Bona fide devotees

Expressions researched:
"bona fide devotees" |"bona fide devotee"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 4.16, Purport: Action in Kṛṣṇa consciousness has to be executed in accord with the examples of previous bona fide devotees

BG 4.28, Purport: Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be attained by any one of the above-mentioned types of sacrifice but can be attained only by the mercy of the Lord and His bona fide devotees. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is transcendental

BG Chapters 13 - 18

BG 18.71, Purport: There are many men who are not envious of Kṛṣṇa and have faith in Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If such persons hear from a bona fide devotee about the Lord, the result is that they become at once free from all sinful reactions and after that attain to the planetary system where all righteous persons are situated

SB Canto 1

SB 1.5.36, Purport: And after giving up such lofty puffed-up vanities, one may very submissively receive the orders of the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā or Bhāgavatam from the lips of a bona fide devotee whose qualification is mentioned above. That will make everything successful, without a doubt

SB 1.18.4, Purport: For a common man, it is very difficult to remember things as they are at the time of death, but by the grace of the Lord and His bona fide devotees, the spiritual masters, one can get this opportunity without difficulty

SB Canto 2

SB 2.2.5, Purport: By the dictation of the Lord, who lived also within the heart of the snake, the snake gave preference to Haridāsa and decided to leave the place and not disturb him. So tThis is a tangible example of how the Lord gives protection to a bona fide devotee like Ṭhākura Haridāsa

SB 2.7.26, Purport: Only the bona fide devotees can know Him by His specific symptoms, and out of many, many such symptoms, one symptom is mentioned here in this verse, that the Lord is sita-kṛṣṇa-keśaḥ, or one who is observed always with beautiful black hair

SB 2.9.18, Purport: That is the secret of learning the science. One does not need to be in the renounced order of life; he can remain in his present condition of life, but he must search out the association of a bona fide devotee of the Lord and hear from him the transcendental message of the Lord with faith and conviction.

SB Canto 3

SB 3.5.42, Purport: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu strongly recommended this process of hearing from a bona fide devotee, and by following this process one can achieve the highest result, conquering all other methods.

SB 3.6.38, Purport: The devotees, however, do not waste time in such vain searching after knowledge of the Supreme, but they submissively hear the glories of the Lord from bona fide devotees. Thus they transcendentally enjoy the process of hearing and chanting.

SB 3.9.11, Purport: On faith one associates with bona fide devotees, and by such association one can become engaged in bona fide devotional service, which includes proper initiation and the execution of the primary devotional duties prescribed in the revealed scriptures. This is clearly indicated herein by the word śrutekṣita. The śrutekṣita path is to hear from bona fide devotees who are conversant with Vedic wisdom, free from mundane sentiment.

SB 3.15.31, Purport: No one can be a greater well-wishing friend to any living entity than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is so kindly disposed towards everyone that in spite of our completely forgetting our relationship with the Supreme Lord, He comes Himself—sometimes personally, as Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared on this earth, and sometimes as His devotee, as did Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu—and sometimes He sends His bona fide devotees to reclaim all the fallen souls.

SB 3.25.1, Purport: This knowledge cannot be appreciated by any ordinary man. Therefore, since a disciplic succession is required, this knowledge is expounded either by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself or by His bona fide devotee.

SB Canto 4

SB 4.8.72, Purport: We should always remember that to become a bona fide devotee of the Lord is not an easy task, but in this age, by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, it has been made very easy. But if we do not follow even the liberal instructions of Lord Caitanya, how can we expect to discharge our regular duties in devotional service?

SB Canto 6

SB 6.1.16, Translation: My dear King, if a sinful person engages in the service of a bona fide devotee of the Lord and thus learns how to dedicate his life unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he can be completely purified. One cannot be purified merely by undergoing austerity, penance, brahmacarya and the other methods of atonement I have previously described.

SB 6.17.40, Purport: One should not hear anything about Kṛṣṇa from a non-Vaiṣṇava. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects; similarly, talks about Kṛṣṇa given by a non-Vaiṣṇava are also poisonous. One must be a bona fide devotee, and then he can preach and impress devotional service upon his listeners.

SB Canto 7

SB 7.7.11, Purport: To understand God and the devotee by the paramparā system is the process of knowledge. There is no need to speculate about God and His devotee. One should accept the statements of a bona fide devotee and thus try to understand.

SB Canto 8

SB 8.5.25, Purport: In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we do not allow any song that has not been approved or sung by bona fide devotees. We cannot allow cinema songs to be sung in the temple.

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 1.49, Purport: This verse of the Bhagavad-gītā (10.10) clearly states how Govindadeva instructs His bona fide devotee. The Lord declares that by enlightenment in theistic knowledge He awards attachment for Him to those who constantly engage in His transcendental loving service.

CC Adi 2.2, Purport: The soul can be solaced only by the mercy of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His many bona fide devotees, who never leave the lotus feet of the Lord to become imitation Mahāprabhus but all cling to His lotus feet like bees that never leave a honey-soaked lotus flower.

CC Adi 2.117, Purport: Although the use of thoughts and arguments is a most suitable process for inducing an uninitiated person to become a devotee, neophytes in devotional service must always alertly understand Kṛṣṇa through the vision of the revealed scriptures, the bona fide devotees and the spiritual master.

CC Adi 10.146, Translation: As a bona fide devotee, Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya, the twenty-third principal associate, acted as the brahmacārī of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He toured Mathurā.

CC Adi 13.67, Purport: A bona fide devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is always pained to see the fallen condition of the whole world. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura used to say, “There is no scarcity of anything within this world. The only scarcity is of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 4.135, Translation: This brāhmaṇa priest did not ask Mādhavendra Purī whether he was a brāhmaṇa, but when he saw that Mādhavendra Purī was such a bona fide devotee that Kṛṣṇa would even steal for him, he immediately understood the position of the saint.

CC Madhya 6.81, Purport: The Supreme Personality of Godhead reserves the right of not being exposed to nondevotees. He can only be understood by bona fide devotees.

CC Madhya 19.69, Purport: The present head of the Vallabha Bhaṭṭācārya sampradāya of Bombay is named Dīkṣita Mahārāja. He is very friendly to our movement, and whenever we meet him, this learned brāhmaṇa scholar highly praises the activities of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. He is a life member of our Society, and although he is a learned scholar in the brahminical caste tradition, he accepts our Society and considers its members bona fide devotees of Lord Viṣṇu.

CC Antya-lila

CC Antya 16.29, Purport: In his statement, Jhaḍu Ṭhākura presents himself as being born in a low-caste family and not having the qualifications of a bona fide devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He accepts the statements declaring a lowborn person highly exalted if he is a Vaiṣṇava. However, he feels that these descriptions from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam appropriately describe others, but not himself.

Easy Journey to Other Planets

Easy Journey to other Planets, Chapter 1: One should hear the transcendental topics enunciated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This hearing is made possible through platform lectures by bona fide devotees and by authorized translations of the Bhāgavatam.

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

MM mantra 1*: The leaders of society, despite all their materialistic plans, are misleaders, for they have no plan to revive our lost relationship with the Lord. His bona fide devotees, however, try their utmost to broadcast the message of our transcendental relationship with Him.

MM mantra 1*: Sometimes, even at the risk of having to cross many stumbling blocks, a devotee relinquishes all family connections and homely comforts for the Lord's service. Can the Lord forget all these sacrifices of His bna fide devotee? No, not even for a moment, for the relationship between the Lord and His devotee is reciprocal,

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.3 -- Bombay, March 23, 1974: Therefore, those who are fools, rascals, they consider Kṛṣṇa as fictitious, Kṛṣṇa as a human being, Kṛṣṇa as a historical person. Or "There was no Kṛṣṇa. It is an imaginary writing." Because these rascals, they cannot understand. Unless one is a bona fide devotee and intimately related with Kṛṣṇa, one cannot understand.

Lecture on BG 4.28 -- Bombay, April 17, 1974: Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be attained by any one of the above-mentioned types of sacrifices but can be attained only by the mercy of the Lord and His bona fide devotee.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974: You have to accept the yoga system under the protection of Kṛṣṇa personally or His bona fide devotees, representative. Then you will be... Then what will be the result? The result will be asaṁśayam, without any doubt.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968: Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes in His person as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes He sends His representative, sometimes He sends His son, bona fide devotee, and sometimes He comes as a devotee Himself to canvass, "Please come to Me. Please come to Me." Kṛṣṇa is so kind. You see?

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 6.1.14 -- Bombay, November 10, 1970: Tat puruṣa means the spiritual master who is a bona fide devotee of Kṛṣṇa. By serving him, niṣevayā.... Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpā. We have to acquire two kinds of benedictions: one from Kṛṣṇa and one from the spiritual master.

Lecture on SB 6.1.41-42 -- Surat, December 23, 1970: The Nārada-pañcarātra, these regulative principles, without reference to these regulative principles, if one, anyone, claims that he has become a devotee of the Lord, it is simply disturbance." It is simply disturbance. One cannot become a bona fide devotee without being trained up under the regulative principles of śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-pañcarātra-vidhi.

Lecture on SB 7.9.18 -- Mayapur, February 25, 1976: If you are a devotee, bona fide devotee, when you read Bhagavad-gītā, you must know Kṛṣṇa is there. If you are a pure devotee, when you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is there on your tongue, dancing. Don't think otherwise. Kṛṣṇa is there.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Under the guidance of a bona fide devotee they can be given such facilities and the way of Srimad-Bhagavatam is open for every one

Letter to Sumati Morarjee -- New York 10 November, 1965: As I have already informed you that the American people in general are very much inclined to receive something from Indian culture of spiritual knowledge, they would be a first class recipient for the Bhagavatam culture provided an organized attempt is made for this purpose. The organized method is like this. They should have association of bona fide devotees of the Lord, they should join the Kirtana glorifying the Lord, they should hear the teachings of Srimad-Bhagavatam, they should have intimate touch with the temple or place of the Lord and they should be given ample chance to worship the Lord in the temple. Under the guidance of a bona fide devotee they can be given such facilities and the way of Srimad-Bhagavatam is open for every one. Apart from civilized men like the Americans even the Kirata, Andhra, Pulinda, Pukkasa, Abhira, Sumbha, Yavana, Khasadaya or any other lower caste, all of them can be trained up to be devotees of the Lord under proper guidance of a pure and bona fide devotee. That is the instruction of Sukadeva Goswami imparted to Maharaja Pariksit.

1970 Correspondence

Although Krishna literatures are so nice that, even if they are presented in broken and irregular ways, such literatures are welcomed, read and respected by bona fide devotees

Letter to Satsvarupa -- Los Angeles 9 January, 1970: We have to do things now very dexterously, simply we have to see that in our book there is no spelling or grammatical mistake. We do not mind for any good style, our style is Hare Krishna, but, still, we should not present a shabby thing. Although Krishna literatures are so nice that, even if they are presented in broken and irregular ways, such literatures are welcomed, read and respected by bona fide devotees.