Verse Text
tatra madhyamaḥ—
yaḥ śāstrādiṣv anipuṇaḥ śraddhāvān sa tu madhyamaḥ ||18||
Translation
The mādhyamādhikārī is defined as follows: The person who is not fully conversant with scriptures like the uttamādhikārī but has firm conviction in them is known as the madhyamādhikārī.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
In this verse śāstrādiṣv anipuṇaḥ means, “he is not as conversant with scriptures as the uttamādhikārī.” This means that when a strong challenger presents his points, he cannot establish the correct conclusion. Śraddhavān means he is still firmly convinced in his mind of the scriptural conclusions.
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
The second-class devotee has been defined by the following symptoms: he is not very expert in arguing on the strength of revealed scripture, but he has firm faith in the objective. The purport of this description is that the second-class devotee has firm faith in the procedure of devotional service unto Kṛṣṇa, but he may sometimes fail to offer arguments and decisions on the strength of revealed scripture to an opposing party. But at the same time he is still undaunted within himself as to his decision that Kṛṣṇa is the supreme object of worship.