Unless one is fully convinced that "I am not this body," and similarly, if I am not convinced that "These people, they are also not body; they are all spirit soul . . ." Therefore one who is actually paṇḍita, in the real understanding of things, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ, he sees everyone part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. That is sama-darśi.
- samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
- mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
- (BG 18.54)
Then bhakti begins.
Bhakti is not a sentiment. Bhakti is the highest stage of understanding, knowledge. That is bhakti. Bhaktyāśruta-gṛhītayā (SB 1.2.12), Bhāgavata says. Bhaktyāśruta. Bhakti must be executed śruta-gṛhītayā, by hearing. Śruta, by hearing from disciplic succession. That is perfect bhakti. And in that bhakti, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55), when you are on the transcendental platform of bhakti, then you can understand what is Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that na me viduḥ sura-gaṇāḥ (BG 10.2). The sura-gaṇāḥ, the big, big demigods, they are also not in the pure stage of bhakti. They have got bhakti—bhakti-miśra, mixed bhakti. They have got desire to enjoy this material world. They are called devatas. Just like Brahmā, what to speak of other, he has got a desire to lord it over the material world. So he has been given. But he's a bhakta, but not pure bhakta. Pure bhakta means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ (CC Madhya 19.167), no material desire.
Just like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, brahma-janme nāhi mora āśa: "I do not desire even to take birth as Lord Brahmā." Because that is not pure bhakti. Brahmā is bhakta, undoubtedly. Unless he is very high class bhakta, how he can be offered such exalted post? Just like in government service, unless one is not very confidential, he cannot be given any confidential post. Similarly, all these devatas, they are devotees undoubtedly, but karma-miśra, jñāna-miśra. They are not pure devotee. Pure devotee, Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches us,
- na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
- kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye
- (CC Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4)
This is pure devotion.
- na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
- kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye
- (CC Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4)
"I don't want all these things. I don't want money, I don't want big followers, I don't want very beautiful wife." Sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye. Then what you want?
- mama janmani janmanīśvare
- bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi
- (CC Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4)
Ahaitu: "Without any reason, without any desire, I want to serve You."