Who is a Vaisnava ?

June 24, 2003

We recently received the following question:

I am trying to recall a quote from Gour Govinda Maharaja, so naturally I am

turning to you for help. He is answering a question on Vaisnava aparadha,

and he answers that it is difficult, very difficult to commit it because

first you must find a Vaisnava! Or something to that effect. Could you email

me the exact words spoken by your Guru Maharaja on this matter?

-- Goloka Candra Das, Malaysia

Thanks for your question, Prabhuji. We have heard that statement accredited

to him before. However I never personally heard him say such a thing, nor

have the devotees here yet found such a statement on tape. As a few devotees

have quoted him in this way, it's possible that he may have said it or

something like it. However, if he did I would consider that the statement

should be examined in whatever context in which it may have been said. His

general teaching is that we should consider all living entities to be

vaishnavas and servants of the Lord and therefore be careful not to offend

any of them.

In support of this understanding, please note the following:

1. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu taught that we should see all jivas as servants

of the Lord and not offend them (See Cb. madhya 19.209-210).

2. Thakur Bhaktivinode taught that it is also vaishnava-aparadha to

criticize a neophyte devotee or one who still has some impurities in his

heart (See Sajjana-toshani 5.2, 5.3 and 5.5 quoted in Bhaktivinode

Vani-vaibhava chapter 75).

3. Srila Prabhupada in a lecture on Nectar of Devotion (22 Oct 1972)

similarly described that every living entity is a devotee of Krishna, so we

should respect and not offend them.

There is a lecture from our Guru Maharaja on the same

topic. The following questions and answers from the end of that lecture give

a clear picture of his teachings on this point:

Devotee 2: Devotees sometimes think, "This devotee is not really a vaisnava,

he is only a neophyte, therefore if I think something bad of him it is all

right."

Gour Govinda Swami: Don't hear such a thing.

Devotee 1: It is very difficult to not hear such talk.

Gour Govinda Swami: Do you think it is easy to get Krishna? It is very

difficult and it is very easy. You think, "I will do all nonsense and I will

get Krishna." What is this? Day-dreaming! It is not so easy!

Devotee 2: So anyone could be a vaisnava.

Gour Govinda Swami: The jiva is vaisnava! jivera 'svarupa' haya krsnera

'nitya-dasa', the svarupa of the jiva is vaisnava. But we have no such

vision. We cannot see, because we are such rascals, degraded fellows. We are

blind. We have no proper vision. So how can we see the svarupa? We only see

the outward, nasty things, the outer body. We have no vision to see. But

every jiva is a servant of Krishna - jivera 'svarupa' haya krsnera

'nitya-dasa'. That is what Mahaprabhu has said. But we cannot see it. A real

sadhu, paramahamsa, pays respect to one and all. amani manada - Don't demand

respect for yourself, rather, pay respect to one and all. A sadhu doesn't

even disrespect an ant. He sees him as a jiva. You should know that before

you offer respect to a sadhu, the sadhu has already paid respect to you in

his mind. For practical dealings we have this consciousness of superior and

inferior. But a sadhu offers respect to one and all. Seeing the jiva soul

within, he doesn't disrespect even an ant.

Your servant,

Madhavananda Das www.gopaljiu.org

June 24, 2003

One who is humble, gentle to all, does not tolerate injustice, kind to all living creatures is a pure vaishnava and Krishna stays with such people, irrespective of whether he is educated in all vedas and shastras or not.

I am visiting this forum for the past three days and I see lots of confrontations and fights going among group of people for the seniority. A person who is really senior by all means in spirituality will not even raise a question of who should be considered senior.

yasodanandana · June 24, 2003

in a pure sense a vaishnava is one who have a direct perception of the name, form and activities of krsna and join and live in these lilas (guruvastakam)

but devotees are very humble and positive and do not consider too much the "material time " factor

so it is possible to say that who is practicing regularly a little of krsna consciousness is a vaishnava because, before or after he will return the perfect vaishnava state

the context is to be considered... if we say in the same sentence that srila prabhupada and yasodanandana dasa are vaishnavas.... of course there is a big mistake .... even if i can identificate myself as a (poor) spiritual practitioner belonging to this school

all the people in this forum, having some association with the name, form, qualities, activities and associates of sri krsna, will be soon back to godhead.... even if they use now a slightly material way to relationate