Hare Krsna to all
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Bits of this lecture below explained by Srila Prabhupada tells us:
1) If one is at least doing daily Deity worship, following the principles, and nothing
else, then he or she is prakrta bhakta or materialistic devotee. If one is not doing
Deity worship, and no preaching, that he does not say, but one can surmise, it is lower than 3rd class devotee.
2).To come to the Madhyama position one must become "known" Prabhupada states- to others.
If one is satisfied to remain at home and just chant Hare Krsna and maybe do some puja, then
he or she remains on the material platform.
3) Srila Prabhupada wanted all his disciples to come at least to the Madhyama platform. This
is an advanced devotee, one who is not on the material platform.
4.) Any devotee even on the material platform is still considered-devotee.
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
701204BG.AHM Lectures
This is called bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga system.
A neophyte devotee should be engaged in temple worship. But if he does
not make further improvement, if he sticks to the simply temple
worship, then he remains a kanistha-adhikari, lower standard devotee,
lower standard devotee. But one has to become first standard devotee.
At least one must… A first standard devotee is very high position,
spiritual position. But at least we must come to the second standard.
The lower standard is
arcayam eva haraye
pujam yah sraddhayehate
na tad-bhaktesu canyesu
sa bhaktah prakrtah smrtah
Arca. This arca-vigraha, Deity, Krsna, arcayam eva haraye, the Deity
of Krsna, yah pujam sraddhaya ihate, with great devotion and according
to the rules and regulations, if one performs, that is very nice. But
if he does not improve, na tad-bhaktesu canyesu, he does not become
knowable to the devotees and other persons, then he remains a
kanistha-adhikari, sa bhaktah prakrtah. Prakrta means in the material
platform. He does not actually promote to the spiritual platform if he
simply remains.
Therefore along with the worship of Krsna, in the temple, these
hearing should be… Sravanam kirtanam. Just like we are doing. We do
not engage only the devotees to the temple worship, but there must be
program for hearing Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, the science of
God. Otherwise, after some time, simply if you ring the bell, after
sing you’ll be disgusted, and the whole thing will be lost–as it is
has become now in India. There was no instruction about Krsna
consciousness. They simply attached to the temple and belling, and now
it is lost, zero. Devotion is zero. So two things must go on,
parallel. Then if the two things must go, then you are promoted to the
second platform, madhyama-adhikari.
Madhyama-adhikari means at that time he sees four things.
isvare tad-adhinesu
balisesu dvisatsu ca
prema-maitri-krpopeksa
yah karoti sa madhyamah
Madhyama. Isvare. By arcana-vidhi, he understands Krsna, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, by this process, by the regulative process, by
the instruction of the spiritual master, by the regulative principle
set up in the bhakti-sastras. Just like Narada-pancaratra,
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. There are many… So, at that time, if one
comes from the lower platform to the… Of course, we must know that
any devotee, either in the lower platform or in the second platform or
in the first platform, they are to be considered as devotees. Not that
because one is in the material platform, he’s not devotee. He’s also
devotee. But he has to improve. The improvement means he must know
what is Krsna. Simply if he remains attached to the temple worship and
does not try to understand who is a Krsna devotee and how he has to
deal with others… Na tad-bhaktesu canyesu. We have got some duty to
others. This is preaching work. One should not be satisfied simply by
worshiping in the temple. Then he’ll remain a neophyte. He must become
a preacher, Krsna consciousness. Then he comes to the second platform.
So when he becomes a preacher he sees four things. He sees God,
Krsna, Isvara. Tad-adhina, and the devotees. Tad-adhina means those
who have accepted Krsna as the parama-purusa. There is another verse
in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: ittham satam brahma-sukhanubhutya dasyam
gatanam para-daivatena. Dasyam gatanam. For the bhaktas, Krsna is the
Supreme Lord, para-deva.
ittham satam brahma-sukhanubhutya
dasyam gatanam para-daivatena
mayasritanam nara-darakena
sakam vijahruh krta-punya-punjah
When Sukadeva Gosvami described the cowherd boys playing with Krsna,
so he’s remarking that these boys who are playing with Krsna… Who is
this Krsna? Ittham brahma-sukhanubhutya. Those who are impersonalists,
those who are attached to the impersonal brahmajyoti, for them, He is
the target, He is the target. From Him, the brahmajyoti comes. Ittham
brahma-sukhanubhutya and dasyam gatanam para-daivatena. And those who
are devotees, for them, here is the Supreme Lord. Dasyam gatanam
para-daivatena. And mayasritanam nara-darakena. And those who are
under the influence of maya, for them, He’s ordinary human child. The
same person. Different vision. One is seeing that the ultimate target
of brahmajyoti, and somebody’s seeing that he’s the Supreme Lord, and
somebody’s seeing that He’s ordinary boy.
