So how to come to this bhāva stage, that is Rūpa Gosvāmī has described: ādau śraddhā (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.4.15). First of all little faith. Just like many outsider also come here, "What these people are doing, these Kṛṣṇa consciousness men? So let us see." So śraddhā. That is called śraddhā. Śraddhā, real śraddhā means complete faith. That is described by Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Śraddhā-śabde viśvāsa sudṛḍha niścaya (CC Madhya 22.62). One who has got this much faith, strong faith, that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This faith, not flickering; firm faith, "Yes, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality . . ." That is called śraddhā. That is beginning of śraddhā. If you have got still doubt, then you have not come to the stage of śraddhā even. Superfluous. You may come, but when you actually believe that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and if I engage myself in Kṛṣṇa's service, I am perfect"—two things—that is śraddhā. And the more you increase this śraddhā you become advanced. The beginning is this śraddhā. Ādau śraddhā.
So how this śraddhā, this faith, can be increased? Sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). If you keep yourself associated with the devotees, then this śraddhā can be increased. If you simply believe, "Yes, Kṛṣṇa is Supreme Personality," but you do not live with the sādhus or devotee, then it will drop. It will finish. So just to keep the standard, the temperature right, you must keep always yourself warm. If you go away, then your warmth is gone; again you become cold. You see? This is the process. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (CC Madhya 23.14-15).
Everything is perfect. The first thing is that you must believe that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yes. And to keep this faith strong and going on, you must keep association with devotees. Otherwise, whatever little faith you got, it will be lost. You become again under the clutches of māyā. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ. And if you actually associating with sādhu, then the next stage is bhajana-kriyā, initiation, how to worship Kṛṣṇa. Then anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. If you are actually engaged in devotional service, anartha, which are not required, things will vanish. Just like we ask our students, "No illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, no meat-eating." Simply by hearing, you cannot follow it. It is not possible. If you make bhajana-kriyā, if you're actually following—chanting sixteen rounds—then you can follow the others. Otherwise, if you are spiritually weak, you cannot. The government is spending so much money to stop this intoxication, LSD, in your country. They're all failure. But here, with our poor association, a person can give up immediately. Just see how much the association is strong. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu . . . bhajana-kriyā, anartha.