love and the goal

[Guest guest]

> Dear Sri Visnupada,

> Please accept my humble obeisances.

>

> Is the following statement correct?

>

> "Producing books [or whatever service it might be] is not the *real

> goal* of what we are doing here. The real goal is to develop love

> for Krsna. Krsna doesn´t need anything we can offer Him, but by

> pleasing Him with our sincere attitude of service, He will be

> inclined to bless us with the highest benediction, pure love for

> Him."

>

> This statement comes as a reaction to the tendency to become so

> absorbed in the result of one´s work, that one becomes motivated by

> the sense of achievement in having produced a result and forgets

> about working on his internal meditation. Some people say that you

> don´t need to worry about working on your inner self; you just

> please Krsna by producing results and everything will happen

> automatically.

>

> So, what is the correct understanding?

>

> Your servant,

> Ramesvara Dasa.

 

Well, this is not really a good question. The obvious point is that

if we developed our love for Krsna, then our goal would be to serve

Him, since that is the major symptom of love. In reality, you cannot

separate love and service from each other, for they follow each other

naturally. When you serve someone, you develop love for them, and

when you love someone, naturally you serve them. At least this is the

case when we serve Krsna.

 

So what is more real, love or service? And if the service is done

with love, and the love manifests as service, then what is the

difference that you are pointing to here?

 

For a neophyte, service is the means to attain that love. But when

one attains the goal of developing love for Krsna, he immediately

increases his service.

 

Once again, the proper understanding includes all the elements,

service in sadhana bhakti, studying the sastras, developing good

qualities, and developing love for the Lord. This culminates in pure

service in the spiritual sky.

 

As far as I am concerned, the service we are doing here is just as

important as the service done in the spiritual sky. When one performs

pure devotional service, it does not matter where that service is

done, for it is absolute.