Verse Text
tatra sādhakāḥ –
utpanna-ratayaḥ samyaṅ nairvighnyam anupāgatāḥ |
kṛṣṇa-sākṣāt-kṛtau yogyāḥ sādhakāḥ parikīrtitāḥ ||276||
Translation
Practitioners (sādhaka) are those who have developed rati for Kṛṣṇa but have not completely extinguished the anarthas, and who are qualified to see Kṛṣṇa directly. [Note: This term sādhaka should not be confused with sādhana-bhakti, which ends with the appearance of rati, according to the definitions given in the eastern section. This is a description of the bhāva-bhakta, who may beconsidered a sādhaka because he is not completely pure. Why the bhāva-bhakta is a sādhaka is discussed by Viśvanātha in his commentary on 1.2.1. In verse 277, Rūpa Gosvāmī has quoted the definition of the madhyama-adhikārī in relation to this sādhaka of rati. It would seem that the term covers a wide range of devotees with the person who has attained rati at the top.]
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
A person who has attained the stage of attraction for Kṛṣṇa and who is not freed from the material impasse, but who has qualified himself to enter into the kingdom of God, is called sādhaka. Sādhaka means one who is cultivating devotion in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.