FOUR QUALITIES ESSENTIAL FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Srimad Bhagavatham (1-17-24) lists the following FOUR QUALITIES ESSENTIAL FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH to be followed by every devotee if he likes to grow in devotion to Krishna:
Mercy
Cleanliness
Self-discipline
Truthfulness
(QUALITIES OF A PURE DEVOTEE OF KRISHNA! READ HERE!)
EXPLANATION OF FOUR QUALITIES ESSENTIAL FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
(1) MERCY:
A devotee sees Krishna in every living being. So, he knows that if he hates anyone, he in fact hates Krishna. So, a devotee of Krishna should see everyone with mercy and show their forgiveness even to those who torture them.
A devotee does not know how to hate anyone or anything. He just sees whether this person or thing will help him to advance in devotion. If it is helpful, he adopts. If not, he just avoids it and does not hates it.
He has understood that Krishna will not like f we do not show our mercy upon His creations.
(64 TRANSCENDENTAL QUALITIES OF LORD KRISHNA EXPLAINED HERE!)
(2) CLEANLINESS:
A devotee should have inner and outer cleanliness.
He is aware that Krishna is residing in His heart. So, he tries to keep his heart clean from pollutions of material attachments and he considers his heart as the temple of Krishna. Only because of excessive material attachments, everyone has to sin. So, he is unable to focus on Krishna.
So, a devotee keeps his heart clean. At the same time, he also keeps his bldy clean as this body is the temple whetre Krishna lives. So, he takes bath and keeps his body too clean.
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(3) SELF DISCIPLINE:
When a devotee knows that his body is not just the flesh pack, but a temple where Krishna lives as Paramathma, he starts to follow discipline in thoughts and actions not to pollute this ytemple of Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada simply prescribed four regulative principles that is essential for every devotee without which he can not follow devotion steadily:
No Meat eating
No gambling
No intoxication and
No Illicit relations.
These four disciplinary regulative principles are essential for those who like to grow in devotion to Krishna fast.
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(4) TRUTHFULNESS:
A devotee should be honest to his heart and conscience. He does not do anything that is against anyone. He always speaks truth and he never go in wrong routes to achieve something.
A devotee will do what he says. He never backtracks. He is truthful to Krishna, his guru, vaishnavas, parents and the relatives.
He is duty bound and finds pleasure in serving Krishna truthfully to please Krishna, not to please himself.
Everyone of us should check whether we are following the above four qualities.
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