Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). In another place it is said mahat-sevā, rendering service to the pure devotee, mahat. Mahat means who is great soul. Who is great soul? Great soul means who is twenty-four hours engaged in the service of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gītā, the description of mahat, mahātmā, is given there:
- mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
- daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
- bhajanty ananya manaso
- (BG 9.13)
This is the mahātmā. They are under the daivī-prakṛti. Daivī-prakṛti . . . there are two kinds of prakṛtis, we have studied in Bhagavad-gītā: aparā-prakṛti, parā-prakṛti. So parā-prakṛti, or nature, transcendental nature, that is called daivī-prakṛti.
Just like we are trying to be under the guidance of Rādhārāṇī, daivī-prakṛti. Prakṛti means woman, and daivī, transcendental woman. And those who are materialists, they are under the mahā-māyā, material energy, Goddess Kālī, Durgā. They are the symbolic representation of material energy.
So those who are materialist, they take shelter of the material energy, and those who are transcendentalist, they take shelter of the transcendental nature. So those who are mahātmā, they take shelter of the transcendental prakṛti. So we have to render service to such person who is in . . . under the protection of the transcendental nature. That is called mahātmā. A mahātmā, this word you have heard. A mahātmā's description is mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Mahātmā has nothing to do with this material world; he is simply under the care of the transcendental prakṛti.
So śuśrūṣoḥ, śuśrūṣoḥ śraddadhānasya (SB 1.2.16). Those who are engaged in hearing with faith, śraddadhāna . . . ādau śraddhā. Without faith, you cannot make any progress. This is the beginning of spiritual life. Ādau śraddhā. "Oh, here is . . . Kṛṣṇa consciousness is going on. It is very nice. They are preaching nice." People still, they are praising our activities. If we keep our standard, then they will appreciate. So this is called śraddhā. This appreciation is called śraddhā, śraddadhānasya. Even he does not join, if one says: "Oh, it is very nice, it is very . . . these people are good . . ." Sometimes they, in papers they say that, "These Hare Kṛṣṇa people are nice. We want more of them." They say.