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    Question 4

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    Aayush Todi
    The document discusses the proper attitudes towards Vaiñëavas or devotees of Krishna. It states that one should not judge a pure devotee based on their material qualities and should overlook any bodily defects, instead focusing on their devotional service. It describes inappropriate attitudes like criticism of devotees as offenses that are dangerous for spiritual advancement. The consequences include committing an offense at the lotus feet of the Vaiñëava and being unable to derive any spiritual benefits.

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    Question 4

    Uploaded by

    Aayush Todi
    87 views1 page
    The document discusses the proper attitudes towards Vaiñëavas or devotees of Krishna. It states that one should not judge a pure devotee based on their material qualities and should overlook any bodily defects, instead focusing on their devotional service. It describes inappropriate attitudes like criticism of devotees as offenses that are dangerous for spiritual advancement. The consequences include committing an offense at the lotus feet of the Vaiñëava and being unable to derive any spiritual benefits.

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    Bhakti shastri NOI 4

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    The document discusses the proper attitudes towards Vaiñëavas or devotees of Krishna. It states that one should not judge a pure devotee based on their material qualities and should overlook any bodily defects, instead focusing on their devotional service. It describes inappropriate attitudes like criticism of devotees as offenses that are dangerous for spiritual advancement. The consequences include committing an offense at the lotus feet of the Vaiñëava and being unable to derive any spiritual benefits.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as odt, pdf, or txt
    87 views1 page

    Question 4

    Uploaded by

    Aayush Todi
    The document discusses the proper attitudes towards Vaiñëavas or devotees of Krishna. It states that one should not judge a pure devotee based on their material qualities and should overlook any bodily defects, instead focusing on their devotional service. It describes inappropriate attitudes like criticism of devotees as offenses that are dangerous for spiritual advancement. The consequences include committing an offense at the lotus feet of the Vaiñëava and being unable to derive any spiritual benefits.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as odt, pdf, or txt
    of 1

    In your own words, describe the appropriate attitudes towards Vaiñëavas and discuss the

    consequences of inappropriate attitudes with reference to Çré Upadeçämåta text 6 and


    purport. (Personal Application) (400 words)

    Verse 6 of Çré Upadeçämåta describes the proper attitude towards Vaiñëavas as follows:
    Kṛṣṇa’s devotee is not subjected to material conditions, even though his bodily features
    may appear materially conditioned. One should therefore not see a pure devotee from a
    materialistic point of view. One should not criticize the bodily defects of a pure devotee. If
    there are such defects, they should be overlooked. What should be taken into account is
    devotional service, pure service to the Supreme Lord.

    As stated in BG (9.30): api cet suduräcäro… Even if a devotee sometimes seems to


    engage in abominable activities, he should be considered a sädhu, a saintly person,
    because his actual identity is that of one engaged in the loving service of the Lord. In other
    words, he is not to be considered an ordinary human being. Even though a pure devotee
    may not be born in a brähmaëa or gosvämé family, if he is engaged in the service of the
    Lord he should not be neglected. This is quite evident from the example of Rūpa Gosvāmī
    and Sanātana Gosvāmī who had practically become Mohammedans but, Śrī Caitanya
    Mahāprabhu Himself made them gosvāmīs. Therefore the gosvāmī title is not hereditary. A
    devotee is not controlled by the senses, but is the controller of the senses. Consequently
    he should be called svāmī or gosvāmī, even though he may not be born in a gosvāmī
    family.

    The consequences of inappropriate attitudes towards are described as follows:


    If we consider the bodily defects of a Vaiṣṇava, we should understand that we are
    committing an offense at the lotus feet of the Vaiṣṇava. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has
    described this offense as hātī-mātā, the mad elephant offense. A mad elephant can create
    a disaster, especially when it enters into a nicely trimmed garden.

    When one thus criticizes a pure devotee, he commits an offense (vaiṣṇava-aparādha) that
    is very obstructive and dangerous for those who desire to advance in Kṛṣṇa
    consciousness. A person cannot derive any spiritual benefit when he offends the lotus feet
    of a Vaiṣṇava. Everyone should therefore be very careful not to be jealous of an
    empowered Vaiṣṇava, or a śuddha-vaiṣṇava. It is also an offense to consider an
    empowered Vaiṣṇava an object of disciplinary action. It is offensive to try to give him
    advice or to correct him. One can distinguish between a neophyte Vaiṣṇava and an
    advanced Vaiṣṇava by their activities. The advanced Vaiṣṇava is always situated as the
    spiritual master, and the neophyte is always considered his disciple. The spiritual master
    must not be subjected to the advice of a disciple, nor should a spiritual master be obliged
    to take instructions from those who are not his disciples.

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