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Bhagavad-gita As It Is

BG Preface and Introduction

BG Introduction: "This Gītopaniṣad, Bhagavad-gītā, the essence of all the Upaniṣads, is just like a cow, and Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is famous as a cowherd boy, is milking this cow. Arjuna is just like a calf, and learned scholars and pure devotees are to drink the nectarean milk of Bhagavad-gītā." (Gītā-māhātmya 6)

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 1.21-22, Purport: The servitor is always ready to render service to the Lord, and, similarly, the Lord is always seeking an opportunity to render some service to the devotee. He takes greater pleasure in His pure devotee's assuming the advantageous position of ordering Him than He does in being the giver of orders. Since He is master, everyone is under His orders, and no one is above Him to order Him. But when He finds that a pure devotee is ordering Him, He obtains transcendental pleasure, although He is the infallible master in all circumstances.

BG Chapters 7 - 12

BG 7.20, Purport: Therefore a pure devotee never goes to demigods for satisfaction of his material needs. He depends on the Supreme Lord. And the pure devotee is satisfied with whatever He gives
BG 7.22, Purport: For the living entity who desires to return to Godhead, material desires are impediments. A pure devotee of the Lord is therefore not awarded the material benefits desired by less intelligent living entities, who therefore prefer to worship demigods of the material world rather than engage in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord.
BG 7.29, Purport: This Brahman conception of life is also in devotional service, as described in this verse. The pure devotees are transcendentally situated on the Brahman platform, and they know everything about transcendental activities.
BG 8.14, Purport: A pure devotee does not desire anything. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta the pure devotee is called niṣkāma, which means he has no desire for self-interest.
BG 8.14, Purport: The special qualification of the pure devotee is that he is always thinking of Kṛṣṇa without deviation and without considering the time or place.
BG 8.14, Purport: In any of these ways, the pure devotee is always constantly engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Lord and cannot forget the Supreme Lord, and so for him the Lord is easily attained.
BG 9.13, Purport: Pure devotees are not even attracted by Kṛṣṇa's other features, such as the four-armed Mahā-Viṣṇu. They are simply attracted by the two-armed form of Kṛṣṇa.
BG 9.32, Purport: Therefore devotional service and the guidance of a pure devotee are so strong that there is no discrimination between the lower and higher classes of men; anyone can take to it.
BG 10.9, Purport: The symptoms of the pure devotees are described in this verse specifically. Devotees of the Supreme Lord are twenty-four hours daily engaged in glorifying the qualities and pastimes of the Supreme Lord. Their hearts and souls are constantly submerged in Kṛṣṇa, and they take pleasure in discussing Him with other devotees.
BG 11.51, Purport: A pure devotee is not confused by misguiding commentaries on Bhagavad-gītā because he knows what is what. The original verses of Bhagavad-gītā are as clear as the sun; they do not require lamplight from foolish commentators.
BG 11.55, Purport: Therefore, the highest benefit one can render to human society is relieving one's neighbor from all material problems. In such a way, a pure devotee is engaged in the service of the Lord.
BG 12.2, Purport: A pure devotee is constantly engaged. Sometimes he chants, sometimes he hears or reads books about Kṛṣṇa, or sometimes he cooks prasādam or goes to the marketplace to purchase something for Kṛṣṇa, or sometimes he washes the temple or the dishes—whatever he does, he does not let a single moment pass without devoting his activities to Kṛṣṇa. Such action is in full samādhi.
BG 12.13-14, Purport: A pure devotee is never disturbed in any circumstances. Nor is he envious of anyone. Nor does a devotee become his enemy's enemy; he thinks, "This person is acting as my enemy due to my own past misdeeds. So it is better to suffer than to protest."
BG 12.17, Purport: A pure devotee is neither happy nor distressed over material gain and loss, nor is he very much anxious to get a son or disciple, nor is he distressed by not getting them. If he loses anything which is very dear to him, he does not lament.

BG Chapters 13 - 18

BG 18.66, Purport: In other words, devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, in full consciousness, is the most confidential part of knowledge, and this is the essence of the whole Bhagavad-gītā. Karma-yogīs, empiric philosophers, mystics and devotees are all called transcendentalists, but one who is a pure devotee is the best of all.

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 1

SB 1.1.15, Purport: Pure devotees of the Lord are more powerful than the waters of the sacred river Ganges. One can derive spiritual benefit out of prolonged use of the Ganges waters. But one can be sanctified at once by the mercy of a pure devotee of the Lord.
SB 1.1.15, Purport: Such devotees of the Lord are honored equally with the Lord because they are engaged in the most confidential service of the Lord, for they deliver out of the material world the fallen souls whom the Lord wants to return home, back to Godhead. Such pure devotees are better known as vicelords according to revealed scriptures.
SB 1.5.25, Purport: Pure devotion is as much infectious, in a good sense, as infectious diseases. A pure devotee is cleared from all kinds of sins. The Personality of Godhead is the purest entity, and unless one is equally pure from the infection of material qualities, one cannot become a pure devotee of the Lord.
SB 1.5.25, Purport: This transcendental taste at once makes all material things distasteful. Therefore a pure devotee is not at all attracted by material activities.
SB 1.5.29, Purport: A pure devotee is a completely surrendered soul unto the Personality of Godhead. He knows the Personality of Godhead as the supreme proprietor and all others as His servitors.
SB 1.5.39, Purport: A pure devotee is more interested in serving the Lord than in showing an exhibition of the mystic powers dormant in him
SB 1.6.27, Purport: And in due course of time, when a pure devotee is completely prepared, all of a sudden the change of body occurs which is commonly called death. And for the pure devotee such a change takes place exactly like lightning, and illumination follows simultaneously.
SB 1.6.36, Purport: The spiritual body is alone able to enter into the spiritual realm of the Lord, and no one but a pure devotee is eligible to enter into the kingdom of God.
SB 1.8.41, Purport: A pure devotee of the Lord is ashamed to ask anything in self-interest from the Lord.
SB 1.9.19, Purport: Pure devotees of the Lord are all budhas, or persons who know the glories of the Lord in different transcendental loving services. As the Lord has innumerable expansions of His plenary form, there are innumerable pure devotees of the Lord, who are engaged in the exchange of service of different humors
SB 1.9.24, Purport: A pure devotee is never very anxious to go back to the kingdom of God. He entirely depends on the good will of the Lord. He is equally satisfied even if the Lord desires him to go to hell.
SB 1.9.25, Purport: One should not have asked him any question at that time, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa wanted to prove that His pure devotees are always sound in body and mind by dint of spiritual enlightenment, and thus in any circumstances a devotee of the Lord is in perfect order to speak of the right way of life.
SB 1.9.39, Purport: The concentration of the mystic is mechanical, whereas that of the pure devotee is natural in pure love and spontaneous affection.
SB 1.9.40, Purport: The Lord is satisfied more when His pure devotees are glorified, and therefore Bhīṣmadeva has not only glorified the acts of Arjuna, his immediate object of attraction, but has also remembered the gopīs, who were endowed with unrivalled opportunities by rendering loving service to the Lord.
SB 1.11.21, Purport: Of course, the pure devotees are of one type only because they have no other object for service but the Lord, and therefore the Lord also reciprocates with such pure devotees just as it behooves, namely, He is always attentive to all the matters of His pure devotees.
SB 1.11.26, Purport: The pure devotees are always hankering after the lotus feet of the Lord.
SB 1.13.10, Purport: Such pure devotees are able to rectify the polluted atmosphere of any place, and what to speak of a holy place rendered unholy by the questionable actions of interested persons who try to adopt a professional life at the cost of the reputation of a holy place.
SB 1.13.11, Purport: Either remaining at home or leaving home, the real qualification of a pure devotee is to become rapt in the thought of Kṛṣṇa favorably, i.e., knowing well that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Personality of Godhead.
SB 1.13.15, Purport: The Lord and His different authorized devotees sometimes have to play the role of many lower creatures to claim the conditioned souls, but both the Lord and His pure devotees are always in the transcendental position.
SB 1.13.43, Purport: Therefore, the example of the player cited in this verse is quite appropriate, for the Supreme Will is absolutely free to do whatever He likes, and because He is all-perfect, there is no mistake in any of His actions or reactions. These changes of resultant actions are especially rendered by the Lord when a pure devotee is involved.
SB 1.15.31, Purport: By the grace of the Lord, a pure devotee is at once raised to the place of the Absolute, and there is no chance of the devotee's becoming materially entangled again in conditioned life.
SB 1.16.6, Purport: Lord Kṛṣṇa and His devotees are both on the transcendental plane; therefore the topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa and of His pure devotees are equally good.
SB 1.18.13, Purport: This means that the pure devotees of the Lord are engaged in a transcendental existence, namely in the loving service of the Lord, both in the material world and in the spiritual world.
SB 1.18.13, Purport: This means that the pure devotees of the Lord are engaged in a transcendental existence, namely in the loving service of the Lord, both in the material world and in the spiritual world.

SB Canto 2

SB 2.2.18, Purport: Pure devotees of the Lord are absolutely in harmony with the Personality of Godhead, or in other words, they always think of the Lord as their only dependable friend and well-wisher.
SB 2.2.31, Purport: A pure devotee is a one hundred percent devotee of the Lord and nothing more.
SB 2.2.31, Purport: The pure devotee is only favorably engaged in the service of the Lord, without any hope of emolument. This will bring about love of Godhead, or the stage of śāntam and ānandam, as stated in this verse.
SB 2.3.10, Purport: A pure devotee does not want liberation so that he may be relieved from the miseries of life. Even without so-called liberation, a pure devotee is aspirant for the satisfaction of the Lord.
SB 2.3.12, Purport: According to Bhagavad-gītā (10.9) the characteristics of pure devotees are wonderful. The complete functional activities of a pure devotee are always engaged in the service of the Lord, and thus the pure devotees exchange feelings of ecstasy between themselves and relish transcendental bliss.
SB 2.3.14, Purport: Pure devotees of the Lord are all paramahaṁsas, and they are like the swans, who know the art of sucking milk out of a mixture of milk and water.
SB 2.4.18, Purport: The politicians of the world may remain in their respective positions because the pure devotees of the Lord are not interested in political leadership or diplomatic implications.
SB 2.4.21, Purport: The Lord, being the Lord of intelligence in everyone (even in the nondevotee), favors His devotee with proper intelligence so that automatically the pure devotee is enlightened with the factual truth about the Lord and His different energies.
SB 2.5.9, Purport: The pure devotees are not only satisfied by knowing everything about the Lord, but are also eager to broadcast the information to others, for they want to see that the glories of the Lord are known to everyone.
SB 2.7.15, Purport: A pure devotee of the Lord knows this difference between the Lord and himself. Therefore a pure devotee is given first preference because of his full dependence, whereas the person who denies the existence of the Lord and declares himself the Lord is called asura, and as such he is given protection by the strength of limited power subject to the sanction of the Lord.
SB 2.8.6, Purport: Prahlāda Mahārāja suffered greatly, but still he never forgot the lotus feet of the Lord. This is because a pure devotee of the Lord is so purified in his heart that he cannot leave the shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa in any circumstances.
SB 2.8.6, Purport: A pure devotee of the Lord is exactly in a family tie with the Lord, and therefore he is undeterred in discharging his duty in a full affectionate tie with the Lord.
SB 2.8.16, Purport: Those who are of the opinion that the devotees of the Lord are satisfied with mere sentiments can find in the inquiries of Mahārāja Parīkṣit good lessons as to how inquisitive a pure devotee is to know things in their true perfection.
SB 2.8.21, Purport: The devotees of the Lord, however, cross the ocean of material existence without anxiety because a pure devotee is always protected by the Lord (Bg. 9.13). The Lord gives special attention to His devotees in their activities within material, conditional life (Bg. 9.29).
SB 2.9.29, Purport: Pure devotees of the Lord are therefore not proud of their definite progress, whereas the nondevotee speculator is in the darkness of illusory energy and is very much proud of his misleading knowledge based on speculation without any definite path. Lord Brahmā wanted to be saved from that pitfall of pride, although he was posted in the most exalted position within the universe.
SB 2.9.30, Purport: The pure devotee is never puffed up like the nondevotee class of men who falsely think that they are God.
SB 2.9.30, Purport: So both becoming the most powerful man in the material world and desiring to become one with the Lord are different illusory snares. And because the pure devotees of the Lord are surrendered souls, they are above the illusory snares of māyā.
SB 2.9.35, Purport: As touchstone is rarely found, a pure devotee of the Lord is also rarely to be seen, even amongst millions of liberated souls (koṭiṣv api mahāmune).
SB 2.9.36, Purport: Bhagavat-pārṣadatāṁ prāpte mat-sevayā pratītaṁ te: "The pure devotees are convinced of attaining the association of the Personality of Godhead, and thus they are always engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord."
SB 2.9.39, Purport: "O devotee of the Lord, the purpose of the visual sense is fulfilled simply by seeing you, and to touch your body is the fulfillment of bodily touch. The tongue is meant for glorifying your qualities because in this world a pure devotee of the Lord is very difficult to find."
SB 2.10.35, Purport: Undoubtedly the Lord has the supreme potency to exhibit Himself in multifarious forms, but the pure devotees of the Lord are interested in His forms as eternally exhibited in the abode of the Lord, known as the tripād-vibhūti or kingdom of God.
SB 2.10.35, Purport: The nondevotee impersonalists imagine the material forms of the Lord, and ultimately they merge in the impersonal brahmajyoti of the Lord, whereas the pure devotees of the Lord are worshipers of the Lord both in the beginning and also in the perfect stage of salvation, eternally.

SB Canto 3

SB 3.1.16, Purport: A pure devotee of the Lord is never perturbed by an awkward position created by the external energy of the Lord.
SB 3.1.17, Purport: The guidance of a pure devotee is therefore always required.
SB 3.1.32, Purport: Such a pure devotee of the Lord is naturally faultless because he is always associated with the supremely pure Personality of Godhead. Constant thought of the Lord is the antiseptic method for keeping oneself free from the infectious contamination of the material qualities. The pure devotee of the Lord is always in company with the Lord by thinking of Him.
SB 3.1.45, Purport: The surrendered rulers and the pure devotees are always strictly under the control of the Lord, and they are never disobedient to the desires of the Lord. The Lord is therefore always attentive to them.
SB 3.2.6, Purport: The pure devotee is not exactly on the bodily plane, since he is absorbed in the transcendental thought of the Supreme. When Uddhava wanted to speak to Vidura, he came down from the abode of the Lord, Dvārakā, to the material plane of human beings. Even though a pure devotee is present on this mortal planet, he is here in relation to the Lord for engagement in transcendental loving service, and not for any material cause.
SB 3.2.20, Purport: All the activities of a pure devotee are executed on behalf of the Lord because a pure devotee of the Lord has nothing to do for his personal interest.
SB 3.3.26, Purport: The pure devotees are free from all these mixtures and are completely absorbed in the service of the Lord, regardless of how and where they are situated. Pure devotees of the Lord are not enthusiastic to put aside their service to the Lord in order to go visit holy places of pilgrimage.
SB 3.4.16, Purport: Pure devotees of the Lord are not very much concerned with philosophical speculation in regard to transcendental knowledge of the Lord. Nor is it possible to acquire complete knowledge of the Lord.
SB 3.4.21, Purport: A pure devotee of the Lord of the standard of Uddhava constantly associates with the Lord in the double perception of simultaneous separation and meeting. The pure devotee is not for a moment unengaged in the transcendental service of the Lord. Execution of the Lord's service is the main occupation of the pure devotee.
SB 3.4.31, Purport: This stage of transcendental qualification is called śuddha-sattva, or vasudeva, and in this stage the science of God can be realized. As the Lord is not affected by the modes of material nature, so a pure devotee of the Lord is also not affected by the modes of nature.
SB 3.7.12, Purport: Pure devotees of the Lord are transcendental to all material desires, including the desire for the results of fruitive activities and philosophical speculation.
SB 3.8.26, Purport: Pure devotees are interested in achieving the transcendental service of the Lord, which is nondifferent from Him. Therefore, the Lord is the only desire of the pure devotees, and devotional service is the only spotless process for achieving His favor.
SB 3.9.5, Purport: The relationship of the pure devotees with the Lord develops because of devotional service to the Lord on the authentic basis of Vedic authority. Such pure devotees are not mundane sentimentalists, but are factually realists because their activities are supported by the Vedic authorities who have given aural reception to the facts mentioned in the Vedic literatures.
SB 3.9.6, Purport: A pure devotee is never entangled in material worldly affairs even though he may remain in the world like an ordinary man.
SB 3.9.12, Purport: Pure devotees are not desirous of any material enjoyment, nor are they averse to it. They completely dovetail their desires with the desires of the Lord and perform nothing on their personal account.
SB 3.9.12, Purport: The demigods are called sakāma devotees, or devotees with material desires in mind, while the pure devotees are called niṣkāma devotees because they have no desires for their personal interests.
SB 3.9.39, Purport: The pure devotees of the Lord are always most dear to Him, although He is always kind and merciful to all living entities.
SB 3.13.4, Purport: Such pure devotees of the Lord are as glorious as the Lord; they are, in fact, recommended by the Lord as more worshipable than He Himself. Worship of the devotee is more potent than worship of the Lord.
SB 3.14.49, Purport: The most important characteristic of a pure devotee is that he is not lampaṭa, or licentious, and another quality is that he is always eager to mitigate the miseries of suffering humanity.
SB 3.22.21, Purport: Pure devotees are so absorbed in thought of Kṛṣṇa that they have no other engagement; although they may seem to think or act otherwise, they are always thinking of Kṛṣṇa.
SB 3.24.29, Purport: The Lord says, therefore, that He lives neither in Vaikuṇṭha nor in the heart of a yogī, but He lives where His pure devotees are always chanting and glorifying Him.
SB 3.29.11-12, Purport: There is no need to practice meditation to attain such attraction; the pure devotee is already in the transcendental stage, and the affinity between him and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is natural and is compared to the Ganges water flowing towards the sea.
SB 3.32.25, Translation: Because of his transcendental intelligence, the pure devotee is equipoised in his vision and sees himself to be uncontaminated by matter. He does not see anything as superior or inferior, and he feels himself elevated to the transcendental platform of being equal in qualities with the Supreme Person.

SB Canto 4

SB 4.9.29, Purport: A pure devotee is always free from any kind of material desires.
SB 4.9.45, Purport: Dhruva Mahārāja, therefore, has in this verse been described as saj-janāgraṇīḥ, the foremost of noble men. The pure devotee is the noblest of all, and he has no feelings of animosity towards anyone.
SB 4.12.9, Purport: It is said in the Bhāgavatam that liberation can be offered by the Supreme Person, but even if a pure devotee is offered liberation by the Supreme Lord, he refuses to accept it.
SB 4.20.20, Purport: The special inclination of the Supreme Personality of Godhead for His pure devotee is not unnatural, nor is it partiality.
SB 4.20.25, Purport: The transcendental vibration from the mouth of a pure devotee is so powerful that it can revive the living entity's memory of his eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
SB 4.20.25, Purport: The process of hearing from a pure devotee is recommended in all Vedic scriptures, especially by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. One may stay in his position of life—it does not matter what it is—but if one hears from the mouth of a pure devotee, he gradually comes to the understanding of his relationship with the Lord and thus engages in His loving service, and his life becomes completely perfect. Therefore, this process of hearing from the mouth of a pure devotee is very important for making progress in the line of spiritual understanding.
SB 4.20.26, Purport: Others who are associating with them and hearing the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra from the lips of pure devotees are also becoming captivated by the transcendental vibration.
SB 4.20.30, Purport: A pure devotee is not at all interested in bhukti or mukti.
SB 4.20.31, Purport: The pure devotee is fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord, and the Lord takes charge of him, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (18.66): ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi.
SB 4.22.7, Purport: To see personally the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His pure devotee is not an ordinary incident.
SB 4.22.22, Purport: To hear the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead from the mouth of a pure devotee is to acquire a pious life.
SB 4.22.52, Purport: A pure devotee is never attracted by sense gratification, and consequently he is liberated.
SB 4.23.10, Purport: After being baffled in his material enjoyment, the impersonalist may desire to merge into the existence of the Lord, but a pure devotee of the Lord has no such desire. Therefore a pure devotee is really bhagavad-dharmī.
SB 4.23.12, Purport: A paramahaṁsa, or pure devotee, is never attracted by haṭha-yoga or speculative knowledge. He is simply interested in the unalloyed devotional service of the Lord.
SB 4.29.46, Purport: The significant word ātma-bhāvitaḥ indicates that the Lord is awakened in one's mind if one constantly thinks of Him. A pure devotee is always thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord (sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ [SB 9.4.18]). A pure devotee cannot remain a moment without being absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
SB 4.30.2, Purport: However, a pure devotee never aspires for any kind of material happiness. The pure devotee is consequently transferred directly to Vaikuṇṭhaloka, which is described here as param.
SB 4.30.33, Purport: The conclusion is that a pure devotee is not anxious to stop the repetition of birth and death, but is always eager to associate with other devotees who are engaged in chanting and hearing about the glories of the Lord.
SB 4.31.20, Purport: The pure devotee is always absorbed in the thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ [SB 1.2.17]. By always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, the pure devotee's heart is freed from all kinds of desires.
SB 4.31.21, Purport: A pure devotee is one who feels He does not possess anything material. A devotee is always happy in possessing the devotional service of the Lord.

SB Canto 5

SB 5.3.14, Purport: A pure devotee is niṣkiñcana; he has no material desire to enjoy the material world. One has to take shelter of such a pure devotee in order to attain his qualities. The pure devotee is always free from the clutches of māyā and her influence.
SB 5.3.15, Purport: The pure devotee is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya; he has no motive behind his worship. He is not conducted by the influence of māyā in the form of karma or jñāna. The pure devotee is always prepared to execute the order of the Lord without personal consideration.
SB 5.5.5, Purport: Karmīs do not know this, but a devotee who is one hundred percent engaged in the devotional service of the Lord knows fully what is karma and jñāna; therefore a pure devotee is no longer interested in karma or jñāna.
SB 5.5.35, Purport: The pure devotee, however, is without desire. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya: a pure devotee is completely free from all kinds of material desire.
SB 5.6.1, Purport: A pure devotee is constantly engaged in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
SB 5.12.13, Tanslation and Purport: Who are the pure devotees mentioned here? In an assembly of pure devotees, there is no question of discussing material subjects like politics and sociology. In an assembly of pure devotees, there is discussion only of the qualities, forms and pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is praised and worshiped with full attention. In the association of pure devotees, by constantly hearing such topics respectfully, even a person who wants to merge into the existence of the Absolute Truth abandons this idea and gradually becomes attached to the service of Vāsudeva. The symptoms of pure devotees are described in this verse. The pure devotee is never interested in material topics.
SB 5.16.20-21, Purport: Sometimes these unfortunate people want to be promoted to the heavenly planets to achieve fortunate positions, as described in this verse, but pure devotees of the Lord are not at all interested in such opulence.
SB 5.24.22, Purport: A surrendered soul who fully depends upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not want material opulence for sense gratification. Therefore when a pure devotee is seen to possess exalted material opulence, it is not due to his karma. Rather, it is due to his bhakti.

SB Canto 6

SB 6.2.27, Purport: The Viṣṇudūtas had given Ajāmila the chance to become a pure devotee, and the duty of a pure devotee is to regret his past sinful activities in illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. Not only should one give up his past bad habits, but he must always regret his past sinful acts.
SB 6.3.26, Purport: A pure devotee is one whose intelligence is clear; he is truly thoughtful because he engages in the service of the Lord—not as a matter of show, but with love, with his mind, words and body.
SB 6.5.38, Purport: A pure devotee is not interested in yogic perfection, travel to higher planetary systems, or oneness with Brahman. He is interested only in rendering service to the Personality of Godhead.
SB 6.9.40, Purport: Pure devotees are akāma, whereas devotees in the upper planetary systems, such as the demigods, are called sakāma because they still want to enjoy material opulence.
SB 6.9.42, Purport: A pure devotee is aware that since nothing is unknown to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He need not be informed of a devotee's conveniences and inconveniences. A pure devotee knows that there is no need to ask the Absolute Truth for any material necessities.
SB 6.12.22, Purport: This is the determination of a pure devotee. A pure devotee is never attracted to any exalted position within this material world. He simply wants to associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead like the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana-Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the gopīs, Kṛṣṇa's father and mother (Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā), Kṛṣṇa's friends and Kṛṣṇa's servants. He wants to associate with Kṛṣṇa's atmosphere of Vṛndāvana's beauty.
SB 6.14.5, Purport: Not only among hundreds and thousands, but among millions of perfectly liberated souls, a pure devotee is hardly ever found.
SB 6.14.6, Purport: It has been described that a nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa, a pure devotee, is rarely found even among millions and millions of persons.
SB 6.16.34, Purport: Pure devotees are described as sama-mati, which means that they never deviate from devotional service under any circumstances. It is not that devotees worship the Supreme Lord only when happy; they worship Him even when in distress.

SB Canto 7

SB 7.5.23-24, Purport: This is the symptom of pure devotional service. A pure devotee is interested only in devotional service, not in material affairs. To execute devotional service, one should always engage in hearing and chanting about Kṛṣṇa, or Lord Viṣṇu.
SB 7.9 Summary: Those interested in silently worshiping the Lord in solitary places may be eligible for liberation themselves, but a pure devotee is always aggrieved to see others suffering.
SB 7.9.44, Purport: Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said, naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraṇyāḥ: "O best of the great personalities, I am not at all afraid of material existence." The pure devotee is never unhappy in any condition of life.
SB 7.10.4, Purport: When one engages in devotional service, one is automatically pious. Therefore, a pure devotee is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11]. He has no desire for material profit, nor does the Lord induce him to try to profit materially. When a devotee needs something, the Supreme Personality of Godhead supplies it (yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham [Bg. 9.22]).
SB 7.10.49, Purport: Such was the intimate relationship between the Pāṇḍavas and Kṛṣṇa. In the same way, a pure devotee of the Lord is always with Kṛṣṇa through thick and thin; his way of life is Kṛṣṇa.
SB 7.13.22, Purport: The pure devotee is described by the words bhaktyā kevalayā. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that bhaktyā kevalayā means jñāna-karmādy-amiśrayā, "unmixed with fruitive activities or speculative knowledge." Simply surrendering at the lotus feet is the cause of all a devotee's enlightenment and awareness.

SB Canto 8

SB 8.12.6, Purport: A pure devotee is not concerned with material things. He is not concerned with religiosity, economic development or sense gratification. He is interested only in serving the lotus feet of the Lord.
SB 8.21.28, Purport: A pure devotee is never deviated from the service of the Lord, despite all difficulties and impediments offered by the illusory energy.

SB Canto 9

SB 9.4.25, Purport: A pure devotee is uninterested not only in elevation to the higher planetary systems but even in the perfections of mystic yoga. Real perfection is devotional service.
SB 9.4.64, Purport: The science of transcendental bliss is known to the pure devotee. Therefore the pure devotee is always engaged in increasing the transcendental happiness of the Lord.
SB 9.4.66, Purport: The pure devotee is actually equal toward everyone, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (18.54): brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati/ samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Universal brotherhood is possible when one is a pure devotee (paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg. 5.18]). A pure devotee is actually learned because he knows his constitutional position, he knows the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he knows the relationship between the living entity and the Supreme Lord. Thus he has full spiritual knowledge and is automatically liberated (brahma-bhūtaḥ).
SB 9.4.68, Translation: The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart, and I am always in the heart of the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I do not know anyone else but them.

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

SB 10.1. Additional Notes for this Chapter, Purport: An iron rod kept constantly within a fire will ultimately become fire, and whatever it touches will burn. Similarly, the pure devotee is in the fire of spiritual existence, and therefore his body is cin-maya; that is, it is spiritual, not material, because the pure devotee has no desire but the transcendental desire to serve the Lord.
SB 10.2.6, Purport: The affairs of the Supersoul pertain to Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, but Kṛṣṇa took compassion on Devakī, His devotee, because He understood her fear of Kaṁsa's persecution. A pure devotee is always fearful of material existence.
SB 10.2.8, Purport: A pure devotee is always transcendentally situated because of executing nine different processes of bhakti-yoga (śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaranaṁ pāda-sevanam/ arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam [SB 7.5.23]). Thus situated in devotional service, a devotee, although in the material world, is not in the material world.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Preface and Introduction

CC Adi Preface: A pure devotee is a soul who is forever surrendered to the Lord, just as a child is surrendered to his parents or an animal to its master.

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 1.64, Translation: Such pure devotees are of two types: personal associates [pāriṣats] and neophyte devotees [sādhakas].
CC Adi 7.17, Purport: In connection with verses 16 and 17, Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura explains in his Anubhāṣya: “There are specific symptoms by which the internal devotees and the unalloyed or pure devotees are to be known. All unalloyed devotees are śakti-tattvas, or potencies of the Lord. Some of them are situated in conjugal love and others in filial affection, fraternity and servitude.

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 2.31, Purport: The person who has not at any time received upon his head the dust from the feet of a pure devotee of the Lord is certainly a dead body.
CC Madhya 8.66, Purport: A pure devotee is completely surrendered to the lotus feet of the Lord, and only by his love does he conquer Kṛṣṇa, who cannot be conquered by anyone.
CC Madhya 10.54, Purport: Whoever takes shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His pure devotee is elevated to the spiritual order and purified from material contamination.
CC Madhya 11.95, Purport: All the pure devotees are as bright as sunshine, and their bodily luster is very effulgent. In addition, their performance of saṅkīrtana is unparalleled.
CC Madhya 13.155, Purport: Because during his lifetime a pure devotee is always speaking of Kṛṣṇa and engaging in His service, as soon as he gives up his body he immediately returns to Goloka Vṛndāvana, where Kṛṣṇa is personally present. He then meets Kṛṣṇa directly.
CC Madhya 16.67, Purport: Those who are actually pure devotees of the Lord are instructed by the Lord through the heart, where the Lord is always situated.
CC Madhya 19.17, Purport: Those who are karmīs, jñānīs or yogīs are not actually fit to discuss Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Only Vaiṣṇavas, or pure devotees, are fit to discuss that literature.
CC Madhya 19.164, Purport: The material perfections, even up to the point of liberation, are very insignificant in comparison; therefore the pure devotee is never interested in such things. His only interest is in perfecting his devotional service to the Lord.
CC Madhya 19.167, Purport: Therefore one has to accept the shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and agree to be directed by him. The first business of a pure devotee is to satisfy his spiritual master, whose only business is to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
CC Madhya 19.187, Purport: In conclusion, when a pure devotee is situated in any of the five principal mellows (śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya or madhura) and that mellow is mixed with one or more of the seven indirect bhakti-rasas (hāsya, adbhuta, vīra, karuṇa, raudra, bhayānaka or bībhatsa), the indirect mellows become prominent.
CC Madhya 19.187, Purport: In conclusion, when a pure devotee is situated in any of the five principal mellows (śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya or madhura) and that mellow is mixed with one or more of the seven indirect bhakti-rasas (hāsya, adbhuta, vīra, karuṇa, raudra, bhayānaka or bībhatsa), the indirect mellows become prominent.
CC Madhya 22.82, Translation: “‘It is the verdict of all śāstras and great personalities that service to a pure devotee is the path of liberation. By contrast, association with materialistic people who are attached to material enjoyment and women is the path of darkness. Those who are actually devotees are broadminded, equal to everyone and very peaceful. They never become angry, and they are friendly to all living entities.’
CC Madhya 24.104, Purport: A pure devotee is never attracted by material opulence, for he understands that wasting time to acquire material opulence is a misuse of the gift of human life.
CC Madhya 25.120, Purport: A pure devotee is above a brāhmaṇa; therefore it is not incompatible to offer the sacred thread to devotees in Europe, America, Australia, Japan, Canada, and so on.

CC Antya-lila

CC Antya 3.188, Translation: “Liberation, which is unacceptable for a pure devotee, is always offered by Kṛṣṇa without difficulty.
CC Antya 3.213, Translation: A characteristic of a pure devotee is that he excuses any offense by an ignorant rascal. A characteristic of Kṛṣṇa, however, is that He cannot tolerate blasphemy of His devotees.
CC Antya 4.194, Purport: If one thinks that the body of a pure devotee is material, he is an offender, for that is a vaiṣṇava-aparādha.
CC Antya 6.279, Purport: Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that there are three varieties of invitations—those in the mode of goodness, those in passion and those in ignorance. An invitation accepted from a pure devotee is in the mode of goodness, an invitation accepted from a person who is pious but materially attached is in the mode of passion, and an invitation accepted from a person who is materially very sinful is in the mode of ignorance.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 11: The opportunity to associate with a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord is the beginning of one's complete perfection. This is also confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.18.13) where it is said that the facilities and benedictions which one achieves by association with a pure devotee are incomparable. They cannot be compared to anything—neither elevation to the heavenly kingdom nor liberation from material energy.
Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 13: Such pure devotees are always anxious to describe the glories of Kṛṣṇa and to live in a place where He exhibited His pastimes.
Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 14: Characteristic symptoms exhibited by a pure devotee are generally laughing and crying; when emotions are favorable, a pure devotee laughs, and when emotions are not favorable, he cries.
Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 32: In the Fifth Canto of Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta (5.44) it is stated that the association of a pure devotee is more desirable than life itself and that in separation from him one cannot even pass a second happily.

Nectar of Devotion

Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 3: The attention of a pure devotee is so much attracted to glorification of the Lord's pastimes, name, qualities, forms, etc., that the devotee does not care for mukti.
Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 4: In the Ninth Canto of the Bhāgavatam, Fourth Chapter, verse 67, the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha replies to Durvāsā Muni thus: "My pure devotees are always satisfied being engaged in devotional service, and therefore they do not aspire even after the five liberated stages.
Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 34: The influence of a pure devotee is such that if someone comes to associate with him with a little faith, one gets the chance of hearing about the Lord from authoritative scriptures like Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Ref. VedaBase Association with Pure Devotees
Lecture on The Nectar of Devotion -- London, August 27, 1971Lectures on Nectar of Devotion, London, August 27, 1971]]: The pure devotee is the pleasure-possessing cloud, and when he is filled with transcendental loving service, then he can bestow his mercy as a downpour of rain—and the pleasure potency returns to the ocean of Kṛṣṇa.
Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 35: Srila Rupa Goswami offers his respectful prayers to the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is always so beautiful and for whom the pure devotees are always engaged in loving transcendental service.

Nectar of Instruction

Nectar of Instruction, text 1, Purport: The point is that one should be ready to tolerate all insults to one's own self, but when Kṛṣṇa or His pure devotee is blasphemed, a genuine devotee becomes angry and acts like fire against the offenders.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.20-25 -- Seattle, October 14, 1968:

Vīrabhadra: You said in your lecture that everybody... I think that's what you said, that everybody in the material world is...in māyā. But you can't be in māyā.

Prabhupāda: How do you think?

Vīrabhadra: You're spiritual, so you can't be in māyā. So how does that work?

Prabhupāda: How do you think that I am not in māyā?

Vīrabhadra: Because you're a pure devotee. You see Kṛṣṇa in everybody.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes. Then a pure devotee is not in māyā. Do you agree to that?

Vīrabhadra: Uh huh.

Prabhupāda: So are you going to be a pure devotee?

Vīrabhadra: Me?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Vīrabhadra: I'm not a pure devotee.

Prabhupāda: But you are going to be, trying to be.

Vīrabhadra: I try to be.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. That's all right. That's all right
Lecture on BG 9.2-5 -- New York, November 23, 1966: We can perceive the presence of God, or Kṛṣṇa, by hearing. By hearing. And He's there, present. He's there, present. He says, Kṛṣṇa says, that
nähaà tiñöhämi vaikuëöhe
yogināṁ vā hṛdaye ca
yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktā
tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada
He says that "I, I am not actually in My abode, Kṛṣṇaloka; neither I am in the heart of the yogis who are meditating. But I am present in there where My pure devotees are singing, singing." Yes, Kṛṣṇa says that.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 27, 1971: But a pure devotee does not accept even all these liberations. They don't ask for liberation. Pure devotee is satisfied only with the service of the Lord. That is pure devotion. Because there is no desire. That is explained here. Ahaituky apratihatā
Lecture on SB 1.2.16 -- Los Angeles, August 19, 1972: Mahat-sevām, serving the pure devotee, is the path of liberation.
Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1972: These are the tests. Or politics or sociology or anything, a pure devotee is always interested how Kṛṣṇa would be satisfied.
Lecture on SB 1.8.39 -- Mayapura, October 19, 1974: So wherever Kṛṣṇa's pure devotees are there and when the pure devotees chant, Kṛṣṇa is there. This is the secret. Tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ. So we, if we keep ourself pure devotee, without any other desire, material desire, then you should know that Kṛṣṇa is present there.
Lecture on SB 3.25.24 -- Bombay, November 24, 1974: Simply as Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66], so a devotee, a pure devotee, is simply attached to Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 3.25.27 -- Bombay, November 27, 1974: So when one becomes devotee, he's not a fool. Pure devotee is full knowledge.
Lecture on SB 3.25.37 -- Bombay, December 6, 1974: A bhakta, a pure bhakta, he does not ask anything. Why he should ask? A pure devotee is kept in the hand of Kṛṣṇa. Just like if you keep something very carefully, jewels, in your hand, you are very careful. Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa takes care of you, as He says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi [Bg. 18.66], then you are just in the, at the care of...
Lecture on SB 4.14.14 -- November 16, 1971, Delhi: Similarly, a pure devotee, although he does not artificially try to increase the duration of life, by God's grace his duration of life is increased. He is... A pure devotee is no longer within the rules and regulation of material nature.
Lecture on SB 6.3.25-26 -- Gorakhpur, February 18, 1971: A devotee, a pure devotee, is naturally qualified with all good qualities. Automatically it comes as he becomes...

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

Lecture on The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 2, 1972Lectures on Nectar of Devotion, Vrndavana, November 2, 1972]]: So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is rejecting these, and He's rejecting also liberation. Dhiyamanaṁ na ghṛnanti (?). A pure devotee is not interested even in liberation. That is pure devotee.
Lecture on The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 4, 1972Lectures on Nectar of Devotion, Vrndavana, November 4, 1972]]:

Acyutānanda: ...says first-class, second-class and third-class devotees, they are pure devotees.

Prabhupāda: Yes, pure devotee is anyone who has no other motive except to serve Kṛṣṇa. It doesn't matter he's first class, second class or third... Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Brs. 1.1.11]. If he has got some motive, then he's not pure devotee. He may be not advanced, but if he has not motive, then he's pure devotee. If he wants to utilize Kṛṣṇa for his personal benefit, then he's not pure devotee. He's impure. So first of all he has to become pure devotee.
Lecture on The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1972Lectures on Nectar of Devotion, Vrndavana, November 10, 1972]]: There are so many higher planetary systems. But a bhagavad-bhakta, devotee, knows that they are unnecessary. Ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna [Bg. 8.16]. Again we have to come back. Kṣīṇe kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti [Bg. 9.21]. So this botheration is not very much liked by the pure devotee. Pure devotee does not... Even if he's offered such... Of course, a pure devotee (is) never offered such material benefits. Because Kṛṣṇa says, "The pure devotee, after giving up this body..."

General Lectures

Lecture -- Seattle, September 27, 1968:: In the Caṇḍī, in the book of Māyā, it is state that "Vaiṣṇavī." The Māyā is described as Vaiṣṇavī. Just like pure devotee is called Vaiṣṇava, she is also described there as Vaiṣṇavī.

Correspondence

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Satsvarupa -- San Francisco 3 April, 1968: The Lord and His pure devotees are always beyond the range of Maya's action. Even though they appear like action of Maya, we should understand their action of Yogamaya or the internal potency of the Lord.
Letter to Gurudasa -- Allston, Mass 23 May, 1968: A pure devotee is always free from the four principle restrictions, and he has a tilaka on his forehead. At least these symptoms indicate one's purity in Krishna Consciousness. If one is not following these principles, he is not considered to be a pure devotee.
Letter to Janaki -- Seattle 13 October, 1968: Answering your puzzle, it may be said that a pure devotee is he who loves Krishna, without any material desire. People are generally engaged in karma. Karma means work and get the result and enjoy life. And jnana, jnana means speculating process to understand the Absolute Truth. So one who does not indulge in speculating habit, neither tries to gain something by his work, but simply engages himself in the service of the Lord, he is called a pure devotee. Such pure devotees are very rare. But by the Grace of Krishna, practically all the devotees and disciples who have kindly joined me, they are, their symptoms are pure devotees. Even if they have got some ulterior desire, that will be removed very soon, because they have taken to the pure process of Krishna Consciousness.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Vrndavanesvari -- Allston, Mass 26 April, 1969: Sometimes mystic yogis are interested to see the higher planetary systems, and before entering into the Spiritual Sky, they take advantage of seeing the higher planetary systems. But a pure devotee is so much eager to enter back into the Spiritual Sky, especially devotees of Krishna, so they do not try even to enter into the Vaikuntha Lokas. Everything depends on the intense desire of the living entity, and Krishna gives all facilities for fulfilling such desires.
Letter to Visala -- West Virginia 16 June, 1969: Your final question is how can you become a pure devotee, and the answer to this is given in Bhagavad-gita. Krishna instructs Arjuna that the mahatma, the pure devotee, is he who has fully surrendered himself unto the spiritual nature. And how can we tell if one is completely surrendered unto the spiritual nature? He is always fully engaged in devotional service to Krishna. So this is the process of becoming a pure devotee. We have to engage all of our words, thoughts, and activities in Krishna Consciousness under the direction of the Spiritual Master.
Letter to Govardhana -- Boston 25 December, 1969: This is because our dormant love for Krishna is covered up by the material contamination, but it is quickly aroused when the association of a pure devotee is there.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Sudama -- Los Angeles 8 January, 1970: Yes, Krishna is never approached directly. Krishna is approached through His bona fide servitors. He says that, "Carrying out the order of My pure devotee is greater than carrying out that directly given by Me.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 23 January, 1970: The next question: the body of a pure devotee is all spiritual and He is not different from His body. That is also a fact.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 23 January, 1970: So, the moving of the cloud may appear to the layman's eyes as moving of the moon, but that is not a fact. Similarly, the moving of the body of a pure devotee is not the moving of the pure devotee.
Letter to Madhudvisa -- Los Angeles 14 February, 1970: Regarding your first question, a pure devotee is never under the modes of nature. In other words, no material laws apply on a devotee because he is fully under the direction of Krsna.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Patita Uddharana -- Delhi 15 November, 1971: I have noted especially your description of the unfortunate accident which took place and which took away our friends Jananivasa das Brahmacari and Will Prabhu. So on one side we have to be very sorry if our dear friends are taken away from this world, and on the other side we should be satisfied that a pure devotee is never lost. He gets another good chance to cultivate Krishna Consciousness, or if one is advanced he goes back to Home, back to Godhead.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- July 18, 1975, San Francisco:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But a pure devotee is a friend to all.

Prabhupāda: Because he carries the message of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is friend, and he is carrying the friendly message. Therefore he is friend. If there is a nice friend and if somebody gives information of that nice friend, he is also friend. Therefore nobody can become friend except Kṛṣṇa's representative.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 25, 1976, Delhi:

Guru dāsa: So the pure devotee is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs. 5.1].

Prabhupāda: Yes.
Page Title:Pure devotee is
Compiler:Syamananda, Visnu Murti
Created:1 of jan, 2008
No. of Quotes:196
Totals by Section:BG=17, SB=120, CC=21, OB=9, Lec=16, Con=2, Let=11