So this is the determination of mahātmās, that they want simply Kṛṣṇa's friendship. Mayi sauhṛdārthāḥ.
- ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā
- janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu
- gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu
- na prīti-yuktā yāvad-arthāś ca loke
Yāvad-arthāś ca loke, just to deal with other persons as much as necessary, not more than that. But to keep friendship with devotees, that is necessary. Not that I shall not intimately mix, intermingle with the devotees. That is required. A devotee has got four business: īśvare prīti, love for God, Kṛṣṇa; friendship with devotees; and kindness to the neophyte; and rejection to the nondevotees. These four principles. A devotee's only lovable object is Kṛṣṇa. His only friend is devotee, another devotee.
- īśvare tad-adhīneṣu
- bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca
- prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā
- yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ
Iśvare means kṛṣṇa-prema, love, to love Kṛṣṇa. Maitrī means friendship. Maitrī with whom? Tad-adhīneṣu, those who are under the control of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is under the control of Kṛṣṇa by this way or that way, but those who are given to Kṛṣṇa voluntarily, surrendered souls, I am speaking of them. Tad-adhīneṣu. Everyone is... Just like any citizen in the state are under the control of the state rules and regulation. But some of them, they say, "I don't care for the government." So they are forced to obey the government laws in the prisonhouse. And the free citizens means who are voluntarily abiding by the laws of the state. Similarly, any living entity is under the laws of God. There is no doubt about it. But those who are voluntarily accepting the laws of God and giving service to the Supreme Lord, they are called devotees. And those who have revolted, and being forced by māyā to abide by the laws of God, they are called nondevotees.
This is the difference between devotees and nondevotees. But both the devotees and nondevotees, they must obey the laws of Kṛṣṇa. There is no exception. There is no exception.