• Home
  • Articles
    • From Previous Acharyas
    • From Devotees
  • Videos
    • English Long Videos
    • English Short Videos
    • Hindi Long Videos
    • Hindi Short Videos
  • News
  • Join Our Whatsapp & Telegram Group
  • About Us
  • Submit Articles
  • Donate
thepranams.com
  • Home
  • Articles
    • From Previous Acharyas
    • From Devotees
  • Videos
    • English Long Videos
    • English Short Videos
    • Hindi Long Videos
    • Hindi Short Videos
  • News
  • About Us
  • Submit Articles
  • Donate
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Pinterest

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • LinkedIn

  • Tumblr

  • RSS

From Previous Acharyas

The Test Of Devotional Service

The Test Of Devotional Service
Thepranams Team
October 29, 2021

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.

Related Itemsfeatured
Click to add a comment

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

From Previous Acharyas
October 29, 2021
Thepranams Team

Related Itemsfeatured

More in From Previous Acharyas

The priests began to offer prayers to the Lord

Thepranams TeamMay 21, 2022
Read More

After Finding A Qualified Guru

Thepranams TeamMay 20, 2022
Read More

Activities Of Maharaja Agnidhra

Thepranams TeamMay 19, 2022
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Srila Prabhupada

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • Comments

  • Indra-kunda
    From DevoteesMay 19, 2022
  • Lord Shiva Instructs Pracetas By Sri Maitreya Ṛṣi
    From Previous AcharyasMay 4, 2022
  • Indra Puja
    From DevoteesMay 20, 2022
  • What Has Sri Chaitanyadeva Done?
    From Previous AcharyasMay 12, 2022
  • Calendar for the year 2022
    NewsMay 21, 2022
  • Unveiling the Mysteries of Mahabharata
    NewsMay 21, 2022
  • How does one lose good qualities | Nectar Verses SB 3.31.33 | Gauranga Darshan Das
    English Short VideosMay 21, 2022
  • Sutala-kunda / Sutalavana
    From DevoteesMay 21, 2022
  • Thepranams Team says:

    Book 1 Mahabhavasvarupa Srimati Radharani Indian distribution Flipkart : https://www.flipkart.com/mahbhvasvarpa-srimati-radharani/p/itm053e86feb8f7b…

  • Bala says:

    Link Please,,,,?

  • Brijesh Dwivedi says:

    Hare Krishna! He was the youngest disciple till 30th November,…

  • David Lio says:

    All the speakers are great and intelligent. I want to…

Join Our Whatsapp Group

Hare Krishna TV

Hare Krishna

Subscribe us on YouTube

Message Board

    ◉  Vedanta-syamantaka Release By Dr. Demian Martins
    More From Message Board

Webinar

Online Bhagavatam classes for Europe | South Africa | United Kingdom.

ISKCON Bhagavat Mahavidyalaya Courses

Self study courses on Srimad Bhagavatam

Self study course on Chaitanya Charitamrita

Bhagavata Vidyalaya

Bhagavata Charcha

Who is Online

431696
Total Users : 431696
Who's Online : 5
thepranams.com

Thepranams.com is our humble attempt to provide a digital communication platform for erudite, scholarly, creative, enthusiastic devotees and preachers in the Region of India. It is designed mainly to propagate and share preaching activities worldwide with valuable exchanges of information and knowledge.

ISKCON Devotees in pursuit of such information related to Krishna conscious activities and developments in India will find this endeavor very satisfying.

Latest Articles

  • Calendar for the year 2022
    NewsMay 21, 2022
  • Unveiling the Mysteries of Mahabharata
    NewsMay 21, 2022
  • How does one lose good qualities | Nectar Verses SB 3.31.33 | Gauranga Darshan Das
    English Short VideosMay 21, 2022

Title

featured News Radheshyam Das srila-prabhupada iskcon vrindavan Bhakti Rasamrita Swami ISKCON Chowpatty www.ibmedu.org bhakti vikas swami courses.ibmedu.org Prabhupada covid-19 health mayapur iskcon-mayapur srimad bhagavatam krishna malaysia record retreat pandemic Lokanath Swami BILVAVANA Bhakti Vikasa Swami tovp florida iskcon juhu H.H. Bhakti vikas swami HH Lokanath Swami Maharaj Initiation new vrajamandala madrid freatured sri caitanya Stress previous acharyas Path UK susrusu spain
Submit Your Articles
You can submit your article by uploading it here or send it to [email protected]

Copyright © Iskcon Bhagavata Mahavidyalaya. All Rights Reserved.

No One Is Hated Or Neglected By Krishna
The Manus, Administrators of The Universe