Qualities of Bhāgavata Devotees

In the Vedic tradition, the title bhāgavata is reserved for those who are intimately connected with Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. While the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the sound incarnation of the Lord, the devotee is the living force that makes the scripture accessible. This article explores the unique qualities of these bhāgavata devotees, their exalted status beyond the material modes, and their indispensable role in guiding humanity toward liberation.

Person Bhāgavata and the Book Bhāgavata

The relationship between the devotee and the scripture is symbiotic. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that there are two types of bhāgavatas: the grantha-bhāgavata (the book) and the bhakta-bhāgavata (the person). The book is the message, but the person is the active principle that demonstrates how to live that message. To understand the deep import of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one must hear it from a self-realized devotee rather than a professional reciter.

• 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.
• Bhagavata means the grantha-bhagavata, the book Bhagavata, and the devotee bhagavata. So either you read Srimad-Bhagavatam, but Srimad-Bhagavatam should be relished, understood through person bhagavata. It is recommendation.
• If one comes in contact with the book Bhagavatam as well as with the devotee bhagavata, who knows what the Bhagavatam is, then such a fortunate man gets out of the material entanglement.

Transcendental Status and Association

A true bhāgavata is situated above the mundane social stratifications. Even if born in a low family, a devotee should never be considered a śūdra. Their position is transcendental because they do not seek impersonal liberation or speculative knowledge. Instead, they aspire for personal service to the Lord in Vaikuṇṭha. Their association is the only safe harbor for those seeking to escape material existence.

• A devotee should never be considered a sudra. All the devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead should be recognized as bhagavatas.
• The bhagavatas never accept merging in the impersonal rays of the Lord, but always aspire after personal association with the Supreme Lord in one of the Vaikuntha spiritual planets in the spiritual sky.
• According to them (mayavadis), when bhagavatas (devotees) are purified by philosophical speculation, they will come to the real point of liberation. Those who speculate in this way regarding devotional service are called kutarkikas (false logicians).

Compassionate Guides for All

The bhāgavata is the best friend of all living entities. Unlike sectarian religionists, a pure devotee invites everyone to join the movement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness without envy. For the neophyte or devotee, the bhāgavata acts as the essential bridge to the Supreme, providing authoritative instruction and correction.

• Pure bhagavatas, pure devotees, invite everyone, without envy, to join the Krsna consciousness movement. A devotee is therefore exactly like the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam: (BG 5.29) he is the friend of all living entities.
• A third-class devotee has to receive the instructions of devotional service from the authoritative sources of Bhagavata. The number one Bhagavata is the established personality of devotee, and the other Bhagavatam is the message of Godhead.
• One should note how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, advised Raghunatha Bhattacarya to learn Srimad-Bhagavatam. He advised him to understand Srimad-Bhagavatam not from professional men but from a real bhagavata, a devotee.

Conclusion

The presence of bhāgavata devotees is the greatest fortune for human society. They are the external manifestation of the Lord's mercy, making the difficult philosophy of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam understandable and relishable. By taking shelter of such devotees and serving them, one's life becomes perfect, and the path back to Godhead becomes open.

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Bhagavata - Devotees of God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.

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