Srila Gurudeva: If Krsna is satisfied and he is pleased to any fortunate person, then Krsna Himself as a antaryami Guru, Supersoul Guru, He manifests His mercy there in his heart and He teaches him all these things. He teaches him how he can achieve bhakti. He tells him, “You should go to this Guru or that Guru.” Krsna arranges everything for those who are sincere and are sincerely praying to Krsna. I think that Krsna will surely arrange for them.
sraddhavan jana haya bhakti-adhikari
uttama madhyama kanistha sraddha-anusari
Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 22.64
[A faithful devotee is a truly eligible candidate for the loving service of the Lord. According to one’s faith, one is classified as a topmost devotee, an intermediate devotee or an inferior devotee.]
Who is qualified for bhakti? He is saying that if anyone is doing so much nonsense, is a drunkard, if he is doing all kinds of anarthas, no harm. If anyone has given up all these things, it does not mean that he is qualified for bhakti. If anyone has taken the renounced order, like a mayavadi, and he is trnad api sunicena, taror api sahisnuna, or he has all kinds of good qualities and he speaks the truth, he is still not qualified for bhakti. Anyone, even someone like Jagai and Madhai, can be also be qualified for bhakti if he has sraddha for bhakti, if he has faith and honor. What is that sraddha?
He will think, “If I will chant, remember, and do devotional activities to Krsna, then I will cross over the endless chain of birth and death, sorrows and suffering, forever.” He will have a very strong belief in the words of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Gita, and all epics. He will have strong faith in his Gurudeva and the words of Vaisnavas. He will think, “I will not give up bhakti even if I am cut into pieces. I will never give up bhakti.” This is the external symptom of sraddha.
What is the seed of bhakti? The seed of bhakti is the desire, the tendency to serve Krsna. To give this mood, this vasana, this desire, to plant this in any heart, this is the seed of the creeper of bhakti. He may be a drunkard, he may be anything. He may be like Bilvamangala who in his first life was so much attached to a prostitute and all other things. No harm. But if he has faith, sraddha, then he should be helped.
Guru will give him this seed of bhakti in his heart and from whatever stage he is at, he will chant and remember and all these anarthas will go away very soon. But if anyone is like Sankara or his followers, is very high in brahma-jnana and has so many good qualities, but he has no faith, then he cannot have the seed of bhakti. But if anyone has so much strong faith in his Gurudeva’s words and in bhakti, then he is qualified to take harinama and initiation into bhakti.
[Spoken by Srila Gurudeva on April 29th, 1998, France, published as part of the Bhakta Bandhav Anthology, Volume 27]
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