(Continued)

Chapter Four

Devotional Service Surpasses All Liberation

How much a devotee is seriously attached to the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be understood from the statement of Maharaja Prthu (Adi-raja) which is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto, Twentieth Chapter, verse 24. He prays to the Supreme Personality of Godhead thus: "My dear Lord, if after taking liberation I have no chance of hearing the glories of Your Lordship, glories chanted by pure devotees from the core of their hearts in praise of Your lotus feet, and if I have no chance for this honey of transcendental bliss, then I shall never ask for liberation or this so-called spiritual emancipation. I shall simply always pray unto Your Lordship that You may give me millions of tongues and millions of ears, so that I can constantly chant and hear of Your transcendental glories."

The impersonalists desire to merge into the existence of the Supreme, but without keeping their individuality they have no chance of hearing and chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord. Because they have no idea of the transcendental form of the Supreme Lord, there is no chance of their chanting and hearing of His transcendental activities. In other words, unless one is already beyond liberation, one cannot relish the transcendental glories of the Lord, nor can one understand the transcendental form of the Lord.

A similar statement is found in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fifth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, verse 44. Sukadeva Gosvami addresses Pariksit Maharaja there and says, "The great soul King Bharata was so much attached to the service of the lotus feet of Krsna that he very easily gave up his lordship over the earthly planet and his affection for his children, society, friends, royal opulence and beautiful wife. He was so very lucky that the goddess of fortune was pleased to offer him all kinds of material concessions, but he never accepted any of these material opulences." Sukadeva Gosvami praises this behavior of King Bharata very highly. He says, "Any person whose heart is attracted by the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Madhusudana, does not care even for that liberation which is aspired to by many great sages, what to speak of material opulences."

In the Bhagavatam, Sixth Canto, Eleventh Chapter, verse 25, there is a similar statement by Vrtrasura, who addresses the Lord as follows: "My dear Lord, by leaving Your transcendental service I may be promoted to the planet called Dhruvaloka [the polestar], or I may gain lordship over all the planetary systems of the universe. But I do not aspire to this. Nor do I wish the mystic perfections of yoga practice, nor do I aspire to spiritual emancipation. All I wish for, my Lord, is Your association and transcendental service eternally."

This statement is confirmed by Lord Siva in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sixth Canto, Seventeenth Chapter, verse 28, wherein Lord Siva addresses Sati thus: "My dear Sati, persons who are devoted to Narayana [Krsna] are not afraid of anything. If they are elevated to the higher planetary systems, or if they get liberation from material contamination, or if they are pushed down to the hellish condition of life--or, in fact, in any situation whatever--they are not afraid of anything. Simply because they have taken shelter of the lotus feet of Narayana, for them any position in the material world is as good as another."

There is a similar statement by Indra, the King of heaven, in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sixth Canto, Eighteenth Chapter, verse 74. There Indra addresses mother Diti in this manner: "My dear mother, persons who have given up all kinds of desire and are simply engaged in devotional service to the Lord know what is actually their self-interest. Such persons are actually serving their self-interests and are considered first-class experts in the matter of advancing to the perfectional stage of life."

In the Seventh Canto of the Bhagavatam, Sixth Chapter, verse 25, Maharaja Prahlada says, "My dear friends born into atheistic families, if you can please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, then there is nothing more rare in this world. In other words, if the Supreme Lord Krsna is pleased with you, then any desire you may have within the core of your heart can be fulfilled without any doubt. As such, what is the use of elevating yourself by the results of fruitive activities, which are automatically achieved in all events by the modes of material nature? And what is the use for you of spiritual emancipation or liberation from material bondage? If you are always engaged in chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord and always relishing the nectar of the lotus feet of the Lord, then there is no necessity for any of these." By this statement of Prahlada Maharaja it is clearly understood that one who takes pleasure in chanting and hearing the transcendental glories of the Lord has already surpassed all kinds of material benedictions, including the results of pious fruitive activities, sacrifices and even liberation from material bondage.

Similarly, in the same Seventh Canto, Eighth Chapter, verse 42, when the demigods are offering prayers to Lord Nrsimha, Indra the King of heaven says, "O supreme one, these demons talk of our share of participation in the performances of ritualistic sacrifices, but simply by Your appearance as Lord Nrsimhadeva You have saved us from terrible fears. Actually, our shares in the sacrificial performances are due to You only, because You are the supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices. You are the Supersoul of every living entity, and therefore You are the actual owner of everything. Long were our hearts always filled with fear of this demon, Hiranyakasipu. But You are so kind toward us that by killing him You have removed that fear from within our hearts and have given us the chance to place Your Lordship within our hearts again. For persons who are engaged in the transcendental loving service of Your Lordship, all the opulences which were taken away from us by the demons are counted as nothing. Devotees do not care even for liberation, what to speak of these material opulences. Actually, we are not enjoyers of the fruits of sacrifices. Our only duty is to always be engaged in Your service, for You are the enjoyer of everything."

The purport of this statement by Indra is that beginning from Brahma down to the insignificant ant, no living entities are meant for enjoying the material opulences. They are simply meant for offering everything to the supreme proprietor, the Personality of Godhead. By doing so, they automatically enjoy the benefit. The example can be cited again of the different parts of the body collecting foodstuffs and cooking them so that ultimately a meal may be offered to the stomach. After it has gone to the stomach, all the parts of the body equally enjoy the benefit of the meal. So, similarly, everyone's duty is to satisfy the Supreme Lord, and then automatically everyone will become satisfied.

A similar verse is found in the Eighth Canto, Third Chapter, of Srimad-Bhagavatam, verse 20. Gajendra says there, "My dear Lord, I have no experience of the transcendental bliss derived from Your devotional service, so therefore I have asked from You some favor. But I know that persons who are pure devotees and have, by serving the lotus feet of great souls, become freed from all material desires, are always merged in the ocean of transcendental bliss and, as such, are always satisfied simply by glorifying Your auspicious characteristics. For them there is nothing else to aspire to or pray for."

In the Ninth Canto of the Bhagavatam, Fourth Chapter, verse 67, the Lord of Vaikuntha replies to Durvasa Muni thus: "My pure devotees are always satisfied being engaged in devotional service, and therefore they do not aspire even after the five liberated stages, which are (1) to be one with Me, (2) to achieve residence on My planet, (3) to have My opulences, (4) to possess bodily features similar to Mine and (5) to gain personal association with Me. So when they are not interested even in these liberated positions, you can know how little they care for material opulences or material liberation."

There is a similar prayer by the naga-patnis (wives of the Kaliya serpent), in the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sixteenth Chapter, verse 37. The naga-patnis say there, "Dear Lord, the dust of Your lotus feet is very wonderful. Any person who is fortunate enough to achieve this dust does not care for heavenly planets, lordship over all the planetary systems, the mystic perfections of yoga, or even liberation from material existence. In other words, anyone who adores the dust of Your lotus feet does not care a fig for all other perfectional stages."

There is a similar statement in the Tenth Canto, Eighty-seventh Chapter, verse 21, wherein the Srutis, the Vedas personified, pray to the Lord as follows: "Dear Lord, it is very difficult to understand spiritual knowledge. Your appearance here, just as You are, is to explain to us this most difficult subject of knowledge of the spirit. As such, Your devotees who have left their domestic comforts to associate with the liberated acaryas [teachers] are now fully merged in the devotional service of Your Lordship, and thus they do not care for any so-called liberation."

In explaining this verse it should be noted that spiritual knowledge means understanding the self and the Supersoul, or Superself. The individual soul and the Supersoul are qualitatively one, and therefore both of them are known as Brahman, or spirit. But knowledge of Brahman is very difficult to understand. There are so many philosophers engaged in the matter of understanding the soul, but they are unable to make any tangible advancement. It is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita that out of many millions of persons, only one may try to understand what is spiritual knowledge, and out of many such persons who are trying to understand, only one or a few may know what is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So this verse says that spiritual knowledge is very difficult to achieve, and so in order to make it more easily attainable, the Supreme Lord Himself comes in His original form as Sri Krsna and gives His instruction directly to an associate like Arjuna, just so that the people in general may take advantage of this spiritual knowledge. This verse also explains that liberation means having completely given up all the material comforts of life. Those who are impersonalists are satisfied by simply being liberated from the material circumstances, but those who are devotees can automatically give up material life and also enjoy the transcendental bliss of hearing and chanting the wonderful activities of Lord Krsna.

In the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Twentieth Chapter, verse 34, Lord Krsna says to Uddhava, "My dear Uddhava, the devotees who have completely taken shelter of My service are so steadfast in devotional service that they have no other desire. Even if they are offered the four kinds of spiritual opulences, * The fifth kind of liberation, merging with the Supreme, is not considered an opulence in spiritual they will refuse to accept them. So what to speak of their desiring anything within the material world!" Similarly, Lord Krsna says in another passage of the Bhagavatam, Eleventh Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, verse 14, "My dear Uddhava, a person whose consciousness is completely absorbed in My thought and activities does not aspire even to occupy the post of Brahma, or the post of Indra, or the post of lordship over the planets, or the eight kinds of mystic perfections, or even liberation itself." In the Twelfth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Chapter, verse 6, Lord Siva says to Devi, "My dear Devi, this great brahmana sage Markandeya has attained unflinching faith and devotion unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such he does not aspire after any benedictions, including liberation from the material world."

Similarly, there is a statement in Padma Purana describing the ritualistic function during the month of Karttika (October-November). During this month, in Vrndavana it is the regulative principle to pray daily to Lord Krsna in His Damodara form. The Damodara form refers to Krsna in His childhood when He was tied up with rope by His mother, Yasoda. Dama means "ropes," and udara means "the abdomen." So mother Yasoda, being very disturbed by naughty Krsna, bound Him round the abdomen with a rope, and thus Krsna is named Damodara. During the month of Karttika, Damodara is prayed to as follows: "My dear Lord, You are the Lord of all, the giver of all benedictions." There are many demigods, like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, who sometimes offer benedictions to their respective devotees. For example, Ravana was blessed with many benedictions by Lord Siva, and Hiranyakasipu was blessed by Lord Brahma. But even Lord Siva and Lord Brahma depend upon the benedictions of Lord Krsna, and therefore Krsna is addressed as the Lord of all benefactors. As such, Lord Krsna can offer His devotees anything they want, but still, the devotee's prayer continues, "I do not ask You for liberation or any material facility up to the point of liberation. What I want as Your favor is that I may always think of Your form in which I see You now, as Damodara. You are so beautiful and attractive that my mind does not want anything besides this wonderful form." In this same prayer, there is another passage, in which it is said, "My dear Lord Damodara, once when You were playing as a naughty boy in the house of Nanda Maharaja, You broke the box containing yogurt, and because of that, mother Yasoda considered You an offender and tied You with rope to the household grinding mortar. At that time You delivered two sons of Kuvera, Nalakuvara and Manigriva, who were staying there as two arjuna trees in the yard of Nanda Maharaja. My only request is that by Your merciful pastimes You may similarly deliver me."

The story behind this verse is that the two sons of Kuvera (the treasurer of the demigods) were puffed up on account of the opulence of their father, and so once on a heavenly planet they were enjoying themselves in a lake with some naked damsels of heaven. At that time the great saint Narada Muni was passing on the road and was sorry to see the behavior of the sons of Kuvera. Seeing Narada passing by, the damsels of heaven covered their bodies with cloth, but the two sons, being drunkards, did not have this decency. Narada became angry with their behavior and cursed them thus: "You have no sense, so it is better if you become trees instead of the sons of Kuvera." Upon hearing this, the boys came to their senses and begged Narada to be pardoned for their offenses. Narada then said, "Yes, you shall become trees, arjuna trees, and you will stand in the courtyard of Nanda Maharaja. But Krsna Himself will appear in time as the foster son of Nanda, and He will deliver you." In other words, the curse of Narada was a benediction to the sons of Kuvera because indirectly it was foretold that they would be able to receive the favor of Lord Krsna. After that, Kuvera's two sons stood as two big arjuna trees in the courtyard of Nanda Maharaja until Lord Damodara, in order to fulfill the desire of Narada, dragged the grinding mortar to which He was tied and struck the two trees, violently causing them to fall down. From out of these fallen trees came Nalakuvara and Manigriva, who had by then become great devotees of the Lord.

There is a passage in the Hayasirsa-pancaratra which states, "My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, I do not want any resultant benediction from my religious life, nor do I want any economic development, nor do I want to enjoy sense gratification, nor liberation. I simply pray to be an eternal servant at Your lotus feet. Kindly oblige me and give me this benediction."

In the same Hayasirsa-pancaratra, after Nrsimhadeva wanted to give benedictions to Prahlada Maharaja, Prahlada did not accept any material benediction and simply asked the favor of the Lord to remain His eternal devotee. In this connection, Prahlada Maharaja cited the example of Hanuman, the eternal servitor of Lord Ramacandra, who also set an example by never asking any material favor from the Lord. He always remained engaged in the Lord's service. That is the ideal character of Hanuman, for which he is still worshiped by all devotees. Prahlada Maharaja also offered his respectful obeisances unto Hanuman. There is a well-known verse spoken by Hanuman in which he says, "My dear Lord, if You like You can give me salvation from this material existence, or the privilege of merging into Your existence, but I do not wish any of these things. I do not want anything which diminishes my relationship with You as servant to master, even after liberation."

In a similar passage in the Narada-pancaratra it is stated, "My dear Lord, I do not wish any perfectional stage by performing the ritualistic religious ceremonies or by economic development or by sense gratification or liberation. I simply pray that You grant me the favor of keeping me under Your lotus feet. I do not wish any kind of liberation such as salokya (to reside on Your planet) or sarupya (to have the same bodily features as You). I simply pray for Your favor that I may be always engaged in Your loving service."

Similarly, in the Sixth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, verse 5, of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Maharaja Pariksit inquires from Sukadeva Gosvami, "My dear brahmana, I understand that the demon Vrtrasura was a greatly sinful person and that his mentality was completely absorbed in the modes of passion and ignorance. How did he develop to such a perfectional stage of devotional service to Narayana? I have heard that even great persons who have undergone severe austerities and who are liberated with full knowledge must strive to become devotees of the Lord. It is understood that such persons are very rare and almost never to be seen, so I am astonished that Vrtrasura became such a devotee!"

In the above verse, the most important thing to be noted is that there may be many liberated persons who have merged into the existence of the impersonal Brahman, but a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, is very, very rare. Even out of millions of liberated persons, only one is fortunate enough to become a devotee.

In Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, Eighth Chapter, verse 20, Queen Kunti is praying to Lord Krsna at the time of His departure, "My dear Krsna, You are so great that You are inconceivable even to great stalwart scholars and paramahamsas [fully liberated souls]. So if such great sages, who are transcendental to all the reactions of material existence, are unable to know You, then as far as we are concerned, belonging to the less intelligent woman class, how is it possible for us to know Your glories? How can we understand You?" In this verse, the particular thing to be noted is that the Personality of Godhead is not understood by great liberated persons, but only by devotees such as Queen Kunti in her humbleness. Although she was a woman and was considered less intelligent than a man, still she realized the glories of Krsna. That is the purport of this verse.

Another passage which is very important is in Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, Seventh Chapter, verse 10, and is called "the atmarama verse." In this atmarama verse it is stated that even those who are completely liberated from material contamination are attracted by the transcendental qualities of Lord Krsna.* This atmarama verse was once nicely explained by Lord Caitanya to Sanatana Goswami. There is a detailed explanation The purport of this verse is that a liberated soul has absolutely no desire at all for material enjoyment; he is wholly freed from all kinds of material desires, yet still he is irresistibly attracted by the desire to hear and understand the pastimes of the Lord. We may therefore conclude that the glories and pastimes of the Lord are not material. Otherwise, how could the liberated persons known as atmaramas be attracted by such pastimes? That is the important point in this verse.

From the above statement it is found that a devotee is not after any of the stages of liberation. There are five stages of liberation, already explained as being (1) to become one with the Lord, (2) to live on the same planet as the Lord, (3) to obtain the same bodily features as the Lord, (4) to have the same opulences as the Lord and (5) to have constant association with the Lord. Out of these five liberated stages, the one which is known as sayujya, or to merge into the existence of the Lord, is the last to be accepted by a devotee. The other four liberations, although not desired by devotees, still are not against the devotional ideals. Some of the liberated persons who have achieved these four stages of liberation may also develop affection for Krsna and be promoted to the Goloka Vrndavana planet in the spiritual sky. In other words, those who are already promoted to the Vaikuntha planets and who possess the four kinds of liberation may also sometimes develop affection for Krsna and become promoted to Krsnaloka.

So those who are in the four liberated states may still be going through different stages of existence. In the beginning they may want the opulences of Krsna, but at the mature stage the dormant love for Krsna exhibited in Vrndavana becomes prominent in their hearts. As such, the pure devotees never accept the liberation of sayujya, to become one with the Supreme, though sometimes they may accept as favorable the other four liberated states.

Out of many kinds of devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the one who is attracted to the original form of the Lord, Krsna in Vrndavana, is considered to be the foremost, first-class devotee. Such a devotee is never attracted by the opulences of Vaikuntha, or even of Dvaraka, the royal city where Krsna ruled. The conclusion of Sri Rupa Gosvami is that the devotees who are attracted by the pastimes of the Lord in Gokula, or Vrndavana, Vrndavana is the transcendental place where Krsna enjoys His eternal pastimes as a boy, and it is considered the topmost sphere in all existence. When this Vrndavana is exhibited in the material world the place is called Gokula, and are the topmost devotees.

A devotee who is attached to a particular form of the Lord does not wish to redirect his devotion to other forms. For example, Hanuman, the devotee of Lord Ramacandra, knew that there is no difference between Lord Ramacandra and Lord Narayana, and yet he still wanted to render service only unto Lord Ramacandra. That is due to the specific attraction of a particular devotee. There are many, many forms of the Lord, but Krsna is still the original form. Though all of the devotees of the different forms of the Lord are in the same category, still it is said that those who are devotees of Lord Krsna are the topmost in the list of all devotees.

Chapter Five

The Purity of Devotional Service

All of the previous instructions imparted by Srila Rupa Gosvami in his broad statements can be summarized thus: as long as one is materially inclined or desirous of merging into the spiritual effulgence, one cannot enter into the realm of pure devotional service. Next, Rupa Gosvami states that devotional service is transcendental to all material considerations and that it is not limited to any particular country, class, society or circumstance. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam, devotional service is transcendental and has no cause. Devotional service is executed without any hope for gain, and it cannot be checked by any material circumstances. It is open for all, without any distinction, and it is the constitutional occupation of the living entities.

In the Middle Ages, after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya's great associate Lord Nityananda, a class of priestly persons claimed to be the descendants of Nityananda, calling themselves the gosvami caste. They further claimed that the practice and spreading of devotional service belonged only to their particular class, which was known as Nityananda-vamsa. In this way, they exercised their artificial power for some time, until Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, the powerful acarya of the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya, completely smashed their idea. There was a great hard struggle for some time, but it has turned out successfully, and it is now correctly and practically established that devotional service is not restricted to a particular class of men. Besides that, anyone who is engaged in devotional service is already at the status of being a high-class brahmana. So Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's struggle for this movement has come out successful.

It is on the basis of his position that anyone can now become a Gaudiya Vaisnava, from any part of the world or any part of the universe. Anyone who is a pure Vaisnava is situated transcendentally, and therefore the highest qualification in the material world, namely to be in the mode of goodness, has already been achieved by such a person. Our Krsna consciousness movement in the Western world is based on the above-mentioned proposition of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada, our spiritual master. On his authority, we are claiming members from all sections of the Western countries. The so-called brahmanas claim that one who is not born into a brahmana family cannot receive the sacred thread and cannot become a high-grade Vaisnava. But we do not accept such a theory, because it is not supported by Rupa Gosvami nor by the strength of the various scriptures.

Srila Rupa Gosvami specifically mentions herein that every man has the birthright to accept devotional service and to become Krsna conscious. He has given many evidences from many scriptures, and he has especially quoted one passage from Padma Purana, wherein the sage Vasistha tells King Dilipa, "My dear King, everyone has the right to execute devotional service, just as he has the right to take early bath in the month of Magha [December-January]." There is more evidence in the Skanda Purana, in the Kasi-khanda portion, where it is said, "In the country known as Mayuradhvaja, the lower-caste people who are considered less than sudras are also initiated in the Vaisnava cult of devotional service. And when they are properly dressed, with tilaka on their bodies and beads in their hands and on their necks, they appear to be coming from Vaikuntha. In fact, they look so very beautiful that immediately they surpass the ordinary brahmanas."

Thus a Vaisnava automatically becomes a brahmana. This idea is also supported by Sanatana Gosvami in his book Hari-bhakti-vilasa, which is the Vaisnava guide. Therein he has clearly stated that any person who is properly initiated into the Vaisnava cult certainly becomes a brahmana, as much as the metal known as kamsa (bell metal) is turned into gold by the mixture of mercury. A bona fide spiritual master, under the guidance of authorities, can turn anyone to the Vaisnava cult so that naturally he may come to the topmost position of a brahmana.

Srila Rupa Gosvami warns, however, that if a person is properly initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, he should not think that simply by the acceptance of such initiation his business is then finished. One still has to follow the rules and regulations very carefully. If after accepting the spiritual master and being initiated one does not follow the rules and regulations of devotional service, then he is again fallen. One must be very vigilant to remember that he is the part and parcel of the transcendental body of Krsna, and that it is his duty as part and parcel to give service to the whole, or Krsna. If we do not render service to Krsna then again we fall down. In other words, simply becoming initiated does not elevate one to the position of a high-class brahmana. One also has to discharge the duties and follow the regulative principles very rigidly.

Sri Rupa Gosvami also says that if one is regularly discharging devotional service, there will be no question of a falldown. But even if circumstantially there is some falldown, the Vaisnava need have nothing to do with the prayascitta, the ritualistic ceremony for purification. If someone falls down from the principles of devotional service, he need not take to the prayascitta performances for reformation. He simply has to execute the rules and regulations for discharging devotional service, and this is sufficient for his reinstatement. This is the mystery of the Vaisnava (devotional) cult.

Practically there are three processes for elevating one to the platform of spiritual consciousness. These processes are called karma, jnana and bhakti. Ritualistic performances are in the field of karma. Speculative processes are in the field of jnana. One who has taken to bhakti, the devotional service of the Lord, need have nothing to do with karma or jnana. It has been already explained that pure devotional service is without any tinge of karma or jnana. Bhakti should have no tinge of philosophical speculation or ritualistic performances.

In this connection Srila Rupa Gosvami gives evidence from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Eleventh Canto, Twenty-first Chapter, verse 2, in which Lord Krsna says to Uddhava, "The distinction between qualification and disqualification may be made in this way: persons who are already elevated in discharging devotional service will never again take shelter of the processes of fruitive activity or philosophical speculation. If one sticks to devotional service and is conducted by regulative principles given by the authorities and acaryas, that is the best qualification."

This statement is supported in Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, Fifth Chapter, verse 17, wherein Sri Narada Muni advises Vyasadeva thus: "Even if one does not execute his specific occupational duty, but immediately takes direct shelter of the lotus feet of Hari [Krsna], there will be no fault on his part, and in all circumstances his position is secure. Even if, by some bad association, he falls down while executing devotional service, or if he doesn't finish the complete course of devotional service and dies untimely, still he is not at a loss. A person who is simply discharging his occupational duty in varna and asrama, however, with no Krsna consciousness, practically does not gain the true benefit of human life." The purport is that all conditioned souls who are engaged very frantically in activities for sense gratification, without knowing that this process will never help them get out of material contamination, are awarded only with repeated births and deaths.

In the Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is clearly stated by Rsabhadeva to His sons, "Persons engaged in fruitive activities are repeatedly accepting birth and death, and until they develop a loving feeling for Vasudeva, there will be no question of getting out from these stringent laws of material nature." As such, any person who is very seriously engaged in his occupational duties in the varnas and asramas, and who does not develop love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, should be understood to be simply spoiling his human form of life.

This is confirmed also in the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Eleventh Chapter, verse 32, in which. the Lord says to Uddhava, "My dear Uddhava, any person who takes shelter of Me in complete surrender and follows My instructions, giving up all occupational duties, is to be considered the first-class man." In this statement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is understood that people who are generally attracted to philanthropic, ethical, moral, altruistic, political and social welfare activities may be considered nice men only in the calculation of the material world. From Srimad-Bhagavatam and other authentic Vedic scriptures we learn further that if a person simply acts in Krsna consciousness and discharges devotional service, he is considered to be far, far better situated than all of those persons engaged in philanthropic, ethical, moral, altruistic and social welfare activities.

The same thing is still more emphatically confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Eleventh Canto, Fifth Chapter, verse 41, in which Karabhajana Muni addresses Maharaja Nimi as follows: "My dear King, if someone gives up his occupational duties as they are prescribed for the different varnas and asramas, but takes complete shelter, surrendering himself unto the lotus feet of the Lord, such a person is no more a debtor, nor has he any obligation to perform the different kinds of activities we render to the great sages, ancestors, living entities and family and society members. Nor has he any need to bother executing the five kinds of yajnas [sacrifices] for becoming free from sinful contamination. Simply by discharging devotional service, he is freed from all kinds of obligations." The purport is that as soon as a man takes his birth, he is immediately indebted to so many sources. He is indebted to the great sages because he profits by reading their authoritative scriptures and books. For example, we take advantage of the books written by Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva has left for us all the Vedas. Before Vyasadeva's writing, the Vedic literature was simply heard, and the disciples would learn the mantras quickly by hearing and not by reading. Later on, Vyasadeva thought it wise to write down the Vedas, because in this age people are short-memoried and unable to remember all the instructions given by the spiritual master. Therefore, he left all the Vedic knowledge in the form of books, such as the Puranas, Vedanta, Mahabharata and Srimad-Bhagavatam.

There are many other sages, like Sankaracarya, Gautama Muni and Narada Muni, to whom we are indebted because we take advantage of their knowledge. Similarly, we are obliged to our forefathers, because we take our birth in a particular family, where we take all advantages and inherit property. Therefore, we are indebted to the forefathers and have to offer them pinda (prasada) after they are dead. Similarly, to the people in general we are also indebted, as well as to our relatives, friends and even animals such as cows and dogs who render us so much service.

In this way, we are indebted to the demigods, to the forefathers, to the sages, to the animals and to society in general. It is our duty to repay them all by proper discharge of service. But by the one stroke of devotional service, if someone gives up all obligations and simply surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is no longer a debtor, nor obliged to any other source of benefit.

In Bhagavad-gita also, the Lord says, "Give up all your occupations and just become surrendered unto Me. I give you assurance that I shall give you protection from all sinful reactions." One may think that because he is surrendering unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead he will not be able to perform all of his other obligations. But the Lord says repeatedly, "Don't hesitate. Don't consider that because you are giving up all other engagements there will be some flaw in your life. Don't think like that. I will give you all protection." That is the assurance of Lord Krsna in Bhagavad-gita.

There is additional evidence in the Agastya-samhita: "As the regulative principles of scripture are not required by a liberated person, so the ritualistic principles indicated in the Vedic supplements are also not required for a person duly engaged in the service of Lord Ramacandra." In other words, the devotees of Lord Ramacandra, or Krsna, are already liberated persons and are not required to follow all the regulative principles mentioned in the ritualistic portions of the Vedic literature.

Similarly, in the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fifth Chapter, verse 42, Karabhajana Muni addresses King Nimi and says, "My dear King, a person who has given up the worship of the demigods and has completely concentrated his energy in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead has become very, very dear to the Lord. As such, if by chance or mistake he does something which is forbidden, there is no need for him to perform any purificatory ceremonies. Because the Lord is situated within his heart, He takes compassion for the devotee's accidental mistake and corrects him from within." It is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita in many places that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, takes a special interest in His devotees and declares emphatically that nothing can cause His devotees to fall down. He is always protecting them.

Chapter Six

How to Discharge Devotional Service

Srila Rupa Gosvami states that his elder brother (Sanatana Gosvami) has compiled Hari-bhakti-vilasa for the guidance of the Vaisnavas and therein has mentioned many rules and regulations to be followed by the Vaisnavas. Some of them are very important and prominent, and Srila Rupa Gosvami will now mention these very important items for our benefit. The purport of this statement is that Srila Rupa Gosvami proposes to mention only basic principles, not details. For example, a basic principle is that one has to accept a spiritual master. Exactly how one follows the instructions of his spiritual master is considered a detail. For example, if one is following the instruction of his spiritual master and that instruction is different from the instructions of another spiritual master, this is called detailed information. But the basic principle of acceptance of a spiritual master is good everywhere, although the details may be different. Srila Rupa Gosvami does not wish to enter into details here, but wants to place before us only the principles.

He mentions the basic principles as follows: (1) accepting the shelter of the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master, (2) becoming initiated by the spiritual master and learning how to discharge devotional service from him, (3) obeying the orders of the spiritual master with faith and devotion, (4) following in the footsteps of great acaryas (teachers) under the direction of the spiritual master, (5) inquiring from the spiritual master how to advance in Krsna consciousness, (6) being prepared to give up anything material for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna (this means that when we are engaged in the devotional service of Krsna, we must be prepared to give up something which we may not like to give up, and also we have to accept something which we may not like to accept), (7) residing in a sacred place of pilgrimage like Dvaraka or Vrndavana, (8) accepting only what is necessary, or dealing with the material world only as far as necessary, (9) observing the fasting day on Ekadasi and (10) worshiping sacred trees like the banyan tree.

These ten items are preliminary necessities for beginning the discharge of devotional service in regulative principles. In the beginning, if a neophyte devotee observes the above-mentioned ten principles, surely he will quickly make good advancement in Krsna consciousness.

The next set of instructions is listed as follows: (1) One should rigidly give up the company of nondevotees. (2) One should not instruct a person who is not desirous of accepting devotional service. (3) One should not be very enthusiastic about constructing costly temples or monasteries. (4) One should not try to read too many books, nor should one develop the idea of earning his livelihood by lecturing on or professionally reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam or Bhagavad-gita. (5) One should not be neglectful in ordinary dealings. (6) One should not be under the spell of lamentation in loss or jubilation in gain. (7) One should not disrespect the demigods. (8) One should not give unnecessary trouble to any living entity. (9) One should carefully avoid the various offenses in chanting the holy name of the Lord or in worshiping the Deity in the temple. (10) One should be very intolerant toward the blasphemy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, or His devotees.

Without following the above-mentioned ten principles, one cannot properly elevate himself to the platform of sadhana-bhakti, or devotional service in practice. Altogether, Srila Rupa Gosvami mentions twenty items, and all of them are very important. Out of the twenty, the first three--namely accepting the shelter of a bona fide spiritual master, taking initiation from him and serving him with respect and reverence--are the most important.

The next important items are as follows: (1) One should decorate the body with tilaka, which is the sign of the Vaisnavas. (The idea is that as soon as a person sees these marks on the body of the Vaisnava, he will immediately remember Krsna. Lord Caitanya said that a Vaisnava is he who, when seen, reminds one of Krsna. Therefore, it is essential that a Vaisnava mark his body with tilaka to remind others of Krsna.) (2) In marking such tilaka, sometimes one may write Hare Krsna on the body. (3) One should accept flowers and garlands that have been offered to the Deity and the spiritual master and put them on one's body. (4) One should learn to dance before the Deity. (5) One should learn to bow down immediately upon seeing the Deity or the spiritual master. (6) As soon as one visits a temple of Lord Krsna, one must stand up. (7) When the Deity is being borne for a stroll in the street, a devotee should immediately follow the procession. (In this connection it may be noted that in India, especially in Visnu temples, the system is that apart from the big Deity who is permanently situated in the main area of the temple, there is a set of smaller Deities which are taken in procession in the evening. In some temples it is the custom to hold a big procession in the evening with a band playing and a nice big umbrella over the Deities, who sit on decorated thrones on the cart or palanquin, which is carried by devotees. The Deities come out onto the street and travel in the neighborhood while the people of the neighborhood come out to offer prasada. The residents of the neighborhood all follow the procession, so it is a very nice scene. When the Deity is coming out, the servitors in the temple put forward the daily accounts before Them: so much was the collection, so much was the expenditure. The whole idea is that the Deity is considered to be the proprietor of the whole establishment, and all the priests and other people taking care of the temple are considered to be the servants of the Deity. This system is very, very old and is still followed. So, therefore, it is mentioned here that when the Deity is on stroll the people should follow behind.) (8) A devotee must visit a Visnu temple at least once or twice every day, morning and evening. (In Vrndavana this system is followed very strictly. All the devotees in town go every morning and evening to visit different temples. Therefore during these times there are considerable crowds all over the city. There are about five thousand temples in Vrndavana city. Of course it is not possible to visit all the temples, but there are at least one dozen very big and important temples which were started by the Gosvamis and which should be visited.) (9) One must circumambulate the temple building at least three times. (In every temple there is an arrangement to go around the temple at least three times. Some devotees go around more than three times--ten times, fifteen times--according to their vows. The Gosvamis used to circumambulate Govardhana Hill.) One should also circumambulate the whole Vrndavana area. (10) One must worship the Deity in the temple according to the regulative principles. (Offering arati and prasada, decorating the Deity, etc.--these things must be observed regularly.) (11) One must render personal service to the Deities. (12) One must sing. (13) One must perform sankirtana. (14) One must chant. (15) One must offer prayers. (16) One must recite notable prayers. (17) One must taste maha-prasada (food from the very plate offered before the Deities). (18) One must drink caranamrta (water from the bathing of the Deities, which is offered to guests). (19) One must smell the incense and flowers offered to the Deity. (20) One must touch the lotus feet of the Deity. (21) One must see the Deity with great devotion. (22) One must offer arati (aratrika) at different times. (23) One must hear about the Lord and His pastimes from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita and similar books. (24) One must pray to the Deity for His mercy. (25) One should remember the Deity. (26) One should meditate upon the Deity. (27) One should render some voluntary service. (28) One should think of the Lord as one's friend. (29) One should offer everything to the Lord. (30) One should offer a favorite article (such as food or a garment). (31) One should take all kinds of risks and perform all endeavors for Krsna's benefit. (32) In every condition, one should be a surrendered soul. (33) One should pour water on the tulasi tree. (34) One should regularly hear Srimad-Bhagavatam and similar literature. (35) One should live in a sacred place like Mathura, Vrndavana or Dvaraka. (36) One should offer service to Vaisnavas (devotees). (37) One should arrange one's devotional service according to one's means. (38) In the month of Karttika (October and November), one should make arrangements for special services. (39) During Janmastami (the time of Krsna's appearance in this world) one should observe a special service. (40) One should do whatever is done with great care and devotion for the Deity. (41) One should relish the pleasure of Bhagavatam reading among devotees and not among outsiders. (42) One should associate with devotees who are considered more advanced. (43) One should chant the holy name of the Lord. (44) One should live in the jurisdiction of Mathura.

Now, the total regulative principles come to an aggregate of sixty-four items. As we have mentioned, the first are the primary ten regulative principles. Then come the secondary ten regulative principles, and added to these are forty-four other activities. So all together there are sixty-four items for discharging the regulative practice of devotional service. Out of these sixty-four items, five items--namely worshiping the Deity, hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam, associating among the devotees, sankirtana, and living in Mathura--are very important.

The sixty-four items of devotional service should include all of our activities of body, mind and speech. As stated in the beginning, the regulative principle of devotional service enjoins that all of our senses must be employed in the service of the Lord. Exactly how they can be thus employed is described in the above sixty-four items. Now, Srila Rupa Gosvami will give evidence from different scriptures supporting the authenticity of many of these points.

To Chapters 7 to 10