Category:Attitude of a Devotee of God
Theme Analysis
The internal disposition of a pure Vaiṣṇava is the true measure of their spiritual advancement. A genuine devotee of God is characterized by profound personal humility; they never consider themselves exalted, even if they possess great qualifications. Following the example of great souls like Jhaḍu Ṭhākura, a devotee naturally thinks of themselves as a non-devotee and the most faulty person in any assembly. This humility is coupled with immense compassion. A Vaiṣṇava is para-duḥkha-duḥkhī—they feel deep pain upon seeing the suffering of others, as exemplified by Queen Draupadī, who forgave the murderer of her sons to spare his mother from grief.
This noble attitude extends to how a devotee handles personal distress. When faced with calamities, they do not blame the Lord; rather, they consider the suffering a minimized reaction to their own past misdeeds, mitigated by Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Armed with this realization, they remain detached, treating mundane achievements like insignificant dust and continuing their primary business of chanting the holy names.
However, a devotee's meekness should never be mistaken for weakness. The Vedic literatures emphasize that while a Vaiṣṇava tolerates personal insults without retaliation, they become fierce like a lion if the Supreme Lord or His devotees are blasphemed. A devotee will not tolerate impersonalist Māyāvādī philosophers falsely claiming to be God, nor will they flatter materialistic authorities, as demonstrated by Prahlāda Mahārāja's bold truthfulness before his demonic father.
Ultimately, this pure, unalloyed attitude is the only means to conquer the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Residing in the heart of every living entity as the Paramātmā, the Lord is known as bhāva-grāhī janārdana—the one who accepts the essence of one's devotional mood. He observes the sincerity, the sacrifice, and the loving detachment of the devotee, and reciprocates accordingly, granting them eternal shelter.
- Personal Humility and Compassion: A devotee always feels unqualified and remains deeply sympathetic to the suffering of others, completely ignoring their own personal distress.
- Accepting Reversals as Mercy: Instead of complaining, a Vaiṣṇava views material difficulties as the Lord's grace and remains detached from worldly achievements.
- Righteous Anger against Blasphemy: While tolerating personal insults, a pure devotee exhibits bold, righteous anger if the Supreme Lord or other devotees are offended.
- Bhāva-grāhī Janārdana: The Supreme Lord, sitting as the Supersoul, evaluates a person not by their material opulence, but strictly by the sincerity of their loving attitude.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Attitude of a Devotee of God - Humility, Compassion, and Absolute Surrender.
Subcategories
This category has the following 5 subcategories, out of 5 total.
S
Pages in category "Attitude of a Devotee of God"
The following 35 pages are in this category, out of 35 total.
A
- A devotee in santa-rati is not very much willing to render service to the Lord, but a devotee in dasya-rati voluntarily wants to render service. Due to this attitude, the devotee in dasya-rati realizes the SPG more fully than a devotee in santa-rati
- A pure devotee always thinks himself as not-devotee. That is a good attitude
- Actually, Arjuna was not willing to fight, because he is a Vaisnava. He does not want to kill, even if he is. . . even if he was put into so many difficulties. That was his attitude
- Although ordinary men have great difficulty understanding attitude of the devotees, it is greatly appreciated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
- And by your quiet and humble attitude, you shall set the example of Vaisnava so that all may learn from you, and very soon their puffed-up attitude will disappear and they will come to you and seek your advice in matters
- Arjuna might argue that he would give up the battle on the grounds of his magnanimous attitude for the most respectable Bhisma and his relatives, but Krsna considered that sort of magnanimity not approved by authority. BG 1972 purports
D
- Dhruva Maharaja greatly lamented his propensity for ruling the material world and his revengeful attitude towards other living entities
- Dhruva Maharaja repented because he had come to the Lord to render devotional service for material profit. He here (in SB 4.9.9) condemns his attitude
- Dhruva Maharaja, influenced by a revengeful attitude towards his insulting stepmother, did not think of mukti, nor did he know what mukti was. Therefore he failed to aim for mukti as his goal in life
- Draupadi is sympathetic. That is Vaisnava. She is Vaisnavi. This is the attitude of the Vaisnava. Para-duhkha-duhkhi. Vaisnava is para-duhkha-duhkhi. That is Vaisnava's qualification. He doesn't care for his own personal distresses
I
- If a devotee is continuously in love with Lord Krsna and his mind is always fixed upon Him, that devotional attitude will prove to be the only means of attracting the attention of the Lord
- If somebody insults me, I don't be angry. "All right, he insulted. I tolerate." But when you speak against God, when you say: "I am God," I shall beat you with shoes, I shall be so much angry. You see? That should be attitude of the devotee
- In this connection (CC Adi 17.276) Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura writes in his Anubhasya - Sri Gaurasundara is Krsna Himself with the attitude of Srimati Radharani. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu never gave up the attitude of the gopis
- It is the Mayavada sampradaya that does not accept the transcendental form of the Lord. If a Vaisnava sampradaya is also carried away by that impersonal attitude, that sampradaya has no position at all
P
S
- Some are servants, some are friends, some are parents, and some are conjugal lovers. Devotees who are situated in one of these attitudes of spontaneous love according to their choice are considered to be on the path of spontaneous loving service
- Such an attitude (of a devotee who thinks that everything is Krsna's mercy) is possible for a devotee who engages in the service of Krsna's representative. This is the secret of success
T
- That is the sign of the first-class devotee, that he is always willing to sacrifice everything to please Krishna by preaching His glories, even under all sorts of difficult conditions. I am very encouraged by your attitude of sincere Krishna Consciousness
- The devotee's intelligence is always in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His attitude towards the material existence is one of detachment, for he knows perfectly well that this material world is a creation of illusory energy
- The devotees cannot tolerate even the pricking of the Lord's lotus feet by a thorn. This was the attitude of the gopis when they thought of Krsna wandering in the forest, with pebbles and grains of sand pricking His lotus feet
- The Lord accepts the attitude of His devotee and sees how much he is prepared to serve Him
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His plenary expansion as the Paramatma, or Supersoul, sits in everyone's heart and can understand the attitudes and desires of His devotees
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is known as bhava-grahi janardana because He takes only the essence of a devotee's attitude. If a devotee sincerely surrenders, the Lord, as the Supersoul in everyone's heart, immediately understands this
- The transcendental attitude of the devotee in the performance of activities is actually that of renunciation, and this is called sannyasa. BG 1972 purports
- There is a difference in the qualities of the transcendental devotees of the Lord, but none of them who have ever contacted the Lord by direct communion or otherwise can leave Him for a moment. That is the attitude of the pure devotee
- This is the duty of a devotee. Although a devotee maintains an attitude of meekness and gentleness, it is a great fault on his part if he remains silent when the Lord or His devotee is blasphemed
W
- When Dhruva Maharaja factually saw the SPG, there was no question of a revengeful attitude towards his stepmother nor any aspiration to lord it over the material world, but the Supreme Personality is so kind that He knew that Dhruva Maharaja wanted these
- When you speak against God, when you say: "I am God," I shall beat you with shoes, I shall be so much angry. You see? That should be attitude of the devotee
- With a serious attitude, the devotee throws away all achievements like so much dust, and he accepts only devotional service, the transcendental culmination