CHAPTER FOURTEEN<\/p>\n
Devotional Qualifications
\nSome scholars recommend that knowledge and renunciation are important factors for elevating oneself to devotional service. But actually that is not a fact. Actually, the cultivation of knowledge or renunciation, which are favorable for achieving a footing in K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness, may be accepted in the beginning, but ultimately they may also come to be rejected, for devotional service is dependent on nothing other than the sentiment or desire for such service. It requires nothing more than sincerity.
\nIt is the opinion of expert devotees that mental speculation and the artificial austerities of yoga practice may be favorable for becoming liberated from material contamination, but they will also make one\u2019s heart harder and harder. They will not help at all in the progress of devotional service. These processes are therefore not favorable for entering into the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Actually, K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness \u2013 devotional service itself \u2013 is the only way of advancing in devotional life. Devotional service is absolute; it is both the cause and the effect. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause and effect of all that be, and to approach Him, the Absolute, the process of devotional service \u2013 which is also absolute \u2013 has to be adopted.
\nThis is confirmed in Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101 by the Lord Himself: \u201cOne can understand Me only through devotional service.\u201d In beginning His teaching of the G\u012bt\u0101 the Lord said to Arjuna, \u201cBecause you are My devotee, I shall teach these secrets to you.\u201d Vedic knowledge means ultimately to understand the Supreme Lord, and the process of entering into His kingdom is devotional service. That is accepted by all authentic scriptures. Mental speculators neglect the process of devotional service, and by simply trying to defeat others in philosophical research they fail to develop the ecstasy of devotion.
\nIn the Eleventh Canto, twentieth chapter, verse 31 of \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a says, \u201cMy dear Uddhava, for persons who are seriously engaged in My service, the cultivation of philosophical speculation and artificial renunciation are not very favorable. When a person becomes My devotee he automatically attains the fruits of the renunciation of material enjoyment, and he gets sufficient knowledge to understand the Absolute Truth.\u201d That is the test of advancement in devotional service. A devotee cannot be in darkness, because the Lord shows him special favor and enlightens him from within.
\nIn the Eleventh Canto, twentieth chapter, verses 32 and 33 of \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam the Lord further instructs Uddhava, \u201cMy dear friend, the profits derived from fruitive activities, austerities, the culture of philosophical knowledge, renunciation, the practice of mystic yoga, charity and all similar auspicious activities are automatically achieved by My devotees \u2013 those who are simply attached to Me by loving service. These devotees have everything at their disposal, but they desire nothing outside of My devotional service. If ever a devotee should desire some material profit, like promotion to the heavenly planets, or some spiritual profit \u2013 to go to the Vaiku\u1e47\u1e6dhas \u2013 by My causeless mercy his desires are very easily fulfilled.\u201d
\nActually, a person who is developing K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness and still has some attachment to material enjoyment will soon be freed from such a tendency by regularly discharging devotional service under the instruction of a bona fide spiritual master.
\n\u015ar\u012bla R\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b, then, recommends that one should not be attached to material sense enjoyment but should accept everything enjoyable that is in relationship to K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. For example, eating is necessary, and one wants some palatable dishes to satisfy his sense of taste. So in that case, for the satisfaction of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a rather than for the satisfaction of the tongue, some palatable dishes may be prepared and offered to K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. Then it is renunciation. Let the palatable dishes be prepared, but unless they are offered to K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a one should not accept them for eating. This vow of rejecting anything that is not offered to K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a is actually renunciation. And by such renunciation one is able to satisfy the demands of the senses.
\nThe impersonalists, who try to avoid everything material, may undergo severe austerities, but they miss the opportunity of being engaged in the service of the Lord. Thus their renunciation is not sufficient for perfection. There are many instances where, following such artificial renunciation without any contact with devotional service, the impersonalist again fell down and became attracted to material contamination. There are many supposed renouncers even at the present moment who officially become sanny\u0101s\u012bs, or renouncers, and outwardly claim that spiritual existence is truth and material existence untruth. In this way, artificially they make a show of renunciation of the material world. However, because they cannot reach the point of devotional service, they fail to achieve the goal, and they again come back to material activities, such as philanthropic work and political agitation. There are many examples of so-called sanny\u0101s\u012bs who gave up the world as untruth but again came to the material world because they were not seeking their real repose at the lotus feet of the Lord.
\nOne should not give up anything that can be utilized in the service of the Lord. That is a secret of devotional service. Anything that can be utilized in advancing K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness and devotional service should be accepted. For instance, we are using many machines for the advancement of our present K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness movement, machines like typewriters, dictating machines, tape recorders, microphones and airplanes. Sometimes people ask us, \u201cWhy are you utilizing material products if you condemn the advancement of material civilization?\u201d But actually we do not condemn. We simply ask people to do whatever they are doing in K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness. This is the same principle on which, in Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101, K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a advised Arjuna to utilize his fighting abilities in devotional service. Similarly, we are utilizing these machines for K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a\u2019s service. With such sentiment for K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, or K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness, we can accept everything. If the typewriter can be utilized for advancing our K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness movement, we must accept it. Similarly, the dictating machine or any other machine must be used. Our vision is that K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a is everything. K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a is the cause and effect, and nothing belongs to us. K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a\u2019s things must be used in the service of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. That is our vision.
\nThis does not mean, however, that we should give up the principles of discharging devotional service or neglect abiding by the rules and regulations prescribed therein. In the neophyte stage of devotion one must follow all the principles, regulated by the authority of the spiritual master. The acceptance and rejection of things should always be in pursuance of the devotional principles; not that one can independently manufacture some idea of what should be accepted or rejected. The spiritual master as the visible manifestation of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a is necessary, therefore, to direct the devotee on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
\nThe spiritual master must never be carried away by an accumulation of wealth or a large number of followers. A bona fide spiritual master will never become like that. But sometimes, if a spiritual master is not properly authorized and only on his own initiative becomes a spiritual master, he may be carried away by an accumulation of wealth and large numbers of disciples. His is not a very high grade of devotional service. If a person is carried away by such achievements, then his devotional service becomes slackened. One should therefore strictly adhere to the principles of disciplic succession.
\nA K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a conscious person, being naturally purified, has no need of developing any other purificatory process of thought or action. On account of his being highly elevated in K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness he has already acquired all the good qualities and is following the rules and regulations prescribed for the mystic yogic process. Such rules are automatically practiced by the devotees. A concrete example is the quality of nonviolence, which is considered a good qualification. A devotee is naturally nonviolent and therefore doesn\u2019t have to practice nonviolence separately. Some people seek purification by joining a vegetarian movement, but a devotee is automatically a vegetarian. He doesn\u2019t need to practice separately in this matter or to join any society for vegetarians. He is automatically a vegetarian.
\nThere are many other instances showing that a devotee needn\u2019t practice anything but K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness; all the good qualities of the demigods automatically develop within him. Those who are intentionally practicing to be vegetarians or to become nonviolent may have good qualifications by a material estimation, but these qualifications are not sufficient to make them devotees. A vegetarian is not necessarily a devotee, nor is a nonviolent person. But a devotee is automatically both vegetarian and nonviolent. We must conclude, therefore, that vegetarianism or nonviolence is not the cause of devotion.
\nIn this connection, there is a story in the Skanda Pur\u0101\u1e47a about a hunter who was converted into a great devotee under the instruction of N\u0101rada Muni. When the hunter became a perfect devotee he was not prepared to kill even an ant. Parvata Muni, a friend of N\u0101rada\u2019s, saw the wonderful transformation of the hunter by devotional service and remarked, \u201cMy dear hunter, your unwillingness to kill even an ant is not very astonishing. Any person who develops the devotional attitude has all the good qualities automatically manifested in his person. A devotee is never a cause of distress to anyone.\u201d
\n\u015ar\u012b R\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b affirms herein that purification of consciousness, purification of bodily activities, austerities, peace of mind, etc., all become automatically manifest in the person who is engaged in devotional service.
\n\u015ar\u012b R\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b affirms herein that there are nine different kinds of devotional service, which are listed as hearing, chanting, remembering, serving, worshiping the Deity in the temple, praying, carrying out orders, serving K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a as a friend and sacrificing everything for Him. Each and every one of these processes is so powerful that if anyone follows even a single one of them he can achieve the desired perfection without fail. For example, if one is attached simply to hearing about the Lord and another is attached to chanting the glories of the name, both will achieve their desired goal in devotional service. In the Caitanya-carit\u0101m\u1e5bta this has been explained. One may execute one, two, three or all the different processes of devotional service, and at the ultimate end he will achieve the desired goal of being established in devotional service.
\nThere are concrete examples of how a devotee discharged one of these services and achieved perfection. King Par\u012bk\u1e63it achieved the desired goal of life simply by hearing \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam. \u015aukadeva Gosv\u0101m\u012b achieved the desired goal of life simply by reciting \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam. Prahl\u0101da Mah\u0101r\u0101ja became successful in his devotional service by always remembering the Lord. Lak\u1e63m\u012b, the goddess of fortune, was successful by engaging herself in massaging the lotus feet of the Lord. King P\u1e5bthu became successful by worshiping in the temple. Akr\u016bra became successful by offering prayers. Hanum\u0101n became successful by rendering personal service to Lord R\u0101macandra. Arjuna became successful by being a friend of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. And Bali Mah\u0101r\u0101ja became successful simply by offering all of his possessions to K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a.
\nThere are also examples of devotees who discharged all the different items together. In the Ninth Canto, fourth chapter, verses 18, 19 and 20 of \u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam, there is a statement about Mah\u0101r\u0101ja Ambar\u012b\u1e63a, who followed every one of the devotional processes. In these verses, \u015aukadeva Gosv\u0101m\u012b says, \u201cKing Ambar\u012b\u1e63a first of all concentrated his mind on the lotus feet of Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a and then engaged his speech in describing the pastimes and activities of the Lord. He engaged his hands in washing the temple of the Lord. He engaged his ears in hearing of the transcendental glories of the Lord. He engaged his eyes in seeing the beautiful Deity in the temple. He engaged his body in associating with the pure devotees of the Lord. [When you associate with someone you have to sit down together, eat together, etc. \u2013 and in this way the touch of your body with his body is inevitable. Ambar\u012b\u1e63a Mah\u0101r\u0101ja made his association only with pure devotees and did not allow his body to be touched by anyone else.] He engaged his nostrils in smelling the flowers and tulas\u012b offered to K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, and he engaged his tongue in tasting k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-pras\u0101da [food prepared specifically for offering to the Lord, the remnants of which are taken by the devotees]. Mah\u0101r\u0101ja Ambar\u012b\u1e63a was able to offer very nice pras\u0101da to K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a because he was a king and had no scarcity of finances. He used to offer K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a the most royal dishes and would then taste the remnants as k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-pras\u0101da. There was no scarcity in his royal style, because he had a very beautiful temple wherein the Deity of the Lord was decorated with costly paraphernalia and offered high-grade food. So everything was available, and his engagement was always completely in K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness.\u201d The idea is that we should follow in the footsteps of great devotees. If we are unable to execute all the different items of devotional service, we must try to execute at least one of them, as exemplified by previous \u0101c\u0101ryas. If we are engaged in the execution of all the items of devotional service, as was Mah\u0101r\u0101ja Ambar\u012b\u1e63a, then the perfection of devotional service is guaranteed from each one of these items. With the first complete engagement, one becomes automatically detached from material contamination, and liberation becomes the maidservant of the devotee. This idea is confirmed by Bilvama\u1e45gala \u1e6ch\u0101kura. If one develops unalloyed devotion to the Lord, liberation will follow the devotee as his maidservant.
\n\u015ar\u012bla R\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b says that the regulative principles of devotional service are sometimes described by authorities as the path of serving the Lord in opulence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CHAPTER FOURTEEN Devotional Qualifications Some scholars recommend that knowledge and renunciation are important factors for elevating oneself to devotional service. But actually that is not a fact. Actually, the cultivation of knowledge or renunciation, which are … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-18 19:45:12","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37873\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}