Ādi-līlā, Chapter 7
85
There are three classes of devotees, namely first, second and third class. The third-class devotees, or the neophytes, who have no knowledge nor are detached from the material association, but who are simply attracted by the preliminary processes of worshiping the Deity in the temple, are called material devotees. Material devotees are more attached to material benefit than transcendental profit. Therefore, one has to make definite progress from the position of material devotional service to the second-class devotional position. In the second-class position, the devotee can see four principles in the devotional line, namely the Personality of Godhead, His devotees, the ignorant and the envious. One has to raise himself at least to the stage of a second-class devotee and thus become eligible to know the Absolute Truth.
A third-class devotee, therefore, has to receive the instructions of devotional service from the authoritative sources of  Bhāgavatam . The number one  Bhāgavatam  is the established personality of devotee, and the other  Bhāgavatam  is the message of Godhead. The third-class devotee has, therefore, to go to the personality of devotee in order to learn the instructions of devotional service. Such a personality of devotee is not a professional man who earns his livelihood by the business of  Bhāgavatam . Such a devotee must be a representative of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, like Sūta Gosvāmī, and must preach the cult of devotional service for the all-around benefit of all people. A neophyte devotee has very little taste for hearing from the authorities. Such a neophyte devotee makes a show of hearing from the professional man to satisfy his senses. This sort of hearing and chanting has spoiled the whole thing, so one should be very careful about the faulty process. The holy messages of Godhead, as inculcated in the  Bhagavad-gītā  or in the  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam , are undoubtedly transcendental subjects, but even though they are so, such transcendental matters are not to be received from the professional man who spoils them like the serpent spoils the milk simply by the touch of his tongue.
A sincere devotee must, therefore, be prepared to hear the Vedic literature like the  Upaniṣads ,  Vedānta  and other literatures left by the previous authorities or Gosvāmīs, for the benefit of his progress. Without hearing such literatures, one cannot make actual progress. And without hearing and following the instructions, the show of devotional service becomes worthless and therefore a sort of disturbance in the path of devotional service. Unless, therefore, devotional service is established on the principles of  śruti ,  smṛti ,  purāṇa  or  pañcarātra  authorities, the make-show of devotional service should at once be rejected. An unauthorized devotee should never be recognized as a pure devotee. By assimilation of such messages from the Vedic literatures, one can see the all-pervading localized aspect of the Personality of Godhead within his own self constantly. This is called  samādhi .
TEXT 103
ইহা শুনি’ বলে সর্ব সন্ন্যাসীর গণ ।
তোমাকে দেখিয়ে যেছে সাক্ষাৎ নারায়ণ ॥ ১০৩ ॥
ihā śuni’ bale sarva sannyāsīra gaṇa   tomāke dekhiye yaiche sākṣāt nārāyaṇa
SYNONYMS
ihā —this;  śuni’ —hearing;  bale —spoke;  sarva —all;  sannyāsīra —of the Māyāvādī  sannyāsīs ;  gaṇa —group;  tomāke —unto You;  dekhiye —we see;  yaiche —exactly like;  sākṣāt —directly;  nārāyaṇa —the Supreme Personality of Godhead.