advancement / levels
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Imported quote 13663 Attachment for the Supreme can be increased by practicing devotional service, inquiring about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, applying bhakti-yoga in life, worshiping the Yogesvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and by hearing and chanting about the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These actions are pious in themselves.
(More...) These devotees are also divided into three categories: the associates, those perfected in devotional service, and those newly engaged in devotional service. When a person is never tired of executing devotional service and is always engaged in Krsna conscious activities, constantly relishing the transcendental mellows in relationship with Krsna, the devotee is called perfect. This perfectional stage can be achieved in two ways: one may achieve this stage of perfection by gradual progress in devotional service, or one may become perfect by the causeless mercy of Krsna, even though he has not executed all the details of devotional service. There is the following nice statement in the Third Canto, 15th Chapter, 25th verse, of Srimad-Bhagavatam describing a devotee who achieves perfection by regularly executing devotional service: A person who is freed from the false egotism of material existence, or an advanced mystic, is eligible to enter into the kingdom of God known as Vaikuntha. Such a mystic becomes so joyful by constant execution of the regulative principles of devotional service that he thereby achieves the special favor of the Supreme Lord. Yamaraja, the mighty superintendent of death, is afraid to go near such a devotee; so we can imagine the potency of advanced devotional service, especially when devotees sit together and engage in talking of the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those devotees express their feelings in such a way that they automatically melt with ecstasy, and many transcendental symptoms become manifested in their bodies. Anyone desiring advancement in devotional service must follow in the footsteps of such devotees.
(More...) Just as devotees are sometimes perfected by devotional service, so some of them are eternally perfect. In the regulative principle of devotional service, according to the advanced standard and the beginner's standard, there are sixteen kinds of devotees in transcendental loving service of the Lord. Therefore, such Atmaramas can be considered to exist in 32 divisions. If you apply the words Muni, Nirgrantha, Cha and Api in the 32 classes, then it becomes a description of 58 different types of devotees. All these devotees can be sheltered by one word: Atmarama. Just as in the forest, there may be different kinds of trees, but only by saying that there are trees there, the meaning is understood.
(More...) Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/?qg=5665
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