The Nectar of

Instruction
 Topmost devotee
(Uttama-adhikari)
Topmost devotee (Uttama- adhikäré)
Eligibility:

“One who is expert in logic and in

understanding the revealed scriptures, and
who always has firm conviction and deep
faith that is not blind,
is to be considered a topmost devotee in
devotional service.”

Caitanya-caritämåta Madhya-lélä 22.66

(Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu 1.2.117)
Topmost devotee
(Uttama- bhägavata)
Most Expansive Vision:
“The most advanced devotee sees
within everything the soul of all
souls, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Çré Kåñëa.

Consequently he sees
systematically everything in
relation to the Supreme Lord and
under-stands that everything that
exists is eternally situated within
the Lord.”
A devotee of the highest level of spiritual qualification is
glorified for the expansiveness of his spiritual vision. For
example, when the stalwart demon Hiraëyakaçipu
questioned his self-realized son Prahläda Mahäräja as to
the whereabouts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Prahläda, being a mahä-bhägavata, or pure devotee,
answered straightforwardly that the Supreme Lord is
everywhere. The demoniac father then asked if God was in
the pillar of the palace. When Prahläda answered yes,
Hiraëyakaçipu, being a bona fide demon, struck the pillar
with his sword, trying to kill God, or at least disprove His
existence. Then Lord Nåsiàhadeva, the most ferocious
form of the Supreme Lord, immediately appeared and
finished forever the illicit program of Hiraëyakaçipu. Thus
Prahläda Mahäräja can be accepted as an uttama-adhikäré
devotee.
Most Expansive Vision: The qualification for seeing Kåñëa every-where is:
premäïjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaù sadaiva hådayeñu vilokayanti
“. . . whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion
tinged with the salve of love.”
Brahma-saàhitä 5.38
 UTTAMA ADHIKARI
Uttama adhikari is prepared to offer respects even to a demon

 If it is the Lord’s desire, a pure devotee can offer his respects to all living
beings. For example, Çréla Jéva Gosvämé mentions that Uddhava and
other pure devotees of the Lord were always prepared to offer respectful
obeisances even to such persons as Duryodhana. Madhyama-adhikärés,
however, should not imitate such uttama-adhikäré behavior.

 Çréla VCT : atra sarva-bhüteñu bhagavad-darçana-yogyatä yasya kadäcid

api na dåñöä. A madhyama-adhikäré cannot at any time perceive the
presence of the Supreme Lord within all living beings, whereas an
uttama-adhikäré, however he acts on the second-class platform to carry
out the Lord’s mission, is aware that every living entity is ultimately a
forgetful Kåñëa conscious living entity.

 BSST - it is the duty of the madhyama-adhikäré to extend himself as the

right hand of the uttama-adhikäré, vowing to work for the benefit of
others and offering to help in distributing love of Kåñëa.
 WHO IS A PURE DEVOTEE?
“Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that a person who
simply chants the holy name of Krishna once becomes perfect and
should be regarded as a Vaisnava. This is confirmed by Srila Rupa
Gosvami in his Upadesamrta (5): krsneti yasya giri tam
manasadriyeta…

When one is situated on the neophyte platform, one cannot

understand the devotional ingredients of a pure, unalloyed devotee.
However, when the novice engages in devotional service --
especially in Deity worship -- and follows the order of a bona
fide spiritual master, he is a pure devotee. Anyone can take
advantage of hearing about Krishna consciousness from such a
devotee and thus gradually become purified. In other words, any
devotee who believes that the holy name of the Lord is
identical with the Lord is a pure devotee, even though he may
be in the neophyte stage. By his association, others may also
become Vaisnavas.” (CC, Madhya, 15.106, purport)
 What is Initiation, Diksha?
dékñä-käle bhakta kare ätma-samarpaëa
sei-käle kåñëa täre kare ätma-sama

"At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders unto the service of the
Lord, Kåñëa accepts him to be as good as Himself.“ [CC Antya 4.192-93]

 Full surrender

divyaà jïänaà yato dadyät, kuryät päpasya saìkñayam

tasmäd dékñeti sä proktä, deçikais tattva-kovidaiù

"By dékñä one gradually becomes disinterested in material enjoyment and

gradually becomes interested in spiritual life.“
[Bhakti-sandarbha (868) by Çréla Jéva Gosvämé]
 Prerequisite : When one becomes so disinterested in material enjoyment, he becomes fit for
initiation by the spiritual master…..When a person is serious about accepting dékñä, he
must be prepared to practice austerity, celibacy and control of the mind and body. If one
is so prepared and is desirous of receiving spiritual enlightenment (divyaà jïänam), he is fit
for being initiated.
 Diksha is a process and not a one time event
 HH Giriraj Maharaj : Diksha is complete when one comes to bhava. At that point Krishna
accepts the devotee on the same level as Himsef, and the devotee becomes eligible to serve
Krishna with his transcendental senses.
 So formal initiation is the beginning of surrender and at platform of bhava the surrender
is complete when all the anrthas are removed and then Krishna accepts him
 1st 3 of 64 items are most important –SB 7.7.29-31
`Adau guru padasraya’ `krsna diksadi siksanam’ `visrambhena guroh seva’
 One must accept the pure devotee, the representative of God, as one's guru and then offer him all
the respects one would offer the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the secret of success. For
one who adopts this method, the perfect process is revealed.

guru-çuçrüñayä bhaktyä sarva-labdhärpaëena ca

saìgena sädhu-bhaktänäm éçvarärädhanena ca
çraddhayä tat-kathäyäà ca kértanair guëa-karmaëäm
tat-pädämburuha-dhyänät tal-liìgekñärhaëädibhiù
TRANSLATION
One must accept the bona fide spiritual master and render service unto him with great
devotion and faith. Whatever one has in one's possession should be offered to the
spiritual master, and in the association of saintly persons and devotees one should
worship the Lord, hear the glories of the Lord with faith, glorify the transcendental
qualities and activities of the Lord, always meditate on the Lord's lotus feet, and
worship the Deity of the Lord strictly according to the injunctions of the çästra and
guru. [SB 7.7.30-31]
Who is fit for initiation?
NOI SP Purport : ….We have seen many
practical examples of this, especially in Europe and
America. Many students who come to us from rich
and respectable families quickly lose all interest in
material enjoyment and become very eager to enter
into spiritual life. Although they come from very
wealthy families, many of them accept living
conditions that are not very comfortable. Indeed,
for Kåñëa's sake they are prepared to accept any
living condition as long as they can live in the
temple and associate with the Vaiñëavas. When
one becomes so disinterested in material
enjoyment, he becomes fit for initiation by the
spiritual master.
 Who is fit for initiation?
NOI SP Purport : …. For the advancement of spiritual
life Çrémad-Bhägavatam (6.1.13) prescribes: tapasä
brahmacaryeëa çamena ca damena ca. When a person is
serious about accepting dékñä, he must be prepared to
practice austerity, celibacy and control of the mind and
body.
If one is so prepared and is desirous of receiving spiritual
enlightenment (divyaà jïänam), he is fit for being
initiated.
Such a person should approach a spiritual master in order
to take dékñä. Çrémad-Bhägavatam (11.3.21) also
prescribes: tasmäd guruà prapadyeta jijïäsuù çreya
uttamam. "When one is actually interested in the
transcendental science of the Absolute Truth, he should
approach a spiritual master."
 Who is fit for initiation?
NOI SP Purport : …. One should not accept a spiritual
master without following his instructions.
Nor should one accept a spiritual master just to make a
fashionable show of spiritual life. One must be jijïäsu, very
much inquisitive to learn from the bona fide spiritual
master. The inquiries one makes should strictly pertain to
transcendental science (jijïäsuù çreya uttamam). The word
uttamam refers to that which is above material knowledge.
Tama means "the darkness of this material world," and ut
means "transcendental." Generally people are very
interested in inquiring about mundane subject matters, but
when one has lost such interest and is simply interested in
transcendental subject matters, he is quite fit for being
initiated. When one is actually initiated by the bona fide
spiritual master and when he seriously engages in the
service of the Lord, he should be accepted as a madhyama-
adhikäré.
Who is fit for Advancement in KC?
NOI SP Purport : …. The chanting of the holy
names of Kåñëa is so sublime that if one chants
the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra offenselessly,
carefully avoiding the ten offenses, he can
certainly be gradually elevated to the point of
understanding that there is no difference
between the holy name of the Lord and the Lord
Himself. One who has reached such an
understanding should be very much respected by
neophyte devotees. One should know for certain
that without chanting the holy name of the Lord
offenselessly, one cannot be a proper candidate
for advancement in Kåñëa consciousness.
Who is fit for Advancement in KC?
NOI SP Purport : …. Everyone begins his devotional life
from the neophyte stage, but if one properly finishes chanting
the prescribed number of rounds of hari-näma, he is elevated
step by step to the highest platform, uttama-adhikäré. The
Kåñëa consciousness movement prescribes sixteen rounds
daily because people in the Western countries cannot
concentrate for long periods while chanting on beads.
Therefore the minimum number of rounds is prescribed.
However, Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura used to
say that unless one chants at least sixty-four rounds of japa
(one hundred thousand names), he is considered fallen (patita).
According to his calculation, practically every one of us is
fallen, but because we are trying to serve the Supreme Lord
with all seriousness and without duplicity, we can expect the
mercy of Lord Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, who is famous as
patita-pävana, the deliverer of the fallen.
 NOI : One should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform of uttama-
adhikäré. A neophyte Vaiñëava or a Vaiñëava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept
disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they
cannot advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his insufficient guidance. Therefore a
disciple should be careful to accept an uttama-adhikäré as a spiritual master…….

 HH Sivrama swami in Suddh-bhakti chintmani :

Although technically these 2 classifications (about uttama, madhyama etc)
speak about different things
(SB classifies according to adhikara and CC according to Faith and Knowledge),
SP, with the exception of the following purport equates the two in his teachings.
 BVT however in the Bhakti-tattva-vivek specifies
Uttama as the requirement for the madhayama to make progress.
 Uttama adhikari also may be at different stages (ruci, asakti, bhava, prema).
 an uttama is not automatically an uttama but he may be an advanced madhyama
(a advanced madhyama who is on the path of progress)…..
 either case they are qualified to be Guru as they can defeat arguments and never fall down
 `rati-prema-täratamye bhakta-taratama’
“Attraction and love for God are the ultimate goal of devotional service.
The degrees of such attraction and love distinguish the different stages of
devotion—neophyte, intermediate and perfectional.” (Cc. Madhya 22.71)

An intermediate devotee is greatly attracted to chanting the holy name, and by chanting
he is elevated to the platform of love. If one chants the holy name of the Lord with great
attachment, he can understand his position as an eternal servant of the spiritual master,
other Vaiñëavas and Kåñëa Himself. Thus the intermediate Vaiñëava considers himself
kåñëa-däsa, Kåñëa’s servant.
He therefore preaches Kåñëa consciousness to innocent neophytes and stresses the
importance of chanting the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra.
An intermediate devotee can identify the nondevotee or motivated devotee. The
motivated devotee or the nondevotee are on the material platform, and they are called
präkåta. The intermediate devotee does not mix with such materialistic people.
 Srila Prabhupada’s position as
Pre-eminent Siksa guru for all ISKCON devotees
 Sri sampradaya followers keeping Sripad Ramanuja at the
center
 The spiritual master is important for personal guidance but in
the event of diksha guru falling away one should continue KC
by being fixed in the teachings of the pre-eminent shiksha
guru without getting bewildered.
 Therefore keep teachings of Srila Prabhupada as center of our
lives and not keep some other personality as center…….. our
faith should be fixed in the words of the acharya……. This
will ensure our stability…….. not be sentimental and swayed
away by one personality……. People may come and go but
the instructions are eternal.
 NOI : One should not accept a spiritual master without following his instructions.
Nor should one accept a spiritual master just to make a fashionable show of
spiritual life. One must be jijïäsu, very much inquisitive to learn from the bona fide
spiritual master……
CC Madhya 22.113 : There are many regulative principles in the çästras and
directions given by the spiritual master. These regulative principles should act as
servants of the basic principle—that is, one should always remember Kåñëa and never
forget Him. This is possible when one chants the Hare Kåñëa mantra. Therefore one
must strictly chant the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra twenty-four hours daily. One may
have other duties to perform under the direction of the spiritual master, but he must
first abide by the spiritual master’s order to chant a certain number of rounds. In our
Kåñëa consciousness movement, we have recommended that the neophyte chant at
least sixteen rounds. This chanting of sixteen rounds is absolutely necessary if one
wants to remember Kåñëa and not forget Him. Of all the regulative principles, the
spiritual master’s order to chant at least sixteen rounds is most essential.
WHY 64  16 ROUNDS? There are certain
conditions about the quality and serving the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
 NOI : Everyone begins his devotional life from the
neophyte stage, but if one properly finishes chanting the
prescribed number of rounds of hari-näma, he is
elevated step by step to the highest platform, uttama-
adhikäré.
 The Kåñëa consciousness movement prescribes sixteen
rounds daily because people in the Western
countries cannot concentrate for long periods
while chanting on beads. Therefore the
minimum number of rounds is prescribed.
WHY 64  16 ROUNDS? There are certain conditions about the quality and
serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

 However, Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura used to say that unless one chants
at least sixty-four rounds of japa (one hundred thousand names), he is considered
fallen (patita). According to his calculation, practically every one of us is fallen, but
because we are trying to serve the Supreme Lord with all seriousness and without
duplicity, we can expect the mercy of Lord Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, who is famous as
patita-pävana, the deliverer of the fallen.

 NOI : The conclusion is that anyone who is trying to advance in Kåñëa consciousness
by regularly chanting the holy name should always be respected by Vaiñëavas. On the
other hand, we have witnessed that some of our contemporaries who are supposed to
be great preachers have gradually fallen into the material conception of life because
they have failed to chant the holy name of the Lord.
 The most imp instruction of the spiritual
master is chanting the holy names which
will take one from kanishtha 
madhyama
 CC Antya 4.71
tära madhye sarva-çreñöha
näma-saìkértana
niraparädhe näma laile
päya prema-dhana

TRANSLATION
“Of the nine processes of devotional service,
the most important is to always chant the
holy name of the Lord. If one does so,
avoiding the ten kinds of offenses, one very
easily obtains the most valuable love of
The Nectar of
Instruction