dadati pratigrihnati
guhyam akhyati pricchati
bhunkte bhojayate caiva
shad-vidham priti-lakshanam

Offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing one's mind in confidence, enquiring confidentially, accepting prasadam and offering prasadam are the six symptoms of love shared by one devotee and another.

Text Four


krishneti yasya giri tam manasadriyeta
dikshasti cet pranatibhish ca bhajantam isham
shushrushaya bhajana-vijñam ananyam anya-
nindadi-shunya-hridam ipsita-sanga-labdhya

One should mentally honour the devotee who chants the holy name of Lord Krishna, one should offer humble obeisances to the devotee who has undergone spiritual intiation [diksha] and is engaged in worshipping the Deity, and one should associate with and faithfully serve that pure devotee who is advanced in undeviated devotional service and whose heart is completely devoide of the propensity to criticise others.

Text Five


drishtaih svabhava-janitair vapushash ca doshair
na prakritatvam iha bhakta janasya pashyet
gangambhasam na khalu budbuda-phena-pankair
brahma-dravatvam apagacchati nira-dharmaih

Being situated in his original Krishna conscious position, a pure devotee does not identify with the body. Such a devotee should not be seen from a materialistic point of view. Indeed, one should overlook a devotee's having a body born in a low family, a body with a bad complexion, a deformed body or a diseased or infirm body. According to ordinary vision, such imperfections may seem prominent in the body of a pure devotee, but despite such seeming defects, the body of a pure devotee cannot be polluted. It is exactly like the waters of the Ganges, which sometimes during the rainy season are full of bubbles, foam and mud. The Ganges waters do not become polluted. Those who are advanced in spiritual understanding will bathe in the Ganges without considering the condition of the water.

Text Six


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