Madhukar Prabhu made a Quizlet set for the first 17 verses (and may add more). They're really useful! You can open up in your browser or download an app for Android or iOS. Here is his video demonstrating some ways to use Quizlet.
Here is a recording of Madhukar Prabhu reciting slokas 1 - 17, and also Madhukar Prabhu reciting slokas 1- 17 three times each.
Here is his PDF of slokas 1-17, and his Word Document of slokas 1-17.
Śʟᴏᴋᴀ Sᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ: Wʜᴏ ɪs ᴀɴ ᴋᴀɴɪṣᴛ̣ʜᴀ-ᴀᴅʜɪᴋᴀ̄ʀɪ̄?
arcāyām eva haraye
pūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehate
na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu
sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.47)
① arcāyām – in the ritualistic process of worship; eva – certainly; haraye – unto Śrī Hari; ② pūjām – offering worship; yaḥ – who; śraddhayā – with faith; īhate – endeavours; ③ na – not; tad- bhakteṣu – to Śrī Hari’s devotees; ca – yet; anyeṣu – to other beings; ④ saḥ – he; bhaktaḥ – devotee; prākṛtaḥ – a material; smṛtaḥ – considered.
A person who endeavors whole heartedly in the ritualistic worship of the Deity form of Śrī Hari according to worldly faith yet does not worship the devotees of Śrī Hari whose bodies are also temples of Śrī Hari, nor offer respect to other living entities, is known as a materialistic, or kaniṣṭha, devotee.
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Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad recites the whole verse and discussed it alongside Verse 17 in a lecture from February , 1967 in San Francisco. You can hear him recite the whole verse at 3:16 .
There are three kinds of devotees: kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, madhyama-adhikārī and mahā-bhāgavata, bhāgavata, or those who are in the lower status, those who are in the middle status and those who are in the highest status. Those who are in the lower status are beginners, devotees. For them, the description is that:
- arcāyām eva haraye
- yaḥ pūjām śraddhayehate
- na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu
- sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ
- (SB 11.2.47)
"In the lower stage, a devotee goes to the temple or to the church or to the mosque, with great devotion and faith offers prayers to the Lord, but he has no knowledge about other devotees," na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu, "and he does not know the duty to others."
A devotee should not be satisfied simply by elevating himself in spiritual advancement. He has got other duties also. What is that other duties? That those who are innocent, those who are not interested . . . everyone is interested, but there are persons who have forgotten his relationship with God. Therefore it is the duty of the devotee to enlighten others. That is required.
Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he also preached the sense of God, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is the duty of devotee. It is the duty of good son of God, but the . . . those who are in the lower status, they have not developed such consciousness that, "I have to preach the philosophy of God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness to others." They are simply satisfied themself. They go to the church or mosque or temple, offer their prayers in devotion. That's all. So the next stage is one who is advanced spiritualist, he has got four visions.
- īśvare tad-adhīneṣu
- bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca
- prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā
- yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ
- (SB 11.2.46)
"A person who knows what is God, and knows also who is a devotee, and knows also who is innocent, and knows also who is atheist . . ." there are four kinds of people. So atheist, innocent, devotee and, er, yes, three classes, and God. God, God's devotee. One, God; second, God's devotee; third, innocent persons; and fourth, atheist.
So a person who has elevated himself to the second stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he has got four kinds of dealings. First thing is, because he knows God, therefore he loves God, prema. His only lovable object is God, or Kṛṣṇa. And the second is the . . . he makes friendship with the devotees of God. First thing is, because he loves God, therefore he makes friendship with the devotees of God. But God is the center. If you love God, then you can love others also very perfectly.
For example . . . of course, in your country I do not know, but in our country, suppose a girl is married to a boy, and the boy has got father, mother, brothers and so many other relatives. As soon as the girl comes to the house of her husband, the father of the husband becomes the father-in-law, or the mother of the husband becomes mother-in-law. So he has got . . . she has got some duty to the father-in-law, to the mother-in-law, to the brother-in-law; but before marriage, she had no connection with these, all these people.
Similarly, as soon as you make your connection revived . . . the connection is permanent. Your relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or God, is eternal, but we have forgotten. So as soon as it is revived, "Oh, I am the part and parcel of the Supreme," or "I am son of the Supreme," then your relationship with other sons of God becomes clear. That is universal brotherhood.
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In another San Francisco lecture in March 1967, Srila Prabhupad said about this verse
: "In the beginning stage, he offers respect to the Deity in the church or in the temple or in the mosque, according to different religious conception, but he has no idea who is actually devotee, and what is his duty towards other. He does not know. This is the first stage. But he has got good faith in religion and in God. That is the beginning."
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In a Lecture in Mayapur in February 1977, Srila Prabhupad said,
Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, madhyama-adhikārī and mahā-bhāgavata, or uttama-adhikārī. Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, in the beginning they have to be taught how to worship the Deity very perfectly. According to the instruction of the śāstra, according instruction of the guru, one must learn how to worship Deity.
- arcāyām eva haraye yaḥ
- pūjāṁ śraddhāyehate
- na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu
- sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ
- (SB 11.2.47)
But one must make advance. This is advancement of devotional service. By simply we remain stuck up in Deity worship, we do not feel for others—na cānyeṣu na tad-bhakta—you do not know who is devotee, how to worship him, then we remain kaniṣṭha-adhikārī. And madhyama-adhikārī means he must know his position, others' position, devotee's position, God's position, and that is madhyma-adhikārī. Īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca (SB 11.2.46). He'll have four kinds of vision: Bhagavān, īśvara; tad-adhīneṣu, he's one who has taken shelter of Bhagavān—that means devotee—īśvare tad-adhīneṣu; baliśu, innocent children, just like these children, baliśa, arbhakaḥ; and dviṣatsu, envious. A madhyama-adhikārī can see these four different persons, and he deals with them differently. What is that? Prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā. Īśvara, to love God, Kṛṣṇa, prema. And maitrī. Maitrī means to make friendship. One who is devotee, we should make friendship with him. We should not be envious; we should make friend. Maitrī. And innocent, just like these children, kṛpa—to show them mercy, how they'll become devotee, how they'll learn chanting, dancing, give them food, give them education. This is called kṛpa. And last, upekṣā. Upekṣā means those who are envious, don't take; don't associate with them. Upekṣā. "No, let him . . ."
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During a morning walk in New Braj in 2007, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj had Sripad Padmanabha Maharaj recite this verse and then had this discussion
Aniruddha dasa: Can a kanistha Vaisnava preach properly?
Srila Gurudeva: What will he preach? He barely knows anything about siddhanta. He should serve madhyama-adhikari Vaisnavas and hear from them. Then he will be able to preach properly.
Devotee: Didn't Srila Svami Maharaja Prabhupada use only kanisthas to spread Krsna consciousness all over the world?
Srila Gurudeva: He used to tell them that preaching means distribution of books, reading, and associating with higher classes of Vaisnavas. How can a kanistha Vaisnava preach properly if he only knows arcana and worship of his Gurudeva? What can he preach if he doesn't factually understand the other limbs of bhakti, if he cannot differentiate between the uttama, madhyama, and kanistha-adhikari, and if he does not properly understand bhakti-siddhanta?
Devotee: Even though we were kanistha, we always said we were madhyama – because we preached.
Srila Gurudeva: Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja wanted to somehow engage all those who came to him. He wanted them to develop a taste for bhakti. He considered that by doing the services he gave them they would advance in Krsna consciousness. This was his motive.
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In one of his last lectures in Mayapur, February, 1995, Srila Gour Govinda Swami said
In this connection we'll also speak about who is a kanishta-adhikari:
arcayam eva haraye
pujam yah sraddayehate
na tad-bhaktesu canyesu
sa bhaktah prakrtah smrtah
(Bhag. 11.2.47)
A kanistha-adhikari is one who offers worship to the Deity form of Lord Hari, arca-vigraha, according to laukika-sraddha (ordinary faith), not sastriya-sraddha (faith based on sastra). It is a question of sraddha. Two types of sraddha are there, sastriya-sraddha and laukika sraddha. When we speak of sraddha we mean sastriya-sraddha. One should develop sastriya-sraddha, not laukika sraddha. And, na tad-bhaktesu canyesu sa bhaktah prakrtah smrtah, one who doesn't pay respect to hari bhakta, the devotee of Lord Hari, and isn't compassionate toward other living entities in whom Lord Hari is present, he is a kanistha-bhakta.
Śʟᴏᴋᴀ Sɪxᴛᴇᴇɴ: Wʜᴏ ɪs ᴀ ᴍᴀᴅʜʏᴀᴍᴀ-ᴀᴅʜɪᴋᴀ̄ʀɪ̄?
īsvare tad-adhīneṣu
bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca
prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā
yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.46)
① īsvare – for Bhagavān; tad-adhīneṣu – for Bhagavān’s subordinates [the devotees]; ② bāliśeṣu – towards the innocent; dviṣatsu – to the envious; ca – and; ③ prema – love and affection; maitrī – friendship; kṛpā – mercy; upekṣā – neglect; ④ yaḥ – who; karoti – has; saḥ – he; madhyamaḥ – [is] a middle-class devotee.
A madhyama-bhāgavata is one who has love for īśvara and His pure devotees, friendship towards His bhaktas, shows mercy towards those who are innocent [in regard to bhakti] and neglects those who are inimical to īśvara or His bhaktas.
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Lecture by Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupad, Bombay December 1974, on SB 03.25.36. Whole lecture is relevant.
Excerpt:
So, śrī-vigraha-darśanam. This temple is situated to give people the facility as it is described here. Tair darśanīya avayavaiḥ udāra. We have to see the Deity beginning from the lotus feet, not jumping over the smiling face. That is the way. First of all you try to see. And when you are practiced . . . try to see the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, and when you are practiced to this habit, even after visiting the temple if you go home, if you are practice to see the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, that is meditation. So darśanīya avayavaiḥ: "Different limbs." First of all feet, then the thighs, then the belt, then the chest, then you reach the smiling face. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's form . . . if you meditate on Kṛṣṇa's form, that is Kṛṣṇa. So we associate with Kṛṣṇa, His smiling face, His flute, His hand, His dress, His consort, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī or any other gopis, surrounded by. In this way, practice this habit of observing the Supreme Lord. Therefore He has appeared arcā-vigraha, so that we can see Him.
In our present eyes even Kṛṣṇa comes, but we have no eyes to see. Therefore for the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī . . . there are three kinds of devotees: kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, madhyama-adhikārī and uttama-adhikārī. Uttama-adhikārī means first class, most advanced and madhyama-adhikārī means in the middle stage, not very advanced, not very lower and kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, just the neophyte, beginning. So for the beginners it is recommended that you see the Deity daily or always. Beginning from the lotus feet, as you are practiced, then go up to the smiling face. And hear also Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Simply if you try to see and if you don't hear, then it will not stay very much. Therefore we see practically in many temples, because there is no discussion about Kṛṣṇa, simply a Deity is there, people go for some time, then gradually, especially those who are educated, so-called educated, they do not feel very much interested. And it has actually happened so. Many temples, they are not visited even by the devotees, because there must be also hearing about. Two things must go on, the Deity must be worshiped—this is called pāñcarātriki-vidhi—and to hear about the Supreme from Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Vedic literature—that is called bhāgavata-vidhi.
So the pāñcarātriki-vidhi and bhāgavata-vidhi must go parallel. Then one, even one is a neophyte, gradually he will come to the intermediate stage between the neophyte stage and to the advanced stage. And of course, it is very difficult to find out one in very advanced stage. But there are. There are many advanced stage. At least, the spiritual master is supposed to be in the advanced stage, but for preaching purpose he come down in that intermediate stage, for preaching work. Because the advanced stage, there is no discrimination that "Here is a devotee, and here is a nondevotee." Because advanced devotee sees that everyone is devotee except himself. The advanced devotee sees that he is not a devotee, but all others are devotees. This is advanced. But in the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, in the neophyte stage, they simply concentrate on the Deity. Arcāyām eva haraye yaḥ pūjāṁ śraddhayā īhate. That is required in the beginning. According to the prescribed duties as they are mentioned in the scriptures, one must take care of the Deity. But that, unless a little farther advanced, he does not know who is a devotee and what is his function with others. In the madhyama-adhikāra, when one still farther advances, he has got four kind of visions:he pāñcarātriki-vidhi and bhāgavata-vidhi must go parallel. Then one, even one is a neophyte, gradually he will come to the intermediate stage between the neophyte stage and to the advanced stage. And of course, it is very difficult to find out one in very advanced stage. But there are. There are many advanced stage. At least, the spiritual master is supposed to be in the advanced stage, but for preaching purpose he come down in that intermediate stage, for preaching work. Because the advanced stage, there is no discrimination that "Here is a devotee, and here is a nondevotee." Because advanced devotee sees that everyone is devotee except himself. The advanced devotee sees that he is not a devotee, but all others are devotees. This is advanced. But in the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, in the neophyte stage, they simply concentrate on the Deity. Arcāyām eva haraye yaḥ pūjāṁ śraddhayā īhate. That is required in the beginning. According to the prescribed duties as they are mentioned in the scriptures, one must take care of the Deity. But that, unless a little farther advanced, he does not know who is a devotee and what is his function with others. In the madhyama-adhikāra, when one still farther advances, he has got four kind of visions:
īśvare tad-adhīneṣu
bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca
prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā
yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ
(SB 11.2.46)
Madhyama-adhikārī is not only interested in Deity worship, but he knows who is a devotee and who is innocent and who is Bhagavān. Īśvara tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu. Bāliśa means innocent. There are many innocent men, they . . . actually, they do not know what is to be done, who is God. They are innocent. They are not offender. But there are other others who are offenders, dviṣat. Dviṣat means envious. They are immediately envious as soon as they hear of a devotee of God. They are called envious, dviṣat. So madhyama-adhikārī, he knows God, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). So he wants to develop his love for Kṛṣṇa. Avyartha-kālaṁ vasati, nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ. The madhyama-adhikārī, he wants to see that not a moment is wasted without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is madhyama-adhikārī. Avyartha-kālatvam (CC Madhya 23.18-19). He's always careful that "Whether I am, this is . . . spoiling the valuable time of my life." That is the first qualification of madhyama-adhikārī. Avyartha-kālatvam. Because we have got very short period, living period. We do not know when we shall die. There is no certainty. Foolish people may think that, "I shall live forever," but that is foolishness. Life is very transient. At any moment we can die. Therefore those who are advanced devotee, they want to see that, "I have got very short period of life at my disposal . . ." Therefore, he is very anxious to utilize every moment for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is madhyama-adhikārī. Avyartha-kālatvam.
And nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ: "And he has got special taste for chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra." Nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ. Vasati tad . . . prītis tad-vasati sthale (CC Madhya 23.18-19): "And he is very much anxious to live in such places like Vṛndāvana, Dvārakā, Mathurā, where Kṛṣṇa lived." Tad-vasati sthale. Vasati means residential. When Kṛṣṇa appears on this planet, He lives in Mathurā, Vṛndāvana, Dvārakā dhāma. So a devotee also, advanced devotee, they want to live in the residential places of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, God, has got His residential places everywhere. That's a fact. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). He is residing even within the atom. But still, He has got special residential places like Vṛndāvana, Dvārakā, Mathurā. So a devotee is anxious to live in those places.
Prītis tad-vasati sthale, nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ, avyartha-kālatvam. Their business is to increase love of God. To increase love of God means there is also process, how to increase. The process is given by Rūpa Gosvāmī:
ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā
tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā tataḥ rucis
athāsaktis tato bhāvas . . .
sādhakānām ayaṁ premṇaḥ prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ
(CC Madhya 23.14-15)
These are the gradual steps. Śraddhā. Śraddhā means faith. Faith is the beginning. Without faith, you cannot make . . . there is no question of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Faith means that faith is created after reading Bhagavad-gītā. If you read Bhagavad-gītā carefully and if you actually understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, then the faith will be created. Without reading Bhagavad-gītā, there is no question of faith in Kṛṣṇa. So what is that faith? That Kṛṣṇa says that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So, "You give up all other engagements. You just surrender to Me, and I shall give you protection." So if we have got faith, if we believe in the words of Kṛṣṇa, that is called faith. If we don't believe in the words of Kṛṣṇa, if we study as a literary thesis and then throw it away, that is not faith.
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End of excerpt
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Lecture by Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupad in Nairobi, October 1975.
Excerpt:
So therefore, for kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, he has to raise himself.
arcāyām eva haraye
yaḥ pūjāṁ śraddhayehate
na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu
sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ
(SB 11.2.47)
By executing this arca-vigraha, arcanam, gradually you advance. But if you simply remain in the arcana-viddhi or arcana process, and you cannot understand who is a bhakta and what to do with others . . . that is also a bhakta's duty, not that simply we shall remain engaged in arcana. We must know how to respect devotee, how to do some service to others also. That is madhyama-adhikārī. Simply if you become satisfied that, "Now I am initiated and I am offering arcana. I have become perfect," no, the perfection is still awaiting. You have to understand who is a devotee. You have to understand how to give service to the innocent. If you do not know that, then if you simply become packed up by arca-vigraha-seva, arcana, then you will remain in the material platform.
Na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu sa bhaktaḥ prakṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ. Prakṛtaḥ means material. He is trying to go to the spiritual platform, but if he simply remains in the arcana and does not preach, this is na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu. Anyeṣu. Anyeṣu means those who are innocent. That is madhyama-adhikārī, middle stage.
īśvare tad-adhīneṣu
bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca
prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣa
yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ
(SB 11.2.46)
Īśvara. Then, by arca-vigraha worship, by śravana-kīrtana, by making your properly advanced, you will understand what is the position of Kṛṣṇa, īśvara. And īśvare tad-adhīneṣu. And adhīna. Adhīna means those who are working for Kṛṣṇa. They are called tad-adhīna. Adhīna means subordinate.
So every devotee is subordinate. Nobody is equal to Kṛṣṇa.
End of excerpt.
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Lecture by Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupad in Vrindavan November 1976.
Excerpt
Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, madhyama-adhikārī, and then uttama-adhikārī. He is parama-bhāgavata. He has no enemy. Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, he worships the Deity, but he does not know how to do good to others, neither he knows who is devotee. In the kaniṣṭha-adhikara, in the lower stage of devotional service, one cannot distinguish. But he should be engaged fully in Deity worship so that gradually he will develop his mahā-bhāgavata stage. And madhyama-adhikārī means he knows how to make others hari-jana, or devotee.
īśvare tad-adhīneṣu
bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca
prema-maitrī-kṛpa upekṣā
yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ
(SB 11.2.46)
He not only worships the Deity wholeheartedly . . . That is prema. Īśvare prema. But beyond that, tad adhīneṣu—he knows how to respect the devotees, tad adhīneṣu. Īśvara adhīneṣu, that means other devotees. Then he becomes madhyama-adhikārī. If he simply takes care of the Deity worship and if he does not offer respectful behavior to another devotee, he is kaniṣṭha-adhikārī. He is in the lower stage. So īśvare tad adhīneṣu. He must see that "Here is a devotee." He must have power to see that "Here is a devotee."
So how to deal with devotee? Maitrī: to make friendship with him. Īśvare prema. And to the devotees, friendship; not with others, friendship. Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised. When He was asked by a gṛhastha devotee how to behave like a Vaiṣṇava, what is the behavior of a Vaiṣṇava, He immediately answered that the standard Vaiṣṇavism is asat-saṅga-tyāga,—ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra (CC Madhya 22.87): "He must give up the company of asat, nondevotees." Asato mā sad gamaḥ: don't associate with nondevotee. If you want to make progress, don't associate. Associate does not mean to talk with a nondevotee is association. No. That we have to do. As gentlemen, as devotee, we can. But not intimately. Associate means dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva, guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca (Upadeśāmṛta 4). These are intimate relationship, dealing: giving something to your friend, accepting something from your friend, feeding your friend, accept food from him, and disclose your mind to your friend and understand his mind. Ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam (Upadeśāmṛta 4).
So with devotee we should deal in six ways, ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti. Īśvare prema tad-adhīneṣu maitrī. This is friendly behavior. And kṛpa bāliśeṣu: those who are innocent, does not know what is God or what is our relationship with Him, but they are not atheist—they do not know—to such persons, kṛpa, daya. Īṣvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu. And there is a class, dviṣat, sura-dviṣat, simply atheist. As soon as they hear the name of God, Kṛṣṇa, they become angry.
End of excerpt
Śʟᴏᴋᴀ Fɪғᴛᴇᴇɴ: Wʜᴏ ɪs ᴀɴ ᴜᴛᴛᴀᴍᴀ-ᴀᴅʜɪᴋᴀ̄ʀɪ̄?
sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyed
bhagavad-bhāvam ātmanaḥ
bhūtāni bhagavaty ātmany
eṣa bhāgavatottamaḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.45)
① sarva-bhūteṣu – within all beings; yaḥ – who; paśyet – perceives; ② bhagavad-bhāvam – the existence of Bhagavān; ātmanaḥ – within himself; ③ bhūtāni – and all beings; bhagavati ātmani – within Bhagavān; ④ eṣaḥ – that person; bhāgavata-uttamaḥ – is the uttama-bhāgavata.
OR
① sarva-bhūteṣu – within all beings; yaḥ – who; paśyet – can perceive; ② bhagavad-bhāvam – ecstatic mood, or bhāva, towards Bhagavān; ātmanaḥ – his own; ③ bhūtāni – and all beings; bhagavati ātmani – within Bhagavān; ④ eṣaḥ – that person; bhāgavata-uttamaḥ – is the uttama-bhāgavata.
One who perceives the existence of Bhagavān within all beings, including his own, and the existence of all beings within Bhagavān is an uttama-bhāgavata
OR
One who perceives [just like the gopīs] his own bhagavad- bhāva, ecstatic mood of attraction towards Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra, in the hearts of all jīvas and sees all beings within Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra is an uttama-bhāgavata.
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Quoted by Sri Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu when speaking with Raya Ramananda, CC.M.8.275, and when speaking with Sanatan Goswami, CC.M.22.72, and when speaking with Prakāśānanda Sarasvati in CC.M.25.129.
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Quoted in Jaiva Dharma Chapter 8:
“An uttama Vaiṣṇava perceives that all living beings love Bhagavān with the same particular feeling of transcendental love that he himself cherishes towards his iṣṭadeva. He also perceives that Bhagavān feels a reciprocal attitude of love towards all living beings. An uttama Vaiṣṇava has no disposition other than this.”
Also cited by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur in the famous Article on Vaishnav-Ninda.
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Cited by Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupad in purport to CC.M.8.44
The Lord replied to Rāmānanda Rāya, “Sir, you are the best of the topmost devotees; therefore simply the sight of you has melted everyone’s heart.
Purport
Unless one is a first-class devotee, he cannot be a preacher. A preacher is generally a topmost devotee, but in order to meet the general populace, he has to come to distinguish between devotees and nondevotees. Otherwise, an advanced devotee makes no such distinctions. Indeed, he always sees that everyone is engaged in the service of the Lord. When one engages in preaching work, he must distinguish between people and understand that some people are not engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. The preacher then has to take compassion upon such innocent people who do not know how to worship the Lord. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.45), the symptoms of a topmost devotee are described as follows:
sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyed bhagavad-bhāvam ātmanaḥ
bhūtāni bhagavaty ātmany eṣa bhāgavatottamaḥ
“The advanced devotee sees that all living entities are part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everyone is in Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is also within everyone. Such a vision is possible only for a person who is very advanced in devotional service.”
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Cited by Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupad in purport to CC.M.16.74
Symptoms of a first-class devotee are given in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.45):
sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyed bhagavad-bhāvam ātmanaḥ
bhūtāni bhagavaty ātmany eṣa bhāgavatottamaḥ“The most advanced devotee sees within everything the soul of all souls, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Consequently, he sees everything in relation to the Supreme Lord and understands that everything that exists is eternally situated within the Lord.”
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