CC Madhya 22.74
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 74
- arcāyām eva haraye
- pūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehate
- na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu
- sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ
SYNONYMS
arcāyām—in the temple worship; eva—certainly; haraye—for the pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pūjām—worship; yaḥ—anyone who; śraddhayā—with faith and love; īhate—executes; na—not; tat-bhakteṣu—to the devotees of the Lord; ca anyeṣu—and to others; saḥ—he; bhaktaḥ—a devotee; prākṛtaḥ—materialistic; smṛtaḥ—is considered.
TRANSLATION
"'A prākṛta-bhakta, or materialistic devotee, does not purposefully study the śāstra and try to understand the actual standard of pure devotional service. Consequently he does not show proper respect to advanced devotees. He may, however, follow the regulative principles learned from his spiritual master or from his family who worships the Deity. He is to be considered on the material platform, although he is trying to advance in devotional service. Such a person is a bhakta-prāya [neophyte devotee], or bhaktābhāsa, for he is a little enlightened by Vaiṣṇava philosophy.'
PURPORT
This verse is also from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (SB 11.2.47). Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that one who has full love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead and who maintains a good friendship with the Lord’s devotees is always callous to those who envy Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s devotees. Such a person is to be considered an intermediate devotee. He becomes a first-class devotee when, in the course of advancing in devotional service, he feels an intimate relationship with all living entities, seeing them as part and parcel of the Supreme Person.