SB 4.22.24
ahimsaya paramahamsya-caryaya
smrtya mukundacaritagrya-sidhuna
yamair akamair niyamais capy anindaya
nirihaya dvandva-titiksaya ca
Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
A candidate for spiritual advancement must be nonviolent, must follow in the footsteps of great acaryas, must always remember the nectar of the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, must follow the regulative principles without material desire and, while following the regulative principles, should not blaspheme others. A devotee should lead a very simple life and not be disturbed by the duality of opposing elements. He should learn to tolerate them.
Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
The devotees are actually saintly persons, or sadhus. The first qualification of a sadhu, or devotee, is ahimsa, or nonviolence. Persons interested in the path of devotional service, or in going back home, back to Godhead, must first practice ahimsa, or nonviolence. A sadhu is described as titiksavah karunikah (Bhag. 3.25.21): a devotee should be tolerant and should be very much compassionate toward others. For example, if he suffers personal injury he should tolerate it, but if someone else suffers injury the devotee need not tolerate it. The whole world is full of violence, and a devotee’s first business is to stop this violence, including the unnecessary slaughter of animals. A devotee is the friend not only of human society but of all living entities, for he sees all living entities as sons of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He does not claim himself to be the only son of God and allow all others to be killed, thinking that they have no soul. This kind of philosophy is never advocated by a pure devotee of the Lord. Suhrdah sarva-dehinam: a true devotee is the friend of all living entities. Krsna claims in Bhagavad-gita to be the father of all species of living entities; consequently the devotee of Krsna is always a friend of all. This is called ahimsa. Such nonviolence can be practiced only when we follow in the footsteps of great acaryas. Therefore, according to our Vaisnava philosophy, we have to follow the great acaryas of the four sampradayas, or disciplic successions.
Trying to advance in spiritual life outside the disciplic succession is simply ludicrous. It is said, therefore, acaryavan puruso veda: one who follows the disciplic succession of acaryas knows things as they are (Chandogya Upanisad 6.14.2). Tad-vijñanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: in order to understand the transcendental science, one must approach the bona fide spiritual master (Mundaka Upanisad 1.2.12). The word smrtya is very important in spiritual life. Smrtya means remembering Krsna always. Life should be molded in such a way that one cannot remain alone without thinking of Krsna. We should live in Krsna so that while eating, sleeping, walking and working we remain only in Krsna. Our Krsna consciousness society recommends that we arrange our living so that we can remember Krsna. In our ISKCON society the devotees, while engaged in making Spiritual Sky incense, are also hearing about the glories of Krsna or His devotees. The sastra recommends, smartavyah satatam visnuh: Lord Visnu should be remembered always, constantly. Vismartavyo na jatucit: Visnu should never be forgotten. That is the spiritual way of life — smrtya. This remembrance of the Lord can be continued if we hear about Him constantly. It is therefore recommended in this verse: mukundacaritagrya-sidhuna. Sidhu means “nectar.” To hear about Krsna from Srimad-Bhagavatam or Bhagavad-gita or similar authentic literature is to live in Krsna consciousness. Such concentration in Krsna consciousness can be achieved by persons who are strictly following the rules and regulative principles. We have recommended in our Krsna consciousness movement that a devotee chant sixteen rounds on beads daily and follow the regulative principles. That will help the devotee be fixed in his spiritual advancement in life.
It is also stated in this verse that one can advance by controlling the senses (yamaih). By controlling the senses, one can become a svami or gosvami. One who is therefore enjoying this supertitle, svami or gosvami, must be very strict in controlling his senses. Indeed, he must be master of his senses. This is possible when one does not desire any material sense gratification. If, by chance, the senses want to work independently, he must control them. If we simply practice avoiding material sense gratification, controlling the senses is automatically achieved.
Another important point mentioned in this connection is anindaya — we should not criticize others’ methods of religion. There are different types of religious systems operating under different qualities of material nature. Those operating in the modes of ignorance and passion cannot be as perfect as that system in the mode of goodness. In Bhagavad-gita everything has been divided into three qualitative divisions; therefore religious systems are similarly categorized. When people are mostly under the modes of passion and ignorance, their system of religion will be of the same quality. A devotee, instead of criticizing such systems, will encourage the followers to stick to their principles so that gradually they can come to the platform of religion in goodness. Simply by criticizing them, a devotee’s mind will be agitated. Thus a devotee should tolerate and learn to stop agitation.
Another feature of the devotee is nirihaya, simple living. Niriha means “gentle,” “meek” or “simple.” A devotee should not live very gorgeously and imitate a materialistic person. Plain living and high thinking are recommended for a devotee. He should accept only so much as he needs to keep the material body fit for the execution of devotional service. He should not eat or sleep more than is required. Simply eating for living, and not living for eating, and sleeping only six to seven hours a day are principles to be followed by devotees. As long as the body is there it is subjected to the influence of climatic changes, disease and natural disturbances, the threefold miseries of material existence. We cannot avoid them. Sometimes we receive letters from neophyte devotees questioning why they have fallen sick, although pursuing Krsna consciousness. They should learn from this verse that they have to become tolerant (dvandva-titiksaya). This is the world of duality. One should not think that because he has fallen sick he has fallen from Krsna consciousness. Krsna consciousness can continue without impediment from any material opposition. Lord Sri Krsna therefore advises in Bhagavad-gita (2.14), tams titiksasva bharata: “My dear Arjuna, please try to tolerate all these disturbances. Be fixed in your Krsna conscious activities.”