Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
The following definitions of a Vaishnava are given by Sri Jiva Gosvami in his Bhakti-sandarbha:
Earlier the greatness of different categories of Vaishnavas was related. Now different kinds of bhakti which were previously described together are discriminated between and compared with each other. Now various classes of Vaishnavas are considered along with fruitive workers.
Then Jiva Gosvami proceeds to cite three verses in defining a Vaishnava.
In the Skanda Purana, Markandeya instructs Bhagiratha: "Those people for whom the purpose of life is religion, for whom the purpose of sexual intercourse are children, and for whom the purpose of cooking is to serve the brahmins, they are Vaishnavas."
In the Vishnu Purana: "He who does not abandon his specific varna-dharma, who is equiposed, who is a well-wisher to his enemies, who does not steal, who does not injure anyone, and who is steady in his mind, he is understood as a Vishnu-bhakta." Thus a simple definition of being a Vaishnava is presented.
In the Patala-Khanda, Vaisakha-mahatmya: "Those who in this world live for the purpose of dharma, and for whom the purpose of dharma is Hari, and who act for the purpose of piety day and night, are known as Vaishnavas.
Hari Bhakti Vilasa (1.55) states
"That person who has taken diksa of Vishnu and who does the puja of Vishnu, he is known as a Vaishnava and all others are non-vaishnavas."
Narada Pancaratra states 1.9.21-22
The knower of spiritual science call that person a Vaisnava, a purifier of the entire world, who has received a Krsna mantra from the mouth of a twice-born spiritual master. As soon as a person receives a Krsna mantra, he becomes situated on the same platform as Lord Narayana Himself and easily delivers one hundred generations of his family.
prabhu kahe,—"yanra mukhe suni eka-bara
krsna-nama, sei pujya,—srestha sabakara
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "Whoever chants the holy name of Krsna just once is worshipable and is the topmost human being."
The knower of spiritual science call that person a Vaisnava, a purifier of the entire world, who has received a Krsna mantra from the mouth of a twice-born spiritual master. As soon as a person receives a Krsna mantra, he becomes situated on the same platform as Lord Narayana Himself and easily delivers one hundred generations of his family.
prabhu kahe,—"yanra mukhe suni eka-bara
krsna-nama, sei pujya,—srestha sabakara
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "Whoever chants the holy name of Krsna just once is worshipable and is the topmost human being."
ataeva yanra mukhe eka krsna-nama
sei ta’ vaisnava, kariha tanhara sammana
One who even once chants Krsna’s name is described as a Vaisnava; therefore you should offer all respects to him. (CC 2.15.111)
sei ta’ vaisnava, kariha tanhara sammana
One who even once chants Krsna’s name is described as a Vaisnava; therefore you should offer all respects to him. (CC 2.15.111)
"Whoever says the holy name even once is considered a Vaisnava, and the householder should be careful to respect such a person. But one who is constantly chanting the holy name of Krsna is even a better Vaisnava, being endowed with all good qualities. And one who, by his very presence can make others chant the name in devotion, is the highest Vaisnava. (Harinama Cintamani ch. 2)
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