Category:Aspirations of a Devotee of God
Theme Analysis
The ultimate goal of a living entity determines their spiritual trajectory. In the Vedic framework, people generally aspire for material enjoyment (bhukti) through fruitive activities, or they aspire for liberation (mukti) through philosophical speculation and mystic yoga. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that a pure devotee of God transcends both of these categories. A Vaiṣṇava is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya—completely devoid of all desires other than the desire to serve Kṛṣṇa. They do not aspire for wealth, followers, heavenly planets, or even the peace of Vaikuṇṭha. Their only aspiration is to please the Supreme Lord through uninterrupted devotional service.
The contrast between mixed devotees and pure devotees is vividly illustrated through the history of Dhruva Mahārāja. Initially, Dhruva approached the Lord with a strong aspiration for material benediction—specifically, a kingdom greater than his father's. However, upon seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his material aspirations evaporated, and he deeply regretted his earlier childish desires. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Lord is so merciful that He will fulfill a devotee's material desire while simultaneously purifying their heart, ultimately granting them the highest benediction of pure love.
The most exalted aspiration of a pure devotee is found in the chanting of the holy name and the association of the Lord. Advanced devotees like Rūpa Gosvāmī do not aspire for liberation; instead, they aspire to have millions of tongues and trillions of ears to fully relish the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Even the desire to personally see the Lord is subordinated to the desire to serve Him. As taught by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, a pure devotee accepts whatever condition the Lord ordains, asking only for the eternal privilege of devotional service, life after life.
- Rejecting Material Benefit: A pure devotee does not aspire for wealth, heavenly elevation, or mystical opulence; such desires are considered childish and temporary.
- Rejecting Liberation: Unlike jñānīs and yogīs who artificially attempt to merge with the Supreme, a devotee despises the idea of becoming one with God and does not even aspire for the peace of Vaikuṇṭha.
- The Supreme Aspiration: The only valid aspiration in pure bhakti is to engage in unconditional, uninterrupted loving service for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- The Desire to Glorify: Advanced devotees aspire not for personal salvation, but for unlimited capacities—like millions of tongues—to continuously chant and glorify the holy names of the Lord.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Aspirations of a Devotee of God - Beyond Material Wealth and Liberation.
Subcategories
This category has the following 10 subcategories, out of 10 total.
D
Pages in category "Aspirations of a Devotee of God"
The following 50 pages are in this category, out of 50 total.
A
- A devotee does not aspire for mukti, even if it is offered by the Supreme Lord Himself
- A devotee should always aspire to engage in the service of advanced devotees
- A pure devotee does not belong to either of these two bewildered classes (the fruitive workers and ignorant). Neither aspiring to enjoy the imitation peacock nor condemning it out of disgust, he seeks the real peacock
- A pure devotee does not want liberation so that he may be relieved from the miseries of life. Even without so-called liberation, a pure devotee is aspirant for the satisfaction of the Lord
- A pure devotee, as will be explained by Kapila Muni, does not aspire for any of the five liberations. He especially despises as hellish the idea of becoming one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- A special distinction between devotees and the other transcendentalists, namely the jnanis and yogis, is that jnanis and yogis artificially try to become one with the Supreme, whereas devotees never aspire for such an impossible accomplishment
- A Vaisnava devotee should always be anyabhilasita-sunya, free from all material aspirations for the results of fruitive activities or empiric philosophical speculation
- Above them (the transcendentalists) are the devotees of the Lord, who neither aspire to enjoy the material world nor desire to get out of it. They are after the satisfaction of the Lord, Sri Krsna
- Advaita Prabhu’s aspiration was to be a servant of Lord Caitanya, not His spiritual master. He therefore devised a plan to antagonize the Lord
- After death, they (theists) render the same service; thus there is no difference between Vaikuntha and a temple, for a devotee. In either case, his business is the same. Why, then, should he aspire to go to Vaikuntha?
- Although Madhavendra Puri was not interested in eating and sleeping, his interest in chanting the maha-mantra was as acute as if he were an aspiring transcendentalist rather than a paramahamsa
- Any devotee aspiring to be free of material desires should offer his respectful prayers to Nrsimhadeva as Prahlada Maharaja did in this verse - SB 5.18.8
- Authorities like Rupa Gosvami says that, "What I shall chant with one tongue? If I would have millions of tongues, then I could chant a little more." So he's aspiring to have millions of ears and trillions of tongue to relish this chanting Hare Krsna
B
D
- Devotees of Lord Visnu may aspire for a position in Vaikunthaloka, but a devotee of Krsna never aspires even for the facilities of Vaikuntha; he wants to return to Goloka Vrndavana and associate with Lord Krsna in His eternal pastimes
- Dhruva Maharaja regrets that although he was initiated in the visnu-mantra by a Vaisnava, he still aspired for material benefits
- Dhruva Maharaja was very much afraid in his mind, for he had aspired after material benefit in discharging his devotional service and this was hampering him from reaching the stage of love of God
I
- In the Vaikuntha planets everything is eternally peaceful, yet a pure devotee does not even aspire to be promoted there. But still he gets that advantage; he enjoys all the facilities of the material & spiritual worlds, even during the present life-span
- It is especially mentioned here (in SB 3.25.37), bhagavatim bhadram. In the Vaikuntha planets everything is eternally peaceful, yet a pure devotee does not even aspire to be promoted there
- It is the aspiration of a devotee that while he chants the Hare Krsna maha-mantra his eyes will fill with tears, his voice falter and his heart throb
P
- Prahlada Maharaja aspired to engage in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord
- Pure devotee should not aspire after any material benefit from devotional service, nor should he be enamored by fruitive activities or philosophical speculation
- Pure devotees like Prahlada Maharaja and Dhruva Maharaja do not aspire for any material benefit at any stage of devotional service
- Pure devotees never forsake the loving service of Lord Krsna to aspire for their own personal pleasure through the five kinds of liberation
T
- The background for the devotee is the all-good Himself (Krsna). Why should the devotee aspire for something good for himself? His only business is to please the Supreme by rendering as much service as possible
- The devotee has no aspiration other than engaging in the transcendental loving service of the Lord
- The devotees under the guidance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu aspire to reach the topmost spiritual planet, known as Goloka Vrndavana, the residence of Lord Sri Krsna and His eternal associates
- The goddess of fortune is not to be seen by ordinary persons, but the Lord was so kind that although the devotees did not aspire for such an honor, He appeared before them with the goddess of fortune
- The Lord assured Dhruva Maharaja that Dhruva would not be bereft of the Lord's love. He encouraged Dhruva not to be worried that he childishly had material desires and at the same time had the pure aspiration to be a great devotee
- The Lord is so kind that He takes away their (devotees who aspire for material benedictions) material desires and gives them the highest benediction
- The Lord is very kind and affectionate toward His devotees, and therefore a devotee, in any condition, is not subjected to the results of karma. A devotee never aspires for the heavenly planets
- The Lord licks His toe to taste the nectar for which the devotees always aspire
- The senses not only can be controlled from rubbish engagement, but can be engaged in the Lord's transcendental service, as aspired to by the four sages Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumara
- The symptom of this Krsna consciousness is that he (the mixed devotee) is no longer interested in any sort of materially elevated life. He does not even aspire to become a personality like Lord Brahma
- The Vaisnava philosophy in the process of Krsna consciousness prohibits the devotee from all kinds of material aspirations
- There are other opulences which the yogis can achieve by their mystic power. They are also material. A devotee does not aspire for all these material pleasures, although they are available to him simply by wishing
- This (chanting once) material calculation is not made by a devotee. When one is devotee, he'll chant more and more. He'll aspire, "If I could get millions of tongues and trillions of ear, then I could finish." That is devotee
- Those who are pure devotees do not aspire for any concession, and out of spontaneous love try to engage themselves in devotional service 24 hours each day, 365 days every year, without any stoppage
- Those who aspire to merge into the Brahman effulgence are as abominable as demons. Devotees who aspire to associate with the Supreme Lord to render Him transcendental loving service are far superior
- Thus the devotee who worships Me, gives up all aspirations to be promoted to heavenly planets or to become happy in this world with wealth, children, cattle, home or anything in relationship with the body. I take him to the other side of birth and death
W
- When Dhruva Maharaja factually saw the SPG, there was no question of a revengeful attitude towards his stepmother nor any aspiration to lord it over the material world, but the Supreme Personality is so kind that He knew that Dhruva Maharaja wanted these
- When one is devotee, he'll chant more and more. He'll aspire, "If I could get millions of tongues and trillions of ear, then I could finish." That is devotee. And one is thinking how to finish it by chanting once, he's not devotee. That is neophyte stage