Qualities of A Devotee Liberated from Qualities of Kali Yuga

(written on Nov 9, 2019)

The devotee, on the other hand, is well aware of the meaning of the gift that is this human body. They are clear that human life is meant for the advancement in spiritual knowledge. Hence, the devotee does not even waste a single second- they are constantly in the service of the Lord. The program of the devotee is based on service and gratifying Krishna’s senses. Additionally, the devotees dovetail their senses and their body to the service of Krishna:

• We see the beautiful form of the deities

• We fix our mind on the lotus feet of Krsna

• We use our head to offer obeisances to Krsna

• We smell the flowers offered to Krsna

• We touch the lotus feet of the Lord

• We hear the Krsna kirtans, Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam

• We dance for the Krsna kirtans

• We use our arms to make garlands, clean the dishes in the kitchen, clean the temple floors

• We eat the Krsna prasadam

• We talk about Krsna's past times and glorify Krsna and His pure devotees

The indication of a true devotee lies in his actions and his embodiment of the qualities of a devotee, as described in the BG 13.8-12, “Humility; pridelessness; nonviolence; tolerance; simplicity; approaching a bona fide spiritual master; cleanliness; steadiness; self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification; absence of false ego; the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; detachment; freedom from entanglement with children, wife, home and the rest; even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me; aspiring to live in a solitary place; detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization; and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth – all these I declare to be knowledge, and besides this whatever there may be is ignorance.” By embodying these qualities, the devotees are free from the characterization of lazy, unfortunate, and short-lived men.