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Teachings of Lord Chaitanya
tive stumbling block for realization of the Supreme Lord. But, somehow or other, if somebody comes to Krishna and begins to hear about Him, Krishna is so kind that He awards him His Lotus Feet as a center for the devotee. Such a devotee or transcendentalist forgets everything and engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord.
For anyone who comes to the Lord in devotional service, or in full Krishna Consciousness, the reward is the Supreme. Once engaged for the Supreme, he will no longer ask for anything, as does the distressed man and he who desires material possessions. The method of devotional service, the service itself, association with pure devotees in the causeless mercy of the Lord—these three things can act so wonderfully that, whether the devotee is a distressed soul or in want of material possessions or inquisitive—or even if he is a wise man cultivating knowledge—he can give up all activities, and his mind becomes absorbed in Krishna.
The summary is that, henceforward, whatever meaning would apply for all the words in the  Atmarama  verse will be meant only for Krishna.
So far, Lord Chaitanya has spoken only of the introduction to the  Atmarama  verse. Now he will explain its real position:
In the cultivation of knowledge there are two kinds of transcendentalists. One of them is the worshipper of the impersonal  Brahman , and the other is the desirer of liberation. Monists worship the impersonal feature of  Brahman , and therefore they are called the worshippers of  Brahman . The worshippers of  Brahman  are divided into three further stages: the neophyte practitioner, one who is absorbed in  Brahman  realization, and one who has actually realized himself as  Brahman . If devotional service is added, the knower of  Brahman  can then become liberated. Otherwise, there is no possibility.
Anyone who is fully engaged in devotional service in Krishna Consciousness is understood to be already a soul realized in  Brahman . Devotional service is so strong that one is attracted to Krishna even from the process of  Brahman  worship. The Lord awards such a devotee the perfection of a spiritual body, and he is eternally engaged in the transcendental quality of Krishna. When he understands and becomes attracted by transcendental qualities, he whole-heartedly becomes engaged in devotional service. For example, the four Kumaras and Sukadeva Goswami were liberated souls from the very beginning, and still, later in life, they became attracted to the Pastimes of Krishna—and they became devotees. Devotees like the four Kumaras—one of whom, Sanaka Kumara, was attracted by the flavor of the flowers offered to Krishna—were all attracted by the transcendental qualities of the Lord, and thus became