ei ājñā--balavān

SYNONYMS

pūrva ājñā—previous orders; veda-dharma—performance of Vedic ritualistic ceremonies; karma—fruitive activities; yoga—mystic yoga practice; jñāna—speculative knowledge; saba sādhi’-executing all these processes; śeṣe—at the end; ei ājñā—this order; balavān—powerful.

TRANSLATION

"Although Kṛṣṇa has previously explained the proficiency of executing Vedic rituals, performing fruitive activity as enjoined in the Vedas, practicing yoga and cultivating jñāna, these last instructions are most powerful and stand above all the others.

Madhya22.60

TEXT 60

ei ājñā-bale bhaktera ’śraddhā’ yadi haya

sarva-karma tyāga kari’ se kṛṣṇa bhajaya

SYNONYMS

ei ājñā-bale—on the strength of this supreme order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhaktera—of the devotees; śraddhā—faith; yadi—if; haya—there is; sarva-karma—all other activities, material and spiritual; tyāga kari’-leaving aside; se—he; kṛṣṇa bhajaya—serves Lord Kṛṣṇa.

TRANSLATION

"If the devotee has faith in the strength of this order, he worships Lord Kṛṣṇa and gives up all other activities.

Madhya22.61

TEXT 61

tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta

na nirvidyeta yāvatā

mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā

śraddhā yāvan na jāyate

SYNONYMS

tāvat—up to that time; karmāṇi—fruitive activities; kurvīta—one should execute; na nirvidyeta—is not satiated; yāvatā—as long as; mat-kathā—of discourses about Me; śravaṇa-ādau—in the matter of śravaṇam, kīrtanam, and so on; vā—or; śraddhā—faith; yāvat—as long as; na—not; jāyate—is awakened.

TRANSLATION

" ’As long as one is not satiated by fruitive activity and has not awakened his taste for devotional service by śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoh, one has to act according to the regulative principles of the Vedic injunctions.’

PURPORT

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.20.9).

Madhya22.62

TEXT 62

’śraddhā’-śabde--viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya

kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya

SYNONYMS

śraddhā-śabde—by the word śraddhā; viśvāsa—faith; kahe—is said; sudṛḍha—firm; niścaya—certain; kṛṣṇe—unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; bhakti—devotional service; kaile—by executing; sarva-karma—all activities; kṛta—completed; haya—are.

TRANSLATION

"By rendering transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa, one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. This confident, firm faith, favorable to the discharge of devotional service, is called śraddhā.

PURPORT

Firm faith and confidence are called śraddhā. When one engages in the Lord’s devotional service, he is to be understood to have performed all his responsibilities in the material world. He has satisfied his forefathers, ordinary living entities, and demigods and is free from all responsibility. Such a person does not need to meet his responsibilities separately. It is automatically done. Fruitive activity (karma) is meant to satisfy the senses of the conditioned soul. However, when one awakens to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he does not have to work separately for pious activity. The best achievement of all fruitive activity is detachment from material life, and this detachment is spontaneously enjoyed by the devotee firmly engaged in the Lord’s service.

Madhya22.63

TEXT 63

yathā taror mūla-niṣecanena

tṛpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaśākhāḥ

prāṇopahārāc ca yathendriyāṇāṁ

tathaiva sarvārhaṇam acyutejyā

SYNONYMS

yathā—as; taroḥ—of a tree; mūla—on the root; niṣecanena—by pouring water; tṛpyanti—are satisfied; tat—of the tree; skandha—trunk; bhuja—branches; upaśākhāḥ—sub-branches; prāṇa—to the living force; upahārāt—from offering food; ca—also; yathā—as; indriyāṇām—of all the senses; tathā—similarly; eva—indeed; sarva—of all; arhaṇam—worship; acyuta—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ijyā—worship.

TRANSLATION

" ’By pouring water on the root of a tree, one automatically satisfies the trunk, branches and twigs. Similarly, by supplying food to the stomach, where it nourishes the life air, one satisfies all the senses. In the same way, by worshiping Kṛṣṇa and rendering Him service, one automatically satisfies all the demigods.’

PURPORT

Madhya22.64

TEXT 64

śraddhāvān jana haya bhakti-adhikārī

’uttama’, ’madhyama’, ’kaniṣṭha’--śraddhā-anusārī

SYNONYMS

śraddhāvān jana—a person with faith; haya—is; bhakti-adhikārī—eligible for discharging transcendental loving service to the Lord; uttama—first class; madhyama—intermediate; kaniṣṭha—the lowest class; śraddhā-anusārī—according to the proportion of faith.

TRANSLATION

"A faithful devotee is a truly eligible candidate for the loving service of the Lord. According to one’s faith, one is classified as a topmost devotee, an intermediate devotee or an inferior devotee.

PURPORT

The word śraddhāvān (faithful) means understanding Kṛṣṇa to be the summum bonum, the eternal truth and absolute transcendence. If one has full faith in Kṛṣṇa and confidence in Him, one becomes eligible to discharge devotional service confidentially. According to one’s faith, one is a topmost, intermediate or inferior devotee.

Madhya22.65

TEXT 65

śāstra-yuktye sunipuṇa, dṛḍha-śraddhā yāṅra

’uttama-adhikārī’ sei tāraye saṁsāra

SYNONYMS

śāstra-yuktye—in argument and logic; su-nipuṇa—very expert; dṛḍha-śraddhā—firm faith and confidence in Kṛṣṇa; yāṅra—whose; uttama-adhikārī—the topmost devotee; sei—he; tāraye saṁsāra—can deliver the whole world.

TRANSLATION

"One who is expert in logic, argument and the revealed scriptures and who has firm faith in Kṛṣṇa is classified as a topmost devotee. He can deliver the whole world.

Madhya22.66

TEXT 66

śāstre yuktau ca nipuṇaḥ

sarvathā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ

prauḍha-śraddho ’dhikārī yaḥ

sa bhaktāv uttamo mataḥ

SYNONYMS

śāstre—in the revealed scriptures; yuktau—in logic; ca—also; nipuṇaḥ—expert; sarvathā—in all respects; dṛḍha-niścayaḥ—who is firmly convinced; prauḍha—deep; śraddhaḥ—who has faith; adhikārī—eligible; yaḥ—who; saḥ—he; bhaktau—in devotional service; uttamaḥ—highest; mataḥ—is considered.

TRANSLATION

" ’One who is expert in logic and understanding of revealed scriptures, and who always has firm conviction and deep faith that is not blind, is to be considered a topmost devotee in devotional service.’

PURPORT

This verse appears in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.17) by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Madhya22.67

TEXT 67

śāstra-yukti nāhi jāne dṛḍha, śraddhāvān

’madhyama-adhikārī’ sei mahā-bhāgyavān

SYNONYMS

śāstra-yukti—logical arguments on the basis of revealed scripture; nāhi—not; jāne—knows; dṛḍha—firmly; śraddhāvān—faithful; madhyama-adhikārī—second-class devotee; sei—he; mahā-bhāgyavān—very fortunate.

TRANSLATION

"One who is not very expert in argument and logic based on revealed scriptures but who has firm faith is considered a second-class devotee. He also must be considered most fortunate.

Madhya22.68

TEXT 68

yaḥ śāstrādiṣv anipuṇaḥ

śraddhāvān sa tu madhyamaḥ

SYNONYMS

yaḥ—anyone who; śāstra-ādiṣu—in the revealed scriptures; anipuṇaḥ—not very expert; śraddhāvān—full of faith; saḥ—he; tu—certainly; madhyamaḥ—second-class or middle-class devotee.

TRANSLATION

" ’He who does not know scriptural argument very well but who has firm faith is called an intermediate or second-class devotee.’

PURPORT

This verse appears in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.18).

Madhya22.69

TEXT 69

yāhāra komala śraddhā, se ’kaniṣṭha’ jana

krame krame teṅho bhakta ha-ibe ’uttama’

SYNONYMS

yāhāra—whose; komala śraddhā—soft faith; se—such a person; kaniṣṭha jana—a neophyte devotee; krame krame—by a gradual progression; teṅho—he; bhakta—devotee; ha-ibe—will become; uttama—first class.

TRANSLATION

"One whose faith is soft and pliable is called a neophyte, but by gradually following the process, he will rise to the platform of a first-class devotee.

Madhya22.70

TEXT 70

yo bhavet komala-śraddhaḥ

sa kaniṣṭho nigadyate

SYNONYMS

yaḥ—anyone who; bhavet—may be; komala—soft; śraddhaḥ—having faith; saḥ—such a person; kaniṣṭhaḥ—neophyte devotee; nigadyate—is said to be.

TRANSLATION

" ’One whose faith is not very strong, who is just beginning, should be considered a neophyte devotee.’

PURPORT

This verse also appears in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.19).

Madhya22.71

TEXT 71

rati-prema-tāratamye bhakta--tara-tama

ekādaśa skandhe tāra kariyāche lakṣaṇa

SYNONYMS

rati—of attachment; prema—and love; tāratamye—by comparison; bhakta—devotee; tara-tama—superior and superlative; ekādaśa skandhe—in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; tāra—of him; kariyāche—has made; lakṣaṇa—symptoms.

TRANSLATION

"A devotee is considered superlative and superior according to his attachment and love. In the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the following symptoms have been ascertained.

PURPORT

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has stated that if one has developed faith in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is to be considered an eligible candidate for further advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Those who have faith are divided into three categories-uttama, madhyama and kaniṣṭha (first-class, second-class and neophyte). A first-class devotee has firm conviction in the revealed scriptures and is expert in arguing according to the śāstras. He is firmly convinced of the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The madhyama-adhikārī, or second-class devotee, has firm conviction in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but he cannot support his conviction by citing śāstric references. The neophyte devotee does not yet have firm faith. In this way the devotees are typed.

The standard of devotion is also categorized in the same way. A neophyte believes that only love of Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very good, but he may not know the basis of pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness or how one can become a perfect devotee. Sometimes in the heart of a neophyte there is attraction for karma, jñāna or yoga. When he is free and transcendental to mixed devotional activity, he becomes a second-class devotee. When he becomes expert in logic and can refer to the śāstras, he becomes a first-class devotee. The devotees are also described as positive, comparative and superlative, in terms of their love and attachment for Kṛṣṇa.

It should be understood that a madhyama-adhikārī, a second-class devotee, is fully convinced of Kṛṣṇa consciousness but cannot support his convictions with śāstric reference. A neophyte may fall down by associating with nondevotees because he is not firmly convinced and strongly situated. The second-class devotee, even though he cannot support his position with śāstric reference, can gradually become a first-class devotee by studying the śāstras and associating with a first-class devotee. However, if the second-class devotee does not advance himself by associating with a first-class devotee, he makes no progress. There is no possibility that a first-class devotee will fall down, even though he may mix with nondevotees to preach. Conviction and faith gradually increase to make one an uttama-adhikārī, a first-class devotee.

Madhya22.72

TEXT 72

sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyed

bhagavad-bhāvam ātmanaḥ

bhūtāni bhagavaty ātmany

eṣa bhāgavatottamaḥ

SYNONYMS

sarva-bhūteṣu—in all objects (in matter, spirit, and combinations of matter and spirit); yaḥ—anyone who; paśyet—sees; bhagavat-bhāvam—the ability to be engaged in the service of the Lord; ātmanaḥ—of the supreme spirit soul or the transcendence beyond the material conception of life; bhūtāni—all beings; bhagavati—in the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ātmani—the basic principle of all existence; eṣaḥ—this; bhāgavata-uttamaḥ—a person advanced in devotional service.

TRANSLATION

" ’A person advanced in devotional service sees within everything the soul of souls, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Consequently he always sees the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the cause of all causes and understands that all things are situated in Him.

PURPORT

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.45).

Madhya22.73

TEXT 73

īśvare tad-adhīneṣu

bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca

prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā

yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ

SYNONYMS

īśvare—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tat-adhīneṣu—to persons who have taken fully to Kṛṣṇa consciousness; bāliśeṣu—unto the neophytes or the ignorant; dviṣatsu—to persons envious of Kṛṣṇa and the devotees of Kṛṣṇa; prema—love; maitrī—friendship; kṛpā—mercy; upekṣā—negligence; yaḥ—anyone who; karoti—does; saḥ—he; madhyamaḥ—a second-class devotee.

TRANSLATION

" ’An intermediate, second-class devotee shows love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is friendly to all devotees and is very merciful to neophytes and ignorant people. The intermediate devotee neglects those who are envious of devotional service.

PURPORT

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.46). This statement was made by the great sage Nārada while he was speaking to Vasudeva about devotional service. This subject was originally discussed between Nimi, the King of Videha, and the nine Yogendras.

Madhya22.74

TEXT 74

arcāyām eva haraye

pūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehate

na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu

sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ

SYNONYMS

arcāyām—in the temple worship; eva—certainly; haraye—for the pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pūjām—worship; yaḥ—anyone who; śraddhayā—with faith and love; īhate—executes; na—not; tat-bhakteṣu—to the devotees of the Lord; ca anyeṣu—and to others; saḥ—he; bhaktaḥ—a devotee; prākṛtaḥ—materialistic; smṛtaḥ—is considered.

TRANSLATION

" ’A prākṛta, or materialistic devotee does not purposefully study the śāstra and try to understand the actual standard of pure devotional service. Consequently he does not show proper respect to advanced devotees. He may, however, follow the regulative principles learned from his spiritual master or from his family who worships the Deity. He is to be considered on the material platform, although he is trying to advance in devotional service. Such a person is a bhakta-prāya [neophyte devotee], or bhaktābhāsa, for he is a little enlightened by Vaiṣṇava philosophy.’

PURPORT

This verse is from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.47). Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that one who has full love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead and who maintains a good friendship with the Lord’s devotees is always callous to those who envy Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s devotees. Such a person is to be considered an intermediate devotee. He becomes a first-class devotee when, in the course of advancing in devotional service, he feels an intimate relationship with all living entities, seeing them as part and parcel of the Supreme Person.

Madhya22.75

TEXT 75

sarva mahā-guṇa-gaṇa vaiṣṇava-śarīre

kṛṣṇa-bhakte kṛṣṇera guṇa sakali sañcāre

SYNONYMS

sarva—all; mahā—great; guṇa-gaṇa—transcendental qualities; vaiṣṇava-śarīre—in the bodies of Vaiṣṇavas; kṛṣṇa-bhakte—in the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa; kṛṣṇera—of Lord Kṛṣṇa; guṇa—the qualities; sakali—all; sañcāre—appear.

TRANSLATION

"A Vaiṣṇava is one who has developed all good transcendental qualities. All the good qualities of Kṛṣṇa gradually develop in Kṛṣṇa’s devotee.

Madhya22.76

TEXT 76

yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā

sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ

harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā

mano-rathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ

SYNONYMS

yasya—of whom; asti—there is; bhaktiḥ—devotional service; bhagavati—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; akiñcanā—without material desires; sarvaiḥ—all; guṇaiḥ—with good qualities; tatra—there; samāsate—live; surāḥ—the demigods; harau—unto the Lord; abhaktasya—of the nondevotee; kutaḥ—where; mahat-guṇāḥ—the high qualities; manaḥ-rathena—by mental concoction; asati—to temporary material happiness; dhāvataḥ—running; bahiḥ—externally.

TRANSLATION

" ’In one who has unflinching devotional faith in Kṛṣṇa, all the good qualities of Kṛṣṇa and the demigods are consistently manifest. However, he who has no devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead has no good qualifications because he is engaged by mental concoction in material existence, which is the external feature of the Lord.’

PURPORT

Madhya22.77

TEXT 77

sei saba guṇa haya vaiṣṇava-lakṣaṇa

saba kahā nā yāya, kari dig-daraśana

SYNONYMS

sei saba guṇa-all those transcendental qualities; haya-are; vaiṣṇava-lakṣaṇa-the symptoms of a Vaiṣṇava; saba-all; kahā nā yāya-cannot be explained; kari-I shall do; dik-daraśana-a general review.

TRANSLATION

"All these transcendental qualities are the characteristics of pure Vaiṣṇavas, and they cannot be fully explained, but I shall try to point out some of the important qualities.

Madhya22.78-80

TEXTS 78-80

kṛpālu, akṛta-droha, satya-sāra sama

nidoṣa, vadānya, mṛdu, śuci, akiñcana

sarvopakāraka, śānta, kṛṣṇaika-śaraṇa

akāma, anīha, sthira, vijita-ṣaḍ-guṇa

mita-bhuk, apramatta, mānada, amānī

gambhīra, karuṇa, maitra, kavi, dakṣa, maunī

SYNONYMS

kṛpālu—merciful; akṛta-droha—not defiant; satya-sāra—thoroughly true; sama—equal; nidoṣa—faultless; vadānya—magnanimous; mṛdu—mild; śuci—clean; akiñcana—without material possessions; sarva-upakāraka—working for the welfare of everyone; śānta—peaceful; kṛṣṇa-eka-śaraṇa—exclusively surrendered to Kṛṣṇa; akāma—desireless; anīha—indifferent to material acquisitions; sthira—fixed; vijita-ṣaṭ-guṇa—completely controlling the six bad qualities (lust, anger, greed, etc.); mita-bhuk—eating only as much as required; apramatta—without inebriation; māna-da—respectful; amānī—without false prestige; gambhīra—grave; karuṇa—compassionate; maitra—a friend; kavi—a poet; dakṣa—expert; maunī—silent.

TRANSLATION

"Devotees are always merciful, humble, truthful, equal to all, faultless, magnanimous, mild and clean. They are without material possessions, and they perform welfare work for everyone. They are peaceful, surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and desireless. They are indifferent to material acquisitions and are fixed in devotional service. They completely control the six bad qualities-lust, anger, greed and so forth. They eat only as much as required, and they are not inebriated. They are respectful, grave, compassionate and without false prestige. They are friendly, poetic, expert and silent.

Madhya22.81

TEXT 81

titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ

suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām

ajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥ

sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ

SYNONYMS

titikṣavaḥ—very forebearing; kāruṇikāḥ—merciful; suhṛdaḥ—who are well-wishers; sarva-dehinām—to all living entities; ajāta-śatravaḥ—without enemies; śāntāḥ—peaceful; sādhavaḥ—following the injunctions of the śāstra; sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ—who are decorated with good character.

TRANSLATION

" ’Devotees are always tolerant, forebearing and very merciful. They are the well-wishers of every living entity. They follow the scriptural injunctions, and because they have no enemies, they are very peaceful. These are the decorations of devotees.’

PURPORT

Madhya22.82

TEXT 82

mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes

tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam

mahāntas te sama-cittāḥ praśāntā

vimanyavaḥ suhṛdaḥ sādhavo ye

SYNONYMS

mahat-sevām—the service of the pure devotee spiritual master; dvāram—door; āhuḥ—they said; vimukteḥ—of liberation; tamaḥ-dvāram—the door to darkness; yoṣitām—of women and money; saṅgi-saṅgam—association with those who enjoy the association; mahāntaḥ—great souls; te—they; sama-cittāḥ—equally disposed to all; praśāntāḥ—very peaceful; vimanyavaḥ—without anger; suhṛdaḥ—well-wishers of everyone; sādhavaḥ—who are endowed with all good qualities, or who do not look for faults in others; ye—those who.

TRANSLATION

" ’It is the verdict of all śāstras and great personalities that by serving a pure devotee, one attains the path of liberation. However, by associating with materialistic people who are attached to material enjoyment and women, one attains the path of darkness. Those who are actually devotees are broadminded, equal to everyone and very peaceful. They never become angry, and they are friendly to all living entities.’

PURPORT

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