Mantra Thirteen 71
about the pseudo-spiritual master. In modern times, the number
of such pretenders has increased in considerable numbers, and it
has become a problem for the pure devotees of the Lord to
save the mass of people from the unholy propaganda of these
pretenders and imitation incarnations of God.

The Upanisads indirectly draw our attention to the Primeval
Lord Sri Krsna, and the Bhagavad-gita, which is the summary of
all Upanisads, directly points out Sri Krsna. One should,
therefore, hear about Krsna as He is in the Gita or in the
Srimad-Bhagavatam, and that will gradually help him in cleansing
his mind of all contaminated things. The Bhdgavatam says:
“By hearing the activities of the Lord, one draws the attention
of the Lord towards the devotee. And the Lord, being situated
in the heart of every living being, helps the devotee by giving him
proper direction.” The Bhagavad-gita also confirms this.

This inner direction by the Lord cleanses the heart of the
devotee of all dirty things which are produced by the material
modes of passion and ignorance. The non-devotees are under the
direclion of passion and ignorance. By passion one cannot
become detached from material affinity, and by ignorance
one cannol know what he actually is, and what the Lord is.
Thus, in the state of passion, there is no chance for self reali-
zation however much one may play the false part of a rcligionist.
For a devotec, by the grace of the Lord, the modes of passion
and ignorance are removed, and he at once becomes situated in
the quality of goodness, the sign of a perfect Brahmana. This
stage of brahminical qualification can be earned by anyone and
everyone, provided he follows the path of devotional service
under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. The Bhaga-
vatam says that any lowborn living entity can be made purified
under the guidance of a pure devotee of the Lord, because the
Lord is so extraordinarily powerful.

The first sign of brahminical qualification is that the candidate
becomes happy, and becomes enthusiastic in the matter of
devotional service to the Lord. This unveils before him, auto-
