CHAPTER THREE
Qualification and Attainment Practising and advanced devotees are appreciated in two ways: according to their qualification, and according to their attainment. In turn, qualification is generally determined by faith and knowledge, and sometimes by taste, while attainment is determined by a devotee’s degree of love. This chapter describes these all-important topics. We begin with a study of a devotee’s qualification for sādhana, reminding the reader that there are two kinds of sādhana-bhakti — regulative and spontaneous, each with its distinctive qualification. While most devotees are generally found to practise regulative devotion, some are found to be of the spontaneous genre. Still, Gauḍīya tradition entreats all Vaiṣṇavas to externally conduct themselves as regulated devotees. This way there is unity of practice within the diverse consciousness of Vaiṣṇavas. Rūpa Gosvāmī makes this clear when teaching spontaneous devotion: sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi tad-bhāva-lipsunā kāryā vraja-lokānusārataḥ “The advanced devotee who is inclined to spontaneous loving service should follow the activities of a particular associate of Kṛṣṇa’s in Vṛndāvana. He should execute service externally as a regulative devotee as well as internally from his self-realised position. Thus he should perform devotional service both externally and internally.”1
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