Category:Neophyte Devotees of God
Theme Analysis
The path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness accommodates everyone, but it requires a systematic progression through different stages of realization. According to Śrīla Prabhupāda, the beginners on this path are called neophyte devotees, or kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs. A neophyte has preliminary faith but lacks a deep understanding of the scriptures (śāstra). Often, they approach the Supreme Lord with mixed motives—seeking relief from distress, economic development, or the fulfillment of material desires. Because their faith is soft and pliable, they are highly susceptible to the alluring attacks of māyā, specifically the desires for women, money, and prestige. If they associate with gross materialists or fail to strictly follow the orders of the spiritual master, they are practically guaranteed to fall down.
To protect the neophyte and gradually elevate their consciousness, the process of Deity worship (arcana) is strongly recommended. By practically engaging their senses in cleaning the temple, cooking, and offering obeisances to the arcā-vigraha, the neophyte becomes cleansed of material rubbish. The spiritual master expertly trains the beginner in these regulative principles of vaidhi-bhakti. During this stage, it is crucial that the neophyte avoids prematurely delving into the highly confidential, intimate pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs, as they will undoubtedly misunderstand these supreme spiritual affairs and bring them down to a mundane level.
While the neophyte stage is the necessary starting point, Śrīla Prabhupāda insists that a devotee should not remain there. A kaniṣṭha-adhikārī typically only appreciates the Deity in the temple and lacks the vision to properly respect other devotees or preach to the innocent. They must strive to rise to the intermediate stage, the madhyama-adhikārī platform, where one develops firm faith, makes friendships with other Vaiṣṇavas, and becomes an active preacher. Nevertheless, even if a neophyte exhibits some residual bad habits from their past material life, they must still be respected as a bona fide Vaiṣṇava, provided they are sincerely engaged in carrying out the orders of the spiritual master.
- The Vulnerability of Beginners: Neophytes (kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs) have soft faith, mixed material motives, and are prone to falling down if they do not strictly follow the rules.
- The Necessity of Temple Worship: Deity worship is essential for training and purifying the neophyte, allowing them to engage their blunt material senses in practical devotion.
- Avoiding Premature Intimacy: Beginners must strictly avoid hearing or discussing the confidential pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs, as they are not yet qualified to understand them.
- The Urge to Advance: A devotee must not remain stagnant in the neophyte stage but must endeavor to become a madhyama-adhikārī, developing the capacity to preach and properly respect all Vaiṣṇavas.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Neophyte Devotees of God - Training the Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī.
Subcategories
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Pages in category "Neophyte Devotees of God"
The following 241 pages are in this category, out of 241 total.
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- A devotee who does so (preaching the holy name of the Lord throughout the entire world) is criticized by neophyte devotees, kanistha-adhikaris, who are on the lower stages of devotional service. For them, Deity worship is strongly recommended
- A neophyte and an intermediate devotee should always be eager to hear the maha-bhagavata and serve him in every respect
- A neophyte believes that only love of Krsna or Krsna consciousness is very good, but he may not know the basis of pure Krsna consciousness or how one can become a perfect devotee
- A neophyte devotee engaged in Deity worship in accordance with the regulations set forth by the spiritual master is in a position superior to that of the fruitive worker and speculative philosopher
- A neophyte devotee foolishly thinks of accumulating some material power in exchange for devotional service. Such foolish devotees are sometimes put into difficulty by the Lord Himself
- A neophyte devotee has very little taste for hearing from the authorities. Such a neophyte devotee makes a show of hearing from the professional man to satisfy his senses
- A neophyte devotee is always recommended to worship the Deity of the Lord (arcana) rather than go into the forest to search out the Lord
- A neophyte devotee is certain to be attacked by other material desires as well, namely desires for women and money
- A neophyte devotee must faithfully serve the pure devotee, and he should be very much obedient and strictly follow the instructions. These are the signs of a devotee who is determined to achieve success even in the existing duration of life
- A neophyte devotee should neither eat too much nor collect more money than necessary. Eating too much or collecting too much is called atyahara. For such atyahara one must endeavor very much. This is called prayasa
- A neophyte devotee simply tries to chant the holy name, whereas the advanced devotee is accustomed to chanting and takes pleasure in it
- A neophyte devotee who follows the Vedic instructions that regulate those who lack pure love of Godhead may superficially seem more exalted than a devotee in spontaneous love of Godhead. But in fact such spontaneous pure love is far superior
- A neophyte devotee, of course, approaches the Supreme Lord for relief from distress or poverty, or for speculative knowledge of the Lord
- A neophyte disciple begins by hearing and chanting, associating with devotees and practicing the regulative principles, and thus he vanquishes all of his unwanted bad habits
- A neophyte disciple begins by hearing and chanting, associating with devotees and practicing the regulative principles. In this way he develops attachment for Krsna and cannot forget Krsna even for a moment
- A neophyte may fall down by associating with nondevotees because he is not firmly convinced and strongly situated
- A neophyte should always be careful. One should not discuss about such great devotees' apparent fall-down. Just like one should not discuss about the sun who evaporates urine from the earth; it is possible for the sun to do it, and still remain the sun
- A neophyte student who is not sufficiently educated or enlightened should not indulge in the worship of Sri Radha and Krsna or the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra. Even if he does so, he cannot get the desired result
- A neophyte Vaisnava or a Vaisnava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they cannot advance very well toward the ultimate goal
- A prakrta devotee, or neophyte devotee, is still on the material platform. He certainly engages in worshiping the Deity, but he cannot appreciate the activities of a pure devotee
- A real brahmana is never envious of Vaisnavas. If he is, he is considered an imperfect neophyte
- A strong devotee of the Lord will not be misled by such atheistic propaganda of the nondevotees, but a neophyte devotee should be very cautious about them
- A student or neophyte devotee could not possibly understand why Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was chanting the name of the gopis, nor should the student have asked the Lord about the potency of chanting gopi gopi
- A wise man who simply realizes the greatness of God is also counted among the neophytes. Such beginners can be elevated to the second-class or first-class platform if they associate with pure devotees
- According to the faith, there are first-class, second-class and neophyte devotees
- Actually the maha-bhagavata, he has many things to say, but because he's preacher he does not say everything to the neophyte devotees. Because they are not competent to accept that
- All kinds of devotees of Lord Jagannatha - from neophytes to the most advanced - offered their best cooked food to the Lord
- Although he may apparently be a neophyte, he still has to be considered a pure, unalloyed Vaisnava. It is the duty of the householder to offer respects to such an unalloyed Vaisnava. This is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s instruction
- Although seen within this material world, the pure devotee always engages in the confidential service of the Lord. An ordinary neophyte devotee cannot realize this
- Although there may be a Radha-Krsna vigraha, or form, the worship of the neophyte devotees is acceptable as Laksmi-Narayana worship
- Although this statement (sufferings of the conditioned soul have no value) is theoretically very true, it is very difficult for the common man or the neophyte on the transcendental path to realize practically
- Although we find in the neophyte devotee some bad behavior due to his past experience, so we should not take him as nondevotee
- Although we find in the neophyte devotee some bad behavior, so we should not take him as nondevotee. Sadhur eva sa mantavyah (BG 9.30). He is sadhu - if he sticks to Krsna consciousness. And the bad habits which are visible now, it will disappear
- An intermediate, second-class devotee shows love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is friendly to all devotees and is very merciful to neophytes and ignorant people. The intermediate devotee neglects those who are envious of devotional service
- Any neophyte devotee who simply gives his attention to the arca-murti, the form of the Supreme Lord in the temple, and does not respect other living entities is uselessly worshiping the form of the Lord in the temple. BG 1972 purports
- Anyone keeping himself under such impression (the rubbish concept of life that I am American, I am European, I am Indian, I am this or that), but at the same time trying to get into Krishna Consciousness is called neophyte devotee, or prakrta
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- By nature, the Lord is very compassionate; therefore the service of neophyte devotees is accepted by the Lord
- By this bona fide hearing process, the neophyte devotee becomes cleansed of all material rubbish, and thus he becomes attached to one of the many transcendental forms of the Lord, as described in the Vedas
- By training (in transcendental service to the Lord), even for some days, the neophyte devotee gets intelligence in such transcendental service, which leads him ultimately to get free from perpetual inhabitation in the material worlds
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- Deity worship is especially meant for purifying the neophyte devotees. Actually, however, preaching is more important
- Devotees attached to the transcendental loving service of the Lord are called, respectively, neophyte, perfect and eternally perfect
- Due to some sentiment, he (the neophyte devotee) may give up his own wife and come into the association of devotees and a spiritual master, but due to his past sinful life he cannot stay
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- Even a neophyte devotee is superior to the karmis and jnanis because he has full faith in chanting the holy name of the Lord
- Even a neophyte devotee who simply engages in the worship of the Deity is understood to be in direct touch with the purport of Vedic knowledge
- Even by associating with such a neophyte devotee (who is materialistic), one can become a devotee also
- Even for the neophyte devotee, devotional service is considered brahma-bhuyaya kalpate (BG 14.26). Devotional service to the Lord is never considered a material activity. Since he is acting on the brahma-bhuta platform, a devotee is already liberated
- Even if they (the neophytes) make a show of constantly chanting the holy name of the Lord, they cannot relish the transcendental taste of the holy name. The show of tears in the eyes, trembling, perspiration or unconsciousness, etc., is condemned
- Everyone begins his devotional life from the neophyte stage, but if one properly finishes chanting the prescribed number of rounds of hari-nama, he is elevated step by step to the highest platform, uttama-adhikari
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- For a neophyte devotee there are two kinds of persons whose association is undesirable
- For a neophyte devotee there are two kinds of persons whose association is undesirable: (1) gross materialists who constantly engage in sense gratification
- For a neophyte devotee there are two kinds of persons whose association is undesirable: (2) unbelievers who do not serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead but serve their senses and their mental whims in terms of their speculative habits
- For neophytes, we must have many engagements. In the neophyte stage, if you try to imitate the advanced stage, then it will be simply ludicrous. In the neophyte stage we must be always engaged
- For the kanistha-adhikari, neophytes, those who are serious to become, to awaken his attachment for Krsna, they must take to this arcana-marga
- For the neophyte especially, considering a pure devotee from a material point of view is very injurious
- For the neophyte, the important processes are those of hearing & chanting (sravanam kirtanam), remembering Krsna, worshiping the Deity in the temple, offering prayers and always engaging in the service of the Lord, & worshiping the lotus feet of the Lord
- Further classification of the neophyte devotee is made in the Bhagavad-gita
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- Generally a devotee in the intermediate stage becomes a preacher. A neophyte devotee or an ordinary person should worship the madhyama-bhagavata, who is a via medium
- Generally the great acaryas who preach devotional service all over the world belong to the category of sakhyam atma-nivedanam. A neophyte devotee cannot actually become a preacher
- Generally, as preachers, we are middle class devotees. So we should not remain as neophyte devotee who does not know how to preach. He simply goes to the temple, and offers everything with devotion to the Deity
- Generally, neophyte devotees are anxious to see Krsna, or God, but God cannot be seen or known by our present materially blunt senses
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- Haridasa Thakura engaged in the sravana-kirtana process without worshiping the Deity. However, one should not falsely imitate him and abandon Deity worship just to try to engage in sravana-kirtana. This is not possible for neophyte devotees
- He (a materialistic devotee) is to be considered on the material platform, although he is trying to advance in devotional service. Such a person is a bhakta-praya (neophyte devotee), or bhaktabhasa, for he is a little enlightened by Vaisnava philosophy
- He (a neophyte devotee) can advance when by the grace of Krsna he understands, "Here is a Vaisnava. Here is an innocent man. He should be given some enlightenment." That is preacher - when he'll feel for others
- He (the author of Caitanya-caritamrta) says - Let the neophyte devotees - the devotees who are very expert in arguing though they have no sense of advanced devotional service, who think themselves very advanced because they imitate some smarta-brahmana
- He would go to all the Vaisnavas born in brahmana families, be they neophyte or advanced devotees, and present them with gifts of first-class eatables
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- I am dealing with these foreign students and teaching them to become Krishna devotees, and some of them being neophytes may sometimes commit some offense
- I am pleased to note that you are asking very intelligent questions. That is natural position for the neophyte devotee who is sincerely seeking to understand what is the Absolute Truth
- I worship herewith the lotus feet of all kinds of devotees, both advanced and neophyte. I request all of them to be satisfied with me
- If a neophyte devotee becomes materially opulent, he forgets the service of the Lord. However, if an advanced devotee is favored by the Lord with opulence, it is not material opulence but a spiritual opportunity
- If a neophyte devotee does not follow the orders of the spiritual master and simply officially sticks to the principles, or if he does not strictly follow the principles, there is every possibility of his falling down
- If a neophyte devotee imitates Haridasa Thakura, his enemies (kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada and matsarya) will disturb and fatigue him. Instead of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, the neophyte will simply sleep soundly
- If it is sometimes found that a kanistha-adhikari (neophyte devotee) shows artificial tears in his eyes while chanting the Hare Krsna mantra but is still completely attached to material things, his heart has not really changed
- If you have got a bona fide spiritual master and if you simply follow the instruction, the perfection is guaranteed. Just like a perfect engineer and a neophyte working under his instruction, however foolish he may be, all his work is perfect
- In next stage one becomes initiated by an elevated spiritual master, and under his instruction the neophyte devotee begins the process of devotional service. BG 1972 purports
- In that association (of pure devotees), the neophyte devotees must render loving service physically and mentally without reservation
- In the beginning of our spiritual life we must worship Madana-mohana so that He may attract us and nullify our attachment for material sense gratification. This relationship with Madana-mohana is necessary for neophyte devotees
- In the beginning, if a neophyte devotee observes the above-mentioned ten principles, surely he will quickly make good advancement in Krsna consciousness
- In the beginning, of course, a neophyte devotee must try to keep himself apart from all kinds of alluring attachments, but the real position of a mature devotee is that even in the presence of all allurements, he is not at all attracted
- In the Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 22.64) Sri Sanatana Gosvami is taught: One who is faithful is a proper candidate for devotional service. In terms of one’s degree of faith in devotional service, one is a first-class, second-class or neophyte Vaisnava
- In the CC, descriptions of the creative energy and the Lord's hand in it are explained, and the author of CC has warned the neophyte devotees to be seriously on guard against the pitfall of neglecting knowledge about Krsna in regard to how great He is
- In the helpless condition he (the neophyte devotee) experiences the awkwardness of his so-called relationships with his so-called wife and children
- In the neophyte stage, if you try to imitate the advanced stage, then it will be simply ludicrous
- In the next stage, one becomes initiated by an elevated spiritual master, and under his instruction the neophyte devotee begins the process of devotional service
- In the Padma Purana there is the story of a neophyte devotee who, in order to raise himself to the ecstatic platform, danced all night to invoke the Lord's grace upon him
- In the previous chapter (2), as a prelude to the Bhagavad-gita, many different paths were explained, such as sankhya-yoga, buddhi-yoga, control of the senses by intelligence, work without fruitive desire, & the position of the neophyte. BG 1972 purports
- In the Vedic scriptures, the neophyte devotees are advised to engage in nine kinds of devotional service
- In this life a neophyte devotee is trained to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and in the next life he approaches that Supreme Person in Vaikuntha and renders the same devotional service
- It has actually been seen that even an authorized devotee who is engaged in the service of God by preaching the mission of Krsna consciousness is sometimes criticized by neophyte devotees. Such neophytes are described by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
- It is clearly visible that when a neophyte in Krsna consciousness eats too much, he falls down. Instead of being elevated to pure Krsna consciousness, he becomes attracted by Cupid
- It is essential for a neophyte devotee who is beginning to follow the path of devotional service to observe ten principles. One should also try to avoid offenses in serving the Lord and in chanting His holy names
- It is offensive to think that Balarama is superior to Lord Ramacandra or vice versa. Neophyte devotees do not understand this sastric conclusion, and consequently they unnecessarily create an offensive situation
- It is recommended for the sahajiya, or the neophyte devotee, to hear, chant and get others to hear about the activities of Prthu Maharaja, even though one may think himself to be in the transcendental position of advanced devotional service
- It is recommended that the neophyte meditate on the Deity daily. He should begin by meditating on the lotus feet, and then when he is practiced, he should turn his gaze toward Krsna's smiling face
- It should be accepted that the acaryas are on the same platform as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such neither Krsna nor His representative acarya should be subjected to any adverse criticism by the neophyte devotees
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- Less advanced neophyte devotees
- Lord (Krsna) does not offer opulences to His devotee unless the devotee is thoroughly tested. Rather, if a neophyte devotee serves the Lord very sincerely and at the same time wants material opulence, the Lord keeps him from obtaining it
- Lord Krsna said, "Persons who are neophytes in devotional service and who simply offer their respectful obeisances to the Deity in the temple but cannot realize that the Lord is situated in everyone’s heart"
- Lord Krsna said, "The neophyte cannot understand the importance of great sages, devotees or ascetics"
- Lord Krsna therefore instructs us that an acarya is above criticism. A neophyte devotee should not consider himself to be on the same plane as the acarya
- Lord Visnu is the eternal Lord of everyone, and the representative of Lord Visnu is the Lord’s confidential servant. Such a person acts as the spiritual master for neophyte Vaisnavas
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- Neophyte devotee does not know how to preach. He simply goes to the temple, and offers everything with devotion to the Deity, and he doesn't know anything else
- Neophyte devotees or religionists cannot understand the importance of great mahatmas
- Neophyte devotees simply try to understand the pastimes of the Lord and are not very interested in hearing about the activities of His devotees, but such discrimination should not be indulged in by any real devotee
- Neophyte devotees worship the Lord according to the pancaratrika-vidhi, or the regulative principles enjoined in the Narada-pancaratra
- Neophyte is neophyte. Why do you bring him to become a devotee? A devotee is different. A "one plus one equal to two," he's not mathematician. He's learning
- Neophytes are described by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura: sarva-prani-sammananasamarthanam avajna spardhadimatam... For those who cannot properly appreciate the activities of authorized devotees, Deity worship is the only way for spiritual advancement
- Neophytes may sometimes commit some offense. There is nothing surprising in this, but their ardent desire to convey the idea of Krishna consciousness is always laudable
- Neophytes will be able to understand these affairs only after being elevated by regulated devotional service under the expert guidance of the spiritual master. Then they too will be competent to hear of the love affairs of Radha and Krsna
- Nirjana-bhajana, which is the silent worship of the Supreme Lord, is not possible for a neophyte devotee. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura never advised a neophyte devotee to go to a solitary place to engage in devotional service
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- On behalf of many neophyte devotees, Vidura, at the very first instance, inquired from Maitreya about the path of devotional service, by which the Lord, who is seated within the heart, can be pleased
- One can distinguish between a neophyte Vaisnava and an advanced Vaisnava by their activities
- One must therefore take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and his associates and should also render service to them, for such activity will greatly help the neophyte in attaining full satisfaction
- One should, therefore, seek the association of such pure unalloyed devotees, and by such association and service a neophyte devotee will certainly develop attachment, love and devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- One who has preliminary faith is called a kanistha-adhikari, or a neophyte. The neophyte, however, can become an advanced devotee if he strictly follows the regulative principles set down by the spiritual master
- One who has reached such an understanding (that there is no difference between the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself) should be very much respected by neophyte devotees
- One whose faith is not very strong, who is just beginning, should be considered a neophyte devotee
- One whose faith is soft and pliable is called a neophyte, but by gradually following the process he will rise to the platform of a first-class devotee
- Only with patience and perseverance can we realize the transcendental subject matter regarding the Absolute Truth and His different forms. He is formless to the neophytes, but He is in transcendental form to the expert servitor
- Our devotees shouldn't remain in the neophyte position. Neither should they try to imitate the topmost devotee. Best is to remain in the middle class position, namely to love God, make friendship with devotees, enlighten the innocent, & avoid demons
- Our different centers are meant for organizing a group of pure devotees so that neophyte visitors may take examples from them and thus become attached to Krsna consciousness
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- Radha-Krsna cannot be approached by the neophyte devotees; temple worship according to regulative principles is offered to Laksmi-Narayana
- Restrictions are there for the less intelligent neophytes in the spiritual advancement of life, but such restrictions are only good if one actually has a taste for Krsna consciousness. BG 1972 purports
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- Serving the Absolute Truth means rendering service unto the Absolute Personality of Godhead under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, who is a transparent via medium between the Lord and the neophyte devotee
- Simple theoretical book knowledge is not sufficient for a neophyte devotee. Book knowledge is theoretical, whereas the arcana process is practical
- Sometimes a maha-bhagavata, or very advanced devotee, does not manifest such transcendental symptoms as tears in the eyes, whereas sometimes a kanistha-adhikari, a neophyte devotee, displays them artificially
- Sometimes a neophyte devotee does not keep the rules and regulations. Sometimes he yields to intoxication or is trapped by some feminine attractions. These are impediments on the path of yoga perfection
- Sometimes a neophyte devotee offers all the paraphernalia for worshiping the Lord, and he factually worships the Lord as the Deity, but because he is envious of the authorized devotees of Lord Visnu, the Lord is never satisfied with his devotional service
- Sometimes a neophyte devotee or ordinary person thinks highly of speculative knowledge, austerity, penances and renunciation, thinking them the only path for advancement in devotional service. Actually this is not a fact
- Sometimes coming too near the Deity or the spiritual master degrades the neophyte devotee
- Sometimes doubts arise in the minds of neophytes about whether or not the spiritual master is liberated, and sometimes neophytes are doubtful about the bodily affairs of the spiritual master
- Sometimes in the heart of a neophyte there is attraction for karma, jnana or yoga. When he is free and transcendental to mixed devotional activity, he becomes a second-class devotee
- Sometimes neophyte devotees think that they can continue the sravana-kirtana process without worshiping the Deity, but the execution of such sravana-kirtana is meant for highly developed devotees like Haridasa Thakura
- Sometimes neophytes, devotees on the lower platform, try to imitate Raghava Pandita on the platform of material purity and impurity. Such imitation will not help anyone
- Sri Rupa Gosvami says that a neophyte devotee who has simply developed a slight love of Godhead is certainly a prospective candidate for devotional service
- Srila Rupa Gosvami has given many other books, such as Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Vidagdha-madhava and Lalita-madhava, but Upadesamrta constitutes the first instructions for neophyte devotees
- Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura replies that the pastimes of the Lord in Vrndavana are meant to be relished by advanced devotees of the Lord. Neophyte devotees will misunderstand such supreme transcendental activities of the Lord
- Such a devotee (neophyte devotee) should know by this instruction that the pastimes of Prthu Maharaja are nondifferent from the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Such a devotee (who is constantly chanting the holy name of the Lord) is superior to a neophyte Vaisnava who has just learned to chant the holy name of the Lord
- Such an advanced devotee (who is accustomed to chanting and takes pleasure in it) is called a madhyama-bhagavata, which indicates that he has attained the intermediate stage between the neophyte and the perfect devotee
- Such pure devotees are of two types: personal associates (parisats) and neophyte devotees (sadhakas)
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- Temple construction is meant for the general populace and neophyte devotees, but the business of advanced and empowered devotees is to write books, publish them and distribute them widely
- Ten principles essential for neophyte devotees
- The advanced devotee should be very much enthusiastic in preaching the transcendental message of Lord Caitanya, and temple worship should be entrusted to the newcomers, or neophytes
- The all-merciful Lord very tactfully corrects the bewildered devotees by exhibiting before him the real nature of this material world
- The arta and the artharthi, who approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead for relief from misery or for some money, are not sakama-bhaktas, although they appear to be. Being neophyte devotees, they are simply ignorant
- The author of Caitanya-caritamrta has warned the neophyte devotees to be seriously on guard against the pitfall of neglecting knowledge about Krsna in regard to how great He is
- The bhakti cult is sublime for the pure devotees who are serious about getting in contact with the Supreme Lord, and it is easy for the neophytes who are just on the threshold of the house of bhakti
- The devotee who is neither a neophyte nor a maha-bhagavata but is within the middle status of devotional service is expected to love the S P of Godhead, make friends with the devotees, show favor to the ignorant and reject the jealous and demoniac
- The dhamas and the Lord Himself, in His arca form, appear before us resembling matter to give us the facility to see spirit with material eyes. In the beginning this may be difficult for a neophyte to understand
- The duty of the spiritual master is to train the neophyte in the principles of regulated devotional service, or vaidhi-bhakti. At this stage the devotee's service is based on his capacity to serve the Lord
- The fall of the neophyte devotee from the path of Krsna consciousness down to material life is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 1.5.17) by Narada Muni
- The first chapter (of the Second Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam) describes the glories of chanting, and it hints at the process by which the neophyte devotees may perform meditation on the universal form of the Lord
- The form of the Lord as worshiped in the temples is called arca-vigraha or arcavatara, the worshipable form, the Deity incarnation. This facility is offered to neophyte devotees so that they can see the real form of the Lord face to face
- The four classes of neophyte devotees who approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead to offer devotional service because of material motives are not pure devotees
- The idea is that gradually such neophytes (who are advised to worship different types of demigods according to their situation in the different modes of material nature) may rise to the transcendental plane and engage in the service of Visnu, the SPG
- The idea is that he (a devotee who is actually advanced in Krsna consciousness) should always continue to act as a neophyte devotee as long as his material body is there
- The intermediate Vaisnava considers himself krsna-dasa, Krsna's servant. He therefore preaches Krsna consciousness to innocent neophytes and stresses the importance of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra
- The kanistha-adhikari is a neophyte who has received the hari-nama initiation from the spiritual master and is trying to chant the holy name of Krsna
- The kanistha-adhikari, or neophyte devotee, is therefore advised to visit the temple every day and see the form of the Lord regularly. Thus the neophyte devotee can be freed from the bondage of fruitive activities
- The Lord expertly removes the shroud of illusion for the neophyte devotee by depriving him of his material assets, and thus the devotee finds himself alone in the midst of his so-called relatives
- The Lord sometimes offers benedictions to the neophyte devotees who have not yet understood that material facilities will not make them happy
- The madhyama, or the second-class devotee, knows well the Lord, the Lord's devotees, the neophytes, and the nondevotees also
- The madhyama-adhikari does not care for the demoniac living entities, and the neophyte kanistha-adhikari does not know much about sastra but has full faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The madhyama-adhikari, or second-class devotee, has firm conviction in Krsna consciousness, but he cannot support his conviction by citing sastric references. The neophyte devotee does not yet have firm faith. In this way the devotees are typed
- The Mayavadi philosophers say that, for the benefit or for the facility of the neophyte progressing in the spiritual knowledge, we have to imagine some form of the Brahma. That is not the fact. We do not find these things in the Vedic literature
- The messages of the book Bhagavata have to be received from the devotee Bhagavata, and the combination of these two Bhagavatas will help the neophyte devotee to make progress on and on
- The messages of the book Bhagavata, therefore, have to be received from the devotee Bhagavata, and the combination of these two Bhagavatas will help the neophyte devotee to make progress on and on
- The neophyte and intermediate devotees can gradually rise to the platform of uttama-adhikari and become first-class devotees. Symptoms of a first-class devotee are given in Srimad-Bhagavatam - SB 11.2.45
- The neophyte devotee becomes practically enriched with the transcendental qualities of the pure devotee, which means attraction for the Personality of Godhead's name, fame, quality, pastimes, etc
- The neophyte devotee does not understand the techniques of devotional science, but simply offers devotional service to the Deity in the temple
- The neophyte devotee engaged in the worship of the Lord may not understand the value of such worship, but the Supreme Lord, being bhakta-vatsala, accepts His devotee and in due course of time takes him home
- The neophyte devotee has no ability to approach the Absolute Personality of Godhead by the strength of his present imperfect material senses, and therefore under the direction of the spiritual master he is trained in transcendental service of the Lord
- The neophyte devotee must be protected by being surrounded by pure devotees. In this way he will not give the maddened elephant a chance to uproot his bhakti creeper
- The neophyte devotee serious about advancing in devotional service must carefully follow the principles of regulative devotional service; otherwise there is every possibility of his falling down
- The neophyte devotee, instead of jumping at once to the platform of transcendental pastimes presented by the internal energy of the Lord, may know how great the Supreme Lord is by inquiring about the process of His creative energy
- The neophyte devotees are advised to engage in devotional service, such as to hear and chant the holy name of God, to remember Him always, to chant on beads Hare Krsna
- The neophyte devotees are advised to worship the Lord in the form of His Deity incarnation in the temples, and to engage in various activities of Krsna consciousness to increase the number of godly persons for perfect peace in the world
- The neophyte devotees are classified into four groups - the distressed, those in need of money, the inquisitive and the wise - according to their gradations of pious activities
- The neophyte is advised to execute devotional service in the seven other fields (sravanam kirtanam, etc.). If one can successfully execute the preliminary seven items, he can in the future be situated on the platform of sakhyam atma-nivedanam
- The neophyte should also read and hear Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. If we simply try to see and don't listen, the results will not be permanent
- The neophytes, due to their being in the lower stage of devotional service, are invariably envious, so much so that they invent their own ways and means of devotional regulations without following the acaryas
- The senses are very strong, and if a neophyte devotee imitates Haridasa Thakura, his enemies (kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada and matsarya) will disturb and fatigue him
- The special mercy of the Lord for the neophyte devotee is that he becomes materially poor
- The spiritual master knows how to regulate the habits of a neophyte disciple, and therefore a serious student must learn the science in all its aspects from him
- The spiritual master teaches the neophyte devotee all these (the activities for worshipping the Deity) kindly and personally to help him gradually in the realization of the transcendental name, quality, form, etc., of the Lord
- The third-class devotees, or the neophytes, who have no knowledge and are not detached from material association, but who are simply attracted by the preliminary process of worshiping the Deity in the temple, are called material devotees
- The topmost transcendentalist is a liberated soul and is therefore not within the purview of the regulative principles. A neophyte, who is intended to be promoted to the spiritual plane, is guided by the spiritual master under regulative principles
- The training of devotional service for a neophyte devotee completely depends on the expert spiritual master who knows how to lead his disciple to make gradual progress towards the path back home, back to Godhead
- The virat-rupa is conceived for those who are just neophyte worshipers. For them the material virat-rupa is presented, and it will be explained in the Second Canto
- The word atmavatam is significant in this verse (SB 4.22.16). There are three different kinds of devotees, namely kanistha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari: the neophyte, the preacher and the maha-bhagavata, or the highly advanced devotee
- There are three kinds of devotee: kanistha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari. The uttama-adhikari is the most advanced; the madhyama-adhikari is in the middle stage; and the kanistha-adhikari is the neophyte
- There are three kinds of devotees - the neophyte devotee, the intermediate devotee and the advanced devotee
- There are three kinds of devotees of the Lord, and the neophyte is in the lowest stage. BG 1972 purports
- There are three kinds of devotees: (3) those who are neophytes advancing toward the perfectional platform (sadhaka). The sadhakas are gradually becoming free from fruitive reaction
- There are three stages in chanting the holy name of the Lord - the offensive stage, the stage of lessening offenses, and the pure stage. When a neophyte takes to the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, he generally commits many offenses
- There is a distinction in the manner a neophyte and an advanced devotee appreciate the Lord's presence in the temple
- There is a type of neophyte devotee who is very anxious to hear about the pastimes of the Lord, especially the rasa-lila chapters in Srimad-Bhagavatam
- They (the neophyte devotees) come to the Lord for relief in the matter of their respective self-satisfaction
- They (the neophyte devotees) go into some place of worship and pray to God for mitigation of material distress, or for some economic development, or to satisfy their inquisitiveness
- They (the neophytes) can get in touch with a pure devotee of the Lord and rectify their bad habits; otherwise they shall continue to be stonehearted and unfit for any treatment
- This (transcendental symptoms as tears in the eyes of a neophyte devotee) does not mean that the neophyte is more advanced than the maha-bhagavata devotee
- This practice (regulative principles of vaidhi-bhakti) can help the neophyte devotee to rise to the stage of raga-bhakti, in which the Lord responds from within as the caitya-guru, or the spiritual master as Superconsciousness
- This service attitude (render loving service physically and mentally without reservation) will induce the great souls to be more favorable in bestowing their mercy, which injects the neophyte with all the transcendental qualities of the pure devotees
- This specific example (about the touchstone of Sanatana Gosvami) is given for the neophyte devotees just to convince them that material hankerings and spiritual advancement go ill together
- Those neophyte devotees who are actually initiated by the bona fide spiritual master and are seriously engaged in carrying out the orders of the spiritual master should be offered respectful obeisances
- Those who are active in the Krsna consciousness movement should not remain in the neophyte stage but should rise to the platform of preachers, the second platform of devotional service
- 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
- Those who have faith (in Krsna consciousness) are divided into three categories - uttama, madhyama and kanistha - first class, second class and neophyte
- Thus (by worship of Guru-Gauranga) despite all his (a neophyte student's) disqualifications one will very soon become qualified to worship the Radha-Krsna vigraha
- To bring the neophyte devotees to the perfectional stage, we offer the brahmins sacred thread. But if people, after promising everything, and break their promise, that is very abominable
- To serve the lotus feet of the Lord means to serve Him exactly as He desires. The neophyte devotee is therefore ordered to worship the Lord strictly according to the regulative principles given by the spiritual master and the sastras
U
- Unfortunately we are surrounded by neophyte Godbrothers who do not appreciate the extraordinary activities of spreading Krsna consciousness all over the world
- Unlike the second-class devotee, who also cannot put forward arguments and evidences from the scripture, but who still has all faith in the objective, the neophyte has no firm faith in the objective. Thus he is called the neophyte devotee
W
- We have to maintain two lines parallel; namely the path of Srimad-Bhagavatam and the path of Pancaratriki. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the path for Paramahamsas, and Pancaratra path is for the neophytes
- We may tell any damn thing to induce people to give us money on Krsna's behalf, that is not the point. The point is that by saying lies, the less advanced neophyte devotees may become entangled or disturbed in their minds by it
- When a neophyte devotee deviates from the path of pure devotion and wants to simultaneously enjoy sense gratification and discharge devotional service, the all-merciful Lord very tactfully corrects
- When a neophyte devotee is actually initiated and engaged in devotional service by the orders of the spiritual master, he should be accepted immediately as a bona fide Vaisnava, and obeisances should be offered unto him
- When he (a neophyte devotee) becomes firmly fixed in such devotional service, that assured status becomes a confidential part of his devotional service
- When one (neophyte devotee) is promoted to the next platform of transcendental consciousness, one can understand the importance of mahatmas and devotees, and in that stage one tries to please them
- When one is devotee, he'll chant more and more. He'll aspire, "If I could get millions of tongues and trillions of ear, then I could finish." That is devotee. And one is thinking how to finish it by chanting once, he's not devotee. That is neophyte stage
- When self-realized, the advanced devotee externally remains like a neophyte and executes all the sastric injunctions, especially those concerning hearing and chanting
- When the demon would be deprived of his mace by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not only the neophyte devotees but also the ancient sagacious devotees of the Lord would be very much satisfied
- When the Lord, out of His natural compassion, thinks of His devotee, by that process only are all desires of the neophyte devotee fulfilled. The Lord is situated in every living entity's heart, although the living entity may be very insignificant
- When the neophyte devotee accepts a pure devotee as his spiritual master, the duty of the spiritual master is to train the neophyte in the principles of regulated devotional service, or vaidhi-bhakti
- Which leads him (the neophyte devotee) ultimately to get free from perpetual inhabitation in the material worlds and to be promoted to the transcendental world to become one of the liberated associates of the Lord in the kingdom of God
- Without becoming a brahmin, nobody can become Vaisnava. So when you speak of Vaisnava, it is to be supposed that he's already brahmin. Therefore, to bring the neophyte devotees to the perfectional stage, we offer the brahmins sacred thread