The signs of advancement

[Guest guest]

> Please accept my humble obeisances.

> All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

>

> In the famous verse from SB (11.2.42), "bhakti paresanubhavo

> viraktir anyatra ca..." it is stated that for one who has taken

> shelter of the Lord three things simultaneously and increasingly

> occur: devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and

> detachment from other things.

> This is compared to the three effects of eating: pleasure,

> nourishment and relief from hunger, which increase with each bite.

>

> Understanding the example of eating seems easy but to understand how

> does this work with surrendering more and more to the Lord is more

> difficult. Does taking shelter of the Lord mean only to engage more

> in His service or something more? I don't have a feeling that my

> devotion, direct experience of the Lord and especially detachment

> from other things are increasing. In fact I have hardly any at all.

> Does this come only on the higher stages of devotional service or

> do I feel like this only because I am not actually taking shelter of

> the Lord?

> Could you, please, draw a more precise parallel between these two

> processes (eating and taking shelter of the Lord) from the point of

> the three effects?

>

> Your servant

> Narakara dasa

 

Devotional service is pleasurable. In fact, it is the only pleasure

that exists for a devotee. When one engages in devotional service, he

feels spiritually nourished and gets more strength to continue with

his spiritual life. As far as the relief from hunger, that means that

when you perform devotional service, you feel free from the pangs of

material existence. This we have already experienced when we joined.

Then it was most obvious. Now, since we are already sheltered from

the material world, it is less obvious.

 

As far as what does it really mean to take shelter of the Lord, that

is another question. Taking shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord

means to only engage in His service and to have no other desire than

that. One also feels completely dependent on the Lord. It is

relevant at this point to quote the six symptoms of surrender, which

completely explain what it means to take full shelter of the Lord.

 

1) To accept everything favorable for the execution of devotional

service.

2) To reject everything unfavorable for the execution of devotional

service.

3) To be fully convinced that Krsna will always protect me.

4) To accept Krsna as one's only guardian and master.

5) To be a fully self surrendered soul with no other interest in life

than Krsna

6) To always be meek and humble.