Srila Prabhupada fully explains devotional service (Bg 9.2-p)

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Dear Prabhus,

Please accept my humble obeisances at the lotus feet of

Srila Prabhupada.

The following is the balance of the purport from Bhagavad-gita

9.2 .

Srila Prabhupada continues to teach us :

"...In the Vedanta-sutra this is also described

in the following words: prakasas ca karmany abhyasat. "Devotional

service is so potent that simply by engaging in the activities of devotional

service, one becomes enlightened without a doubt." Narada, who happened

to be the son of a maidservant, had no education, nor was he born into

a high family. But when his mother was engaged in serving great devotees,

Narada also became engaged, and sometimes, in the absence of his mother,

he would serve the great devotees himself. Narada personally says, "Once

only, by their permission, I took the remnants of their food, and by so

doing all my sins were at once eradicated. Thus being engaged, I became

purified in heart, and at that time the very nature of the transcendentalist

became attractive to me."(Bhag 1.5.25) Narada tells his disciple

Vyasadeva that in a previous life he was engaged as a boy servant

of purified devotees during four months of their stay and that he was intimately

associating with them. Sometimes those sages left remnants of food on their

dishes, and the boy, who would wash their dishes, wanted to taste the remnants.

So he asked the great devotees whether he could eat them, and they gave

their permission. Narada then ate those remnants and consequently became

freed from all sinful reactions. As he went on eating, he gradually

became as purehearted as the sages, and he gradually developed the same

taste. The great devotees relished the taste of unceasing devotional service

of the Lord, hearing, chanting, etc., and by developing the same taste,

Narada wanted also to hear and chant the glories of the Lord. Thus by associating

with the sages, he developed a great desire for devotional service.

Therefore he quotes from the Vedanta-sutra (prakasas ca karmany abhyasat):

if one is engaged simply in the acts of devotional

service, everything is revealed to him automatically, and he can understand.

This is called prakasah, directly perceived.

Narada was actually a son of a maidservant. He had no

opportunity to go to school. He was simply assisting his mother, and fortunately

his mother rendered some service to the devotees. The child Narada also

got the opportunity and simply by association achieved the highest goal

of all religions, devotional service. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it

is said that religious people generally do not know that the highest perfection

of religion is the attainment of the stage of devotional service.

Generally Vedic knowledge is required for understanding of the path of

self-realization. But here, although he was not educated in the Vedic principle,

Narada acquired the highest results of Vedic study. This process is so

potent that even without performing the religious process regularly, one

can be raised to the highest perfection. How is this

possible? This is also confirmed in Vedic literature: acaryavan

puruso veda. One who is in association with great acaryas, even if

he is not educated or has not studied the Vedas, can become familiar

with all the knowledge necessary for realization.

The process of devotional service is a very happy

one. Why? Devotional service consists of sravanam kirtanam visnoh,

so one can simply hear the chanting of the glories of the Lord or can attend

philosophical lectures on transcendental knowledge given by authorized

acaryas. Simply by sitting, one can learn; then one can eat the

remnants of the food offered to God, nice palatable dishes. In every state

devotional service is joyful. One can execute devotional service even

in the most poverty-stricken condition. The Lord says, patram puspam

phalam: He is ready to accept from the devotee any kind of offering,

never mind what. Even a leaf, a flower, a bit of fruit, or a little water,

which are all available in every part of the world, can be offered by any

person, regardless of social position, and will be accepted if offered

with love. There are many instances in history. Simply by tasting

the tulasi leaves offered to the lotus feet of the Lord, great sages like

Sanat-kumara became great devotees. Therefore the devotional process is

very nice, and it can be executed in a happy mood. God accepts only

the love with which things are offered to Him.

It is said here that this devotional service is eternally

existing. It is not as the Mayavadi philosophers claim. They sometimes

take to so-called devotional service, and as long as they are not liberated

they continue their devotional service, but at the end, when they become

liberated, they "become one with God." Such temporary time-serving devotional

service is not accepted as pure devotional service. Actual devotional service

continues even after liberation. When the devotee goes to the spiritual

planet in the kingdom of God, he is also engaged there in serving the Supreme

Lord. He does not try to become one with the Supreme Lord.

As it will be seen, actual devotional service begins after

liberation. So in Bhagavad-gita it is said, brahma-bhuta.

After being liberated, or being situated in the Brahman position, one's

devotional service begins. By executing devotional service, one can understand

the Supreme Lord. No one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead

by executing karma-yoga, jnana, or astanga-yoga or any other

yoga independently. Without coming to the stage of devotional service,

one cannot understand what is the Personality of Godhead. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam

it is also confirmed that when one becomes purified by executing

the process of devotional service, especially by hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam

or Bhagavad-gita from realized souls, then he can understand

the science of Krsna, or the science of God.

Evam prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti yogatah. When one's heart

is cleared of all nonsense, then one can understand what God is. Thus the

process of devotional service, of Krsna consciousness, is the

king of all education and the king of all confidential knowledge. It

is the purest form of religion, and it can be executed joyfully without

difficulty. Therefore one should adopt it."

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Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

your servant....

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