Pure devotion not so cheap! We are kanistha-adhikari devotees

By Nitai dasa

Devotees often quote a lecture by Srila Prabhupada where he said that even if they were seventy percent surrendered; Krsna will still take them back to Godhead. During this lecture, Srila Prabhupada was speaking on how one has to be one hundred percent surrendered. At the end of the class, he noticed the devotee’s disappointment that they will not be able to make the standard. So Srila Prabhupada, out of his compassion, said that even if they were ninety percent Krsna conscious, they can go back to Godhead. Then he said if they were eighty percent surrendered, Krsna will still take them back. As he was leaving, he said, even if they were seventy percent Krsna conscious, Krsna will still take them back.

This is not as simple as it sounds. The principle is that one has to be completely surrendered, an uttama-adhikari devotee, one hundred percent without a tinge of material desire in one’s heart, to go back to Godhead. However, many do not understand how advanced a stage it is to be even seventy percent Krsna conscious. Presently, most devotees approaching the time of death are still on the neophyte level and would have reached not more than fifty percent Krsna consciousness by the end of their present lives. Are you a seventy percent pure devotee, or will you be one by the end of your present lifetime?

According to the description of a kanistha-adhikari devotee as given in our main scriptures, most devotees within this Krsna conscious movement would be neophytes on different levels. Fitting descriptions of less advanced neophyte devotees we see daily are many of those writing on various websites, who do not know the conclusion of sastra and their faith is soft and pliable.
Not knowing the conclusion of sastra is evident in how devotees speculate, sometimes wildly, with convincing articles and comments. With the internet and aids such as the Bhaktivedanta Vedabase and some spin, any devotee can become an expert on sastra. We see examples of soft and pliable faith in those who can be easily swayed by false arguments by someone’s flowery language and word jugglery. It is stated in sastra that the neophyte’s faith can be changed by someone else with strong arguments or by an opposite decision. They go back and forth debating uselessly or amongst themselves, changing their understanding on certain issues of philosophy easily because they do not know the proper conclusion and application of sastra according to sadhu and guru.

Lower level neophyte devotees also criticize and offend other devotees. Srila Prabhupada says that without being authorized by Krsna, one cannot preach the holy name of the Lord but one who does so is criticized by neophyte devotees. Srila Prabhupada had experience in this regard, with his god-brothers who criticized him. Sometimes devotees serving this preaching mission that is Iskcon are criticized by neophyte devotees. Srila Prabhupada says those that criticize are on the lower stages of devotional service. There are startling examples of criticizm and character assignation of devotees we see on certain websites, with their envious mentality and offensive attitude. Because of not knowing the proper conclusion of sastra, neophytes do not appreciate how special devotees are and cannot recognize them and therefore do not respect them.

As less advanced neophytes, without knowing proper sastric conclusion and some attraction to jnana, there is the tendency to speculation. There are different levels of kanistha-adhikari devotees. Some, obviously, will be more advanced but still on the neophyte level. This can be seen through the different descriptions of kanistha-adhikari devotees in sastra.

Once, devotees were telling lies to collect money on book distribution, saying they were feeding Bangladeshi refugees, which was a partially true statement at one time. Srila Prabhupada said that although anything can be said to collect money for Krsna, the main point was that less advanced neophyte devotees may become entangled or disturbed in their minds by these lies. He said that not everyone is able to catch the big fish without themselves becoming wet – meaning less advanced neophytes will become entangled by the cheating propensity. Srila Prabhupada said that more advanced devotees would tell the truth in a palatable way and there will be more success. So this is a good example of who is a low level neophyte and who is an advanced one. An advanced one will have stronger faith and surrender to Krsna and they will know that He will reward the truth and give direction when preaching, and they will have better understanding of sastric conclusion.

Srila Prabhupada referred to Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara, who had direct association of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, has kanistha-adhikari devotees. This has to be understood in its proper context because they were selected by the Lord for His pastimes, although it is a fitting example of what a more advanced neophyte devotee is. They had complete faith in the Lord and this faith was not soft and pliable. When the mayavadi sannyasis of Benaris were criticizing Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara could not tolerate this criticism and complained to the Lord. Srila Prabhupada says in his purport that they are understood to be kanistha-adhikari devotees because they could not refute the arguments of the sannyasis in Benaris as they did not know the conclusion of sastra, although they had faith in the Lord.

In this present day Krsna conscious movement, neophyte devotees are acting as madhyama-adhikari devotees. As mentioned earlier, we see how they falsely try to draw conclusion from sastra, especially on the internet, without following the perfect examples of pure kanistha-adhikari devotees like Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara.

It is significant that Srila Prabhupada also referred to Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara in his purport (Adi 7.53) as pure devotees. Other acaryas have also referred to practicing devotees as pure devotees. Srila Prabhupada further says in a purport in Caitanya Caritamrta that any devotee who believes that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord is a pure devotee, even though he may be in the neophyte stage. This means the pure potential is there and it is only a matter of a little time, at the end of one’s present life or maybe after another birth or so, one will become uttama-adhikari pure. We have been in this material world for millions of lifetimes and more advanced devotees will see a couple of births more in Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission as insignificant in relation to eternal time. The words “any devotee who believes that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord” is also significant because less advanced neophytes will not have firm faith that the Lord’s holy name and the Lord are non different.

As one advances with realization in the holy name, one will also get conviction that the form, qualities and pastimes of Krsna are non-different from Him, but it all starts with Krsna’s name. It is to be understood that lots of neophyte devotees will basic theoretical knowledge coming to Krsna consciousness are not convinced fully in the beginning that the name of Krsna is non different from Him. Unless they were more advanced devotees in a previous life, neophytes come to Krsna consciousness through being distressed, seeking material gain, being inquisitive or wise. They will not have realized fully that Krsna’s name is non different from Him although they will chant the maha-mantra and visit the Deity in the temple ritualistically. This is a less advanced neophyte devotee. Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara were advanced neophyte devotees; their faith was not soft and pliable. Through chanting sincerely and without offence to the holy name, firm faith and taste in the holy name will develop and one will advance up the neophyte ladder.

Presently, for those engaged in this internet age, advancement will be slow for many as they do not associate much with other devotees. Instead many are attached to criticizm and fault finding within the devotee community, a different and dangerous kind of prajalpa with the advent of the internet. Also, social networking sites are another stumbling block to sadhu sanga and bhajana-kriya.

Less advanced neophyte devotees still do not have complete faith that Krsna is supplying their necessities through a second or third party whereas more advanced kanistha or madhyama-adhikari devotees are convinced that Krsna is doing everything. Some devotees will know that Krsna is taking care of them always, despite the difficult tests that come their way, whereas other devotees may have faith that Krsna is controlling but at the same time, they are not fully convinced that Krsna will make things right when difficult tests come their way.

Srila Prabhupada said that he created the devotees good fortune that brought them to Krsna consciousness in this lifetime of theirs. For most devotees, this absolutely true statement applies. Due to their previous life’s pious activities, they could have come from the heavenly planets or this earth planet to get the mercy of Srila Prabhupada. As such, they would not necessarily have been Krsna conscious devotees in previous lives; they could have had some faith in other forms of the Lord or even the demigods. They could also have been pious due to sincerely following other religious practices on this earth planet. They would have been in one of the four categories of neophyte devotees that come to Krsna consciousness – the distressed, those seeking wealth, the inquisitive and the wise. These devotees would have had desires to satisfy their respective hankerings. Through the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, their good fortune would begin and they would be given the opportunity to start their Krsna conscious lives at the lowest level of the kanistha-adhikari ladder. In rare cases, even sinful personalities would have benefited from Srila Prabhupada’s mercy.

It is important to note that devotees already Krsna conscious from a previous life would also take birth and continue their spiritual lives from where they left off. Some examples could be found in Srila Prabhupada’s pastimes, as we see some of his disciples are more fixed and clearly have more faith and devotion than others and the more advanced ones don’t normally care about criticizing or finding faults with devotees on the internet. Instead, they continue to preach in every town and village tirelessly or they serve steadily in other ways.

It is to be understood that devotees within this Krsna conscious movement are ascending in their advancement, from kanistha to madhyama-adhikari. They are not descending as sometimes an uttama-adhikari would come down to the madhyama-adhikari level to preach, an example being Srila Prabhupada. So practicing devotees will have anarthas (unwanted desires) within their hearts and need to develop strong sraddha (faith), associate with devotees and practice devotional service following the regulative principles strictly (bhajana-kriya) before all unwanted things within the heart is cleansed. Even subtle material thoughts are unwanted things. Because Srila Prabhupada came from the uttama to madhyama-adhikari stage to preach, we cannot compare his seemingly material actions with our material desires. For him, everything was Krsna.
Srila Prabhupada was a nitya-siddha and because he descended from the uttama-adhikari platform and being Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s senapati-bhakta, he did not have to go to school, to college, do business, or take up grhasta. Only because most devotees in this Kali-yuga will be grhasta and starting from the neophyte level, he went through these seemingly material motions to set the perfect example how devotees should progress spiritually in this age, always putting Krsna in the centre. We are ascending and we need to clean our hearts so we have to force ourselves to follow the regulative principles and develop a favourable attitude.

Judging by the descriptions in sastra, a madhyama-adhikari will be a rare devotee indeed. It is described that he is constantly chanting the holy name of the Lord. He is well versed in sastra and knows its conclusion. He can convince others although he may sometimes not be able to offer conclusive arguments on the strength of scriptures. But because of his strong faith, he remains undaunted within himself as to his decision that Krsna is the supreme object of worship. Even subtle thoughts of material enjoyment are not a pleasant experience for a madhyama-adhikari devotee.
Devotees have to understand how spiritually advanced a seventy percent pure devotee is. Pure devotional service is not cheap. Besides gross thoughts, the subtle thoughts, including thoughts for name, fame and recognition could sometimes be an even greater anartha to clean from the heart.

 We see how rare it is to find a madhyama devotee, one who actually has taste for the holy name and could chant continuously if given the opportunity. Srila Prabhupada says that when this happens, it indicates one has attained the intermediate stage between the neophyte and the perfect devotee. So see how gradual the neophyte ladder is, one can’t just jump from the lowest level of ritualistically getting ones japa done to getting genuine taste to want to chant continuously. A genuine madhyama devotee has no taste to read the speculation written on websites by “so called” madhyama-adhikari devotees, what to speak of writing for these websites. It is further described that a madhyama-adhikari devotee understands that Krsna and everything related to Him are on the same transcendental platform but neophytes may acknowledge this theoretically but they cannot realize this fully.

A madhyama-adhikari devotee’s mental state is described as only of genuine service to Krsna. As one advance up the neophyte ladder, ones mental state will become more fixed towards genuine service to Krsna and the thoughts for material desire will become more subtle. In other words, an advanced neophyte will have realized that Krsna is not his order supplier and although he may sometimes desire something material, he will not ask Krsna for it. An advanced neophyte will also have developed strong faith in the conclusion of sastra and not speculate or make up philosophical ideas.

Due to their interwoven nature, one could only guess if sraddha (faith) up to some stage of anartha-nivritti (clearing process of unwanted things within the heart), could be the different stages of a kanistha-adhikari devotee, and if the latter stages of anartha-nivritti through nistha up to some stage of ruci could be a madhyama-adhikari devotee, what level is a seventy percent devotee on and more importantly, what level do you think you are on?

So although Krsna always listens to his pure devotee, it does not mean that one will go back to Godhead if one is seventy percent Krsna conscious. Krsna is not limited and could work in different ways to fulfill His pure devotee’s request. One way would be to bestow His causeless mercy on a seventy percent pure devotee and remove any last tinge of material desire within that devotee’s heart at the time of death and make him one hundred percent pure and then take him back to the spiritual world.
It is more likely that Krsna will listen to the heart of a seventy percent pure devotee who will be very sincere and fixed at that stage of advancement, and he will have firm reciprocation with Krsna. Many very advanced devotees would rather desire to take birth again as commanders within Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission. At this stage of advancement, one will be on the level of seeing everything in relation to Krsna. Srila Prabhupada knew this – and he knew how advanced a stage of devotional service seventy percent is.

There are so many back and forth arguments by devotees on different issues on the internet, how will they advance to seventy percent pure before they leave their body? Like the scissors analogy given by Srila Prabhupada, even at the time of death, they will still cling onto their ideas. Krsna will not take them back like that. How will they come close to being even fifty percent advanced, when bhajana-kriya (performance of devotional service) and not attachment to finding faults and criticizing is required to gradually start the cleansing process of anartha-nivrtti?