Adi-lila, 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 Bhagavatam. The number one Bhagavatam is the established
personality of devotee, and the other Bhagavatam 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 Bhagavatam. Such a devotee must be a representative of
Sukadeva Gosvami, like Sita Gosvami, and must preach the cult of devotional service for the
all-around benefit of all people. A neophyte devotee has very little taste for hearingfrom 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 incul-
cated in the Bhagavad-gita or in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, 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
Upanisads, Vedanta and other literatures left by the previous authorities or Gosvamis, for
the benefit of his progress. Without hearing such literatures, one cannot make actual prog-
ress. 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 Sruti, smrti, purana
or pancaratra 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 samadhi.

TEXT 103

22) wie aca ad wTIANA Atel |
Coraics cHfaca CUS Ale ATATHe | Soo I

iha Suni’ bale sarva sannyasira gana
tomake dekhiye yaiche saksat narayana

SYNONYMS
iha—this; suni’—hearing; bale—spoke; sarva—all; sannyasira—of the Mayavadt
sannyasis; gana—group; tomake—unto You; dekhiye—we see; yaiche—exactly like;
saksat—directly; narayana—the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
