The Test Of Devotional Service

The Test Of Devotional Service
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
The bona fide spiritual master can give relevant direction to the neophyte devotee on the principles of the primary stages of devotional service of the Lord. If one has not developed the aptitude of loving service of the Lord by engaging himself under the direction of the spiritual master, one cannot make any progress on the path of devotion. Nobody can claim to have made any progress in devotional service without demonstrating by the symptoms.
Srila Jiva Gosvami gives an analogy. He says that when we speak of inviting a warrior it does not mean we invite the weapons of the warrior. The warrior is naturally always decorated with or followed by his weapons. However, the host does not mean to please the weapons – rather he wishes to please the warrior himself. Similarly we must know whether the Lord is satisfied by our service, without being too attached to mechanically following the standard procedures. There are many who pass by the name of devotees, but when they are put in the acid test of genuine symptoms, generally they can be seen as belonging to the class of mundane people. Lord Chaitanya says that kṛṣṇa-prema, a genuine love for the Lord, is the last word in the kingdom of devotional service. In the absence of such genuine love for Krishna, which is followed by the symptoms of detachment for mundane things, one cannot be certified as an advanced devotee. The word anu suggests service of the Lord without any interval. The true devotee is always fully absorbed in the service of his be¬loved Lord. There will naturally be no interruption in such progress of devotional service. These are some of the symptoms of devotional service in reality. Besides these, there are other secondary symptoms which are as follows:
The devotee must be completely freed from all desires other than devotional service. That is the standard of first grade devotional service. Desires other than devotional service are many and come under the headings of karma, jñāna, yoga, etc. Jñāna, knowledge is generally accepted in the sense of monism or to become one with the Supreme. When we say that devotional service must be untouched by jñāna we mean this philosophy of undifferentiated oneness with the Lord. Otherwise, knowledge pertaining to the culture of pure devotional service has to be attained with full vigour. Without specific knowledge in the matter of pure devotional service, particularly with reference to the context of Vedas, Purāṇas, Mahābhārata and pañcarātric regulations, no devotional service will stand as genuine. Any pretension of devotional service without knowledge of the above mentioned scriptures is nothing but a disturbance on that path.
When we speak of karma detached from devotional service, we mean fruitive works which are mentioned in the smṛti śāstras. They are meant for obtaining elevation in material existence. Devotional service must be freed from such fruitive activities. However, the activities (work) that is conducive to the development of devotional service must be cultivated. The work which helps enlightenment of devotional service must be cultured. The word adi is the sum total of all such non-devotional activities like yoga or unnecessary penances for sense gratification.
Great kings like Ravana or Hiranyakasipu had undergone severe penances for many, many years just to obtain the temporary benefit of sense enjoyment. But ultimately, in spite of all these penances, they could not protect themselves, from the punishment imposed upon them by the Personality of Godhead. The conclusion is that, the culture of devotional service to the Lord must be restricted within the pure devotional activities, and nothing more. Such activities are elaborately mentioned in the Bhāgavatam and other scriptures. The text Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu is also within the category of those scriptures.
— Śrī Prema Bhakti-Candrikā -Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura, Published by Ishvara Das, Touchstone Media.