In previous articles, I discussed the characteristics of the uttama and madhyama bhāgavatas as explained in the Bhakti Sandarbha. Here, I examine Śrī Jīva’s explanation of the characteristics of the kaniṣṭha bhāgavata presented in the Bhakti Sandarbha Anuccheda 190. He writes:

atha bhagavad-dharmācaraṇa-rūpeṇa kāyikena kiñcin mānasena ca liṅgena kaniṣṭhaṁ lakṣayati—

Now sage Havi defines the kaniṣṭha bhāgavata in terms of his physical traits ( kāyika-liṅga ) — which take the form of the outward behavior he exhibits in the matter of bhagavat-dharma — and to a partial extent, in terms of his psychological disposition ( mānasa-liṅga ):

The definition of the kaniṣṭha bhāgavata is in this verse:

arcāyām eva haraye pūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehate |

na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ || [bhā.pu. 11.2.47]

One who offers worship to Hari with faith in the deity form alone but who fails to honor Him as present in His devotees or in other living beings is recognized as a prākṛta-bhakta , or a devotee whose nature [ prakṛti ] is in the very beginning stage of formation. ( SB 11.2.47 )

Now Śrī Jīva will explain that the kaniṣṭha bhāgavata does not have prema. This further supports my assertion in the previous article that the uttama and madhyama bhāgavatas are siddhas, as they both have prema. I will examine his explanation line by line:

arcāyāṁ pratimāyām eva,

[This verse states that the kaniṣṭha bhāgavata worships Bhagavān] only in the form of the deity.

na tad-bhakteṣu, anyeṣuca sutarāṁ na,

He does not perceive Bhagavān’s presence in His devotees and, consequently, certainly not in others either.

Perceiving Bhagavān’s presence in His devotees is a quality shared by both the uttama bhāgavata and the madhyama bhāgavata. Perceiving His presence in even non-devotees is a quality of the uttama bhāgavata. Both qualities are denied in the kaniṣṭha bhāgavata. Now he gives three reasons for this, out of which I have italicized the first one:

bhagavat-premābhāvad bhakta-māhātmya-jñānābhāvāt sarvādara-lakṣaṇa-bhakta-guṇānudayāc ca |

This is because, within his being, there is an absence of the appearance of love for Bhagavān, an absence of awareness of the glory of true devotees, and an absence of the appearance of a devotee’s fundamental quality, which is the attitude of reverence for all living beings

sa prākṛtaḥ prakṛtiḥ prārambho’dhunaiva prārabdha-bhaktir ity arthaḥ |

Such a person is a prākṛta-bhakta , “a devotee whose nature ( prakṛti ) is in the very beginning stage of formation (prārambha ),” meaning that his cultivation of bhakti has just recently begun.

Now he adds a crucially important point:

iyaṁ ca śraddhā na śāstrārthāvadhāraṇa-jātā |

Additionally, his śraddhā , or faith, is not the outcome of assimilating the import of scripture.

This person does not have śraddhā in śāstra because of ignorance of śāstra. His śraddhā is laukika – he may be a bhakta only because of being influenced by somebody’s preaching or may have become influenced by his social circle. Basically this person is a bhakta because of social conventions.

Śrī Jīva gives an example:

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ |

yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣv abhijñeṣu …[bhā.pu. 10.84.13] |

This attitude is characterized in the following statement:
One whose self-concept ( ātma-buddhiḥ ) is rooted in this corpse-like body, which is constituted of the three elements, mucus, bile, and air; whose sense of relation ( sva-dhīḥ ) is in his wife, children, and other kin; whose concept of divinity ( ijya-dhīḥ ) is in earthen images; and whose notion of the sacred ( tīrtha-buddhiḥ ) is in the water of a river; but who never cherishes the sense of self, of relation, of divinity, and of the sacred, in regard to those who have realized the Absolute, is indeed an ass among cows. ( SB 10.84.13 )

He emphasizes the reason for the above attitudes:

ity-ādi śāstrājñānāt

These attitudes are due to ignorance of the scriptural conclusions.

As such, the kaniṣṭha bhāgavata has faith due to other reasons:

tasmāl loka-paramparā-prāptaiveti pūrvavat |
Consequently, the faith of the neophyte arises only out of social conventions ( loka-paramparā ), as described earlier.

Therefore the kaniṣṭha bhāgavata should aspire to get śāstrīya-śraddhā:

ataś cājāta-premā śāstrīya-śraddhā-yuktaḥ sādhakas tu mukhyo kaniṣṭho jñeyaḥ ||

Thus, a spiritual practitioner ( sādhaka ) in whom divine love ( prema ) has not yet manifested but who is endowed with faith rooted in scriptural knowledge is to be understood as the primary standard of a novice devotee ( kaniṣṭha ).

Babaji notes that the ‘standard’ for the kaniṣṭha bhāgavata mentioned above is actually the kaniṣṭha adhikāri defined in the Bhakti rasāmrta sindhu.

Summary

The kaniṣṭha bhāgavata

1. is a sādhaka
2. does not have prema
3. does not have knowledge of śāstra
4. does not have śāstrīya-śraddhā
5. offers worship to Hari with faith in the deity form but does not respect others