Qualities-of-a-devotee

Tips for Controlling the Senses

Seven Stages of Purification

The Qualities of a Devotee

Seven Stages of Purification | Nine Bhakti Processes | Purification of Action

Bad Habits of Kali Yuga | Tips for Controlling the Senses | Qualities of a Devotee

Unfavorable Activities
•        To eat more than required or accumulate more than necessary.
•        To work too hard for temporary things.
•        To speak unnecessarily or speak about material things that have no connection to a life of Bhakti.
•        To follow scriptural rules and regulations blindly.
•        To neglect to follow scriptural rules and regulations.
•        To keep the intimate company of persons who have no interest in Bhakti.

Unfavorable Attitudes
•        To be deceitful.
•        To be disturbed by material loss or gain, or overwhelmed by lamentation or anger.
•        To be greedy for mundane achievements.
•        To cause pain to any other living being.
•        To offend Krishna's holy names.
•        To offend the temple Deity.

As one cultivates Krishna consciousness, these qualities gradually develop. A pure devotee of Krishna is said to
have innumerable good qualities. The following list from the scripture Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita contains many of
the prominent ones.

A pure devotee is:
•        merciful
•        not defiant
•        truthful
•        equal to everyone
•        faultless
•        magnanimous
•        clean
•        aware that everything belongs to Krishna
•        a performer of welfare work for everyone
•        peaceful
•        surrendered to Krishna
•        desireless
•        indifferent to material acquisitions
•        fixed in Krishna consciousness
•        completely in control of bad qualities
•        moderate in eating
•        not obsessed with material things
•        respectful
•        without false prestige
•        grave
•        compassionate
•        a friend to all
•        poetic
•        expert
•        silent (speaks only about spiritual topics)

Srimad-Bhagavatam tells us that four qualities are essential for spiritual growth:
•        mercy
•        cleanliness
•        self-discipline
•        truthfulness

Successful evolution of consciousness and purity of heart take root in fertile ground when we live by these
qualities and sincerely chant Krishna’s names.

Four activities oppose these uplifting qualities:
•        eating meat, fish, or eggs (destroys mercy)
•        sex outside scriptural regulations (destroys cleanliness)
•        intoxication (destroys self-discipline)
•        gambling (destroys truthfulness)

To progress sure and steady by chanting Krishna’s names, one should refrain from meat-eating, prohibited sex,
intoxication, and gambling. Though this may seem difficult at first, practitioners of Bhakti yoga all over the world
are able to do it because of the spiritual satisfaction they gain through their practices, and because of the
strength of conviction they acquire through fellowship with other practitioners.

                                                                                     TOP