Greatly advanced devotees

Expressions researched:
"All of them are greatly advanced" |"greatly advanced devotee" |"greatly advanced devotees"

SB Canto 4

Vidura inquired from Maitreya: O greatly advanced devotee, who were the Pracetās?

SB 4.13.2, Translation and Purport:

Vidura inquired from Maitreya: O greatly advanced devotee, who were the Pracetās? To which family did they belong? Whose sons were they, and where did they perform the great sacrifices?

The great Nārada's singing, in the previous chapter, of three verses in the sacrificial arena of the Pracetās gave another impetus to Vidura to ask further questions.

CC Madhya-lila

About two hundred devotees are coming from Bengal. All of them are greatly advanced and specifically devoted to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

CC Madhya 11.67, Translation:

“About two hundred devotees are coming from Bengal. All of them are greatly advanced and specifically devoted to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Vijulī Khān became a greatly advanced devotee, and his importance was celebrated at every holy place of pilgrimage.

CC Madhya 18.212, Translation:

Vijulī Khān became a greatly advanced devotee, and his importance was celebrated at every holy place of pilgrimage.

CC Antya-lila

Raghunātha Bhaṭṭācārya had become a greatly advanced devotee while still unmarried.

CC Antya 13.112, Translation and Purport:

After eight months, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bade farewell to Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa, the Lord flatly forbade him to marry. "Do not marry," the Lord said.

Raghunātha Bhaṭṭācārya had become a greatly advanced devotee while still unmarried. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu could see this, and therefore He advised him not to begin the process of material sense gratification. Marriage is a concession for people who are unable to control their senses. Raghunātha, however, being an advanced devotee of Kṛṣṇa, naturally had no desire for sense gratification. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised him not to enter the bondage of marriage. Generally a person cannot make much advancement in spiritual consciousness if he is married. He becomes attached to his family and is prone to sense gratification. Thus his spiritual advancement is very slow or almost nil.

Nectar of Instruction

The devotee who is neither a neophyte nor a mahā-bhāgavata (a greatly advanced devotee) but is within the middle status of devotional service is expected to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead, make friends with the devotees, show favor to the ignorant and reject the jealous and demoniac.

Nectar of Instruction 4, Purport:

The conclusion is that we should always keep company with devotees, observe the regulative devotional principles, follow in the footsteps of the ācāryas and in full obedience carry out the orders of the spiritual master. In this way we shall be able to develop our devotional service and dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The devotee who is neither a neophyte nor a mahā-bhāgavata (a greatly advanced devotee) but is within the middle status of devotional service is expected to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead, make friends with the devotees, show favor to the ignorant and reject the jealous and demoniac. In this verse there is brief mention of the process of making loving transactions with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and making friends with the devotees. According to the dadāti principle, an advanced devotee is supposed to spend at least fifty percent of his income on the service of the Lord and His devotees. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has set such an example in his life. When he decided to retire, he distributed fifty percent of his life's earnings to Kṛṣṇa's service and twenty-five percent to his relatives and kept twenty-five percent for personal emergencies. This example should be followed by all devotees. Whatever one's income, fifty percent should be spent on behalf of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees, and this will fulfill the demands of dadāti.