A Vaishnava Is One Who Is Genuinely Happy At Another's Spiritual Progress

Radhanath Swami

When a vaishnava sees another devotee getting special mercy of the lord, when a devotee sees another vaishnava being specially empowered and specially endowed with bhakti, that is his greatest pleasure. Of course, when we have material consciousness, when we see someone else getting special favour of the lord, we become envious. We think, “Why him? Why not me?” we want everyone else’s spiritual progress to be checked until we can catch up and go ahead. And then when we are ahead, we want to keep them down. This is not the consciousness of a vaishnava. This is material consciousness.