Category:Following in the Footsteps of Devotees of God
Theme Analysis
The Vedic injunction is clear: "mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ"—the true path is the one traversed by the great authorities. Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly emphasizes that one cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead through mental speculation, academic research, or independent yogic endeavor. The only way to unlock the mystery of the Absolute Truth is to humbly follow in the footsteps of the great, recognized devotees (mahājanas) such as Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Nārada Muni, Prahlāda Mahārāja, and Arjuna.
A critical philosophical distinction in this category is the difference between imitating (anukaraṇa) and following (anusaraṇa). Śrīla Prabhupāda strictly warns that a neophyte must never try to imitate the extraordinary actions or ecstatic symptoms of a mahā-bhāgavata (a topmost pure devotee). For example, one must follow Lord Śiva's mood of complete material detachment, but one must never imitate him by trying to drink an ocean of poison. The true method of following is to strictly adhere to the regulative principles and the specific instructions left by the ācāryas. By practicing this authorized sadhana-bhakti, a devotee can eventually awaken rāgānugā-bhakti—spontaneous loving service—by following in the footsteps of the eternal residents of Vṛndāvana (like the cowherd boys, Mother Yaśodā, or the gopīs), thus guaranteeing their return back home, back to Godhead.
- The Only Path: Śrīla Prabhupāda stresses that logic and argument are useless for understanding God. One must simply follow the footprints of the recognized mahājanas and previous ācāryas.
- Anusaraṇa vs. Anukaraṇa: There is a severe danger in imitating (anukaraṇa) the advanced activities of pure devotees. True spiritual life requires humble following (anusaraṇa) of their instructions.
- Rāgānugā-bhakti: The ultimate perfection of following in the footsteps of devotees is to follow the eternal residents of Vṛndāvana (the Vṛṣṇis, Nanda Mahārāja, the gopīs) to awaken spontaneous love of God.
- Worldly Leadership: Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that human society will only be happy and progressive when executive heads of state follow in the footsteps of great devotee kings like Mahārāja Pṛthu and Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Following in the Footsteps of God's Devotees - The True Path to Perfection.
Subcategories
This category has the following 3 subcategories, out of 3 total.
Pages in category "Following in the Footsteps of Devotees of God"
The following 92 pages are in this category, out of 92 total.
A
- A member of the temple, whether grhastha, brahmacari or sannyasi, must practice a life of renunciation, following in the footsteps of Haridasa Thakura & the six Gosvamis. Otherwise, because maya is very strong, at any time one may become a victim of maya
- A person who tries to understand Krsna with full knowledge and devotion by following in the footsteps of previous acaryas conversant with scientific knowledge of the Supreme Lord is praiseworthy
- A pure devotee of the Lord follows in the footsteps of the great devotees like Narada and Prahlada and engages his whole time in glorifying the Lord by the process of kirtana. Such a preaching process is transcendental to all material qualities
- A pure devotee who is attached to the Lord always follows in the footsteps of a personality of Vrajabhumi
- After taking to devotional service under the regulative principles, a person may come to the platform of spontaneous love of Godhead, following in the footsteps of great devotees like Narada and Sanaka and Sanatana
- Although the nitya-siddha expansions of Krsna always remain with Krsna, if those engaged in sadhana-siddhi follow in the footsteps of Krsna's nitya-siddha associates, such sadhana-siddhas also can easily attain Krsna without difficulty
- Anyone who follows in the footsteps of Kaviraja Gosvami also accepts the lotus feet of the above-mentioned lords (Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda, Advaita Prabhu, Svarupa Damodara, Rupa Gosvami, Raghunatha dasa) as his personal property
- Anyone who follows in the footsteps of recognized devotees, such as Brahma, Siva, the Kumaras, Manu, Kapila, King Prahlada, King Janaka, Sukadeva Gosvami, Yamaraja & their followers in disciplic succession, very easily finds the door of liberation open
- Arjuna is here (in BG 4.15) advised to act in Krsna consciousness, following in the footsteps of the Lord's previous disciples, such as the sun-god Vivasvan, as mentioned hereinbefore. BG 1972 purports
- As will be apparent from the next verse (SB 4.21.9), every executive head of state should follow in the footsteps of Maharaja Prthu in ruling over his kingdom
- At present, many Vaisnavas are coming to our KCM from among the Europeans & Americans, & although men like Ramacandra Khan are always envious of such Vaisnavas, one should follow in the footsteps of Sri Advaita Acarya by treating all of them as Vaisnavas
B
- Bali Maharaja, following in the footsteps of his grandfather Prahlada Maharaja, remained fixed in his devotion to the Lord, despite the Lord's having punished him
- Because of the direct instruction of the Lord (Krsna) to Arjuna, anyone who follows in the footsteps of Arjuna is certainly not bewildered. BG 1972 purports
- By following in the footsteps of devotees like Kunti, we shall be able to understand Krsna's identity
- By following in the footsteps of devotees who are in a direct relationship with Krsna, especially the inhabitants of Vrndavana, one can reach the supreme position of associating with Krsna
- By spontaneous nature they (the raganuga devotees) become attracted to some of the eternal devotees such as Nanda or Yasoda, and they try to follow in their footsteps spontaneously
E
- Either in parental affection or conjugal love, friendship or servitorship (to krsna) - in any way - we must follow in the footsteps of the inhabitants of Vrndavana, not try to become like them. Therefore this description is provided here - in SB 10.9.3
- Either in this life or in the next, the only concern of saintly devotees (following in the footsteps of Narada Muni) is to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Externally a devotee performs all the items of devotional service in nine different ways, beginning with sravana & kirtana, & within his mind he always thinks of his eternal relationship with Krsna & follows in the footsteps of the devotees of Vrndavana
F
- Following in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Advaita Acarya, we can accept a devotee from any part of the world and recognize him as a brahmana as soon as he is qualified due to following the principles of Vaisnava behavior
- Following in the footsteps of Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, I am trying to translate Srimad-Bhagavatam as quickly as possible
- Following in the footsteps of Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and Srila Jiva Gosvami, later acaryas like Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura have confirmed the same truths - the bona fide spiritual master is simultaneously one with and different from God
- Following in the footsteps of such liberated souls (like Brahma), who are able to vibrate real transcendental sound, can lead one to the highest stage of devotion, and thus one can become a maha-bhagavata
- Following in their (Rupa Gosvami & Sanatana Gosvami) footsteps the propagators of the Caitanya cult in the Western countries are spreading the sankirtana movement & inculcating the principles of Vaisnava behavior, thus purifying & reforming many persons
- Footsteps of the vaisnavas and brahmanas
H
- He (Siva) is very great & his renunciation of all material enjoyment is an ideal example of how one should be materially unattached. One should therefore follow his footsteps & be unattached to matter, not imitate his uncommon acts like drinking poison
- He (Srila Jiva Gosvami) also warns that thinking oneself one of the associates of the Supreme without following in the footsteps of the gopis is as offensive as thinking oneself the Supreme. Such thinking is an aparadha
- He (Srila Jiva Gosvami) later came to Navadvipa to study Sanskrit, and, following in the footsteps of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, he circumambulated the entire Navadvipa-dhama
I
- If one is fortunate enough to take shelter of a pure devotee, hear from him about self-realization and follow in his footsteps, he will be gradually elevated to the position of a pure devotee. BG 1972 purports
- If one tries to follow in the footsteps of the gopis, one may become situated in the highest stage of transcendental love
- If one wants to become a devotee of Krsna, he must first take shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, following in the footsteps of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and other exalted devotees
- If the king or the head of the government follows in the footsteps of the brahmanas & Vaisnavas, who are naturally leaders in missionary work, the vaisyas will also follow in the footsteps of the Vaisnavas & brahmanas, & the sudras will give them service
- If we follow in the footsteps of Arjuna to understand Krsna, then our life will be happy and successful. Sanjaya realized this, and as he began to understand it, he related the conversation to Dhrtarastra. BG 1972 purports
- In the Adi Purana, in a conversation between Krsna and Arjuna, it is said, bhaktanam anugacchanti muktayah srutibhih saha: The most exalted position of liberation is given by Vedic knowledge. Everyone follows in the footsteps of the devotee
- Instead of writing ourself, if we, in the beginning, follow the footprints of the great devotees of Krsna and follow their principles, taken to heart, how they have spoken, that will be advantageous, because Krsna will be pleased
- It is necessary to follow carefully in the footsteps of Arjuna. In previous ages, due to interpretation and mental speculation, the real purport of Bhagavad-gita was lost; therefore Krsna re-established the teachings by giving them to Arjuna - BG 4.2-3
- It is the duty of the common man to take advantage of these temples and festivals observed in the holy places of pilgrimage by following in the footsteps of great devotees (anuvraja)
- It is understood from this verse that Maharaja Yudhisthira followed in the footsteps of his forefathers and the great devotees of the Lord
O
- One has to follow in the footsteps of great sages and devotees like Maitreya & Vidura, Pariksit & Sukadeva Gosvami, and engage in the transcendental devotional service of God if one would know His ultimate feature, which is above Brahman and Paramatma
- One should accept a bona fide spiritual master, and from the bona fide spiritual master inquire about one's transcendental occupational duties (sad-dharma-prccha) and follow in the footsteps of great saintly persons, devotees
- One should follow in the footsteps of previous devotees regarding how to worship the Supreme Lord with the prescribed paraphernalia, or one should offer worship within the heart by reciting the mantra to the PG, who is nondifferent from the mantra
- One should follow in the footsteps of the Lord's beloved devotees, who are deeply attached to His devotional service
- One should strictly try to follow in the footsteps of great souls. Vena became a king, undoubtedly due to his past deeds of righteousness, but because he willfully neglected great souls, he was punished by the loss of all the above-mentioned acquisitions
- One who wants to be elevated to the transcendental stage of perfection should follow in the footsteps of the damsels of Vraja as an assistant maidservant of the gopis
- Only after the stage of liberation from material contamination can one actually aspire to follow in the footsteps of the devotees in Vrndavana
S
- Sadhu means saintly person. Sastra means revealed scriptures. Sadhu, sastra and guru, spiritual master. So we must follow the footprints of saintly person, mahajano yena gatah sa panthah (CC Madhya 17.186). That is the way
- Sri Advaita Acarya treated Haridasa Thakura as a most elevated Vaisnava, but others, like Ramacandra Khan, were envious of Haridasa Thakura. Of course, we have to follow in the footsteps of Advaita Acarya, not caring for people like Ramacandra Khan
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to point out intense love of Krsna exhibited by Madhavendra Puri. All Caitanya Mahaprabhu's devotees later followed in the footsteps of Madhavendra Puri, serving the Lord without personal considerations
- Srila Kaviraja Gosvami and one who follows in his footsteps do not have to cater to the public. Their business is simply to satisfy the previous acaryas and describe the pastimes of the Lord
- Srila Narottama dasa Thakura said, ei chaya gosani yara, mui tara dasa. He is prepared to become the disciple of anyone who follows in the footsteps of the six Gosvamis
- Supernatural vision is bestowed upon devotees like Brahma and upon those who follow the footsteps of pure devotees like him
T
- The devotees following in the footsteps of Prahlada Maharaja should not be disturbed by the demoniac activities of the nondevotees
- The idea is that we should follow in the footsteps of great devotees. If we are unable to execute all the different items of devotional service, we must try to execute at least one of them, as exemplified by previous acaryas
- The instructions of a pure devotee to his disciple are also very simple. No one feels any difficulty in following in the footsteps of a pure devotee of the Lord
- The Krsna consciousness movement is spreading all over the world, following in the footsteps of Prahlada Maharaja, who did not like any of the materialistic education he received from his teachers
- The Lord (Krsna) says in BG 7.1, asamsayam samagram mam yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu. In other words, if one wants to understand the SPG in completeness, one must follow the prescriptions given by Krsna by following in the footsteps of Maharaja Ambarisa
- The Srimad-Bhagavatam affirms that one should follow in the footsteps of great devotees, and that is the way of progress on the path of spiritual realization. BG 1972 purports
- The srutis understood that without serving Krsna and following in the footsteps of the gopis there would be no possibility of their entering the kingdom of God and serving Krsna in the mood of conjugal love
- The truth about Krsna is established in this verse (in BG 10.15) by the realization of Arjuna, and we should follow in the footsteps of Arjuna to understand Krsna as He is. BG 1972 purports
- The Vedic literatures indicate that you have to follow the footprints of great personalities, devotees. Tarko apratisthah. If you want to understand the Absolute Truth by your argument and logic, oh, it is not possible
- The vrndavana-vasis - mother Yasoda, Krsna's friends and Krsna's conjugal lovers, the younger gopis with whom He dances - have very intimate relationships with Krsna, and if one follows in the footsteps of these devotees, Krsna is available
- The word anukara means - imitating, and anusara means - trying to follow in the footsteps. We should not try to imitate the activities of a maha-bhagavata or Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
- These (four dhamas, or kingdoms of God) are Badarikasrama, Ramesvara, Jagannatha Puri and Dvaraka. Faithful Hindus still visit all these holy places for perfection of spiritual realization, following in the footsteps of devotees like Uddhava
- They (the srutis) engaged in spontaneous loving service unto Krsna and followed in the footsteps of the gopis
- This is a practical example (SB 10.11.58). If we follow in the footsteps of Nanda Maharaja and the gopas, we can all be happy simply by discussing the activities of Krsna
- This is no use, imitation. Anusarana, not anukarana. Anukarana is dangerous. Anusarana. Sadhu-marganugamanam. This is bhakti. We shall try to follow the footsteps of big, big devotees, sadhus
- This is stated from personal experience by such an authority as Sri Narada Muni. And we can have the same experience also if we begin to follow in the footsteps of the great sage, the dearmost devotee of the Lord
- This is very easy (to accept the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord), but we must follow in the footsteps of great personalities, and then success will be possible
- This Krsna consciousness means one has to follow the footsteps of the devotees, sadhu-marga-anugamanam. So who are those sadhus? That is also mentioned in the sastra
- Those who are actually interested to understand the SPG, Krsna, and who follow in the footsteps of Arjuna should understand that Krsna not only theoretically presented Himself as the Supreme, but actually revealed Himself as the Supreme. BG 1972 purports
- Those who are munayah, saintly persons following in the footsteps of Narada Muni, simply engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord without any personal desire for sense gratification. Anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam - BRS 1.1.11
- Those who are neophytes or even a little progressed in devotional service should not try to imitate the maha-bhagavata. Rather, they should only follow in his footsteps
- To attain such service (of the Lord in conjugal love), one has to follow in the footsteps of the gopis in the ecstasy of sakhi-bhava. Then only can one understand the transcendental mellow of conjugal love
W
- We have to follow in the footprints of the gosvamis and search out Radha and Krsna in this way - by crying after Them
- We have to follow in the footsteps of such devotees (as Siva, Yamaraja, Brahma, the Kumaras, Kapila, etc.), for by this one easy process one can cross the great ocean of nescience just as one might cross a small hole created by the hoof of a calf
- We have to follow the footsteps of Rupa Gosvami, rupanuga. Then we can understand Lord Caitanya. And if we get favor of Lord Caitanya, we can very easily understand Krsna. This is the process
- We should be very careful about the regulative principles and follow the footprints of Vaisnava. Don't think that Prahlada Maharaja is ordinary boy. We should learn from Prahlada Maharaja how to advance in devotional service
- We should not imitate, but follow the footprints of great saintly persons, acaryas. Then gradually, we shall be practiced. Tadera carana-sevi-bhakta-sane vasa
- Westerners or anyone else can 1) follow in the footsteps of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura by living in a temple, which is transcendental to residence in a forest
- When a devotee follows in the footsteps of the devotees of Vrndavana, his devotional service is called raganuga bhakti
- When following in the footsteps of the brahmanas and Vaisnavas the entire society becomes a perfect human institution for combined progress to the highest perfection of life
- When the government follows in the footsteps of Maharaja Prthu, it will be very easy for all to execute devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Whoever follows in the footsteps of Arjuna, approaching Krsna in a spirit of devotion, can understand the purpose of Bhagavad-gita as well as all other Vedic literatures
Y
- Yogis who are not actually pure devotees should follow in the footsteps of devotees. It is especially mentioned here (in SB 3.28.29) that the yogi should meditate upon the form which is thus approved; he cannot manufacture a form of the Lord
- You have to take shelter of guru. Adau gurv-asrayam sad-dharma-prccha: "Then you inquire from him about Krsna." Sad-dharma-prccha, sadhu-marganugamanam: "Then follow the footstep of big, big devotees." Just like Prahlada Maharaja