Tattva-viveka
VCT on saintly people
Gaura-Vijaya Das - November 24, 2010 10:30 am
How do we understand VCT description of saintly people and non-saintly people. It is easy for me to see myself in the non-saintly category because I waste so much time criticizing fanatic people and perhaps ISKCON leaders. Progress in spiritual life means seeing less and less of this, but then if you don;t speak against child abuse, you are supposed to be a culprit. 
Pretty hard. U will see good in everybody, but then people ask you questions about supporting murderers and child abusers.
1)Mahat (“great person”) — A mahat has the ability to see some good in everyone. They also perceive faults in others, but they consider that those faults can be eventually transformed by certain methods into good qualities.Thus, if they feel that a person may be benefited by discussing that person’s faults, they may, under appropriate circumstances, speak harsh words. Neem juice tastes very bitter, but it can cure diseases when administered appropriately. It should be noted that a mahat will never reject or condemn a faulty person, but thinks only how that person may be benefited.
2)Mahattara (“greater person”) — A mahattara also sees good and bad qualities in others, but focuses on and praises the good qualities. Seeing a materialistic merchant, a mahattara will think, “Although he is a sense-gratifier, he takes good care of guests and is worthy of deliverance.”
3)Mahattama (“especially great person”) — A mahattama sees whatever good qualities others have and magnifies them, not seeing even the smallest fault. Viswanath describes their attitude, “This person has stolen my cloth because he is cold, and though he has a weapon, he doesn’t attack me becausehe is merciful. He is virtuous.”
4)Ati-mahattama (“extremely great person”) — Anati-mahattama sees good qualities in others even where there are none. Their attitude is, “In this world there are no bad people. Everyone is good.
In the same purport, Viswanath (Chakarwarti Thakur) also delineates four types of asadhus, wicked or bad persons, who are characterized according to their propensity for fault-finding:
1)Asadhu (“wicked person”) — An asadhu sees some good qualities in others but presumes that eventually those good qualities will be overshadowed orspoiled by some fault. For example, upon seeing someone working for another person’s benefit, the asadhu will conclude that eventually he or she will want to exploit the person whom they are helping. Simply put,asadhus are not gentlemen.
2)Asadhutara (“very wicked person”) — An asadhutara is even more improper.He or she sees only faults in others and overlooks others’ good qualities.“This sannyasi eats ghee rice to fill his stomach. He is lusty and should be considered fallen.
”3)Asadhutama (“especially wicked person”) — Anasadhutama takes small faults and magnifies them, seeing no good qualities at all. Viswanath (Chakarvarti Thakur) gives an example: An asadhutama will criticize and condemn a renunciate as being a “bogus rascal”, for the fault of giving up the forest and living in the house of a married man. The asadhutama will conclude, “His obvious motivation is only to steal the money of that householder.
4)Aty-asadhutama (“extremely wicked person”) — Anaty-asadhutama sees faults in all others, even where there are no faults. “In this world, or in this society, no one is good. Everyone is evil.” They are the very worst.
Jason - November 24, 2010 7:52 pm
Gaura-Vijaya--Where are these excerpts from? What text? I'd like to grab a copy. This is really interesting.
Gaura-Vijaya Das - November 24, 2010 7:58 pm
Gaura-Vijaya--Where are these excerpts from? What text? I'd like to grab a copy. This is really interesting.
This is short yet worth a good read, and study even, sent to me by a friend (source was our friends at Gopal Jiu Publications). Imagine if we were all like the Ati-mahattama described in #4--then the Internet would be a much different place. Some have commented to me upon reading this that even if many of us were in or acted on the "Mahat" platform that would be welcome. When will that day be mine when I will be on the highest platform and see every devotee's good qualities as prominent, their faults as non-existent? In his Sarartha-darsini commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam Srila Viswanath Chakravarti Thakur has described four types of saintly persons according to how they see good qualities and faults:
Had copied this from Karnamrita's blog.
But I understood how pathetic I was by reading it. Eventually we should have no problem with murderers, fanatics and see good even in them. So pretty hard challenge.
Shyamananda Das - November 29, 2010 9:19 pm
I have heard a simplified version of this before, described as a progress from Duryodhana consciousness to Yudhisthira consciousness. There is a story of how Duryodhana is asked to find someone greater than himself and Yudhisthira is asked to find someone lower than himself. None of them succeeded.