[Advaita-l] What are the marks of a true Vaishnava?

[Kaushik Chevendra]

Thank your for sharing such an excellent post sir

On Fri, 3 Dec, 2021, 5:25 pm V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l, <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> What are the marks of a true Vaishnava?
>
> In the Kapila Upapurana 21st chapter, there is a short discourse on Jnana
> Yoga. Nandikeshwara asks Mahaveda 'What are the marks 'signs' of a
> Vaishnava, the branding of the image of Shankha, Chakra, etc. on the body?'
>
> Mahadeva replies:
>
> Giving up desire and anger, those with a loin cloth, with sweet words,
> always their heart filled with ananda - these are the marks of a Vaishnava.
>
> Singing the glories of Govinda  shedding tears of joy, endowed with
> compassion, truth, free of the idea of 'I' and 'mine', worshiping the gods,
> brahmanas and making noble persons happy - these noble traits are the marks
> of a vaishnava.
>
> Others, without these traits, but with just the external marks of Shankha,
> Chakra, etc. are only vainglorious, making a show of the marks.
>
> From this we come to know that the physical marks of the conch, etc. is
> only secondary; unessential. The true Vaishnava traits are following and
> internalizing the ones enumerated above. Whether one is a bhasma dhaari or
> without any external marks, but possesses these noble traits, he is the
> true Vaishnava in the primary sense. In this very chapter the Hari Hara
> abheda is brought out in several ways along with the censure of perception
> of difference between the Two. Also, since the context is about the
> knowledge needed for Mukti, the traits listed here are the means to attain
> such knowledge. Someone without these qualities, even though dons the
> external marks, does not qualify to be a true Bhagavata. Only those who
> indulge in critiquing  and insulting others actually destroy the Bhagavata
> Dharmas.
> मूर्खो वदति विष्णाय विद्वान् वदति विष्णवे।
> उभयोः सदृशं पुण्यं भावग्राही जनार्दनः ||
>
> An unlettered one says 'Vishnaaya' while a learned man says 'Vishnave'.
> Both of them get the same punya since the Lord Janardana is pleased only
> with the true devotion.
>
> We are reminded of the famous song 'Vaishnava Janato..'.
> https://allpoetry.com/Vaishnava-janatho-(With-English-Translation)
>
> अहिंसा प्रथमं पुष्पं पुष्पमिन्द्रियनिग्रहः
> सर्वभूतदयापुष्पं क्षमापुष्पं विशेषतः ।
> ज्ञानपुष्पं तपःपुष्पं शान्तिपुष्पं तथैव च
> सत्यमष्टविधं पुष्पं विष्णोः प्रीतिकरं भवेत् ॥
>
> Read here the verses of the Kapila Upa purana:  page 83 in this link
> https://vedicreserve.miu.edu/upapurana/kapila_purana.pdf
>
> regards
> subbu
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