26 qualities of a devotee | The Hare Krishna Movement

Qualities of a Devotee

27 Apr 2015 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Qualities of a Devotee Tags: 26 qualities of a devotee, A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, devotees, Does not quarrel with anyone, elevated qualities, Equal to everyone, Fixed in the Absolute Truth, Kind to everyone, liberated from material entanglement, Lord Visnu, Maharaja Prthu, SB 4.20.16, Srila Prabhupada, transcendental qualities, yoga

For some time now I have been meaning to look up the 26 qualities of a devotee and print them out. This was the topic of a discussion we had with a fellow devotee some time back. None of us could exactly remember all 26 qualities, but we were pretty sure that we were not in possession of them all in full. After a little searching we found them, and share them with you.

…These qualities of a devotee,twenty–six in number, are listed as follows: (1) kind to everyone, (2) does not quarrel with anyone, (3) fixed in the Absolute Truth, (4) equal to everyone, (5) faultless, (6) charitable, (7) mild, (8) clean, (9) simple, (10) benevolent, (11) peaceful, (12) completely attached to Krsna, (13) has no material hankering, (14) meek, (15) steady, (16) self-controlled, (17) does not eat more than required, (18) sane, (19) respectful, (20) humble, (21) grave, (22) compassionate, (23) friendly, (24) poetic, (25) expert, (26) silent. (from purport to SB 4.20.16)

Qualities of a Vaiṣṇava Devotee of the Lord

24 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Krishna Consciousness, Krishna Consciousness Movement, Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam, The Hare Krishna Movement, Vaisnava Tags: 26 qualities of a devotee, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, demigods, devotee of the Lord, devotion to the Lord, godly qualities, good qualities, Krsnadasa Kaviraja, pure devotee, vaisnava

I like this picture very much and it became my meditation this morning. I began to think what it was, that first attracted me to Srila Prabhupada and the Hare Krishna Movement, or Krsna Consciousness. And it was the idea of becoming a better person, that first attracted me.

…Any man who has genuine devotion to the Lord has all the good qualities which are found in godly persons or in the demigods, whereas the nondevotee, however advanced he may be in material qualifications by education and culture, lacks in godly qualities (from purport Bg. 1.28)

Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, says that all good qualities become manifest in the body of a Vaiṣṇava and that only by the presence of these good qualities can one distinguish a Vaiṣṇava from a non-Vaiṣṇava. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja lists the following twenty-six good qualities of a Vaiṣṇava: (1) He is very kind to everyone. (2) He does not make anyone his enemy. (3) He is truthful. (4) He is equal to everyone. (5) No one can find any fault in him. (6) He is magnanimous. (7) He is mild. (8) He is always clean. (9) He is without possessions. (10) He works for everyone’s benefit. (11) He is very peaceful. (12) He is always surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. (13) He has no material desires. (14) He is very meek. (15) He is steady. (16) He controls his senses. (17) He does not eat more than required. (18) He is not influenced by the Lord’s illusory energy. (19) He offers respect to everyone. (20) He does not desire any respect for himself. (21) He is very grave. (22) He is merciful. (23) He is friendly. (24) He is poetic. (25) He is expert. (26) He is silent. (from purport to SB 5.18.12)

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New Year’s Resolution

02 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Devotional Service, Srila Prabhupada, Twenty-Six Qualities of a Devotee Tags: 1.kind to everyone, 10.benevolent, 11.peaceful, 12.completely attached to Krsna, 13.has no material hankering, 14.meek, 15.steady, 16.self-controlled, 17.does not eat more than required, 18.sane, 19.respectful, 2.does not quarrel with anyone, 20.humble, 21.grave, 22.compassionate, 23.friendly, 24.poetic, 25.silent, 26 qualities of a devotee, 26.expert, 3.fixed in the Absolute Truth, 4.equal to everyone, 5.faultless, 6.charitable, 7.mild, 8.clean, 9.simple, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Prabhupada, without material possession

“A New Year’s resolution is a commitment that a person makes to one or more personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. A key element to a New Year’s resolution that sets it apart from other resolutions is that it is made in anticipation of the New Year and new beginnings.” (Wikipedia definition)

Every year it seems I make the fruitless attempt to write down my New Year’s Resolutions, vowing to do less of this and more of that. But this year, I am just going to try to be a better human being. I am just going to try to develop the qualities of a devotee, which are 26 in number, and try to get myself free from material entanglement and go Back Home, Back to Godhead.

The Twenty-Six Qualities of a Devotee

The Lord is satisfied by the development of the transcendental qualities of the living entities and not by artificial performance of sacrifices and mystic yoga. In other words, unless one is fully qualified to become a pure devotee of the Lord, one cannot expect to be liberated from material entanglement.

These qualities of a devotee, twenty-six in number, are listed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu:

1) Kind to Everyone, 2) Does not Quarrel with Anyone, 3) Fixed in the Absolute Truth, 4) Equal to Everyone, 5) Faultless, 6) Charitable, 7) Mild, 8) Clean, 9) Simple, without Material Possession, 10) Benevolent, 11) Peaceful, 12) Completely Attached to Krsna, 13) Has no Material Hankering, 14) Meek, 15) Steady, 16) Self-controlled, 17) Does not Eat More than Required, 18) Sane, 19) Respectful, 20) Humble, 21) Grave, 22) Compassionate, 23) Friendly, 24) Poetic, 25) Silent, 26) Expert