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Four Types of People Who Come to God.

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Bhagvad Gita profiles four types of people who come to surrender to God. They are sukritina or pious.  Sukrtinah , are those who obey th e rules and regulations of scriptures, the moral and social laws, and are, more or less, devoted to the Supreme Lord. They do not indulge in miss deeds as a matter of habit. Among these there are four classes of men.   THE VERSE चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जनाः सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन । आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ ॥ caturvidhā bhajantē māṅ janāḥ sukṛtinō.rjuna. ārtō jijñāsurarthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha ৷৷ 7.16 ৷৷ Bg 7.16   —  O best among the Bhāratas, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me – the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.   EXPLANATION 1. Those who are sometimes distressed: Those who are always busy with fruitive activities come to the Lord in material distress and at that time associate wi

Human Body is a Spiritual Teacher.

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Observation of our own human body can be a source of detachment and make one   enlightened by realized spiritual knowledge.  The son of Yayāti, Mahārāja Yadu, once encountered an  avadhūta  (a spiritualist who lives and recognizes himself as soul not body) who was traveling about, here and there, in great transcendental ecstasy and was acting unpredictably. The King inquired from the holy man about the cause of his wandering and his ecstatic condition, and the  avadhūta  replied that he had received various instructions from twenty-four different  gurus  — the earth, the wind, the sky, the water, fire, and so on. Because of the knowledge he had gained from them, he was able to travel about the earth in a liberated state .  He said his own body was one of his Gurus. Presented here is translation of the verses explaining how human body can be ones spiritual teacher?   The Holy man spoke - SB 11.9.24  — O King, from all these spiritual masters I have acquired great

What are the three categories of Devotees?

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Bhagwad Puran mentions three levels of worshipers of God. Knowledge of these distinctions will help a devotee to strive for higher stage of devotion.   Once Nārada arrived at the home of Vasudeva ( father of Lord Krishna), who worshiped him according to proper etiquette, greeted him respectfully and requested to hear about pure devotional service. Nārada gave instructions in  bhāgavata-dharma  to the faithful and inquisitive Vasudeva by recounting a conversation between between the nine Yogendras (saints), who were sons of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, and Mahārāja Nimi, the King of Videha. Presented here is the exact translation of the questions and answers that describe three levels of worshipers of God. During the conversation Maharaj Nimi asked the following questions:  SB 11.2.44   —  Mahārāja Nimi asked: Now please tell me in greater detail about the devotees of the Supreme Lord. What are the natural symptoms by which I can distinguish between the most advanced devotee