102 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta [Madhya-lila, Ch. 17
Vatsa, Baka, Aghasura and Dhenuka, Kaliya and Pralamba. Some people accept
imitators and adversaries of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, such as
Paundraka, Srgala Vasudeva, the spiritual master of the demons (Sukracarya), or
atheists like Carvaka, King Vena, Sugata and Arhat. Such people have no faith in
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Rather, they ac-
cept godless cheaters who present themselves as incarnations of God and cheat
foolish people within the material world by word jugglery. Thus many rascals are
accepted as mahdjanas.

In this material world a person may be famous as a karma-vira, a successful
fruitive worker, or one may be very successful in performing religious duties, or he
may be known as a hero in mental speculation (jfana-vira), or he may be a very
famous renunciant. In any case, Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.23.56) gives the following
opinion in this matter.

neha yat karma dharmaya
na viragaya kalpate
na tirtha-pada-sevayai
jivann api mrto hi sah
“Anyone whose work is not meant to elevate him to religious life, anyone whose
religious ritualistic performances do not raise him to renunciation, and anyone
situated in renunciation that does not lead him to devotional service to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead must be considered dead, although he is
breathing.”

The conclusion is that all pious activity, fruitive activity, religious principles and
renunciation must ultimately lead to devotional service. There are different types
of processes for rendering service. One may serve his country, people, society,
the varnasrama-dharma, the sick, the poor, the rich, women, demigods and so on.
All this comes under the heading of sense gratification, or enjoyment in the ma-
terial world. It is most unfortunate that people are more or less attracted by such
material activity and that the leaders of these activities are accepted as mahd-
janas, great ideal leaders. Actually they are only misleaders, but an ordinary man
cannot understand how he is being misled.

Narottama dasa Thakura says: sddhu-sdstra-guru-vakya, cittete kariyd aikya. A
sadhu is a great personality like Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Sastras are the in-
junctions of revealed scriptures. Those who are devoid of devotional service
sometimes mistake those who have mundane motives for mahdjanas. The only
motive must be krsna-bhakti, devotional service to the Lord. Sometimes fruitive
workers, dry philosophers, nondevotees, mystic yogis and persons attached to
material opulence, women and money are considered mahdjanas. However,
Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.3.25) gives the following statements about such
unauthorized mahdjanas:
