Category:Attainments of a Devotee of God
Theme Analysis
The path of devotional service (bhakti-yoga) is unique because it automatically encompasses and surpasses the goals of all other spiritual disciplines. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that while fruitive workers seek material enjoyment (bhukti) and impersonalists undergo severe austerities to achieve liberation (mukti), these are merely insignificant by-products for a pure devotee. Because devotional service places the practitioner on the absolute, transcendental platform, a devotee naturally attains liberation without any separate or artificial endeavor.
The ultimate attainment for a devotee is not merging into an impersonal void, but entering the Vaikuṇṭha planets—the eternal spiritual sky where real, variegated spiritual life prevails. In this realm, the devotee attains the direct, personal association of the Supreme Lord, engaging in a continuous exchange of love. This stage is called sadharma, meaning the devotee attains transcendental qualities similar to those of the Supreme Lord Himself. When a devotee reaches this perfectional stage (prema), they become completely self-satisfied, transcending all material distress and happiness, and their mind remains constantly dovetailed with the desires of Kṛṣṇa.
To attain this supreme perfection, one need only engage sincerely in the authorized processes of devotional service. Śrīla Prabhupāda cites numerous historical examples to prove the efficacy of this path. A devotee can attain the highest perfection by executing all nine items of devotional service, like Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, or by perfecting just a single item. For instance, Mahārāja Parīkṣit attained perfection simply by hearing, Śukadeva Gosvāmī by chanting, Prahlāda Mahārāja by remembering, and Hanumān by serving. Whether executed in full or in part, sincere devotional service guarantees the supreme attainment: pure love of Godhead and eternal shelter at His lotus feet.
- Automatic Liberation: A pure devotee does not need to endeavor separately for material enjoyment or spiritual liberation; these are naturally attained as by-products of devotional service.
- The Supreme Destination: The ultimate attainment is residence in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, where the devotee eternally associates with and serves the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- The Perfection of Prema: The highest stage of attainment is pure love of Godhead, characterized by complete self-satisfaction and freedom from material dualities.
- The Power of a Single Process: Perfection can be attained by perfectly executing even one of the nine processes of devotional service, as demonstrated by great devotees throughout Vedic history.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Attainments of a Devotee of God - The Supreme Rewards of Pure Bhakti.
Subcategories
This category has the following 9 subcategories, out of 9 total.
A
B
D
Pages in category "Attainments of a Devotee of God"
The following 64 pages are in this category, out of 64 total.
A
- A devotee in this state becomes very eager to learn of the transcendental qualities of the Lord. The most important business of such a devotee is attaining the association of the Lord
- A devotee who has attained the title of gosvami but is not born of a brahmana father or of a gosvami in the family of Nityananda or Advaita Prabhu should not be artificially puffed up by thinking that he has become a gosvami
- A devotee's aim in life is to attain perfection in loving the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- A pure devotee constantly remembers Krsna and meditates upon Him. These are qualifications of the pure devotee for whom the Lord is most easily attainable. BG 1972 purports
- According to Vedic injunctions, such great personalities (devotees of the Lord) ultimately attain the place where the Supreme Personality of Godhead predominates and where there is no death, no birth, no old age, and no disease
- After reaching Satyaloka, the devotee is specifically able to be incorporated fearlessly by the subtle body in an identity similar to that of the gross body, and one after another he gradually attains stages of existence
- All these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but he who is situated in knowledge of Me I consider verily to dwell in Me. Being engaged in My transcendental service, he attains Me. BG 7.18 - 1972
- Although for others the world of birth and death is like a great ocean, for a devotee it is like such a puddle (bhavambudhir vatsa-padam), and he can jump over it very easily. In this way the devotee attains param padam, the supreme abode
B
- Because of his regular discharge of devotional service, a devotee attains the transcendental stage of life
- Bharata Maharaja was a great devotee, but he did not attain success in one life
- Bhukti, material enjoyment, and mukti, liberation, are only by-products of devotional service. A devotee need not work separately to attain mukti
- Both while in the material body and after giving it up, a devotee attains the highest perfection in service to the Lord
- By service of the Absolute Truth, even for a few days, a devotee attains firm and fixed intelligence in Me (Lord Visnu). Consequently he goes on to become My associate in the transcendental world after giving up the present deplorable material worlds
D
- Devotees (who always think favorably of Krsna as their master or friend) must attain a situation better than Brahmaloka, the impersonal bodily effulgence of Krsna
- Devotees, Vaisnavas, attain the liberations of sarupya, salokya, sarsti and samipya, whereas the Mayavadis are supposed to attain the liberation known as sayujya
- Dhruva Maharaja could understand very easily the difference between his condition before and after attaining spiritual realization and seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face
- Dhruva Maharaja's influence, attained by executing devotional service unto the Lord, was felt even by the demigods, who had never before experienced such a situation
E
- Ekatva is also liberation, but that sort of liberation is never accepted by any devotee, for qualitative oneness is immediately attained as soon as one is situated in devotional service
- Even if a devotee is not given the advantage of good parentage, if he can attain the benediction of always remembering the lotus feet of the Lord, that is greater than any number of material assets
F
- For a devotee, that qualitative equality (with God), which is the result of impersonal liberation, is already attained; he does not have to try for it separately
- For him (a pure devotee) stone and gold are of equal value. This is the brahma-bhuta stage, and this stage is attained very easily by the pure devotee. BG 1972 purports
- For the devotees, liberation (mukti) is very unimportant because, having attained the Lord's transcendental loving service, they have attained everything desirable and have transcended all material desires
H
- Hanuman, who attained perfection simply by becoming the servant of Lord Rama; Arjuna, who attained perfection simply by being a friend of Krsna's; and Bali Maharaja who attained perfection simply by offering whatever he had in his possession
- He (a devotee who has attained the title of gosvami) should always remember that as soon as he becomes materially puffed up, he immediately falls down
- He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kunti, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes. BG 9.31 - 1972
- His (Maharaja Pariksit's) material assets as the Emperor of the world were setbacks to perfect attainment of his rightful status as one of the associates of the Lord in the spiritual sky
I
- If one is sincere and devoted to the activities of devotional service, the Lord gives him a chance to make progress and ultimately attain to Him. BG 1972 purports
- In such a state (when the devotee cannot live even for a moment without being with the Supreme Lord), the devotee actually attains the transcendental qualities in contact with the Supreme Lord. BG 1972 purports
- In the spiritual sky we are able to speak personally with God, play with Him, eat with Him, etc. All of this can be attained by bhaktya - transcendental loving service
- It (living on the banks of Radha-kunda) is a difficult position to attain, even for great sages and devotees like Narada. Thus there is no limit to the glory of Sri Radha-kunda
- It appears that a devotee who always thinks of Krsna and who always chants His glories in ecstatic love, regardless of his condition, will attain the highest perfection of unalloyed devotional love due to Lord Krsna's extraordinary mercy
- It is not a fact that one has to offer his material possessions to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and be liberated before he can engage in devotional service. A devotee automatically attains liberation without separate endeavors
M
- Maharaja Pariksit was involved in politics, but because at the end of his life he heard Srimad-Bhagavatam from Sukadeva Gosvami, he attained perfection very easily
- My dear Lord, I came to worship You because I desired some land on this earth, but fortunately I have attained You, who are beyond even the perception of great sages and saintly persons
O
- One after another he (the devotee who reaches Satyaloka) gradually attains stages of existence from earthly to watery, fiery, glowing and airy, until he reaches the ethereal stage
- One attains yogic perfection when he is freed from all material diversions and his mind is fixed upon the lotus feet of the Lord. This is called samadhi or trance. Prahlada Maharaja attained that stage beyond the senses
- One should not consider these transactions of transcendental service to be untruthful accusations. One should never accuse such devotees of being ordinary boys speaking lies, for they attained this stage of associating with Krsna by great austerities
- Only a person who has acted piously for many, many births and has thus become a devotee can obtain the remnants of such food
- Only the unalloyed devotees of the Lord can understand these three items clearly. So for these devotees Bhagavad-gita is fully useful; it is they who can attain the supreme goal, the nature of the Supreme Lord, Krsna
P
- Persons desiring to follow in the footsteps of such eternal devotees of the Lord as the Vrsnis and Vrndavana denizens are called raganuga devotees, which means that they are trying to attain to the perfection of those devotees
- Prahlada Maharaja, who attained perfection by remembering; Laksmi, who attained perfection by serving the lotus feet of the Lord; King Prthu, who attained perfection simply by worshiping; Akrura, who attained perfection simply by praying
S
- Some individual devotees who attained perfection in devotional service by executing only 1 item are: Maharaja Pariksit, who was liberated & fully perfected simply by hearing; Sukadeva Gosvami, who became liberated & attained perfection in DS by chanting
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended, prema pum-artho mahan: the highest perfection of life is prema, pure love in relationship with Krsna. And mother Yasoda appears to be the topmost of devotees who have attained this perfection
- Sri Sukadeva says that the word mahima means that the devotee attains the qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called sadharma, or the same quality
- Such a faithful devotee of the Lord (who understands Lord Krsna to be the Supreme) attains perfection, and this is confirmed by the following Vedic assertion: tam eva viditvatimrtyumeti nanyah pantha vidyate ayanaya. BG 1972 purports
- Such an advanced devotee (who is accustomed to chanting and takes pleasure in it) is called a madhyama-bhagavata, which indicates that he has attained the intermediate stage between the neophyte and the perfect devotee
T
- The devotee simply performs activities that satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus attains pure love for the Lord
- The devotee, he doesn't require to acquire any mystic power. What mystic power Prahlada could attain? He was only five years old. So there was no opportunity of acquiring any mystic power. But he was being protected by the supreme mystic, Krsna
- The devotees attain the Supreme Lord only by devotional service. Having such knowledge, one engages in his occupational duty, and that is called bhakti-yoga. By performing bhakti-yoga, one can rise to the platform of pure devotional service
- The devotees experience the above-mentioned state of affairs (reaching the Vaikuntha planets) by attainment of spiritual forms for activity in the transcendental loving service of the Lord
- The first-class devotee of the Lord attains this stage (complete self-satisfaction without any material connection) by devotional service
- The impersonalist attains only the sky, and does not achieve any tangible transcendental bliss, whereas the devotee attains to the planets where real spiritual life prevails
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead was playing as a liar and accusing all the other devotees of being liars. As stated in (SB 10.12.11), krta-punya-punjah: a devotee may attain such an ecstatic position after many, many births of devotional service
- The Vaikunthalokas are targets for everyone, even the demigods, and they can be attained by a devotee who has no desire for material benefit
- Then all the devotees, headed by Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, concluded that because Haridasa had committed suicide at the confluence of the rivers Ganges and Yamuna, he must have ultimately attained shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
- There are many devotees in history who have attained perfection in devotional service simply by discharging the duties of one item, and there are many other devotees, like Maharaja Ambarisa, who executed all the items
- These are six negatives, or "do-nots," for the devotee; therefore one who wants to attain the perfectional stage of love of Godhead refrains from these things
- This purification (purification from ignorance and passion) is automatically attained by a devotee constantly engaged in hearing the transcendental message of Godhead in the form of the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam or similar scriptures
W
- When a devotee is engaged in the service of the Lord, it is called the attainment of yoga
- When one's attachment to Krsna becomes very deep, one attains the condition called love of Godhead. Such a state of existence is considered a permanent situation for a devotee
- When other spiritual ingredients, such as trembling, perspiration and tears, are added to this bhava stage, the devotee gradually attains love of Krsna
- When the devotee's mind is purified and he understands that his mind has to be dovetailed with desires of Supreme Personality of Godhead, he has attained the perfectional, transcendental stage, which is beyond perception of material distress and happiness