Eligibility of the Candidate for Accepting Devotional Service 31

change of material benefits. A wise man who becomes attached to
Krsna does not want any return from Him, neither in the form of re-
lieving distress, nor in gaining money. This means that from the very
beginning his basic principle of attachment to Krsna is, more or less,
love. Furthermore, due to his wisdom and study of sastras (scrip-
tures), he can understand also that Krsna is the Supreme Personality
of Godhead.

It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that after many, many births,
when one becomes actually wise, he surrenders unto Vasudeva,
knowing perfectly well that Krsna (Vasudeva) is the origin and cause
of all causes. Therefore, he sticks to the lotus feet of Krsna and
gradually develops love for Him. Although such a wise man is very
dear to Krsna, the others are also accepted as very magnanimous
because even though they are distressed or in need of money, they
have come to Krsna for satisfaction. Thus they are accepted as lib-
eral, broad-minded mahatmas.

Without being elevated to the position of a jfidni, or wise man,
no one can stick to the principle of worshiping the Supreme Per-
sonality of Godhead. Others who are less intelligent, or those whose
intelligence has been taken away by the spell of maya, are attached
to different demigods, on account of the influence of the modes of
nature. The wise man is he who has thoroughly understood that he is
spirit soul and not simply a body. Because he realizes that he is spirit
and that Krsna is the supreme spirit, he knows that his intimate
relationship should be with Krsna, not with this body. The distressed
and the man in want of money are in the material concept of life
because distress and need of money are both in relationship with this
body. One who is inquisitive may be a little above the distressed and
the man in need of money, but still he is on the material platform.
But a wise man who seeks Krsna knows perfectly well that he is spirit
soul, or Brahman, and that Krsna is the supreme spirit soul, or Param-
Brahman. He knows that the spirit soul, being subordinate and finite,
should always dovetail himself with the infinite and supreme soul,
Krsna. That is the relationship of the wise man with Krsna.

It can be concluded that a person who is freed from the bodily
concept of life is an eligible candidate for pure devotional service. It
