Bhakti Sandarbha 190 : Definition of a Neophyte Devotee

Anuccheda 190

Definition of a Neophyte Devotee

अथ भगवद्धर्माचरणरूपेण कायिकेन किञ्चिन् मानसेन च लिङ्गेन कनिष्ठं लक्षयति (भा. ११.२.४७)—

अर्चायामेव हरये पूजां यः श्रद्धयेहते।

न तद्भक्तेषु चान्येषु स भक्तः प्राकृतः स्मृतः॥

Now the sage Havi defines the neophyte devotee in terms of his outward behavior in regard to the service of Bhagavān, and to a partial extent, in terms of his psychological disposition:

One who faithfully worships Bhagavān Hari only in the form of the deity, but does not render service to Bhagavān’s devotees or to other living beings is a neophyte devotee. (SB 11.2.47)

अर्चायां प्रतिमायामेव, न तद्भक्तेषु, अन्येषु च सुतरां न, भगवत्प्रेमाभावद्भक्तमाहात्म्यज्ञानाभावात् सर्वादरलक्षणभक्तगुणानुदयाच्च। स प्राकृतः प्रकृतिः प्रारम्भोऽधुनैव प्रारब्धभक्तिरित्यर्थः। इयं च श्रद्धा न शास्त्रार्थावधारणजाता।

This verse states that the neophyte devotee worships Bhagavān only in the form of the deity. He does not perceive Bhagavān’s presence in His devotees and consequently not in other living beings either. This is because the neophyte has not developed love for Bhagavān; he is without comprehension of the glory of the devotees and has not yet acquired reverence for all living beings, which is the fundamental quality of a devotee. Such a person is called a neophyte, which means that his nature is that of a beginner, or one who has just recently adopted the path of bhakti. His śraddhā, or faith, is not the outcome of understanding the conclusions of scripture, because he is devoid of scriptural knowledge. This attitude is characterized in this statement:

यस्यात्मबुद्धिः कुणपे त्रिधातुके

स्वधीः कलत्रादिषु भौम इज्यधीः।

यत्तीर्थबुद्धिः सलिले न कर्हिचि-

ज्जनेष्वभिज्ञेषु स एव गोखरः॥ (भा. १०.८४.१३) इत्यादि शास्त्राज्ञानात्।

One who believes this corpse-like body, which is comprised of the three elements, mucus, bile, and air, to be one’s self; who thinks his wife, children, and others to be his very own; who regards earthen images as objects of worship; or who accepts the water of a river to be a place of pilgrimage, but who never considers those who have realized the Absolute to be as dear as the self, as intimate relations, as worshipable, or as purifying places of pilgrimage, is to be considered as an ass among animals. (SB 10.84.13)

तस्माल्लोकपरम्पराप्राप्तैवेति पूर्ववत्। अतश्चाजातप्रेमा शास्त्रीयश्रद्धायुक्तः साधकस्तु मुख्यो कनिष्ठो ज्ञेयः॥

The faith of the neophyte, therefore, arises only out of social conventions, as described earlier. Thus a spiritual aspirant in whom divine love has not yet manifested but who is endowed with faith rooted in scriptural knowledge is to be understood as the primary standard of a neophyte devotee.

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Commentary by Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji

Earlier it was said that śraddhā is the beginning qualification required for bhakti. This śraddhā can come from one’s own social environment or by listening to śāstra. In India, generally it is seen that certain areas or certain villages worship a particular deity. Those who are born in those particular areas naturally tend to be devoted to that particular deity, since they see their seniors worshiping it from their very childhood. They also participate in local festivals related to that deity. All this creates saṁskāras in their mind and when they grow up they also continue the tradition of worshiping that deity. It becomes a social convention. If one does not conform to it, then one feels separated from his community. That naturally creates a problem in one's social life. Thus it is seen that the worship of Kṛṣṇa, Rāma, Ganeśa, Śiva, Kālī and so on are popular in different parts of India. These worsipers have almost no knowledge of śāstra. They just do what others do.

The same of course applies to the practitioners of other religions like Christianity. Because such religious practice has no basis in knowledge of either scripture or theology, it tends to be weak and prone to countering arguments and the loss of faith.

The other type of śraddhā is that which comes by listening to śāstra from a qualified devotee. This is the śraddhā that forms the basis of three types of eligible bhaktas defined in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.17-19). Such bhaktas are very rare.

There is a third category these days. These are the people who come to the bhakti-mārga because of influence of preaching. They have not properly studied the śāstra, but they are not completely ignorant of it like the first group.

Most bhaktas these days belong to the first two groups. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī comments that the prime neophyte is one whose śraddhā is based upon śāstra. He is described in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.19) as follows, "One whose śraddhā is weak is called a neophyte."

Śrī Jīva while commenting on this verse writes that though the neophyte is not very expert in arguing on the basis of śāstra and thus it is possible that an opponent can refute him by giving arguments contrary to bhakti, but this does not mean that he will give it up. He may feel disturbed for some time but will fix his mind on bhakti again. The type of neophyte described by Havi is different. He can only feel the presence of Bhagavān in the deity but not in other living beings, including the devotees. A madhyama-bhakta has respect for devotees because he knows their greatness. He also knows that disrespecting devotees is displeasing to Bhagavān. Therefore, he treats them in a friendly manner.