The Pure Devotee Excuse

By krishnasmercy on October 14, 2026 • ( 0 )

“If a person has the dress of a sadhu and speaks sweet words but is bitter and unclean in their mind and deeds, then Tulsi says they have no prayer of attaining Shri Rama, as they are like the fish stuck in the dark ocean of material sense objects.” (Dohavali, 153)

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बेष बिसद बोलनि मधुर मन कटु करम मलीन
तुलसी राम न पाइऐ भएँ बिषय जल मीन

beṣa bisada bolani madhura mana kaṭu karama malīna
tulasī rāma na pāiai bhae~ biṣaya jala mīna

“Once again, I have to apologize, at the beginning. Before I roll out the criticism, understand that I intend no harm. These are merely my observations. Take them for what they are worth, which is not much. Perhaps this is the contrarian side in me emerging. I see a group of people doing one thing, and my instinct is to do the opposite. I want to know why exactly they are behaving that way. I look for flaws. I search out contradictions, which I can then use as my excuse for not following them.

“In this situation, the problem is what I will refer to as ‘the pure devotee excuse.’ I am sure you are familiar with the phenomenon. An esteemed spiritual leader comes to town. It is a stop on their latest tour of the world. Supporters, admirers, disciples, and even those only casually interested decide to attend the gathering. They just have to see this special person. Why? What is the reason? Well, this person is a pure devotee, of course.

“What is a pure devotee? Fear not, as I am familiar with the textbook definition, as presented by the Vaishnava acharyas, described in detail in their many books. You see, a devotee is a bhakta. They are someone who has affection, affiliation, or even gravitation towards a particular person. In this case, the object of the devotion is the Supreme Lord. He has many names, chief among them is Krishna, identified particularly in the tradition of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Krishna is also known as Hari, Rama, Narasimha, Vishnu, Bhagavan, Achyuta, and Purushottama. There is an entire prayer consisting only of the names of God the person, wherein the count exceeds one thousand in number.

“The issue with such devotion is that there might be mitigating factors. There are outside interests. For instance, I worship Hari because I want a new car. I worship because I want to succeed in business or I hope that my family members make it through the latest surgical operation. I might want to ascend to the heavenly region, to enjoy for a long period of time. Whatever the case, I always want something. That wanting is the indication of impurity in the devotion.

“A pure devotee does not want anything. They are special, in that regard. The potential impurities are nicely categorized through three Sanskrit words: bhukti, mukti, siddhi. These are ordinary enjoyment, liberation, and perfection in mysticism. The pure devotee does not want anything, including these rewards. They are devoted only for the sake of devotion. To me, the ideal example in this regard is Lakshmana, the younger brother of Shri Rama. He not only follows pure devotion through his visible actions of self-sacrifice, but he affirms the spirit through kind words offered directly to the object of worship.”

परवानस्मि काकुत्स्थ त्वयि वर्षशतं स्थिते
स्वयं तु रुचिरे देशे क्रियतामिति मां वद

paravānasmi kākutstha tvayi varṣaśataṃ sthite
svayaṃ tu rucire deśe kriyatāmiti māṃ vada

“O Rama, for as long as You shall stand before me, even if it be for one hundred years, I will always remain Your servant. Therefore You should be the one to choose a beautiful and appropriate place for the cottage. After You have selected a spot, please then command me to start building.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 15.7)

“That is well and good. I understand the meaning, but the people I described above have that title assigned to them. Some of these people are ridiculously fake in their public presentation. You can just tell that they are horrible in private dealings. I am not speculating here; I have heard such claims made by people in the know. If a person raises a legitimate objection, they get shot down. You see, they are criticizing a ‘pure devotee.’ How dare you even think of such a thing! Are you pure? If you are not pure, then don’t offend others who are.

“Then, of course, there is the side of self-imposed limitation. People want to sleep all day. They do not want to do any hard work in sadhana. They use the excuse that they are not a pure devotee. Only their chosen leader has that status. No one else can ever rise to the same. To me, the whole thing sounds like a game. It is a cheap parlor trick. Am I wrong here? Anyone can say anything. I can claim to be a pure devotee to escape accountability for my actions. I can rationalize legitimate blemishes in my leader of choice by saying that they are a pure devotee. Just how do we tell the actual situation? Why should it matter, either?”

It is indeed a difficult issue to navigate. Once a person has the approval of a committee, then it is like they are forever in that highest status. They can broadcast that status far and wide, such that others will feel compelled to follow. Fortunately, Bhagavad-gita provides the parameters necessary for a successful interaction. You see, there must be some kind of interaction. There has to be acceptance of what is being taught. There have to be inquiries made, such that the individual can then deliberate on their own.

तद् विद्धि प्रणिपातेन
परिप्रश्नेन सेवया
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं
ज्ञानिनस् तत्त्व-दर्शिनः

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

One approach to take is to assess the impact of association. A pure devotee tends to lift others up to a higher standard. This might not be through teaching, through writing, or through explicitly guiding. It might just be their example. Others notice their presence, in how they are steady in their devotion, in how they seem to not be interested in anything else in life. Others feel inspired to do the same, to emulate. In the beginning, it might be imitation, but at least there is work applied. That work is like testing out principles that otherwise exist only in theory. The work facilitates vijnana, which is the practical realization of the knowledge that is jnana.

“A living entity, by his constitutional position, cannot be void of all desires (the bhukti-kami, mukti-kami and siddhi-kami all desire something for personal satisfaction), but the nishkami devotees of the Lord desire everything for the satisfaction of the Lord. They are completely dependent on the orders of the Lord and are always ready to discharge their duty for the satisfaction of the Lord.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 2.4.19 Purport)

We have the example of Narada Muni. He literally cannot do anything else, due to a curse. He must roam from place to place. He is always singing the glories of Narayana, who is God. Narada makes such an impact with his presence that he can turn the lowest of the low into the kindest saint. In other words, he can create pure devotees. He once met a hunter who was half-killing animals. This was a kind of sport. Just what instruction was a man in that condition prepared to receive? Imagine simply trying to get them to cool down a bit, and how much effort that would take.

आस्ते-व्यस्ते धाञा आसे। पथ नाहि पाय
पथेर पिपीलिका इति-ुति धरे पाय

āste-vyaste dhāñā āse, patha nāhi pāya
pathera pipīlikā iti-uti dhare pāya

“With great alacrity the hunter began to run toward his spiritual master, but he could not fall down and offer obeisances because ants were running hither and thither around his feet.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 24.270)

Through Narada’s influence, through a back-and-forth, through wisdom and suggestion appropriate to the situation at hand, the hunter became a devotee. The transformation was so drastic that the man would no longer hurt even ants moving on the ground. The recommendation in that case was to give up hunting and move to near a body of water. Take care of a tulasi plant and chant the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The hunter listened. He was a disciple to the spiritual master. From that story we have one indication of the presence of pure devotion. It has the potential to induce others to chant the holy names as their way of life.