The Unlimited Glories of Describing Devotees of God
Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the pure associates of the Supreme Lord are as unlimited and glorious as the Lord Himself. By studying his instructions, we can understand the immense spiritual benefit of describing the devotees, the impossibility of listing all their transcendental qualities, and how hearing their pastimes purifies the heart.
The Impossibility of Full Description
The pure devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu possess boundless spiritual energy. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that attempting to fully document or describe the innumerable associates of the Lord and their extraordinary qualities is an impossible task, even for the thousand-mouthed Lord Śeṣa.
- Each and every branch of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's devotees has unlimited spiritual power and glory. Even if one had thousands of mouths, it would be impossible to describe the limits of their activities.
- I (Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami) have briefly described the devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in different places. Even Lord Sesa, who has thousands of mouths, could not list them all.
- I (Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami) list in this way only a portion of the innumerable devotees of Lord Caitanya. To describe them all fully is not possible.
Glorifying the Pure Devotees
There is no difference in spiritual potency between hearing about God and hearing about His unalloyed servants. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that discussing the pastimes of the devotees is inherently fascinating and non-different from glorifying the Supreme Lord, providing deep satisfaction to the listener.
- Srimad-Bhagavatam describes the glories of the Lord and His devotees. Because the whole subject matter is the glorification of the Lord, naturally the glorification of His devotees automatically follows.
- As evidenced in the topics between Vidura and Maitreya, the activities of the Supreme and the devotees are so fascinating that neither the devotee who is describing them nor the devotee who is hearing is at all fatigued by the inquiries and answers.
- I (Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami) have described but a fragment of the glories of Haridasa Thakura. Hearing this satisfies the aural reception of every devotee.
The Transcendent Nature of the Vaiṣṇava
A pure devotee is never under the grip of material nature. Śrīla Prabhupāda refers to the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to describe how a mahātmā, or great soul, is unagitated by material distress, driven by deep compassion, and guided strictly by the Lord's internal energy.
- In Bhagavad-gita (BG 9.13) the word mahatma describes the pure devotee of the Lord: mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah. A mahatma is always under the guidance of the internal energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- In SB the devotees are described as nipuna-buddhayah, which means that they are the most intelligent class of men. Uninfluenced by attachment or hatred, the devotee lives very peacefully and is not agitated by the influence of passion and ignorance.
- A Vaisnava is described as para-duhkha-duhkhi because although he is never distressed in any condition of life, he is distressed to see others in a distressed condition.
The Nectar of Authorized Descriptions
To properly understand the character of the devotees, we must turn to the authorized Vedic literatures. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that reading the vivid descriptions found in works like Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta is the most effective way to associate with pure Vaiṣṇavas and elevate one's own consciousness.
- One should especially seek the society of brahmanas who are elevated to the position of Vaisnavas. Thus discussion of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which describes the character and pastimes of devotees and the Lord, is very quickly effective.
- In the Adi-lila of Caitanya-caritamrta, Chapter Eight, there is a description of some of the qualities of devotees. For example, Sri Pandita Haridasa is described as being very well-behaved, tolerant, peaceful, magnanimous and grave.
- Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has vividly described the pastimes of Haridasa Thakura in his Caitanya-bhagavata. Whatever has remained undescribed I (Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami) shall try to explain later in this book.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda beautifully establishes that discussing and describing the pure devotees of the Lord is one of the highest and most purifying spiritual activities. The glorious qualities of unalloyed Vaiṣṇavas are so vast and transcendental that even Lord Śeṣa Nāga cannot reach their limit. Yet, by humbly attempting to describe them, authors like Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī and Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura have provided humanity with an inexhaustible ocean of nectar. Because a mahātmā is completely situated in the internal spiritual energy and feels deep compassion for the suffering souls, their life and pastimes are entirely non-different from the absolute nature of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, submissively hearing the authorized descriptions of the devotees in scriptures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the most effective way to cleanse the heart, associate with pure saintly persons, and quickly awaken one's own dormant love for Kṛṣṇa.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Describing Devotees of God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.