Category:Endeavors of a Devotee of God
Theme Analysis
The category Endeavors of a Devotee of God clarifies the profound distinction between material exertion and spiritual service. A conditioned soul constantly endeavors for material opulence, mystic perfections, or impersonal liberation. However, a pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead makes no extraneous endeavor for any of these things. Because they completely depend on Lord Kṛṣṇa, much like a small child depends on a wealthy father, all material necessities, good qualities, and even liberation automatically become available to them without any separate effort.
Instead of striving for personal gain, the sole endeavor of a pure devotee is to apply everything in the service of the Lord. They know that everything is the property of Kṛṣṇa. Whether it is physically gathering sandalwood for the Deity or simply endeavoring mentally to offer obeisances like Bali Mahārāja, every action is directed toward rendering transcendental loving service. Furthermore, an advanced devotee recognizes that the best way to please the Lord is to please His representatives. Thus, devotees actively endeavor to assist and satisfy one another, knowing this pleases Lord Nārāyaṇa.
The highest manifestation of a devotee's endeavor is preaching. A true ācārya follows in the footsteps of the predecessors and endeavors to spread the bhakti cult all over the world. From the Gosvāmīs establishing great temples in Vṛndāvana to modern devotees publishing transcendental literature, these spiritual endeavors are never baffled. They bring ultimate joy to the practitioner and effortlessly deliver the entire world from the ocean of material fears.
- Automatic Opulence: A pure devotee does not need to endeavor for material wealth, good qualities, or liberation; these naturally appear as a byproduct of devotional service.
- Transcendental Motives: The only valid endeavor for a devotee is to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His pure representatives.
- Mental and Physical Service: The Lord recognizes and rewards both physical endeavors and sincere mental endeavors equally, as seen with Bali Mahārāja.
- The Preaching Mission: The greatest endeavor is to act as an ācārya, distributing Kṛṣṇa consciousness and publishing transcendental literature for the benefit of the whole world.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Endeavors of a Devotee of God - The Effortless Path of Devotion.
Subcategories
This category has the following 6 subcategories, out of 6 total.
D
Pages in category "Endeavors of a Devotee of God"
The following 32 pages are in this category, out of 32 total.
A
- A devotee does not want any kind of material opulence, but such opulence appears before him automatically. He does not have to endeavor for it. Because of his devotional service, he automatically becomes brahma-bhuta
- After being initiated into Vaisnavism by Sri Caitanya, Bhattacarya realized what a mistake he had made in trying to understand Ramananda Raya, who was very learned & whose endeavors were all directed to rendering transcendental loving service to the Lord
- All the demigods are simply waiting for an opportunity to serve the devotee. Thus there is no need for a devotee of Krsna to endeavor for material opulence or liberation
- Another meaning of 'atma' is dhrti, or endurance. A person who endeavors with endurance is atmarama. With endurance, such a person engages in devotional service
- As far as Srimati Radharani and Her gopis are concerned, their bodies, homes, dresses, ornaments, endeavors and activities are all spiritual. All of these are meant to satisfy the spiritual senses of Krsna
- As fog is vanquished at the first glimpse of sunlight, one's sinful reactions are automatically vanquished as soon as one begins serving a pure devotee; no separate endeavor is required
E
- Endeavors in devotional service are never baffled. Nor is there failure. A slight beginning of such activities is sufficient even to deliver a person from the great ocean of material fears
- Even big academic scholars, not considering the endeavors of the acaryas who have recommended devotional service in many elaborate commentaries and notes, think that Krsna is fictitious
H
- He (a devotee) does not endeavor much to achieve something with great difficulty; therefore he is always joyful. BG 1972 purports
- He (a devotee) does not extraneously endeavor to acquire these qualifications, but engagement in Krsna consciousness and devotional service automatically helps him develop them. BG 1972 purports
- He (devotee) finally becomes disappointed in material activities, and in that stage of frustration in all endeavors, he can fully surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead
I
- I could not realize when I first spoke with Ramananda Raya that his topics and endeavors were all transcendentally uncommon. I made fun of him simply because he was a Vaisnava
- I must offer you my heartiest blessing because it is due to your endeavor that we are finding our Bhagavad-gita to be published by a great publisher. And through your grace also we are going to publish Teachings of Lord Caitanya
- In the Bhagavad-gita (BG 2.40) the Lord has explained such contact (with God's energies) in the following words: Endeavors in devotional service are never baffled. Nor is there failure
- It is through the endeavor of the Gosvamis that all the important temples in Vrndavana were established
- It was by his (Mukunda Datta's) endeavor that Gadadhara Pandita Gosvami became a disciple of Pundarika Vidyanidhi, as stated in Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda, Chapter Seven
S
- Small child, he doesn't require to earn money for spending. If he's rich man's son, his father will take care of him. Similarly, a devotee does not endeavor to become expert in jnana-yoga, dhyana-yoga, hatha-yoga, this yoga. He depends on Krsna
- Sri Pandita Haridasa spoke very sweetly, his endeavors were very pleasing, he was always patient, he respected everyone, he always worked for everyone's benefit, his mind was free of duplicity, and he was completely devoid of all malicious activities
- Such desire may seem to be a desire for enjoying the Lord, but actually the endeavor is to serve the Lord in that capacity. For example, a devotee may be desiring to associate with the Personality of Godhead as His cowherd friend
T
- The devotee endeavors to apply everything in the service of the Lord because he knows that everything is the property of the Lord and that no one can claim anything as one's own
- The devotee enjoys life without separate endeavor because he engages in devotional service, which is the most pious activity
- The jnanis, they want brahma satyam jagan mithya - detachment. But bhakta, without any endeavor, because he develops attachment for Krsna, he automatically gives up attachment for this material world
- The Lord is so merciful that although Bali Maharaja did not actually offer obeisances but only endeavored to do so within his mind, the Supreme Personality of Godhead blessed him with more mercy than even the demigods could ever expect
- The mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be obtained by the mercy of a pure devotee. Lord Caitanya's mercy was bestowed upon Bhattacarya because of Gopinatha Acarya's endeavor
- The pure devotee does not endeavor for anything which is against the principles of devotional service. BG 1972 purports
- There are certainly many good qualities among fruitive actors, philosophical speculators and mystic yogis, but all good qualities automatically develop in the character of a devotee. No extraneous endeavor is needed
- There are many learned scholars and devotees present here. They should endeavor to remove this, I mean to say, restriction or short-sightedness, and let us combinedly work for Jagannatha to preach the bhakti cult for the benefit of the whole world