916
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 22]
TEXT 24
अहिंसया पारमहंस्यचर्यया 
  स्मृत्या मुकुन्दाचरितायसीधुना । 
  यमैरकामैर्नियमैश्चाध्यनिन्दया 
  निरीहया द्वन्द्वतितिक्षया च ॥२४॥
ahiṁsayā pāramahaṁsya-caryayā 
  smṛtyā mukundācaritāgrya-sīdhunā 
  yamair akāmair niyamaiś cāpy anindayā 
  nirīhayā dvandva-titikṣayā ca
ahiṁsayā—by nonviolence; pāramahaṁsya-caryayā—by following in the footsteps of great ācāryas; smṛtyā—by remembering; mukunda—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ācarita-agrya—simply preaching His activities; sīdhunā—by the nectar; yamaiḥ—by following regulative principles; akāmaiḥ—without material desires; niyamaiḥ—by strictly following the rules and regulations; ca—also; api—certainly; anindayā—without blaspheming; nirīhayā—living simply, plain living; dvandva—duality; titikṣayā—by tolerance; ca—and.
TRANSLATION
A candidate for spiritual advancement must be nonviolent, must follow in the footsteps of great ācāryas, must always remember the nectar of the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, must follow the regulative principles without material desire, and, while following the regulative principles, should not blaspheme others. A devotee should lead a very simple life and not be disturbed by the duality of opposing elements. He should learn to tolerate them.
PURPORT
The devotees are actually saintly persons or  sādhus . The first qualification of a  sādhu  or devotee is  ahiṁsā  or nonviolence. Persons interested in the path of devotional service or in going back home, back to Godhead, must first practice  ahiṁsā  or nonviolence. A  sādhu  is described as  titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ  ( Bhāg.  3.25.21). 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, he 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