Devotees Should... - an essential subject

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The devotee should be merciful, just to awaken their Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And dviṣatsu ca upekṣāḥ: and those who are envious, they should be rejected. A devotee should learn this śloka of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu that he should be tolerant more than the trees. Kāruṇikāḥ. And they take the risk of preaching amongst the demons, nondevotees, because they are kāruṇikāḥ, very merciful, more merciful than Kṛṣṇa. More merciful than Kṛṣṇa.

Srila Prabhupada's books, lectures, conversations and letters offer a comprehensive presentation of this essential subject as seen in the Vaniquotes Devotees Should... category. An introduction from his books is given below in the following 8 quotes.

Quotes from Srila Prabhupada's books


vanipedia.org 		A devotee should accept only those things that are favorable for keeping his body and soul together and should reject those things that increase the demands of the body. Only the bare necessities for bodily maintenance should be accepted. By making one's bodily necessities secondary, one can primarily devote his time to the cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness through the chanting of the holy names of God. Pure devotional service means engaging all one's senses in the service of the Lord. (Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 1)



vanipedia.org 		In other words, not only should a devotee engage himself in the prescribed duties of devotional service which are mentioned in the revealed scriptures, but he should also perform the duties of his practical life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For example, a devotee who has a great establishment or factory may offer the fruits of such a material possession for the service of the Lord. (Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 11)



vanipedia.org 		A devotee should always aspire to live in the association of advanced devotees and engage in the service of the Lord through the paramparā system. One should serve the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu through the instructions of the great Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana. This is called tāṅdera caraṇa sevi. While serving the lotus feet of the Gosvāmīs, one should live in the association of devotees (bhakta-sane vāsa). This is the business of a devotee. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.15.18-19)



vanipedia.org 		A devotee should always be alert, keeping his mind in a sanguine state so that he can always remember Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The śāstras state, smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇuḥ: in devotional life one should always remember Lord Viṣṇu. Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī also advised Mahārāja Parīkṣit, smartavyo nityaśaḥ. In the Second Canto, First Chapter, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śukadeva Gosvāmī advised Parīkṣit Mahārāja. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 12.51)



vanipedia.org 		For his income a devotee should be satisfied with what he earns without great difficulty. He should not eat more than what is necessary. He should live in a secluded place and always be thoughtful, peaceful, friendly, compassionate and self-realized.Everyone who has accepted a material body must maintain the necessities of the body by acting or earning some livelihood. A devotee should only work for such income as is absolutely necessary. He should be satisfied always with such income and should not endeavor to earn more and more simply to accumulate the unnecessary. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.27.8)



vanipedia.org 		This is called sādhu-lakṣaṇam, the characteristic of a sādhu, or a devotee. As explained by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. A devotee should always be very humble and meek and should offer all respect to others, especially to superiors. Being protected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a devotee is always powerful, but a devotee does not wish to show his power unnecessarily. However, when a less intelligent person has some power, he wants to use it for sense gratification. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.17.37)



vanipedia.org 		A devotee should always be very kind to the general public in instructing Kṛṣṇa consciousness because that is the only solution for getting out of the clutches of māyā. That is really humanitarian work, for it is the way to show mercy to other people who need it very badly. The word śuśrūṣābhiratāya indicates a person who faithfully engages in serving the spiritual master. One should give personal service and all kinds of comforts to the spiritual master. A devotee who does so is also a bona fide candidate for taking this instruction. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.32.42)



vanipedia.org 		A devotee should be tolerant and should be very much compassionate toward others. For example, if he suffers personal injury, he should tolerate it, but if someone else suffers injury, the devotee need not tolerate it. The whole world is full of violence, and a devotee's first business is to stop this violence, including the unnecessary slaughter of animals. A devotee is the friend not only of human society but of all living entities, for he sees all living entities as sons of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He does not claim himself to be the only son of God and allow all others to be killed, thinking that they have no soul. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.22.24)


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Vanipedia has now over 903 introductory articles compiled from Srila Prabhupada's books under the series titled Essential Subjects. All these articles can be seen in the Table of Content on the right side of this article and also here in this Umbrella Category. Browse through them to relish the breadth and depth of Srila Prabhupada's teachings - There is a subject for everyone.


   
 

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