26 Qualities of a Devotee

There are twenty-six qualifications mentioned in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta

SB 3.16.5

यन्नामानि च गृह्णाति लोको भृत्ये कृतागसि ।
सोऽसाधुवादस्तत्कीर्तिं हन्ति त्वचमिवामयः ॥५॥

Text

yan-nāmāni ca gṛhṇāti
loko bhṛtye kṛtāgasi
so ‘sādhu-vādas tat-kīrtiṁ
hanti tvacam ivāmayaḥ

Synonyms

yatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigyat

which; about whom; all these; all those; although; and as; and whichever; anything; as; as a matter of fact; as it is; as its; as much as; as they are; because; because of; because of which; because of whom; by the result of which; by the Supreme Lord; by which; by which way; by whom (the Supreme Lord); by whom; by whose; by whose merciful; even though; everything that was required; fixed under Your direction; for; for which; from both of whom; from him; from which; from whom; from whose; from Yuyudha; he whose; his; His eternal form which; his son; if; in which; in whom; inasmuch as; Kṛṣṇa; now further; of him (Somāpi); of him; of Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune; of the fire-gods; of the Lord; of the Supreme Lord; of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; of which (the intermediate space); of which; of whom (of the Supreme Lord); who; who is; whom; whose; whose form; Your.
—of whom; nāmāniplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bignamani

all the names; different names; His names; His transcendental names; holy names; names; not accepting; possessing names; the holy name, fame, etc; the names; transcendental holy names; transcendental names; transcendental names, etc.
—the names; caplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigca

ca; all these; also; also other bodily forms; also that I have not been able to ask; and (the five gross material elements and the ten acting and knowledge-gathering senses); and; and also; and Devahūti; and for all; and the paraphernalia; as also; as much as; as well; as well as; but; certainly; either; however; indeed; only; or; over and above; respectively; the word ca; this word ca; thus; totally; unlimitedly; verily.
—and; gṛhṇātiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biggṛhṇāti

does accept; He accepts; take.
—take; lokaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biglokah

all living entities; all the planets; all the universes; all the world; and the universe; any person; conditioned souls; everyone; everyone in every planet; in this world; materialistic people in general; people; people in general; persons; planet; promotion to higher planets; such less intelligent persons; the conditioned souls; the general mass of people; the general public; the people; the people in general; the people of the world; the planet; the planetary system; the planets; the whole creation; the world; this material world (where one desires all kinds of impermanent things); this world; universe; world.
—people in general; bhṛtyeplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhṛtye

unto Your servant; when a servant.
—when a servant; kṛtaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkrta

accepted; accepted or assumed; activities; adjusting; already done; by accepting; completed; composed; determination; doing so; done; done by; excited; fixed; had been performed; having done; having made; having performed; made; making; manufactured into different forms; on which is created; performance of; performed; performing; placed; taken; undertaken; with Satya-yuga.
-āgasiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigāgasi

has been offended; has committed something wrong.
—has committed something wrong; saḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsaḥ

mahat-tattva; a person (Kaṁsa); a son; Aghāsura; all; anyone; Bharata Mahārāja; Brahmā; child Parīkṣit; Dakṣa; Dhruva; Dhruva Mahārāja; Dhṛtarāṣṭra; Durvāsā Muni; he (Agastya); he (Aghāsura); he (Ajāmila); he (Ambarīṣa Mahārāja); he (Aṅgirā Ṛṣi); He (Baladeva); he (Bali Mahārāja); he (Brahmā); he (Brahmājī); he (Budha); he (Citraketu); he (Dakṣa); he (Devāpi); he (Dhruva Mahārāja); he (Dhruva); he (Droṇa); he (Durvāsā); he (Emperor Manu); he (Gajendra); he (Garuḍa); he (Hiraṇyakaśipu); he (Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the Daityas); he (Indra); he (Jamadagni); he (Janamejaya); he (Jaḍa Bharata); he (Kardama); he (Kaṁsa); he (King Citraketu); he (King Hūhū); he (King Indra); he (King Kaṁsa); he (King Nīpa); he (King Pṛthu); he (King Rantideva); he (King Āgnīdhra); he (Kārtavīryārjuna); He (Kṛṣṇa); He (Lakṣmaṇa, the brother of Lord Rāmacandra); he (Lord Brahmā); He (Lord Kṛṣṇa); He (Lord Rāmacandra); He (Lord Viṣṇu); he (Lord Śiva); he (Mahārāja Ambarīṣa); he (Mahārāja Bharata); he (Mahārāja Priyavrata); he (Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa); he (Maitreya Muni); he (Manu); he (my father); he (Nahuṣa); he (Nābhāga); he (one who is not self-controlled); he (Prahlāda Mahārāja); he (Purūravā); he (Rantideva); he (Sarvatejā); He (Satyasena); he (Soma, the moon-god); he (Svāyambhuva Manu); he (that hunter); he (that uncivilized Kaṁsa); he (the muni); he (the conditioned soul); he (the devotee); he (the great man); he (the individual soul); he (the King); he (the leader of the elephants); He (the Lord); He (the Personality of Godhead); he (the serpent); he (the sun-god); He (the Supreme Lord); He (the Supreme Person); He (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); he (Vasudeva); he (Vasudeva, also known as Ānakadundubhi); he (Venus); he (Vidura); he (Viśvarūpa); He (Vāmanadeva); he (Vāsudeva); he (Vīrabhadra); he (Vṛtra); he (Vṛtrāsura); he (Śukadeva Gosvāmī); he (Śukrācārya); he (Śūra); he (Ṛcīka); he (Ṛṣyaśṛṅga); he; He alone; he is; he, Durvāsā Muni; he, Hariścandra; he, Jamadagni; he, King Purūravā; he, Kārtavīryārjuna; he, Lord Paraśurāma; He, Lord Rāmacandra; he, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa; he, Mahārāja Sagara; he, Prahlāda Mahārāja; he, Purañjaya; he, Purūravā; he, Rohita; he, Rāvaṇa; he, Saubhari Muni; he, Saubhari Ṛṣi; he, so celebrated; he, Soma; he, the brāhmaṇa; he, the King; He, the Lord; he, Varuṇa; he, Vasiṣṭha; he, Vidura; He, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; Hiraṇyakaśipu; Hiraṇyākṣa; His Lordship; His Lordship the Supreme Personality of Godhead; his son Utkala; I am the same powerful person; is he; it; Jambhāsura; Kardama Muni; Kaśyapa; Kaśyapa Muni; King Dakṣa; King Indra; King Malayadhvaja; King Purañjana; King Pṛthu; King Vena; King Yayāti; Kṛṣṇa; Kṛṣṇa Himself; Lord Brahmā; Lord Kṛṣṇa; Lord Śiva; Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; Mahārāja Bharata; Mahārāja Ikṣvāku; Mahārāja Yayāti; Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira; myself; one such as your good self; one who does so; Prahlāda Mahārāja; Prajāpati Dakṣa; Revata; so myself; someone; such; such a devotee; such a person; such a person as I am; such a personality; Sudyumna; Svāyambhuva Manu; that (great demon Maya Dānava); that (having the above symptoms); that (Supreme Personality of Godhead); that (Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa); that brāhmaṇa; that yoga system; that; that Ajāmila; that arrow; that banyan tree; that boy of the name Vena; whether that person; which; You; Your Lordship; yourself.
—that; asādhuplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigasādhu

a dishonesty; dishonest; dishonest miscreants; disrespectful; mischievous; more abominable; not good; not very good; unsaintly person.
-vādaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvadah

natural conclusion; roar; the thesis; various arguments.
—blame; tatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtat

establishment of the statement tat tvam asi.
—of that person; kīrtimplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkīrtim

glories; glorious activities; reputation; the reputation.
—the reputation; hantiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bighanti

annihilates; cures; destroys; kill; kills; used to kill; will vanquish.
—destroys; tvacamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtvacam

skin; the sense of touch; the skin; the skin of the virāṭ-puruṣa; whose skin.
—the skin; ivaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigiva

almost the same; as; as if; as if it were so; as it; as it is; as it is so; as it was; as it were; as though; certainly; exactly; exactly like; exactly like that; in pursuance of; in the manner of; indeed; just as; just like; like (just as a king exacts taxes for the benefit of the servant or the citizens pay taxes for the benefit of the king); like; like that; like that of; like this; likened; or; quite; seemingly; similarly; simply; somewhat; thus.
—as; āmayaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigāmayaḥ

a disease; diseases; leprosy.
—leprosy.

Translation

A wrong act committed by a servant leads people in general to blame his master, just as a spot of white leprosy on any part of the body pollutes all of the skin.

Purport

A Vaiṣṇava, therefore, should be fully qualified. As stated in the Bhāgavatam, anyone who has become a Vaiṣṇava has developed all the good qualities of the demigods. There are twenty-six qualifications mentioned in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. A devotee should always see that his Vaiṣṇava qualities increase with the advancement of his Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A devotee should be blameless because any offense by the devotee is a scar on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The devotee’s duty is to be always conscious in his dealings with others, especially with another devotee of the Lord.

Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja lists the following twenty-six good qualities of a Vaiṣṇava

SB 5.18.12

Text

yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā
manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ

Synonyms

yasyaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigyasya

anyone; anyone with whom; by which; by whom (the Lord); by whom; for the purpose of; for whom; from whom; He of whom; he who; His; in relationship with anyone; of a man; of Him; of him who; of Indra; of Kṛṣṇa; of Lord Śiva; of one who; of one's; of someone; of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who; of which (body); of which; of which lusty desires; of which nectar; of whom (Ambarīṣa Mahārāja); of whom (Avīkṣit); of whom (Bali Mahārāja); of whom (Budha); of whom (Citraratha); of whom (Diviratha); of whom (King Gaya); of whom (Lord Nārāyaṇa); of whom (Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa); of whom (Lord Ṛṣabhadeva); of whom (Mahārāja Ambarīṣa); of whom (of the Supreme Personality of Godhead); of whom (Sudeva); of whom (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); of whom (the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who gives His pure devotees intelligence with which to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement); of whom (the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who gives His pure devotees the intelligence to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement); of whom (Vikṛti); of whom (Śunaka); of whom; one who; one whose; the Lord, of whom; the one from whose; to whom everything belongs; whom; whose (Lord Rāmacandra's); whose; with the body.
—of whom; astiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigasti

has; is; is there; there are; there is; there may be; there must be.
—there is; bhaktiḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhaktiḥ

devotion; devotional service; devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; engagement in devotional service; feelings of devotional service; love; love and devotion; loving service; the devotional service; the nine kinds of devotional service, such as śravaṇa, kīrtana and smaraṇa; transcendental loving service; who possesses devotional service.
—devotional service; bhagavatiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhagavati

in the Supreme Personality of Godhead; of the Personality of Godhead; of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; on the Supreme Personality of Godhead; Personality of Godhead; the Lord; the Personality of Godhead; the Supreme Lord; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; to the Supreme Personality of Godhead (not to the demigods); to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; to Śiva; towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead; unto Him; unto Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; unto Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; unto the Lord; unto the Personality of Godhead; unto the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa; unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu.
—to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; akiñcanāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigakincana

of devotees who have nothing to do with the material world; unalloyed; without any attachment for anything material; without material possessions.
—without any motive; sarvaiḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsarvaiḥ

all; all kinds of; by all; with all.
—with all; guṇaiḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigguṇaiḥ

along with the material activities conducted by the material qualities; by attributes; by different modes; by qualification; by qualifications; by qualities; by such qualities; by the manifestations of transcendental qualities; by the material qualities; by the modes; by the modes of material nature; by the modes of nature; by the operation of the material modes; by the particular qualities; by the qualitative matter; by the qualities; by the three modes; by the three modes of nature; by the threefold modes; by transcendental qualities; from the modes; good qualities; modes of material nature; modes of nature; qualified; qualities; transcendental qualities; with good qualities; with particular qualifications; with spiritual qualities; with the attributes; with the characteristics; with the modes of material nature; with the qualities; with transcendental qualities.
—good qualities; tatraplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtatra

about the well of nectar; all those; among the sons; among them; and there; as well as; at that time; at that very spot; because of; here; in Him; in such; in such a condition; in such a position; in such a subject matter; in such activities; in that; in that case; in that connection (getting out of the entanglement of material conditioning); in that connection; in that direction; in that dynasty; in that forest; in that function; in that heavenly planet; in that meeting; in that ninth period of Manu; in that period (the eleventh manvantara); in that period; in that period of Manu; in that place; in that sacrifice; in that sixth manvantara; in that way; in the assembly; in the battlefield; in the eighth manvantara; in the forest; in this manvantara; in this; in those manvantara periods; in those hellish planets; in victory or defeat; in whom; inside the house of Narakāsura; on that hill; on the bank of the river; on the spot; on this fact; standing there; than them; that; then; then and there; thereafter; therefore; therein; thereof; thereon; thereupon; to that household life; upon doing this; within the wide-open mouth of Kṛṣṇa.
—there (in that person); samāsateplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsamāsate

become manifested; live; reside.
—reside; surāḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsurah

demigod.
—all the demigods; harauplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigharau

at Hari; in the Supreme Lord; in the Supreme Personality of Godhead; Lord Hari; the Supreme Lord, Hari; toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead; towards Lord Hari; unto Hari; unto Lord Hari; unto the Lord; unto the Personality of Godhead; unto the Supreme Lord; unto the Supreme Personality; unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; abhaktasyaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigabhaktasya

of a person who is not devoted; of the nondevotee; one who is not a devotee.
—of a person who is not devoted; kutaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkutah

and where is the question of seeing; for what reason; from anywhere; from where; how; how is it possible; how much less; much less; then how; what; what for; what to say; what to speak; what to speak of; what to speak of others; whence; where; where does it come from; where is; where is that; where is the question; where is there; wherefrom.
—where; mahatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmahat

a great; a great personality; a Vaiṣṇava; all-perfect; astounding; by great personalities; exalted; glorious; great; great soul; insurmountable; into a gigantic body; most exalted; of an exalted personality; of great devotees; of great saintly persons; of great souls; of the great devotees; severely; supreme; the best; the great; the greatest; the total material energy; the total material existence; thick; to a great personality; to great personalities; very big; very great; very great, exalted; very, very great.
-guṇāḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biggunah

a great quality; good quality; material quality; modes of nature; objects of sense perception; perfections; possessing qualities; qualities; quality; quality or intelligence; the object of sense perception; the three qualities; transcendental qualities; who has transcendental qualities; whose property of the intelligence.
—good qualities; manorathenaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmanorathena

by mental speculation.
—by mental speculation; asatiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigasati

a product of ignorance; although you are unchaste; being absent; in the false ego; in the material world; in the temporary material world; in the unmanifest; O unchaste daughter; temporary; the material existence; thus being; to temporary material happiness; unreal.
—in the temporary material world; dhāvataḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdhāvataḥ

of one who is wandering here and there; run on; running; those who are running; who is running.
—who is running; bahiḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbahiḥ

and outside; and without; exterior; external (since the cosmic manifestation is external to the spiritual world, the spiritual world existed when there was no material world); external; external sense objects; externally; for what is outside; in the material world; on the outside; out; outside; outside of; outside of You; outside the home; outside the water; outsiders; outwardly; thus situated beyond; without.
—outside.

Translation

All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord’s external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?

Purport

As explained in the next verse, Kṛṣṇa is the original source of all living entities. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (Bg. 15.7)plugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigBhagavad-gītā As It Is 15.7

The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.
, wherein Kṛṣṇa says:

mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi
prakṛti-sthāni karṣati

“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” All living entities are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore when they revive their original Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they possess all the good qualities of Kṛṣṇa in a small quantity. When one engages himself in the nine processes of devotional service (śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam/ arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam [SB 7.5.23]plugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigŚrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.5.23-24

Prahlāda Mahārāja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṇu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words)—these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṇa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.
), one’s heart becomes purified, and he immediately understands his relationship with Kṛṣṇa. He then revives his original quality of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

In the Ādi-līlā of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Chapter Eight, there is a description of some of the qualities of devotees. For example, Śrī Paṇḍita Haridāsa is described as being very well-behaved, tolerant, peaceful, magnanimous and grave. In addition, he spoke very sweetly, his endeavors were very pleasing, he was always patient, he respected everyone, he always worked for everyone’s benefit, his mind was free of duplicity, and he was completely devoid of all malicious activities. These are all originally qualities of Kṛṣṇa, and when one becomes a devotee they automatically become manifest. Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, says that all good qualities become manifest in the body of a Vaiṣṇava and that only by the presence of these good qualities can one distinguish a Vaiṣṇava from a non-Vaiṣṇava. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja lists the following twenty-six good qualities of a Vaiṣṇava: (1) He is very kind to everyone. (2) He does not make anyone his enemy. (3) He is truthful. (4) He is equal to everyone. (5) No one can find any fault in him. (6) He is magnanimous. (7) He is mild. (8) He is always clean. (9) He is without possessions. (10) He works for everyone’s benefit. (11) He is very peaceful. (12) He is always surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. (13) He has no material desires. (14) He is very meek. (15) He is steady. (16) He controls his senses. (17) He does not eat more than required. (18) He is not influenced by the Lord’s illusory energy. (19) He offers respect to everyone. (20) He does not desire any respect for himself. (21) He is very grave. (22) He is merciful. (23) He is friendly. (24) He is poetic. (25) He is expert. (26) He is silent.