Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Sri Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 15.111

"ataeva yanra mukhe eka krishna-nama

sei ta' vaishnava, kariha tanhara sammana"

SYNONYMS

ataeva -- therefore; yanra mukhe -- in whose mouth; eka -- one; krishna-nama -- the holy name of Krishna; sei ta' vaishnava -- he is a Vaishnava; kariha -- offer; tanhara -- to him; sammana -- respect.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then finally advised, "One who is chanting the Hare Krishna mantra is understood to be a Vaishnava; therefore you should offer all respects to him."

PURPORT

In his Upadesamrita (5), Srila Rupa Gosvami states: krishneti yasya giri tam manasadriyeta dikshasti cet pranatibhis ca bhajantam isam. An advanced devotee should respect a person who has been initiated by a bona fide spiritual master and who is situated on the transcendental platform, chanting the holy name with faith and obeisances and following the instructions of the spiritual master. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura comments that serving Vaishnavas is most important for householders. Whether a Vaishnava is properly initiated or not is not a subject for consideration. One may be initiated and yet contaminated by the Mayavada philosophy, but a person who chants the holy name of the Lord offenselessly will not be so contaminated. A properly initiated Vaishnava may be imperfect, but one who chants the holy name of the Lord offenselessly is all-perfect. Although he may apparently be a neophyte, he still has to be considered a pure, unalloyed Vaishnava. It is the duty of the householder to offer respects to such an unalloyed Vaishnava. This is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness