916 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 22

TEXT 24
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ahimsaya paramahamsya-caryaya
smytya mukundacaritagrya-sidhuna

yamair akamair niyamais capy anindaya
nirthaya dvandva-titiksaya ca

ahimsaya—by nonviolence; paramahamsya-caryaya—by following in the
footsteps of great acaryas; smrtya—by remembering; mukunda—the Su-
preme Personality of Godhead; acarita-agrya—simply preaching His ac-
tivities; sidhuna—by the nectar; yamaih—by following regulative principles;
akamaih—without material desires; niyamaih—by strictly following the
rules and regulations; ca—also ;api—certainly ; anindaya—without blasphem-
ing; nirthaya—living simply, plain living; dvandva—duality ; titiksaya—by
tolerance; ca—and.

TRANSLATION

A candidate for spiritual advancement must be nonviolent, must follow
in the footsteps of great acaryas, must always remember the nectar of the
pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, must follow the regu-
lative principles without material desire, and, while following the regula-
tive principles, should not blaspheme others. A devotee should lead a very
simple life and not be disturbed by the duality of opposing elements. He
should learn to tolerate them.

PURPORT

The devotees are actually saintly persons or sadhus. The first qualifica-
tion of a sadhu or devotee is ahimsa or nonviolence. Persons interested in
the path of devotional service or in going back home, back to Godhead,
must first practice ahimsa or nonviolence. A sadhu is described as
titiksavah karunikah (Bhag. 3.25.21). A devotee should be tolerant and
should be very much compassionate toward others. For example, if he
suffers personal injury, he should tolerate it, but if someone else suffers
injury, he need not tolerate it. The whole world is full of violence, and a
devotee’s first business is to stop this violence, including the unnecessary
