DEVOTIONAL SERVICE IN FRIENDSHIP Devotional service in friendship can be divided into two categories: the first is to act as the confidential servant of the Lord, and the other is to act as the well-wisher of … Read More
CHAPTER ELEVEN Aspects of Transcendental Service: SERVITORSHIP In the opinion of the karmīs (fruitive workers), offering the results of karma is called servitorship. But according to Vaiṣṇava ācāryas like Rūpa Gosvāmī, servitorship means constant engagement in … Read More
MEDITATION To meditate means to engage the mind in thinking of the form of the Lord, the qualities of the Lord, the activities of the Lord and the service of the Lord. Meditation does not mean … Read More
MEDITATION To meditate means to engage the mind in thinking of the form of the Lord, the qualities of the Lord, the activities of the Lord and the service of the Lord. Meditation does not mean … Read More
REMEMBRANCE Some way or other, if someone establishes in his mind his continuous relationship with Kṛṣṇa, this relationship is called remembrance. About this remembrance there is a nice statement in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, where it is … Read More
EXPECTING THE LORD’S MERCY In the Tenth Canto, fourteenth chapter, verse 8, it is said, “My dear Lord, any person who is constantly awaiting Your causeless mercy to be bestowed upon him, and who goes on … Read More
CHAPTER TEN Techniques of Hearing and Remembering HEARING The beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotional service is hearing, in Sanskrit called śravaṇam. All people should be given the chance to come and join devotional parties so … Read More
OBSERVING ĀRATI AND CELEBRATIONS OF THE LORD In the Skanda Purāṇa there is the following description of the result of seeing ārati (worship) of the Deity: “If someone sees the face of the Lord while ārati … Read More
SEEING THE DEITY In the Varāha Purāṇa there is a statement praising the seeing of the Deity of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the temple. A devotee says there, “My dear Vasundharā, any person who goes to Vṛndāvana … Read More
TOUCHING THE DEITY In the Viṣṇu-dharmottara there is a statement about touching the lotus feet of the Lord. It is said, “Only a person who is initiated as a Vaiṣṇava and is executing devotional service in … Read More
SMELLING THE INCENSE OR FLOWERS OFFERED TO THE DEITY In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya there is a statement about the incense which is offered in the temple: “When the devotees smell the good flavor of the incense which … Read More
DRINKING CARAṆĀMṚTA Caraṇāmṛta is obtained in the morning while the Lord is being washed before dressing. Scented with perfumes and flowers, the water comes gliding down through His lotus feet and is collected and mixed with … Read More
PARTAKING OF PRASĀDA There is this specific statement in the Padma Purāṇa: “A person who honors the prasāda and regularly eats it, not exactly in front of the Deity, along with caraṇāmṛta [the water offered to … Read More
Reciting Notable prayers According to great learned scholars, the whole Bhagavad-gītā contains many authorized prayers, especially in the eleventh chapter, where Arjuna prays to the universal form of the Lord. Similarly, in the Gautamīya-tantra all the … Read More
SUBMISSION In the Skanda Purāṇa there is a statement about submission unto the lotus feet of the Lord. It is said there that those who are sober devotees can offer their submission to Kṛṣṇa in the … Read More
