The test of becoming a devotee
A Krsna conscious man cannot be bad. Therefore, if people are given chance to associate with this society, automatically he'll become good. Otherwise there is no need of opening so many centers all over the world. But the idea is that to give the chance of good association. Therefore, those who are members of this society, they should be ideal. Simply by their association people will become good, very good responsibility. And if they become bad themselves, there is no possibility because we are giving instruction. We are behaving like that. Still, one becomes bad -- oh, that is very great misfortune. Therefore all our members, the members of the Krsna consciousness society, should be ideal.
At least people may see that "Here is a class of men -- ideal character, ideal behavior, spiritual advanced, and very frugal and very nice." That is... Yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah [SB 5.18.12]. That is natural. If one becomes a devotee... That is the certificate, that how one has achieved good qualities. That is the test of becoming a devotee. Yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah. A devotee means he has, what is called, awakened all the good qualities. The good qualities are there. Because we are part and parcel of God, there is no bad quality in our constitutional position.
We are godly. We may be small, but the same quality. So there cannot be originally. Asango 'yam purusah. This is Vedic instruction. A living entity means spiritually part and parcel of God. There cannot be any bad quality. Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12]. Arjuna said to Krsna that pavitram paramam bhavan: "You are the most pure." So how His part and parcel can be impure? Gold may be a small particle, gold, but it is gold. It cannot be otherwise. Similarly, we, being Mamaivamsah. Krsna says that "They are My living beings. They are My part and parcel." So there cannot be any bad thing. The bad thing is because we have accepted this material body.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.66 -- Vrndavana, September 2, 1975
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