The Marks of a Devotee

Kṛṣṇa does not leave the question of the counterfeit to inference. Chapter 16 of the Gītā is one of the most direct passages in any tradition — a precise portrait of religion curdled into performance.

The most referenced catalog of Vaiṣṇava qualities comes from the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Twenty-six of them. Not a checklist — a detailed topography of the soul uncovered.

Kṛṣṇa describes the pure devotee in precise detail across the Gītā and Bhāgavatam. The portrait is more specific — and more surprising — than most practitioners expect.

Most devotees live with a quiet split: devout in the temple, ordinary everywhere else. The tradition has a precise name for this — and a precise cure.