The Path Of Pure Devotional Service

The Path Of Pure Devotional Service
Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura
In jñāna-yoga, the cultivation of empirical knowl¬edge, the conditions are that the jñāna-yogi must purify his internal senses, namely: the mind, the intelligence, and the consciousness. In the case of karma-yoga, the yogi must relinquish the fruits of his labors by which his internal senses are puri¬fied. At this stage of practice he becomes eligible to embrace the path of jñāna-yoga. This proves that jñāna-yoga in some ways is dependent upon, and subservient to, karma-yoga. In jñāna-yoga, if the jñānī either accidentally or deliberately has the slightest fall down, the scriptures (eg Bhag 7.15.36) condemn him as a shameless person, likening him to someone who eats his own vomit. Although such persons as Kamsa, Hiranyakasipu, and Rava¬na were very erudite and accomplished jñāna-yogis, they are infamous characters condemned through-out history for their moral aberrations. The slightest hint of profligacy penalizes the jñāna-yogi and his spiritual preceptors then ostracise him.
In the case of bhakti-yoga, the path of pure devo¬tional service, even if the devotee is infected with material lust, greed, and other such faults he is still eligible to take up the process. Later, by the practice of bhakti, which is completely independent and beyond all rules and regulations, the devotee’s heart and consciousness become purified of any defects. Therefore, the Srimad-Bhāgavatam (10.33.39) explains:
vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ
śraddhānvito ‘nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ
bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ
hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ
Anyone who faithfully hears or describes the Lord’s playful affairs with the young gopis of Vrnda¬vana will attain the Lord’s pure devotional service. Thus he will quickly become sober and conquer lust, the disease of the heart.
In this verse the Sanskrit for “attains pure devo¬tional service” is an infinitive verb and it is placed in the beginning of the verse. By doing so it means that, in spite of the person being afflicted with lust, he first attains bhakti and later roots out the material diseases.
— Madhurya-Kadambini – Srīla Visvanatha Cakravarti ThakuraTranslated by Sarvabhavanadasa.