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| Uttama Adhikari Guru |
Nectar of Instruction
krishneti yasya giri tam manasadriyeta
dikshasti cet pranatibhis ca bhajantam isam
susrushaya bhajana-vijnam ananyam anya-
nindadi-sunya-hridam ipsita-sanga-labdhya
SYNONYMS
krishna -- the holy name of Lord Krishna; iti -- thus; yasya -- of whom; giri -- in the words or speech; tam -- him;
manasa -- by the mind; adriyeta -- one must honour; diksha -- initiation; asti -- there is; cet -- if; pranatibhih -- by
obeisances; ca -- also; bhajantam -- engaged in devotional service; isam -- unto the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; susrushaya -- by practical service; bhajana-vijnam -- one who is advanced in devotional service;
ananyam -- without deviation; anya-ninda-adi -- of blasphemy of others, etc; sunya -- completely devoid; hridam
-- whose heart; ipsita -- desirable; sanga -- association; labdhya -- by gaining.
TRANSLATION
One should mentally honor the devotee who chants the holy name of Lord Krishna, one should offer humble
obeisances to the devotee who has undergone spiritual initiation [diksha] and is engaged in worshiping the
Deity, and one should associate with and faithfully serve that Pure devotee who is advanced in undeviated
devotional service and whose heart is completely devoid of the propensity to criticize others.
PURPORT
In order to intelligently apply the sixfold loving reciprocations mentioned in the previous verse, one must select
proper persons with careful discrimination. Srila Rupa Gosvami therefore advises that we should meet with the
Vaishnavas in an appropriate way, according to their particular status. In this verse he tells us how to deal with
three types of devotees -- the kanishtha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari. The
kanishtha-adhikari is a neophyte who has received the hari-nama initiation from the spiritual master and is trying
to chant the holy name of Krishna. One should respect such a person within his mind as a kanishtha-vaishnava.
A madhyama-adhikari has received spiritual initiation from the spiritual master and has been fully engaged by him
in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. The madhyama-adhikari should be considered to be situated
midway in devotional service. The uttama-adhikari, or highest devotee, is one who is very advanced in devotional
service. An uttama-adhikari is not interested in blaspheming others, his heart is completely clean, and he has
attained the realized state of unalloyed Krishna consciousness. According to Srila Rupa Gosvami, the association
and service of such a maha-bhagavata, or perfect Vaishnava, are most desirable.
One should not remain a kanishtha-adhikari, one who is situated on the lowest platform of devotional service
and is interested only in worshiping the Deity in the temple. Such a devotee is described in the Eleventh Canto of
Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.47):
arcayam eva haraye
pujam yah sraddhayehate
na tad-bhakteshu canyeshu
sa bhaktah prakritah smritah
"A person who is very faithfully engaged in the worship of the Deity in the temple, but who does not know how
to behave toward devotees or people in general is called a prakrita-bhakta, or kanishtha-adhikari."
One therefore has to raise himself from the position of kanishtha-adhikari to the platform of madhyama-adhikari.
The madhyama-adhikari is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.46) in this way:
isvare tad-adhineshu
baliseshu dvishatsu ca
prema-maitri-kripopeksha
yah karoti sa madhyamah
"The madhyama-adhikari is a devotee who worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the highest object
of love, makes friends with the Lord's devotees, is merciful to the ignorant and avoids those who are envious by
nature."
This is the way to cultivate devotional service properly; therefore in this verse Srila Rupa Gosvami has advised us
how to treat various devotees. We can see from practical experience that there are different types of
Vaishnavas. The prakrita-sahajiyas generally chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, yet they are attached to
women, money and intoxication. Although such persons may chant the holy name of the Lord, they are not yet
properly purified. Such people should be respected within one's mind, but their association should be avoided.
Those who are innocent but simply carried away by bad association should be shown favor if they are eager to
receive proper instructions from pure devotees, but those neophyte devotees who are actually initiated by the
bona fide spiritual master and are seriously engaged in carrying out the orders of the spiritual master should be
offered respectful obeisances.
In this Krishna consciousness movement a chance is given to everyone without discrimination of caste, creed or
color. Everyone is invited to join this movement, sit with us, take prasada and hear about Krishna. When we see
that someone is actually interested in Krishna consciousness and wants to be initiated, we accept him as a
disciple for the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. When a neophyte devotee is actually initiated and
engaged in devotional service by the orders of the spiritual master, he should be accepted immediately as a
bona fide Vaishnava, and obeisances should be offered unto him. Out of many such Vaishnavas, one may be
found to be very seriously engaged in the service of the Lord and strictly following all the regulative principles,
chanting the prescribed number of rounds on japa beads and always thinking of how to expand the Krishna
consciousness movement. Such a Vaishnava should be accepted as an uttama-adhikari, a highly advanced
devotee, and his association should always be sought.
The process by which a devotee becomes attached to Krishna is described in Caitanya-caritamrita (Antya 4.192):
diksha-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krishna tare kare atma-sama
"At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders to the service of the Lord, Krishna accepts him to be as
good as He Himself."
Diksha, or spiritual initiation, is explained in the Bhakti-sandarbha (868) by Srila Jiva Gosvami:
divyam jnanam yato dadyat
kuryat papasya sankshayam
tasmad diksheti sa prokta
desikais tattva-kovidaih
"By diksha one gradually becomes disinterested in material enjoyment and gradually becomes interested in
spiritual life."
We have seen many practical examples of this, especially in Europe and America. Many students who come to us
from rich and respectable families quickly lose all interest in material enjoyment and become very eager to enter
into spiritual life. Although they come from very wealthy families, many of them accept living conditions that are
not very comfortable. Indeed, for Krishna's sake they are prepared to accept any living condition as long as they
can live in the temple and associate with the Vaishnavas. When one becomes so disinterested in material
enjoyment, he becomes fit for initiation by the spiritual master. For the advancement of spiritual life
Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.1.13) prescribes: tapasa brahmacaryena samena ca damena ca. When a person is
serious about accepting diksha, he must be prepared to practice austerity, celibacy and control of the mind and
body. If one is so prepared and is desirous of receiving spiritual enlightenment (divyam jnanam), he is fit for
being initiated. Divyam jnanam is technically called tad-vijnana, or knowledge about the Supreme.
Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: [MU 1.2.12] when one is interested in the transcendental subject
matter of the Absolute Truth, he should be initiated. Such a person should approach a spiritual master in order to
take diksha. Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.3.21) also prescribes: tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam.
"When one is actually interested in the transcendental science of the Absolute Truth, he should approach a
spiritual master."
One should not accept a spiritual master without following his instructions. Nor should one accept a spiritual
master just to make a fashionable show of spiritual life. One must be jijnasu, very much inquisitive to learn from
the bona fide spiritual master. The inquiries one makes should strictly pertain to transcendental science (jijnasuh
sreya uttamam). The word uttamam refers to that which is above material knowledge. Tama means "the
darkness of this material world," and ut means "transcendental." Generally people are very interested in
inquiring about mundane subject matters, but when one has lost such interest and is simply interested in
transcendental subject matters, he is quite fit for being initiated. When one is actually initiated by the bona fide
spiritual master and when he seriously engages in the service of the Lord, he should be accepted as a
madhyama-adhikari.
The chanting of the holy names of Krishna is so sublime that if one chants the Hare Krishna maha-mantra
offenselessly, carefully avoiding the ten offenses, he can certainly be gradually elevated to the point of
understanding that there is no difference between the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself. One who has
reached such an understanding should be very much respected by neophyte devotees. One should know for
certain that without chanting the holy name of the Lord offenselessly, one cannot be a proper candidate for
advancement in Krishna consciousness. In Sri Caitanya-caritamrita (Madhya 22.69) it is said:
yahara komala sraddha, se 'kanishtha' jana
krame krame tenho bhakta ha-ibe 'uttama'
"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."
Everyone begins his devotional life from the neophyte stage, but if one properly finishes chanting the prescribed
number of rounds of harinama, he is elevated step by step to the highest platform, uttama-adhikari. The Krishna
consciousness movement prescribes sixteen rounds daily because people in the Western countries cannot
concentrate for long periods while chanting on beads. Therefore the minimum number of rounds is prescribed.
However, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to say that unless one chants at least sixty-four rounds
of japa (one hundred thousand names), he is considered fallen (patita). According to his calculation, practically
every one of us is fallen, but because we are trying to serve the Supreme Lord with all seriousness and without
duplicity, we can expect the mercy of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is famous as patita-pavana, the
deliverer of the fallen.
When Srila Satyaraja Khan, a great devotee of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, asked the Lord how a Vaishnava could
be recognized, the Lord replied:
"prabhu kahe, -- -- "yanra mukhe suni eka-bara
krishna-nama, sei pujya, -- -- sreshtha sabakara"
"If one hears a person say even once the word 'Krishna,' that person should be accepted as the best man out of
the common group." (Cc. Madhya 15.106) Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued:
"ataeva yanra mukhe eka krishna-nama
sei ta 'vaishnava, kariha tanhara sammana"
"One who is interested in chanting the holy name of Krishna or who by practice likes to chant Krishna's names
should be accepted as a Vaishnava and offered respects as such, at least within one's mind."
(Cc. Madhya 15.111)
One of our friends, a famous English musician, has become attracted to chanting the holy names of Krishna, and
even in his records he has several times mentioned the holy name of Krishna. At his home he offers respect to
pictures of Krishna and also to the preachers of Krishna consciousness. In all regards, he has a very high
estimation for Krishna's name and Krishna's activities; therefore we offer respects to him without reservation, for
we are actually seeing that this gentleman is advancing gradually in Krishna consciousness. Such a person
should always be shown respect. The conclusion is that anyone who is trying to advance in Krishna
consciousness by regularly chanting the holy name should always be respected by Vaishnavas. On the other
hand, we have witnessed that some of our contemporaries who are supposed to be great preachers have
gradually fallen into the material conception of life because they have failed to chant the holy name of the Lord.
While giving instructions to Sanatana Gosvami, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu divided devotional service into three
categories.
sastra-yukti nahi jane dridha, sraddhavan
'madhyama-adhikari' sei maha-bhagyavan
"A person whose conclusive knowledge of the sastras is not very strong but who has developed firm faith in
chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and who is also undeterred in the execution of his prescribed devotional
service should be considered a madhyama-adhikari. Such a person is very fortunate."
(Cc. Madhya 22.67)
A madhyama-adhikari is a sraddhavan, a staunchly faithful person, and he is actually a candidate for further
advancement in devotional service. Therefore in the Caitanya-caritamrita (Madhya 22.64) it is said:
sraddhavan jana haya bhakti-adhikari
'uttama', 'madhyama', 'kanishtha' -- -- sraddha-anusari
"One becomes qualified as a devotee on the elementary platform, the intermediate platform and the highest
platform of devotional service according to the development of his sraddha [faith]."
Again in Caitanya-caritamrita (Madhya 22.62) it is said:
'sraddha'-sabde -- -- visvasa kahe sudridha niscaya
krishne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krita haya
"By rendering transcendental service to Krishna, one automatically performs all subsidiary activities.' This
confident, firm faith, favorable to the discharge of devotional service, is called sraddha." Sraddha, faith in Krishna,
is the beginning of Krishna consciousness. Faith means strong faith. The words of Bhagavad-gita are
authoritative instructions for faithful men, and whatever Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita is to be accepted as it is,
without interpretation. This was the way Arjuna accepted Bhagavad-gita. After hearing Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna
told Krishna: sarvam etad ritam manye yan mam vadasi kesava. "O Krishna, I totally accept as truth all that You
have told me." (Bg. 10.14)
This is the correct way of understanding Bhagavad-gita, and this is called sraddha. It is not that one accepts a
portion of Bhagavad-gita according to his own whimsical interpretations and then rejects another portion. This is
not sraddha. Sraddha means accepting the instructions of Bhagavad-gita in their totality, especially the last
instruction: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. "Abandon all varieties of religion and just
surrender unto Me." (Bg. 18.66) When one becomes completely faithful in regard to this instruction, one's strong
faith becomes the basis for advancing in spiritual life.
When one fully engages in chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, he gradually realizes his own spiritual
identity. Unless one faithfully chants the Hare Krishna mantra, Krishna does not reveal Himself: sevonmukhe hi
jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. (Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu 1.2.234) We cannot realize the Supreme
Personality of Godhead by any artificial means. We must engage faithfully in the service of the Lord. Such service
begins with the tongue (sevonmukhe hi jihvadau), which means that we should always chant the holy names of
the Lord and accept krishna-prasada. We should not chant or accept anything else. When this process is
faithfully followed, the Supreme Lord reveals Himself to the devotee.
When a person realizes himself to be an eternal servitor of Krishna, he loses interest in everything but Krishna's
service. Always thinking of Krishna, devising means by which to spread the holy name of Krishna, he understands
that his only business is in spreading the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world. Such a person is
to be recognized as an uttama-adhikari, and his association should be immediately accepted according to the six
processes (dadati pratigrihnati, etc.). Indeed, the advanced uttama-adhikari Vaishnava devotee should be
accepted as a spiritual master. Everything one possesses should be offered to him, for it is enjoined that one
should deliver whatever he has to the spiritual master. The brahmacari in particular is supposed to beg alms from
others and offer them to the spiritual master. However, one should not imitate the behavior of an advanced
devotee or maha-bhagavata without being self-realized, for by such imitation one will eventually become
degraded.
In this verse Srila Rupa Gosvami advises the devotee to be intelligent enough to distinguish between the
kanishtha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari. The devotee should also know his own position
and should not try to imitate a devotee situated on a higher platform. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has given some
practical hints to the effect that an uttama-adhikari Vaishnava can be recognized by his ability to convert many
fallen souls to Vaishnavism. One should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform of
uttama-adhikari. A neophyte Vaishnava or a Vaishnava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept
disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they cannot
advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his insufficient guidance. Therefore a disciple should be
careful to accept an uttama-adhikari as a spiritual master.
TOP
krishneti yasya giri tam manasadriyeta
dikshasti cet pranatibhis ca bhajantam isam
susrushaya bhajana-vijnam ananyam anya-
nindadi-sunya-hridam ipsita-sanga-labdhya
SYNONYMS
krishna -- the holy name of Lord Krishna; iti -- thus; yasya -- of whom; giri -- in the words or speech; tam -- him;
manasa -- by the mind; adriyeta -- one must honour; diksha -- initiation; asti -- there is; cet -- if; pranatibhih -- by
obeisances; ca -- also; bhajantam -- engaged in devotional service; isam -- unto the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; susrushaya -- by practical service; bhajana-vijnam -- one who is advanced in devotional service;
ananyam -- without deviation; anya-ninda-adi -- of blasphemy of others, etc; sunya -- completely devoid; hridam
-- whose heart; ipsita -- desirable; sanga -- association; labdhya -- by gaining.
TRANSLATION
One should mentally honor the devotee who chants the holy name of Lord Krishna, one should offer humble
obeisances to the devotee who has undergone spiritual initiation [diksha] and is engaged in worshiping the
Deity, and one should associate with and faithfully serve that Pure devotee who is advanced in undeviated
devotional service and whose heart is completely devoid of the propensity to criticize others.
PURPORT
In order to intelligently apply the sixfold loving reciprocations mentioned in the previous verse, one must select
proper persons with careful discrimination. Srila Rupa Gosvami therefore advises that we should meet with the
Vaishnavas in an appropriate way, according to their particular status. In this verse he tells us how to deal with
three types of devotees -- the kanishtha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari. The
kanishtha-adhikari is a neophyte who has received the hari-nama initiation from the spiritual master and is trying
to chant the holy name of Krishna. One should respect such a person within his mind as a kanishtha-vaishnava.
A madhyama-adhikari has received spiritual initiation from the spiritual master and has been fully engaged by him
in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. The madhyama-adhikari should be considered to be situated
midway in devotional service. The uttama-adhikari, or highest devotee, is one who is very advanced in devotional
service. An uttama-adhikari is not interested in blaspheming others, his heart is completely clean, and he has
attained the realized state of unalloyed Krishna consciousness. According to Srila Rupa Gosvami, the association
and service of such a maha-bhagavata, or perfect Vaishnava, are most desirable.
One should not remain a kanishtha-adhikari, one who is situated on the lowest platform of devotional service
and is interested only in worshiping the Deity in the temple. Such a devotee is described in the Eleventh Canto of
Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.47):
arcayam eva haraye
pujam yah sraddhayehate
na tad-bhakteshu canyeshu
sa bhaktah prakritah smritah
"A person who is very faithfully engaged in the worship of the Deity in the temple, but who does not know how
to behave toward devotees or people in general is called a prakrita-bhakta, or kanishtha-adhikari."
One therefore has to raise himself from the position of kanishtha-adhikari to the platform of madhyama-adhikari.
The madhyama-adhikari is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.46) in this way:
isvare tad-adhineshu
baliseshu dvishatsu ca
prema-maitri-kripopeksha
yah karoti sa madhyamah
"The madhyama-adhikari is a devotee who worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the highest object
of love, makes friends with the Lord's devotees, is merciful to the ignorant and avoids those who are envious by
nature."
This is the way to cultivate devotional service properly; therefore in this verse Srila Rupa Gosvami has advised us
how to treat various devotees. We can see from practical experience that there are different types of
Vaishnavas. The prakrita-sahajiyas generally chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, yet they are attached to
women, money and intoxication. Although such persons may chant the holy name of the Lord, they are not yet
properly purified. Such people should be respected within one's mind, but their association should be avoided.
Those who are innocent but simply carried away by bad association should be shown favor if they are eager to
receive proper instructions from pure devotees, but those neophyte devotees who are actually initiated by the
bona fide spiritual master and are seriously engaged in carrying out the orders of the spiritual master should be
offered respectful obeisances.
In this Krishna consciousness movement a chance is given to everyone without discrimination of caste, creed or
color. Everyone is invited to join this movement, sit with us, take prasada and hear about Krishna. When we see
that someone is actually interested in Krishna consciousness and wants to be initiated, we accept him as a
disciple for the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. When a neophyte devotee is actually initiated and
engaged in devotional service by the orders of the spiritual master, he should be accepted immediately as a
bona fide Vaishnava, and obeisances should be offered unto him. Out of many such Vaishnavas, one may be
found to be very seriously engaged in the service of the Lord and strictly following all the regulative principles,
chanting the prescribed number of rounds on japa beads and always thinking of how to expand the Krishna
consciousness movement. Such a Vaishnava should be accepted as an uttama-adhikari, a highly advanced
devotee, and his association should always be sought.
The process by which a devotee becomes attached to Krishna is described in Caitanya-caritamrita (Antya 4.192):
diksha-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krishna tare kare atma-sama
"At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders to the service of the Lord, Krishna accepts him to be as
good as He Himself."
Diksha, or spiritual initiation, is explained in the Bhakti-sandarbha (868) by Srila Jiva Gosvami:
divyam jnanam yato dadyat
kuryat papasya sankshayam
tasmad diksheti sa prokta
desikais tattva-kovidaih
"By diksha one gradually becomes disinterested in material enjoyment and gradually becomes interested in
spiritual life."
We have seen many practical examples of this, especially in Europe and America. Many students who come to us
from rich and respectable families quickly lose all interest in material enjoyment and become very eager to enter
into spiritual life. Although they come from very wealthy families, many of them accept living conditions that are
not very comfortable. Indeed, for Krishna's sake they are prepared to accept any living condition as long as they
can live in the temple and associate with the Vaishnavas. When one becomes so disinterested in material
enjoyment, he becomes fit for initiation by the spiritual master. For the advancement of spiritual life
Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.1.13) prescribes: tapasa brahmacaryena samena ca damena ca. When a person is
serious about accepting diksha, he must be prepared to practice austerity, celibacy and control of the mind and
body. If one is so prepared and is desirous of receiving spiritual enlightenment (divyam jnanam), he is fit for
being initiated. Divyam jnanam is technically called tad-vijnana, or knowledge about the Supreme.
Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: [MU 1.2.12] when one is interested in the transcendental subject
matter of the Absolute Truth, he should be initiated. Such a person should approach a spiritual master in order to
take diksha. Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.3.21) also prescribes: tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam.
"When one is actually interested in the transcendental science of the Absolute Truth, he should approach a
spiritual master."
One should not accept a spiritual master without following his instructions. Nor should one accept a spiritual
master just to make a fashionable show of spiritual life. One must be jijnasu, very much inquisitive to learn from
the bona fide spiritual master. The inquiries one makes should strictly pertain to transcendental science (jijnasuh
sreya uttamam). The word uttamam refers to that which is above material knowledge. Tama means "the
darkness of this material world," and ut means "transcendental." Generally people are very interested in
inquiring about mundane subject matters, but when one has lost such interest and is simply interested in
transcendental subject matters, he is quite fit for being initiated. When one is actually initiated by the bona fide
spiritual master and when he seriously engages in the service of the Lord, he should be accepted as a
madhyama-adhikari.
The chanting of the holy names of Krishna is so sublime that if one chants the Hare Krishna maha-mantra
offenselessly, carefully avoiding the ten offenses, he can certainly be gradually elevated to the point of
understanding that there is no difference between the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself. One who has
reached such an understanding should be very much respected by neophyte devotees. One should know for
certain that without chanting the holy name of the Lord offenselessly, one cannot be a proper candidate for
advancement in Krishna consciousness. In Sri Caitanya-caritamrita (Madhya 22.69) it is said:
yahara komala sraddha, se 'kanishtha' jana
krame krame tenho bhakta ha-ibe 'uttama'
"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."
Everyone begins his devotional life from the neophyte stage, but if one properly finishes chanting the prescribed
number of rounds of harinama, he is elevated step by step to the highest platform, uttama-adhikari. The Krishna
consciousness movement prescribes sixteen rounds daily because people in the Western countries cannot
concentrate for long periods while chanting on beads. Therefore the minimum number of rounds is prescribed.
However, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to say that unless one chants at least sixty-four rounds
of japa (one hundred thousand names), he is considered fallen (patita). According to his calculation, practically
every one of us is fallen, but because we are trying to serve the Supreme Lord with all seriousness and without
duplicity, we can expect the mercy of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is famous as patita-pavana, the
deliverer of the fallen.
When Srila Satyaraja Khan, a great devotee of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, asked the Lord how a Vaishnava could
be recognized, the Lord replied:
"prabhu kahe, -- -- "yanra mukhe suni eka-bara
krishna-nama, sei pujya, -- -- sreshtha sabakara"
"If one hears a person say even once the word 'Krishna,' that person should be accepted as the best man out of
the common group." (Cc. Madhya 15.106) Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued:
"ataeva yanra mukhe eka krishna-nama
sei ta 'vaishnava, kariha tanhara sammana"
"One who is interested in chanting the holy name of Krishna or who by practice likes to chant Krishna's names
should be accepted as a Vaishnava and offered respects as such, at least within one's mind."
(Cc. Madhya 15.111)
One of our friends, a famous English musician, has become attracted to chanting the holy names of Krishna, and
even in his records he has several times mentioned the holy name of Krishna. At his home he offers respect to
pictures of Krishna and also to the preachers of Krishna consciousness. In all regards, he has a very high
estimation for Krishna's name and Krishna's activities; therefore we offer respects to him without reservation, for
we are actually seeing that this gentleman is advancing gradually in Krishna consciousness. Such a person
should always be shown respect. The conclusion is that anyone who is trying to advance in Krishna
consciousness by regularly chanting the holy name should always be respected by Vaishnavas. On the other
hand, we have witnessed that some of our contemporaries who are supposed to be great preachers have
gradually fallen into the material conception of life because they have failed to chant the holy name of the Lord.
While giving instructions to Sanatana Gosvami, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu divided devotional service into three
categories.
sastra-yukti nahi jane dridha, sraddhavan
'madhyama-adhikari' sei maha-bhagyavan
"A person whose conclusive knowledge of the sastras is not very strong but who has developed firm faith in
chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and who is also undeterred in the execution of his prescribed devotional
service should be considered a madhyama-adhikari. Such a person is very fortunate."
(Cc. Madhya 22.67)
A madhyama-adhikari is a sraddhavan, a staunchly faithful person, and he is actually a candidate for further
advancement in devotional service. Therefore in the Caitanya-caritamrita (Madhya 22.64) it is said:
sraddhavan jana haya bhakti-adhikari
'uttama', 'madhyama', 'kanishtha' -- -- sraddha-anusari
"One becomes qualified as a devotee on the elementary platform, the intermediate platform and the highest
platform of devotional service according to the development of his sraddha [faith]."
Again in Caitanya-caritamrita (Madhya 22.62) it is said:
'sraddha'-sabde -- -- visvasa kahe sudridha niscaya
krishne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krita haya
"By rendering transcendental service to Krishna, one automatically performs all subsidiary activities.' This
confident, firm faith, favorable to the discharge of devotional service, is called sraddha." Sraddha, faith in Krishna,
is the beginning of Krishna consciousness. Faith means strong faith. The words of Bhagavad-gita are
authoritative instructions for faithful men, and whatever Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita is to be accepted as it is,
without interpretation. This was the way Arjuna accepted Bhagavad-gita. After hearing Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna
told Krishna: sarvam etad ritam manye yan mam vadasi kesava. "O Krishna, I totally accept as truth all that You
have told me." (Bg. 10.14)
This is the correct way of understanding Bhagavad-gita, and this is called sraddha. It is not that one accepts a
portion of Bhagavad-gita according to his own whimsical interpretations and then rejects another portion. This is
not sraddha. Sraddha means accepting the instructions of Bhagavad-gita in their totality, especially the last
instruction: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. "Abandon all varieties of religion and just
surrender unto Me." (Bg. 18.66) When one becomes completely faithful in regard to this instruction, one's strong
faith becomes the basis for advancing in spiritual life.
When one fully engages in chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, he gradually realizes his own spiritual
identity. Unless one faithfully chants the Hare Krishna mantra, Krishna does not reveal Himself: sevonmukhe hi
jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. (Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu 1.2.234) We cannot realize the Supreme
Personality of Godhead by any artificial means. We must engage faithfully in the service of the Lord. Such service
begins with the tongue (sevonmukhe hi jihvadau), which means that we should always chant the holy names of
the Lord and accept krishna-prasada. We should not chant or accept anything else. When this process is
faithfully followed, the Supreme Lord reveals Himself to the devotee.
When a person realizes himself to be an eternal servitor of Krishna, he loses interest in everything but Krishna's
service. Always thinking of Krishna, devising means by which to spread the holy name of Krishna, he understands
that his only business is in spreading the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world. Such a person is
to be recognized as an uttama-adhikari, and his association should be immediately accepted according to the six
processes (dadati pratigrihnati, etc.). Indeed, the advanced uttama-adhikari Vaishnava devotee should be
accepted as a spiritual master. Everything one possesses should be offered to him, for it is enjoined that one
should deliver whatever he has to the spiritual master. The brahmacari in particular is supposed to beg alms from
others and offer them to the spiritual master. However, one should not imitate the behavior of an advanced
devotee or maha-bhagavata without being self-realized, for by such imitation one will eventually become
degraded.
In this verse Srila Rupa Gosvami advises the devotee to be intelligent enough to distinguish between the
kanishtha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari. The devotee should also know his own position
and should not try to imitate a devotee situated on a higher platform. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has given some
practical hints to the effect that an uttama-adhikari Vaishnava can be recognized by his ability to convert many
fallen souls to Vaishnavism. One should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform of
uttama-adhikari. A neophyte Vaishnava or a Vaishnava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept
disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they cannot
advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his insufficient guidance. Therefore a disciple should be
careful to accept an uttama-adhikari as a spiritual master.
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