Category:Achieving Devotional Service to God
Theme Analysis
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the process of achieving devotional service to God is the ultimate goal of human life, surpassing all other forms of spiritual perfection such as karma, jnana, and yoga. It is not a mechanical attainment gained merely through academic scholarship or intellectual prowess; rather, it is a transcendental gift bestowed through the causeless mercy of the spiritual master and Lord Krsna. While the path involves strict adherence to regulative principles and patient cultivation of service, the essential element is the devotee's sincerity and eagerness to please the Supreme Lord.
- The Mercy of Guru and Krsna: The seed of devotional service, or bhakti-lata-bija, is not inherent in material endeavors but is received through the mercy of a self-realized spiritual master and Krsna. This combined mercy is the only gateway to the path of devotion.
- Practice Over Scholarship: Theoretical knowledge of the scriptures, such as the Vedanta-sutra, is insufficient for achieving bhakti. Real advancement comes through practical engagement in service and the execution of prescribed duties under authority, rather than dry philosophical speculation.
- Patience and Determination: The aspirant must possess patience and enthusiasm (utsaha). Success is not always immediate; one must faithfully follow the rules and regulations with the confidence that the result will manifest in due time, just as a pregnancy naturally leads to birth.
- Surpassing Liberation: While ordinary transcendentalists may seek liberation (mukti) or merging into the Brahman effulgence, a pure devotee regards these as insignificant. The achievement of pure devotional service automatically includes liberation but goes further, establishing an eternal loving relationship with the Personality of Godhead.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Process of Achieving Devotional Service to God.
Subcategories
This category has only the following subcategory.
Pages in category "Achieving Devotional Service to God"
The following 57 pages are in this category, out of 57 total.
A
- As long as a devotee is in his material body, his probational activities in devotional service prepare him for being transferred to the Lord's supreme abode. Only those who are one hundred percent engaged in devotional service can achieve this perfection
- Aspiring by oneself alone to achieve devotional service is also not very hopeful, because Krsna does not agree to award devotional service to merely anyone
B
- Bhakti is not achieved by studying. Bhakti stage is achieved by practice. That is the special significance of our institution, that we are engaging our men in practicing. Therefore they are getting knowledge - not by reading
- Bhakti-yoga is the highest quality of perfection to be achieved by the intelligent person in lieu of performing a large quantity of spiritual activities. A handful of real paddy is more valuable than heaps of paddy skins without any substance within
- By following these six principles, one is sure to achieve the desired result of devotional service
- By studying Vedanta-sutra, by becoming a very great scholar, to achieve transcendental position of devotional service is very, very difficult
F
- False devotees who have very little knowledge of such conclusions (artificially shedding tears will deliver them) fail to achieve pure devotion for want of zeal in accepting the favorable directions for devotional service given by self-realized devotees
- For example, if one is attached simply to hearing about the Lord, and another is attached to chanting the glories of the name, both will achieve their desired goal in devotional service. In the Caitanya-caritamrta this has been explained
- For him who patiently follows the regulative principles of devotional service, the time will undoubtedly come when he will achieve the desired result
- For such a devotee (who is constantly engaged in service) there is nothing valuable to be achieved but the Lord's service. If one serves faithfully, there is no possibility of frustration because the Lord Himself takes charge of the devotee's advancement
H
- Happiness in complete perfection without hindrance can be achieved only by our devotional relationship with Him. And it is only by His association that we can get free of distressful material existence
- However, because they (so-called renouncers) cannot reach the point of devotional service, they fail to achieve the goal and again come back to material activities, such as philanthropic work, political agitation, etc
I
- I fervently appeal to everyone to adopt the method of devotional service given by Lord Caitanya and Nityananda and thus be freed from the miseries of material existence and ultimately achieve the loving service of the Lord
- If it is seen that a person has developed a high standard of devotion without having undergone even the regulative principles, it is to be understood that his status of devotional service was achieved in a former life
- In all Vedic literature, the highest perfectional stage is said to be the state of intoxication of devotional service. It is not achieved by ordinary persons, the nondevotees
- Instead of employing enthusiasm for attaining material goals, one should be enthusiastic about achieving the perfectional stage of devotional service
L
- Let me become a sincere servant of the devotees because by serving them one can achieve unalloyed devotional service unto the lotus feet of the Lord
- Liberation from material contamination is the stage at which devotional service can be achieved. For a person who simply wants to have liberation and to merge into the impersonal brahmajyoti, attachment to Krsna is not possible to acquire
O
- One can achieve the nucleus of the devotional service of the Lord by the mercy of the spiritual master and the Personality of Godhead. The spiritual master is the manifested representative of the Lord to help one achieve ultimate success
- One may execute one, two, three or all the different processes of devotional service, and at the ultimate end he will achieve the desired goal of being established in devotional service
- One must learn the intricacies of action and inaction directly from the SP of Godhead, who, as Anantadeva, is instructing King Citraketu because of the advanced stage of devotional service he achieved by following the instructions of Narada and Angira
- One should be engaged in the Lord's devotional service to achieve the aim of life, called prayojana. The practice of devotional service to attain that goal of life is called abhidheya
- One who patiently follows the regulative principles of devotional service, the time will undoubtedly come when he will achieve the desired result, just as the females reap results by becoming pregnant
P
- Perfectional stage can be achieved in 2 ways: one may achieve this by gradual progress in devotional service, or one may become perfect by the causeless mercy of Krsna, even though he has not executed all the details of devotional service
- Persons who, because of their serious attitude, attain the stage of enlightened devotional service achieve the complete meaning of renunciation and knowledge and attain the Vaikunthaloka in the spiritual sky simply by drinking the nectar of Your topics
- Process of pure devotional service simultaneously serves the purpose of jnana-yoga; liberation from material conditions is automatically achieved by the gradual development of pure devotional service
- Prsadhra, fully satisfied in pure knowledge, always keeping his mind on the S P of Godhead, achieved pure devotional service to the Lord & began traveling all over the world, without affection for material activities, as if he were deaf, dumb and blind
S
- Simply by understanding the greatness of Krsna, one can achieve the status of santa-rasa, in which the worshipable object may be the impersonal Brahman or Paramatma
- Since he (a person in bhava) is fully convinced of his progress, he is always confident and keeps himself busy to achieve the highest goal
- Since King Kulasekhara is a maha-jana, an authority in the line of devotional service, it is our prime duty to follow in his footsteps in order to achieve the highest devotional platform
- So this attainment of transcendental loving devotional service to the Lord is the goal of life, and it can be achieved very easily for one who lives in Mathura-mandala even for a few seconds
- Srila Jiva Gosvami, following the previous acaryas, has inculcated the conclusions of the scriptures in the six theses called the Sat-sandarbhas. False devotees who have very little knowledge of such conclusions fail to achieve pure devotion
- Sukadeva Gosvami and the wives of the brahmanas who were performing yajna are vivid examples of devotees who achieved the perfectional stage of devotional service by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
T
- The Absolute Truth is Sri Krsna, and loving devotion to Sri Krsna exhibited in pure love is achieved through congregational chanting of the holy name, which is the essence of all bliss
- The devotee should patiently follow the rules and regulations of devotional service so that the day will come when he will achieve, all of a sudden, all the perfection of devotional service. He should not lament for any loss or any reverse
- The great sage Narada instructed the tenets of this transcendental literature to Savarni Manu in order to teach those inhabitants of Bharata-varsa who strictly follow the principles of varnasrama-dharma how to achieve the devotional service of the Lord
- The Lord fulfills the desires of everyone just as one desires. Pure devotees are interested in achieving the transcendental service of the Lord, which is nondifferent from Him
- The Lord showed His lotus feet by raising them. His lotus feet are the source of all awards achieved by devotional service free from material contamination. Such awards are for those who worship Him in pure devotion
- The perfectional stage of devotional service was achieved by the gopis because they did not care to know anything but Krsna
- The Savalasvas took to the correct path, which is obtainable by a mode of life meant to achieve devotional service, or the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Like nights that have gone to the west, they have not returned even until now
- The word atma also means patience and perseverance. By patience and perseverance one can achieve the highest stage of devotional service
- These beings don't have to learn anything about devotional service; they are already perfect in all regulative principles and have achieved the spontaneous loving service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Those who are not devotees can never achieve the benefits of devotional service. For them the subject of devotional service is always very difficult to understand
- Those who fail to achieve success in the bhakti-yoga principles within one life are given a chance to take birth in the next life in a family of rich men or in a royal family or family of learned brahmanas or devotees
- To perform devotional service means to follow in the footsteps of Radharani, and devotees in Vrndavana put themselves under the care of Radharani in order to achieve perfection in their devotional service
- Today my birth, my family and my activities have all become successful. Today I have achieved the fulfillment of religious principles, economic development, satisfaction of the senses and ultimately devotional service to Lord Krsna
W
- When a person is fully satisfied due to attaining knowledge, transcending all distress, or achieving his desired goal of life in transcendental devotional service to God - at that time his state of endurance or steady mind is called dhrti
- When one is sufficiently eager to achieve success in devotional service, that eagerness is called samutkantha. This means "complete eagerness." Actually this eagerness is the price for achieving success in Krsna consciousness
- While teaching Rupa Gosvami, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, one can achieve the seed of devotional service by the mercy of the guru, the spiritual master, and then by the mercy of Krsna (CC Madhya 19.151). This is the secret of success