Co-operative Behaviour between Vaishnavas

There are many cases in which a person becomes an offender to the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava and later becomes repentant. Here also we find that although the King of heaven, Indra, was so powerful that he accompanied Lord Viṣṇu, he felt himself a great offender for stealing Pṛthu Mahārāja’s horse that was meant for sacrifice. An offender at the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava is never excused by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are many instances illustrating this fact. Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was offended by Durvāsā Muni, a great sage and mystic yogī, and Durvāsā also had to fall down at the lotus feet of Ambarīṣa Mahārāja.

Indra decided to fall down at the lotus feet of King Pṛthu, but the King was so magnanimous a Vaiṣṇava that he did not want Mahārāja Indra to fall down at his feet. Instead, King Pṛthu immediately picked him up and embraced him, and both of them forgot all the past incidents. Both King Indra and Mahārāja Pṛthu were envious and angry with each other, but since both of them were Vaiṣṇavas, or servants of Lord Viṣṇu, it was their duty to adjust the cause of their envy. This is also a first-class example of cooperative behavior between Vaiṣṇavas. In the present days, however, because people are not Vaiṣṇavas, they fight perpetually among one another and are vanquished without finishing the mission of human life. There is a great need to propagate the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in the world so that even though people sometimes become angry and malicious toward one another, because of their being Kṛṣṇa conscious such rivalry, competition and envy can be adjusted without difficulty.

[ Srimad Bhagavatam 4.20.18 Purport ]

Qualities found in Great Devotees

 
1.Anyone who has made the Srimad Bhagavatam better or more valuable than his own life, those ideal personalities are considered to be mahabhagavata devotees.
(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 10/33 from Skanda Purana)

2. Any devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, after hearing the harsh and dry words from another devotee, tolerates them and pays obeisances to sucha devotee, they are certainly said to be real Vaisnavas.
(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 10/35 from Linga Purana)

3. Anybody, after hearing My transcendental glories becomes jubilant and situates himself in goodness and becomes devoted to that speaker of Krsna'sglories and serves him, such a person is known as abhagavatottama, or highclass devotee.
(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 10/40 from Brhan Naradiya Purana)

4. Anyone whose heart becomes jolly just by hearing the transcendental holy names of Lord Hari with a pleased mind and just by hearing these holy names,his hairs stand on end, he is considered a bhagavata (best devotee).
(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 10/44 from Brhan Naradiya Purana)

5. Engaged constantly in chanting about Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sadhus do not suffer from material miseries because they are always filledwith thoughts of My pastimes and activities.
(Srimad Bhagavatam 3.25.33)

6. Any person who does not get disturbed by lusty desires and who is always
rigidly attached to the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, heis said to be a Visnu devotee.
(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 10/46 from Visnu Purana - Yamaraja instructs his messengers)

7. Any person who remains attached to Lord Hari within his mind, even if many obstacles come on his path and he does not deviate from his service, it can becertainly understood that he is a devotee of the Supreme Lord.
(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 10/67 from Skanda Purana)
-Srila Sanatana Gosvami gives his Digdarsani-tika commentary on this verse,
Anybody who is really attached to the transcendental subjects of Krsna,he becomes very purified and becomes free from all kinds of personal sense gratification, etc. Any person who wants to hear the transcendental message ofthe Supreme Lord and who wants to chant them with a loud voice and who feels this message is very rarely achieved, one who is attached to the lotus feet of Lord Krsna and one who wants his mind to be tied at His lotus feet, all of these personalities are to be known as Visnu bhaktas or devotees of the Supreme Lord. The sign of a clean devotee is that the devotee's mind is not disturbed. One who is engaged in pure devotional service does not become disturbed in any condition. He sees friends and enemies equally. He naturally develops a desire to not usurp somebody else's property. Everything that he needs is provided by the Supreme Lord, therefore it is said that one whose mind is not disturbed, he is said to be a properly minded person. Thus, he is said to be a Visnu devotee. He does everything. He does his own occupational duty without depending on others. Whatever is possible, he depends on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

8. Any person whose etiquette is best and proper, who lives according to the scriptures, who is very merciful to all living entities, who is pure and whose actions are offered to the Supreme Lord, are said to be Bhagavata devotees(very advanced devotees).
(Hari Bhakti Vilasa 10/12 from Skanda Purana)

O My mother, O virtuous lady, these are the qualities of great devotees who are free from all attachment. You must seek attachment to such holy men, for this counteracts the pernicious effects of material attachment.
(Bhagavatam 3.25.24 - Lord Kapila to Mother Devahuti)

The Heart of a Vaisnava

"A devotee always appreciates the activities of other devotees. Yudhisthira Maharaj was appreciating the qualities of Prahlada, and that is the symptom of a pure devotee. A pure devotee never thinks of himself as great; he always thinks that other devotees are greater than himself. The King was thinking, 'Prahlada Maharaj is actually a devotee of the Lord, while I am nothing...'" (Nectar of Devotion, Chapter One)

This is the example taught to us by Srila Prabhupada. Although he did his utmost to spread Krsna consciousness worldwide, he was simultaneously the most humble. He would never claim credit for his success, but gave all credit to his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati: "If I have any credit in this connection, it does not belong to me personally, but it is due to my eternal spiritual master, His Divine Grace Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya 108 Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaj Prabhupada." (Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Preface)

Such humility is not a matter of personal preference or choice, limited to a few devotees here and there. Rather, it is a part of the surrendering process (trnad api sunicena) and is a direct result of spiritual advancement. In the 16th Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna explains that a godly man endowed with the divine nature is free from envy and the passion for honor (adroho natimanita). The qualities of arrogance, pride, anger, conceit, harshness, etc., are described as those born of the demonic nature, not conducive to liberation but to bondage. Devotees of Krsna are purified of these lower qualities by the process of devotional service (nasayamy atma-bhavastha). Therefore, genuinely advanced devotees will automatically exhibit all the good characteristics of the demigods (S.B. 5.18.12). The saintly qualities of a Vaisnava are proportionate to his spiritual advancement.

A progressive devotee not only develops humility, but he gradually attains all 26 qualities of a Vaisnava as described by Lord Caitanya in the Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 22. 78-80). These qualities are self-manifesting and cannot be acquired through external means. The spiritual fragrance of an advanced devotee is so attractive that by his very existence he is a preacher of Krsna consciousness. In fact, the whole world can be united by the presence of one pure devotee of the Lord.

Cultivating Qualities of a Devotee.

Swami Prabhupada - great devotee and founder of ISKCON

People are thinking in a different way: "Why shall I love God only? Why shall I love God? I shall love my family. I shall love my country. I shall love my..." But no, we cannot love all of these things. It is not possible, because we are missing the central point. These are facts. Harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-guna. However materially or academically qualified he may be, one who does not love God cannot have any good qualifications. Why? Manorathenasati dhavato bahih—because he'll simply speculate on the mental plane and fall under the spell of the material energy.

But it is clearly stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, yasyasti bhaktih bhagavaty akincana—as a person becomes advanced in devotional service, automatically he develops all good qualities. The Chaitanya Charitamrita gives a list of twenty-six qualities of a devotee:

1. KIND TO EVERYONE
The devotee is merciful because he is the well-wishing friend of all living entities. He is not only favorably inclined to the human society but also to plants and animals. He treats all living entities in such a way that they can ultimately become free from material bondage and go back home, back to Godhead.

2. HUMBLE, DOES NOT QUARREL WITH ANYONE
To be humble means that one is not hankering to be worshiped by others. Humility should not be artificial but honest, deep, and natural. It will develop when the conditioned soul admits its wrong attitude towards Krsna and prays to Him for forgiveness and to be allowed to always engage in His devotional service.

3.TRUTHFUL, FIXED IN THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH
The primary truthfulness for a disciple to keep his vow of following the regulative principles and chanting 16 rounds of japa every day. Also, a devotee should not perform any illegal activities and he should always act in Krsna's interest and not in his own in order to remain fixed in the absolute truth.

4.EQUAL TO EVERYONE
A devotee sees the soul and the Supersoul in everyone's heart and treats every living entity according to its position and in a way that is most beneficial for its spiritual progress.

5.FAULTLESS
A devotee, who in words, deeds, and mind is always surrendered to Krsna and who executes Krsna's desire to the best of his ability is considered to be faultless.

6.CHARITABLE
A devotee is charitable because he knows that love for Krsna is the best, and he distributes it without selfish motives. His charity has no limits, just like the happiness someone experiences who got the gift of Krsna consciousness.

7.MILD
A devotee avoids illusory, materialistic happiness, and thus is spared from the suffering which is bound to it. He always remains peaceful, because he is satisfied within Krsna consciousness.

8.CLEAN, PURE
The Krsna conscious movement is meant for purifying the world in a revolutionary way-by hygienic external principles as well as by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra which purifies the heart.

9.SIMPLE, WITHOUT MATERIAL POSSESSION
The highest realization is to see everything as Krsna's property. The sincere devotee is not only satisfied to see everything as Krsna's property, but also to engage everything in a proper way in Krsna's service.

10.BENEVOLENT
Since Krsna-consciousness effects the heart of every living entity, the welfare work of a devotee is not restricted to a specific race, species, etc., but for the benefit of all living entities.

11.PEACEFUL
To be peaceful does not mean to physically maintain idyllic peace but to experience real peace in one's relationship with Krsna. Only someone who has realized that there is nothing beyond Krsna can achieve real peace and fearlessness.

12.COMPLETELY ATTACHED TO KRSNA
Devotion to Krsna is neither sentimental nor whimsical but authorized and scientific. By practicing devotional service we can learn to surrender properly. Complete surrender to Krsna is the goal of every devotee because he wants to become free from material desires in order to serve Krsna more and more. Complete surrender to Krsna is the most important of all qualities to be developed.

13.DESIRELESS
When one is fully engaged in devotional service, one realizes that all one's desires are satisfied. Thus one does not have any material desire anymore. One only desires to serve guru and Krsna.

14.INDIFFERENCE TOWARDS MATERIAL POSSESSIONS
A devotee may use things in Krsna's service but he does not become attached to or dependent on them. He may serve Krsna with millions of dollars by opening temples, printing books, etc. However, he is also satisfied when he does not have any material assets and then simply chants Hare Krsna.

15.STEADY, FIXED
The realizations of a devotee should be so profound that his dedication to his spiritual master and Krsna cannot be influenced anymore by various temptations, suffering or opposing philosophies.

16.SELF-CONTROLLED
There are six bad qualities, namely lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness and envy. A pure devotee controls these bad qualities by engaging in Krsna's service. These qualities cannot be left behind in an artificial way by can be easily counteracted with transcendental knowledge and transcendental taste arising from one's devotional service.

17.DOES NOT EAT MORE THAN REQUIRED
Lord Krsna explains in the Bhagavad-gita that a yogi does not eat too much nor too little. This means practically exactly as much as he can easily digest. According to Ayurveda, one's stomach should be filled with 1/2 food, 1/4 water, and 1/4 air.

18.SANE
A devotee is never intoxicated by material enjoyment. He reduces his requirements to a minimum and offers his whole life to Krsna. In this way he is completely balanced.

19.RESPECTFUL
A devotee offers respect to others without expecting anything in return. He respects everyone as part of Krsna and treats them accordingly.

20.HAS NO MATERIAL HANKERING
A devotee is not attracted by material possessions which help us to gain a prestigious position. He sees everything attractive in this world as a reflection of Krsna, the all-attractive cause of all causes.

21.GRAVE
Although we lead a happy life in Krsna consciousness, we are always conscious that the material existence can be finished at any time and that the way back home, back to Godhead is not cheap. To be grave means that the devotee is constantly thinking of Krsna and the ultimate goal of life.

22.COMPASSIONATE
The essence of compassion is the distribution of transcendental knowledge. The basis of it are Srila Prabhupada's books and the force behind it is our purity.

23.FRIENDLY
A devotee is friendly because he leads everyone to Krsna, who is the best friend of all living entities.

24.POETIC
A devotee is even poetic if he is not literarily active because he is able to connect everything with Krsna's transcendental nature.

25.SILENT
Silence means that one only speaks about Krsna and not about material topics.

26.EXPERT
The essence of the expertise of a devotee is that he can do anything for Krsna. The best expertise is to surrender to Krsna.

After all, what is the meaning of Krishna consciousness? Is it just some kind of sentiment or fanaticism? No. It is a science. If we follow the rules and regulations, then automatically all these good qualities develop and this is a sign of advancement in devotional life. 

Srila Prabhupada