VERSE ONE ( NINA)

[Guest guest]

Dear Vaisnave......not sure which verse you are refering to but I hope that I

have the gist of what you are saying

I tend to agree that sometimes some devotees think that they are very HIGH. In

so doing we regard everybody else as non-devotees and or Karmi's.

We forget that the "prakrti" material energy is part of The Lords Creation.

Perhaps we do become fanatical....I know that I was tending towards

this....side in my devotional practice.

But Lord Sri Krsna is "Khetra Jnan"....so he arranged to humble me. Now I

assiociate with many friends and go to meetings....some times even partake in

their vegetarian foodstuffs ( offer it before eating). In this way they started

partaking of my lunch (PARSADAM) plus, I started to show them by my example that

practicing Krsna Consciousness is so easy...Chant Hare Krsna and be happy. "what

ever you do , what ever you eat ....do it as an offering to me" ( LORD KRSNA)

Surprising I can recall at least three people who are now visiting the Sri Sri

Radhanath mandir regularly. In fact one person is now making advancement much

faster than I am. I can recall a time when this same person was a follower of

the Sai Baba movement and was eating meat and was totally against the science

of Krsna Consciousness..

In my devotional practice I see no problem in assiociating with street people,

Christians, Muslims and or sometimes taking food prepared by Non-Vaisnave's.

I do agree that within Durban yatra "congregation" I seem a bit out of it....but

deep down in my heart I feel glad each time some body new comes to see their

Lordships for the First time. Many devotees have come after me and are now

initiated some even Brahman initiated. To them I am stagnant...and they have

made much advancement......."WONDERFUL"

na danam , na janam, na sundarim kavitam .....can't remember this verse.

haribol

rakesh

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[Guest guest]

On Fri, 19 Oct 2001 rakesh.manohar wrote:

> I tend to agree that sometimes some devotees think that they are very HIGH.

> In so doing we regard everybody else as non-devotees and or Karmi's.

> We forget that the "prakrti" material energy is part of The Lords Creation.

> Perhaps we do become fanatical....I know that I was tending towards

> this....side in my devotional practice.

Actually, the paramahamsas see everyone else as being more

advanced. Of course, we have to admit that paramahamsas are very rare

souls. They're also called uttama-adhikaris (those whose prerogative is

highest). To think oneself to be most advanced is conversely one symptom

of neophyte standing; such a person is the least qualified candidate, and

is called a kanistha adhikari.

In order to be progressively engaged, most of us have to discriminate

very carefully between associations which will elevate us and associations

which will degrade us; these can be relative (that's one reason we all need

bonafide gurus). Considering the tremendous importance placed on saintly

association by Lord Caitanya (cf. Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 22.54),

as well as Srila Rupa Gosvami (we'll read NoI text 2 later, which addresses

both good and bad association), we can learn that practical discrimination

about the associations one chooses, or accepts, is a major concern of the

madhyamadhikaris--those of intermediate eligibility for spiritual advancement.

Srimad Bhagavatam discusses all three of these adhikaris, which are

distinguished chiefly by the development of individual faith (see canto

11, chapter 2). Later acaryas have subdivided these three even further,

just to help us gauge our own advancement practically and unambiguously.

Srila Prabhupada usually encourages devotees to act on the

madhyama platform, something he exemplified. Srimad Bhagavatam (10.22.35)

teaches us that our duty as human beings is to help others however we can.

The kanistha is generally too selfish to really benefit anyone, while the

uttama-bhakta genuinely feels too unqualified to try, despite his or her

standing in the spiritual world. But if we aspire to be engaged in

assisting Srila Prabhupada in his noble mission, as per Lord Caitanya's

order (cf., Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 7.128), the madhyama

platform is the optimum position to accept.

The discriminating madhyamadhikaris will see the Lord (whom they

love), the devotees (whom they befriend), the innocent (to whom they show

kindness), and the demons (whom they avoid)--that is, prema, maitri, krpa,

and upeksa, respectively (cf. Bhagavatam, 11.2.46). They don't confuse

these categories and interactions; thus they can advance smoothly.

Discrimination is also necessary for appreciating the duality

inherent in devotional service, since Krsna conciousness involves

transcendental variegatedness.

 

 

 

> In my devotional practice I see no problem in assiociating with street

> people, Christians, Muslims and or sometimes taking food prepared by

> Non-Vaisnave's.

Srila Prabhupada and his own guru have left us several instructive

purports in this connection, in Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 6.273-280.

Some of that content overlaps with statements Prabhupada makes in his NoI

purports too.

 

MDd