134 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta [Madhya-lila, Ch. 8
He clearly mentions in this verse that one must refer to the Vedic literatures and
other supplementary literatures and follow the conclusion of the Vedas. An in-
vented devotional attitude simply creates disturbances in the transcendental
realm. If a person overly addicted to family life takes to Srimad-Bhagavatam or
Krsna consciousness to earn a livelihood, his activity is certainly offensive. One
should not become a caste guru and sell mantras for the benefit of mundane
customers, nor should one make disciples for a livelihood. All these activities are
offensive. One should not make a livelihood by forming a professional band to
carry out congregational chanting, nor should one perform devotional service
when one is attached to mundane society, friendship and love. Nor should one be
dependent on so-called social etiquette. All of this is mental speculation. None of
these things can be compared to unalloyed devotional service. No one can com-
pare unalloyed devotional service, Krsna consciousness, to mundane activities.
There are many unauthorized parties pretending to belong to the Sri Caitanya
cult, and some are known as: dula, baula, karttabhaja, neda, daravesa, sari,
sakhibheki, smarta, jata-gosafi, ativadi, cidadhari and gauranga-nagari.
Moreover, there are those who take the caste gosvamis’ opinion of such parties
as bona fide, comparing their opinions to those of the six Gosvamis headed by Sri
Rupa and Sri Sanatana. This is simply another cheating process. There are also
nondevotees who compose unauthorized songs, who establish different temples
for money, who worship the Deity as priests for salaries, who accept caste
brahmanism as all in all and who do not know the value of a pure Vaisnava. Ac-
tually the caste brahmanas of the smarta community are opposed to the principles
of the Sdatvata-paficaratra. Furthermore, there are many Mayavdadis and those
overly addicted to material sense enjoyment. None of these can be compared to
a person who is purely engaged in preaching Krsna consciousness. Every Krsna
conscious person is constantly endeavoring to utilize different transcendental
devices in the service of the Lord. Such a devotee renounces all material enjoy-
ment and completely dedicates himself to the service of his spiritual master and
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He may be a perfect celibate, a restrained house-
holder, a regulated vanaprastha, or a tridandi-sannydasi in the renounced order. It
doesn’t matter. The pseudo-transcendentalists and the pure devotees cannot be
compared, nor can one argue that a person can invent his own way of worship.
The purport in presenting this verse necessitates explaining the comparative
positions of the transcendental mellows known as santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya
and mdadhurya. All these rasas, or mellows, are situated on the transcendental plat-
form. Pure devotees take shelter of one of them and thus progress in spiritual life.
Actually one can take shelter of such spiritual mellows only when one is com-
pletely uncontaminated by material attachment. When one is completely free
from material attachment, the feelings of the transcendental mellows are
awakened in the heart of the devotee. That is svartipa-siddhi, the perfection of
