Maha-Bhagavatas are called Nitya-Siddhas

Sad Goswamis of Vrindavan

The family in which a maha-bhagavata takes his birth is fortunate because due to the birth of a first-grade devotee the members of the family, past, present and future up to one hundred generations, become liberated by the grace of the Lord, out of respect for His beloved devotee. Therefore, the highest benefit is done to one’s family simply by becoming an unalloyed devotee of the Lord.

maha-bhagavatas are called nitya-siddhas, or souls liberated from birth.

That is the vision of a maha-bhagavata. He sees everything others see, but instead of seeing merely the trees, the mountains, the cities or the sky, he sees only his worshipable Supreme Personality of Godhead in everything because everything is resting in Him only. This is the vision of the maha-bhagavata. In summary, a maha-bhagavata, a highly elevated pure devotee, sees the Lord everywhere, as well as within the heart of everyone. This is possible for devotees who have developed elevated devotional service to the Lord. As stated in the Brahma-samhita (5.38), premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena: only those who have smeared their eyes with the ointment of love of Godhead can see everywhere the Supreme Lord face to face; it is not possible by imagination or so-called meditation.

 

First Class Devotee

 

The first-class devotee does not at all see anyone who is not in the service of the Lord.

Abhaya Dana

The first-class devotee gives assurance to every living being that there is no fear of this material existence: “Let us live in Krsna consciousness and conquer the nescience of material existence.”

Unless one is very intelligent, one cannot take to devotional service, or Krsna consciousness. Naturally, anyone who is a first-class devotee must be a first-class intelligent person and therefore not interested in any kind of benediction within this material world.

The maha-bhagavata, or the first-class devotee, sees everything in relation with the Lord and the Lord present in everyone’s relation. The maha-bhagavata, therefore, does not make any distinction, particularly between a devotee and nondevotee. Maharaja Pariksit was such a maha-bhagavata devotee because he was initiated by a maha-bhagavata devotee, Sukadeva Gosvami. He was equally kind, even to the personality of Kali, and what to speak of others.

Maharaja Pariksit was a maha-bhagavata, or a first-class devotee, who was not only well versed in the science of devotion but also able to convert others to become devotees by his transcendental instructions.

The first-class devotee of the Lord attains atma-prasada, stage by devotional service, but despite his loftiness, for the Lord’s satisfaction he may play the voluntary part of a preacher of the Lord’s glory and dovetail all into devotional service, even mundane interest, just to give the neophytes a chance to transform mundane interest into transcendental bliss. Srila Rupa Gosvami has described this action of a pure devotee as nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam ucyate. Even mundane activities dovetailed with service to the Lord are also calculated to be transcendental or approved kaivalya affairs.

The first-class devotee keeps the Supreme Lord perpetually fastened to his own heart with ropes of affection. Lord Hari never leaves the heart of such a devotee

The first-class devotee of the Lord may at times exhibit apparent hatred toward the demons because of entering the mood of the Lord’s pastimes.

 A first-class or second-class Vaisnava never actually becomes envious of another living entity, but out of intense love for the Supreme Lord he becomes angry when the Lord is offended. Also, understanding the Lord’s mission, he discriminates according to the position of a particular living entity.

 

 Note:

Identifying a second class devotee being in the second class and a first class devotee coming to the second class platform is possible only by observing their activities.