CC Antya 3.143 (1975)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 143
- veśyāra caritra dekhi' loke camatkāra
- haridāsera mahimā kahe kari' namaskāra
SYNONYMS
veśyāra—of the prostitute; caritra—character; dekhi'-seeing; loke—all people; camatkāra—astonished; haridāsera—of Ṭhākura Haridāsa; mahimā—glories; kahe—speak; kari' namaskāra—offering obeisances.
TRANSLATION
Seeing the sublime character of the prostitute, everyone was astonished. Everyone glorified the influence of Haridāsa Ṭhākura and offered him obeisances.
PURPORT
It is said, phalena paricīyate: one is recognized by the result of his actions. In Vaiṣṇava society there are many types of Vaiṣṇavas. Some of them are called gosvāmīs, some are called svāmīs, some are prabhus, and some are prabhupāda. One is not recognized, however, simply by such a name. A spiritual master is recognized as an actual guru when it is seen that he has changed the character of his disciples. Haridāsa Ṭhākura actually changed the character of the professional prostitute. People greatly appreciated this, and therefore they all offered obeisances to Haridāsa Ṭhākura and glorified him.