Set of 2 Books on Qualities of a Vaishnava Devotee (Bhakta)

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Vaisnava Behavior- The Twenty-Six Qualities of a Devotee

Qualities of a Devotee

In the Book Caitanya –mangala, by Srila Locan dasa Thakur, it is recoded that Narada Muni, While visiting the spiritual world, came upon Lord Gauranga. The Lord told him of his mission to destroy the sinful activities of the Age of Klai. “ With the powerful chopper of nama-sanskritana,” He said, “I’ll cut the hard knots of demoniac desires from the hearts of everyone. Even if the sinners reject religion or flee to foreign countries, still they will get my mercy. I will send mor senapati-bhakta to go there and deliverthem. Mor senapati-bhakta refers to that commanding acarya who will be empowered by lord Caitanya to lead His sankitana movement. That acarya, whom Lord Caitanya referred to, is Srila prabhupada, who is destined to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world.

Srila Gopal Krishna Goswami was born in Delhi on Aug 14, 1944. He became an initiated disciple of his Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Parabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of the International Society For Krihna Consciousness (ISKCON) in 1969 and accepted the renounced order of life, sannyas in 1982.

Currently he is GBC of ISKCON around the world. He Successfully opened the Sri Sri Radha-Parthsarathi temple in New Delhi, amongst many throughout the world.

Following in the footsteps of his spiritual master, He is spreading Krishna Consciousness all over the world by giving people, transcendental knowledge, and guidance resulting in solace, happiness and love of God.

We all are every fortunate to receive this rarest gift –A human from of life. Even greater than this opportunity we have received in the from of devotion to krsna, the supreme personality of Godhead.

It is said that after hundreds and thousands of lifetimes, a living entity gets the hanuman body. The purpose of getting this human body is to perfect our lives by surrendering to the supreme Lord Krsna then our human form of life is wasted and we are forced to enter the lower species of life again. In a lecture on bhagavad-gita (1.36), Srila Prabhupada said, “So without becoming Vaisnava, without becoming a devotee of Krsna, You do not think that anyone is a human being. He is simply animal.

And how should we become a Vaishnava? We will become a Vaisnava when we will possess all the qualities of a devotee mentioned in the scriptures. However, it is not that a devotee must work separately to achieve each of these qualities. All good qualities automatically appear in a devotee; there is no need for them to endeavour separately.

In Srimad-bhagavad (6.1.15) Sukadeva Gosvami, the son of Vedavyasa speaks to Parikshit Maharaja:

Kecitkevalayabhjtya vasudeva-parayanah

Aghamdhunvantikarstsnyena niharamivabhaskarah

Only a rare person who has adopted complete, unalloyed devotional service to krsna can uproot the weeds of sinful actions with no possibility that they will receive. He Can do this simply by discharging devotional service, just as the sun can immediately dissipate fog by its rays.

Just by executing pure devotional service a devotee attains all good qualities. In this bhagavad-gita (13.8-12) ,Lord Krsna mentions twenty items of Knowledge. In the purport, srila Prabhpada explains unalloyed devotional service as the most important item : “if one takes to devotional a service in full Krsna Consciousness, the other nineteen times automatically develop within him.

“Qualities of a Devotee” is a series of compiled lectures of srila Gopala Krsna Gosvami Maharaja. In this Book, Maharaja explains that all the twenty –six qualities of a devotee are not independent of devotional service and we should strive o behave according to the principles of devotional service so that we may acquire all these qualities. He, by his own experience of over four decades of devotional service , explains the at to b e a devotee means many thing ,. There are many things a devotee must be accomplished in. All his qualities are sublime; no one can find any fault in him.

This book will prove to be an asset for all the devotee in addition to the ever – expanding Literary spiritual legacy produced by his Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his dedicated followers. We hope that by reading this book and following the instructions given herein, the devotees would find it easier to develop these transcendental qualities and advance on the path of devotion.

FIVE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, under the personal direction of Lord Caitanya, Sanātana Gosvāmī wrote all about Vaisnava be- havior in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī wrote Bhak- ti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. In modern times, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhak- tivedanta Swami Prabhupāda has given us the essence of Vaisnava behavior throughout his writings, especially The Nectar of Devo- tion and The Nectar of Instruction. And Śrīla Prabhupāda's person- al activities exemplified the highest standard of Vaisnava behavior. Why then, should I write more about Vaisnava behavior?

One reason is for my own purification; another is for others' purification. Because I am writing under orders from my spiritual master, Śrīla Prabhupāda, my readers will receive authorized teach- ings about Lord Krşņa; and faithful hearing of such teachings will help them on the path back to Godhead. Certainly, as the Age of Kali worsens, the need for Kṛṣṇa conscious literature increases. In this age a person has almost no chance of rising to the standard of Vaisnava (or even human) behavior. Most people, totally disre- garding basic laws for humanity as directed in the genuine scrip- tures and exemplified in the lives of saintly persons, are behaving even worse than the animals, Blind, materialistic leaders guide the blind masses, and everyone is falling into the ditch of repeated birth and death. Therefore, we need authorized, Kṛṣṇa conscious books to offset the propaganda of nescience.

WHILE TOURING INDIA as a sannyāsī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became ecstatic when he met a certain brāhmaṇa at the birthplace of Lord Krsna in Mathura. The brāhmaṇa was a disciple of Madhavendra Purī, whom Lord Caitanya knew to be a highly advanced pure devotee of Rādhā-Krsna. (Madhavendra Puri was also the spiritual master of Iśvara Puri, Lord Caitanya's guru.) Lord Caitanya and the brāhmaņa spontaneously danced and embraced, crying out, "Chant the holy names of Hari and Krsna!" And they both began praising Mādhavendra Purī's pure love of God. Then Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu uttered these highly important words:

dharma-sthapana-hetu sādhura vyavahāra puri-gosāñira ye ācaraņa, sei dharma sāra "A devotee's behavior establishes the true purpose of re- ligious principles. The behavior of Madhavendra Puri Gosvāmī is the essence of such religious principles."

(Cc. Madhya 17.185).

In his purport to this verse, Śrīla Prabhupāda describes many kinds of persons who are not mahājanas (exemplary authorities), even though they may be great leaders in certain spheres of influence. "