Category:Attraction of a Devotee of God
Theme Analysis
The fundamental characteristic that distinguishes a pure devotee from an ordinary person or a speculative philosopher is the nature of their attraction. A pure devotee's attraction flows continuously toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead, unimpeded by any material condition, much like the unstoppable flow of the Ganges river. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that when a neophyte devotee associates with pure devotees, they become enriched with this transcendental attraction to Kṛṣṇa's name, form, qualities, and pastimes. This attraction is so absolute that it completely neutralizes the spell of the three modes of material nature.
Because their hearts are entirely captivated by the transcendental beauty of Kṛṣṇa, pure devotees have zero attraction for the allurements of the material world. They do not care for exalted positions, accumulating wealth for sense enjoyment, or beautiful women. Even the ultimate goals of the karmīs and jñānīs—such as mystic opulences, merging into the Absolute, or attaining liberation (mukti)—hold absolutely no appeal for a pure devotee. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heavily warned against the dangers of materialistic attraction, and eternal devotees like Prahlāda Mahārāja perfectly exemplify this detachment, remaining completely untainted by material desires despite their surroundings.
Furthermore, a devotee's attraction to the Lord is highly specific and personal. Kṛṣṇa is the akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrti, the transcendental form of attraction for all varieties of devotees. According to their constitutional nature, devotees are attracted to the Lord in different mellows (rasas), such as servitorship, friendship, parental affection, or conjugal love. Advanced rāgānugā devotees develop spontaneous attraction by following in the footsteps of eternal associates like Nanda Mahārāja or the gopīs. This attraction is so focused that pure devotees are not even attracted to Kṛṣṇa's four-armed Nārāyaṇa feature, preferring only His original, two-armed form of Śyāmasundara.
- The Unstoppable Flow: A pure devotee's attraction for Kṛṣṇa is continuous and unconditional, unaffected by any material circumstances.
- Complete Detachment: Because they are attracted to the Supreme, devotees have absolutely no interest in material wealth, sense gratification, mystic yoga, or impersonal liberation.
- Specific Spiritual Mellows (Rasas): Devotees are attracted to Kṛṣṇa in specific, personalized relationships—such as friendship or parental love—according to their eternal constitutional position.
- Exclusive Focus on Kṛṣṇa: The attraction of a pure devotee is so specific that they are captivated only by Kṛṣṇa's original two-armed form, completely ignoring demigods and even the majestic expansions of the Lord.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Attraction of a Devotee of God - The Unstoppable Flow of Pure Bhakti.
Subcategories
This category has the following 16 subcategories, out of 16 total.
D
Pages in category "Attraction of a Devotee of God"
The following 43 pages are in this category, out of 43 total.
A
- A pure devotee is never attracted to any exalted position within this material world
- A pure devotee may be attracted to accumulating wealth just like an ordinary man, but the difference is that a devotee acquires money for the service of the Lord, whereas the ordinary man acquires money for his sense enjoyment
- According to a prayer by Srila Narottama dasa Thakura (Prarthana 1): When will I be attracted to the instructions of the Gosvamis so that I will be able to understand what is Radha and Krsna and what is Vrndavana
- All the boys would be differently engaged. Some boys attracted young monkeys in the trees, some jumped into the trees, imitating the monkeys, some made faces as the monkeys were accustomed to do, & others jumped from one branch to another - SB 10.12.7-11
- An advanced devotee is attracted by the service rendered by an eternal servitor of the Lord. This attraction is called spontaneous attraction. Technically it is called svarupa-upalabdhi. This stage is not achieved in the beginning
- At the moment, devotees in the Western countries are being attracted by Krsna consciousness and becoming uninterested in materialistic activities
B
- Because of this surrender, he (a pure devotee) no longer has any attraction for wealth. Even if there is attraction for wealth, it is not for sense enjoyment, but for the service of the Lord
- Being husband and wife but always sonless, you (Devaki) were attracted by sexual desires, for by the influence of devamaya, transcendental love, you wanted to have Me (Krsna) as your son - SB 10.3.39
- Bharata Maharaja, at the time of death, would be forced to accept the body of a deer due to his attraction for the deer. In this regard, a question may be raised. How can a devotee be affected by his past misconduct and vicious activities
- Both internal devotees and confidential devotees are attracted by the conjugal love of the Supreme Absolute Truth. These are the most confidential devotees of Lord Caitanya
- By spontaneous nature they (the raganuga devotees) become attracted to some of the eternal devotees such as Nanda or Yasoda, and they try to follow in their footsteps spontaneously
D
- Devotees gradually develop a spontaneous love for the Deity, and by hearing of the Lord's exchange of loving affairs with the gopis, they gradually become attracted to these pastimes
- Devotees such as Maharaja Pariksit and Uddhava are all situated in ecstatic attraction on the basis of affection, and in that state of affection a feeling of friendship becomes manifest
- Devotees who are attracted to Krsna as parents or as friends should follow in the footsteps of Nanda Maharaj or Subala, respectively
G
- Generally, a devotee who has achieved the causeless mercy of the Lord on account of following the strict rules and regulations of devotional service becomes attracted by the supreme greatness of the Lord
- Great impersonalists like Sukadeva Gosvami and the four Kumaras were attracted by the beauty of the Deities in the temple, by the decorations and by the aroma of tulasi offered to the Lord, and they became devotees
- Great sages, such as the four bachelor-devotees Sanaka, Sanatana, Sananda and Sanat-kumara, were attracted by the fragrance of flowers and tulasi leaves anointed with the pulp of sandalwood offered at the lotus feet of the Lord
I
- If our attachment is transferred to the Lord's service, we progress. Srila Rupa Gosvami prayed to the Lord that he would be as naturally attracted to the Lord's service as young men and young women are naturally attracted to each other
- In spite of coming to this material world, the nitya-siddha devotee is never attracted by the allurements of material enjoyment. A perfect example is Prahlada Maharaja, who was a nitya-siddha, a maha-bhagavata devotee
- In the Skanda Purana there is a statement by devotees praying to the Lord, "I am praying at Your lotus feet that my mind may become attracted unto You in the same spontaneous way"
K
- Krsna is the most attractive feature for every kind of devotee. He is therefore called akhila-rasamrta-murti, the transcendental form of attraction for all kinds of devotees, whether the devotee be in the santa-rasa, dasya-rasa or sakhya-rasa
- Krsna is the most attractive feature for every kind of devotee. He is therefore called akhila-rasamrta-murti, the transcendental form of attraction for all kinds of devotees, whether the devotee be in the santa-rasa, vatsalya-rasa or madhurya-rasa
O
- One who is interested in liberation, who accepts the path of liberation and is not attracted to the path of conditional life, is called yati, or a devotee
- Other pure devotees, who are more or less attached to Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu, are attracted by other transcendental relationships, such as parental affection, friendship and servitorship
P
- Pure devotees are not even attracted by Krsna's other features, such as the four-armed Maha-Visnu. They are simply attracted by the two-armed form of Krsna. BG 1972 purports
- Pure devotees may deal with the three modes of material nature, but because of their transcendental intelligence in Krsna consciousness, they are not influenced by the material qualities. The spell of material activities does not attract such devotees
S
- Since they (pure devotees) are not attracted to other features of Krsna (what to speak of the demigods), they are not concerned with any form of a demigod or of a human being. BG 1972 purports
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has therefore warned all devotees to beware of the attraction of beautiful women and materialistic civilization. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu even refused to see Prataparudra Maharaja because he was a very opulent person
T
- That is due to the specific attraction of a particular devotee. There are many, many forms of the Lord, but Krsna is still the original form
- The Deities of Radha & Krsna, Laksmi & Narayana, Rama & Sita are very attractive to devotees, so much so that when they see the statue decorated in the temple of the Lord they become fully absorbed in thought of the Lord. That is the state of liberation
- The devotee said, "My dear Mukunda, just after seeing Your face full with the flavor of the lotus flower, and being attracted by the moonlight of Your face"
- The devotee said, "Observing all Your transcendental qualities, I have also become attracted and have decided to dedicate my life to Your loving service"
- The devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are especially attracted by the highest material quality, goodness, and the qualified brahmana is the symbolic representation of this goodness
- The difference between a devotee & a nondevotee is this, just like the bee & the fly: the bee always is attracted by the honey & flies go to the open sores. So the devotee is only attracted by the good qualities in other people & does not see their faults
- The flow of the Ganges water cannot be stopped by any condition; similarly, a pure devotee's attraction for the transcendental name, form and pastimes of the Supreme Godhead cannot be stopped by any material condition
- The neophyte devotee becomes practically enriched with the transcendental qualities of the pure devotee, which means attraction for the Personality of Godhead's name, fame, quality, pastimes, etc
- The pure devotee of Lord Vasudeva, enlightened by the transcendental service attitude, has no attraction for such false things as religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, or salvation, the last snare of Maya
- The smiling face of Lord Visnu is pleasing to the whole world. Not only devotees but even nondevotees are attracted by such a smile
- The transcendental holy name of the Lord may be heard and chanted accordingly to the attraction of the devotee. One may chant the holy name of Lord Krsna, or one may chant the holy name of Lord Rama or Nrsimhadeva