Neophyte devotees

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Bhagavad-gita As It Is

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 4.10, Purport: In the beginning one must have a preliminary desire for self-realization. This will bring one to the stage of trying to associate with persons who are spiritually elevated. In the next stage one becomes initiated by an elevated spiritual master, and under his instruction the neophyte devotee begins the process of devotional service.

BG Chapters 7 - 12

BG 9.11, Purport: Jīva Gosvāmī, commenting on this verse, says that Kṛṣṇa, in His plenary expansion as Paramātmā, is situated in the moving and the nonmoving entities as the Supersoul, so any neophyte devotee who simply gives his attention to the arcā-mūrti, the form of the Supreme Lord in the temple, and does not respect other living entities is uselessly worshiping the form of the Lord in the temple. There are three kinds of devotees of the Lord, and the neophyte is in the lowest stage. The neophyte devotee gives more attention to the Deity in the temple than to other devotees, so Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura warns that this sort of mentality should be corrected.

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 1

SB 1.2.12, Purport: A neophyte devotee has very little taste for hearing from the authorities. Such a neophyte devotee makes a show of hearing from the professional man to satisfy his senses. This sort of hearing and chanting has spoiled the whole thing, so one should be very careful about the faulty process.

SB 1.2.18, Purport: The messages of the book Bhāgavata, therefore, have to be received from the devotee Bhāgavata, and the combination of these two Bhāgavatas will help the neophyte devotee to make progress on and on.

SB 1.5.19, Purport: The fruitive workers want to lord it over the material world. Similarly, a neophyte devotee foolishly thinks of accumulating some material power in exchange for devotional service. SB 1.5.25, Purport: The neophyte devotee becomes practically enriched with the transcendental qualities of the pure devotee, which means attraction for the Personality of Godhead's name, fame, quality, pastimes, etc. Infection of the qualities of the pure devotee means to imbibe the taste of pure devotion always in the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead.

SB 1.5.29, Purport: A neophyte devotee must faithfully serve the pure devotee, and he should be very much obedient and strictly follow the instructions. These are the signs of a devotee who is determined to achieve success even in the existing duration of life.

SB 1.5.34, Purport: The summary is that one has to, first of all, seek the association of pure devotees who not only are learned in the Vedānta but are self-realized souls and unalloyed devotees of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. In that association, the neophyte devotees must render loving service physically and mentally without reservation. This service attitude will induce the great souls to be more favorable in bestowing their mercy, which injects the neophyte with all the transcendental qualities of the pure devotees.

SB 1.6.21, Purport: A neophyte devotee is always recommended to worship the Deity of the Lord (arcanā) rather than go into the forest to search out the Lord.

SB 1.6.23, Purport: Serving the Absolute Truth means rendering service unto the Absolute Personality of Godhead under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, who is a transparent via medium between the Lord and the neophyte devotee. The neophyte devotee has no ability to approach the Absolute Personality of Godhead by the strength of his present imperfect material senses, and therefore under the direction of the spiritual master he is trained in transcendental service of the Lord. And by such training, even for some days, the neophyte devotee gets intelligence in such transcendental service, which leads him ultimately to get free from perpetual inhabitation in the material worlds and to be promoted to the transcendental world to become one of the liberated associates of the Lord in the kingdom of God.

SB 1.8.27, Purport: A factual devotee, or mahātmā, does not give anything material to anyone because he has already left all material assets. He can, however, deliver the supreme asset, namely the Personality of Godhead, because He is the only property of a factual devotee. The touchstone of Sanātana Gosvāmī, which was thrown in the rubbish, was not the property of the Gosvāmī, otherwise it would not have been kept in such a place. This specific example is given for the neophyte devotees just to convince them that material hankerings and spiritual advancement go ill together. Unless one is able to see everything as spiritual in relation with the Supreme Lord, one must always distinguish between spirit and matter. A spiritual master like Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, although personally able to see everything as spiritual, set this example for us only because we have no such spiritual vision.

SB Canto 2

SB 2.3.22, Purport: Engagement in such worship of the Deity, under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, will greatly help the householders to purify their very existence and make rapid progress in spiritual knowledge. Simple theoretical book knowledge is not sufficient for a neophyte devotee. Book knowledge is theoretical, whereas the arcana process is practical. Spiritual knowledge must be developed by a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge, and that is the guaranteed way for attainment of spiritual perfection. The training of devotional service for a neophyte devotee completely depends on the expert spiritual master who knows how to lead his disciple to make gradual progress towards the path back home, back to Godhead.

SB Canto 3

SB Canto 4

SB Canto 5

SB Canto 6

SB Canto 7

SB Canto 9

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Adi-lila

CC Madhya-lila

CC Antya-lila

Other Books by Śrīla Prabhupada

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Nectar of Devotion

Nectar of Instruction

Easy Journey to Other Planets

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Mukunda-mala-stotra (mantras 1 to 6 only)

Narada-bhakti-sutra (sutras 1 to 8 only)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Sri Isopanisad Lectures

Festival Lectures

Correspondence

1968 Correspondence

1969 Correspondence

1970 Correspondence

1971 Correspondence

1972 Correspondence

1973 Correspondence

1975 Correspondence

Conversations and Morning Walks

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

=== 1977 Conversations and Morning Walks ===