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impersonalists, but later on, by the mercy of Bhagavån and His devotees, they completely rejected the conception of impersonalism and attained the qualification for çuddha-bhakti. The purport is that as long as all of them harboured desires within their hearts either for relief from their distress, to satisfy their inquisitiveness or to obtain wealth, or were attached to an impersonal conception of the absolute truth, they were ineligible for unalloyed devotion. Therefore, in relation to the qualification for pure bhakti, Çrîla Rüpa Gosvåmî has written (Bhakti-rasåm®tasindhu (1.2.14)): ya˙ kenåpy ati-bhågyena jåta-çraddho ’sya sevane nåtisakto na vairågyabhåg asyåm adhikåry asau When one is not too attached to or detached from this material world and by some good fortune develops faith in the service of K®ß√a’s lotus feet, he is considered to possess the eligibility for unalloyed devotion.
The purport is that when worldly people realise the futility of material existence after being afflicted by various types of distress and by suffering in the absence of their desired objects, they begin to lead their lives in a mood of detachment from the material world. If by some good fortune at such a time they acquire the association of Bhagavån’s devotees, they enquire from them and come to understand that there is no higher destination than the attainment of Bhagavån. Gradually they develop firm faith in this and engage in bhajana. At that time it