162 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 2, Ch. 3
Manu (a man); tulasyah—leaves of the tulasi tree; svasan—while breathing;
Savah—still a dead body; yah—who; tu—but; na veda—never experienced;
gandham—the flavor.
TRANSLATION

The person who has not at any time received the dust of the feet of a
pure devotee of the Lord upon his head certainly is a dead body. And the
person who has never experienced the flavor of the tulasi leaves from the
lotus feet of the Lord is also a dead body, although breathing.

PURPORT

According to Srila Vigvanatha Cakravarti Thakur, the breathing dead
body is a ghost. When a man dies, he is called dead, but when he again
appears in a subtle form not visible to the present vision and yet acts, such
a dead body is called a ghost. Ghosts are always very bad elements, always
creating a fearful situation for others. Similarly, the ghost-like nondevotees
who have no respect for the pure devotees, nor for the Visnu Deity in the
temples, create a fearful situation for the devotees at all times. The Lord
never accepts any offering by such impure ghosts. There is a common
saying that one should first love the dog of the beloved before one shows
any loving sentiments for the beloved. The stage of a pure devotee is
attained by sincerely serving a pure devotee of the Lord. The first con-
dition of devotional service of the Lord is therefore to be a servant of a
pure devotee, and this condition is fulfilled by the statement “reception
of the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devotee who also served another
pure devotee.” That is the way of pure disciplic succession, or devotional
parampara.

Maharaja Rahiigana inquired from the great saint Jadbharata as to how
he attained such a liberated stage of a paramaharmsa, and in answer the
great saint replied as follows:

rahiiganaitat tapasa na yati na
cejyayd nirvapanad grhad va
na cchandasé naiva jalagni-siiryair
vind mahat-pdda-rajo *bhisekam
“O King Rahigana, the perfectional stage of devotional service or the
paramahamsa stage of life cannot be attained without being blessed by the
