three types
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Imported quote 15446 Now, amongst the devotees there are three classes, according to the degree of conviction: The first class devotee is one who is conversant with all kinds of Vedic literature, and at the same time has the firm conviction mentioned above. He is a first class devotee, and he can deliver all others from the pangs of material miseries. The second class devotee is firmly convinced and of strong faith, but has no power to cite evidence from revealed Scriptures. The third class devotee is one whose faith is not very strong but is eligible to be promoted to the position of second class devotee or first class devotee by the gradual cultivation of devotional service.
(More...) Imported quote 16006 The followers of Ramakrishna and Meher Baba, as well as adherents of other cults generally found in India, proclaim their spiritual masters to be God Himself. Usually a spiritual master does not contradict this flattery because in this Age of Kali there are many pseudo-spiritual masters who claim to be God. But we do not understand the position of the bona fide spiritual master to be cent percent identical with that of Lord Sri Krsna. For example, in our daily prayer to the spiritual master (nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhū-tale srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine) we offer our respectful obeisances to our spiritual master Srila Prabhupada "who is most dear to Lord Krsna on this earth, having taken shelter of His lotus feet." Srila Prabhupada is most dear to Lord Krsna on this earth because he has indeed taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. "The definition of a pure devotee, as given by Rūpa Gosvami in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, can be summarized thus: his service is favorable and is always in relation to Krsna." (NOD, ii) Lord Sri Krsna Himself states that one who explains the science of Bhagavad-gita is most dear to Him: "There is no servant in the world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear." (Bg., 18.69) In Srimad-Bhagavatam the position of the pure devotee is further explained: "The asuras [demons] are gradually rectified into God consciousness by the mercy of the Lord's liberated servitors in different countries and climates according to the supreme will. Such devotees of God are very confidential associates of the Lord, and when they come to save the human society from the dangers of godlessness, they are known sometimes as the powerful incarnation of the Lord, the Son of the Lord, the servant of the Lord or the associate of the Lord, but none of them declare falsely that they are themselves God. This blasphemy is declared by the asuras, and the demoniac followers of such asuras also accept a pretender as God or His incarnation." (Bhag., Canto I, p. 123-124)
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