The Ideal Devotee

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Here is an article which describes an IDEAL DEVOTEE

 

The Ideal Devotee

In Caitanya Caritamrta Sanatana Goswami describes the qualifications

of a spiritual master. He says:

 

apane aca re keha, na kare pracara

 

pracara karena keha, na karena acara

 

" Some behave very well but do not preach the cult of Krishna

consciousness, whereas others preach but do not behave properly. "

 

'acara', 'pracara',--namera karaha'dui' karya

 

tumi--sarva-guru, tumi jagatera arya

 

" You simultaneously perform both duties in relation to the holy name

by your personal behaviour and by your preaching. Therefore you are

the spiritual master of the entire world, for you are the most

advanced devotee in the world. " (Cc. A.4.102-103)

 

In his purport to these verses Srila Prabhupada states " ...The

members of the Krishna Consciousness movement chant a minimum of

sixteen rounds a day, which can be done without difficulty, and at

the same time they must preach the cult of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu

according to the gospel of Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. "

 

Srila Prabhupada has repeatedly emphasised that there are two

characteristics in the personality of a vaisnava. The first is good

behaviour, or regulated spiritual practices. That is called acara.

The second is enthusiasm for giving others Krishna bhakti. That is

called pracara. These are symptoms especially prevalent in a second

class devotee or the madhyama adhikari. In the above quote Srila

Prabhupada gives a general instruction to all the members of the

Krishna consciousness movement. That is they should be both good

practitioners and good preachers.

Repeatedly Srila Prabhupada had explained the importance of a

preacher in comparison to the practitioner.

 

" Preaching Caitanya Mahaprabhu's cult throughout the world is more

important than staying in Vrndaban or Jaganatha Puri for one's own

personal satisfaction. Spreading Krishna consciousness is Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission; therefore His sincere devotees must

carry out His desire. " (Cc.M.16.63-64)

 

" At the present moment we see that some of the members of the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness are tending to leave

their preaching activities in order to sit in a solitary place. This

is not a very good sign. It is a fact that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta

Sarasvati Thakur has condemned this practice for neophytes...Sitting

in a solitary place and intending to chant the Hare Krishna maha

mantra is considered a cheating process. This practice is not

possible for neophytes at all. The neophyte devotee must act and

work very laboriously under the direction of the spiritual master,

and he must thus preach the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Only

after maturing in devotion can he sit down in a solitary place to

chant the hare Krishna maha mantra... "

 

Finally Srila Prabhupada has given his verdict on the qualitative

difference between the two types of devotees. He says;

 

" Those who are preachers are superior to those who go to the

Himalayas to meditate. It is good to go to the Himalayas to meditate

for one's personal benefit, but those who undergo many difficulties

in order to preach are superior. They are actually fighting for

Krishna's sake and they are certainly more compassionate. Those

sadhus who leave Vrndavana to go fight in the world, to spread

Krishna consciousness, are superior sadhus. " (TLK Ch.11.24)

 

One cannot separate preaching Krishna consciousness from its

practice if one wants to be recognised by the Lord. Srila Prabhupada

says " Every devotee should be very enthusiastic, not only in

performing his daily rituals of devotional service, but in trying to

preach the cult peacefully by following in the footsteps of the

Lord...one should see how much service is being executed, and not

simply in the matter of rituals. " (Bhag. 2.8.21)

One may question what are the actual activities that constitute

preaching. Preaching means performing those activities by which non-

devotees have the opportunity to become Krishna conscious. Srila

Prabhupada writes;

 

" I think Krishna is giving you the required intelligence how to

spread our transcendental movement. This is the right way, as you

have adopted. To chant Hare Krishna, very nicely, with musical

instruments and mrdanga, speak the philosophy of Bhagavad-Gita, and

sell our literatures like books and magazines. That process will

make our mission successful. " (Letter 21/6/68)

 

" The second important program is this prasadam distribution, without

any discrimination, so that everyone will get equal portion, no

matter how little or how much there is there. " (Letter 14/4/72).

 

" This kirtan, chanting and speaking of Krishna, is the sure and

certain method of propagating Krishna consciousness...we simply

chant Hare Krishna with karatals and mrdangas. " (Letter 28/12/68)

 

 

I think this leaves no time for anyone to be bothered about anyone

else except KRISHNA. Even for a moment we should not stop thinking

of KRISHNA. If we are chanting harinaam, and then wasting our time

in criticising others, it is a waste of chanting. Even for a moment

we must not deviate from the chanting of the Holy name, and then we

will automatically be well situated in KRISHNA COnsciousness, which

comes to us by the mercy of a Guru alone.

 

ALL GLORIES to SRILA PRABHUPADA