Category:Engaging in Service
Theme Analysis
Service is the constitutional position of every living being. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that everyone is constantly engaged in service—either to their family, country, society, or their own senses. This mentality of service is the eternal occupational duty of the soul. The crucial distinction lies in the object of service. When one serves the senses or the material world, it is called māyā or illusion, leading to the status of a go-dāsa (servant of the senses). When the same service propensity is directed toward the Supreme Lord, it becomes bhakti. The quotes illustrate various grades of service, from the perfect devotion of the Queens of Dvārakā and Prahlāda Mahārāja to the abominable "dog's profession" (śva-vṛtti) of serving low-grade masters for money. Ultimately, perfection is achieved when one engages in the service of the servant of the Lord.
- The Inevitability of Service: Every living creature serves something. If not God, one serves illusion. The impetus for this is the pleasure derived from the activity.
- Material vs. Spiritual Service: Service to the senses causes a decline in dharma (dharmasya glāniḥ), while service to Kṛṣṇa's senses is true dharma.
- Examples of Dedication: The flute serves Kṛṣṇa despite its faults; Devahūti served her husband at the cost of her beauty; the Queens of Dvārakā served Kṛṣṇa personally despite having thousands of maids.
- Social Application: A brahmacārī engages in the service of a sannyāsī; a śūdra serves a master. However, higher classes like brāhmaṇas should not engage in the service of low-grade persons.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Engaging in Service - The Eternal Occupation.
Pages in category "Engaging in Service"
The following 33 pages are in this category, out of 33 total.
A
- A faithful servant of the Lord engaged in the service of administration is the ideal executive head and can well protect the interest of the people in general
- Although each and every queen had thousands of maidservants engaged for her service, the queens were all personally attentive in serving Krsna. Each one of them used to receive Krsna personally when He entered the palace
- Although you have not yet experienced these achievements which are free from fear & lamentation, I offer them all to you because you are engaged in my service. Now just look at them. I am giving you the transcendental vision to see how nice they are
- As described in the previous verse, people who have no taste for the devotional service of the Lord are occupied in material engagements. Most of them engage during the daytime in hard physical labor
- As opposed to this, the go-dasas engage in the service of the senses or in the service of the material world. They have no other engagement
B
- Because the gopis are worshipable personalities, Ramananda Raya, who considered the two girls gopis and himself their maidservant, engaged in their service by massaging their bodies with oil to cleanse them completely
- Bilvamangala Thakur stated: "If I have unflinching devotion to the lotus feet of Krsna, then Mother Liberation is always engaged in my service. The complete perfection of material enjoyment, religion and economic development is at my command."
E
- Engaging in the service of low-grade persons, however, is called sva-vrtti, the profession of the dogs. Specifically, brahmanas and ksatriyas should not engage in the low and abominable service of sudras
- Even though one's body or one's superficial religion may change, every living entity is always engaged in the service of someone. Therefore, the mentality of service is called the eternal occupational duty
- Every living being is constantly engaged in rendering service to another living being. A living being serves other living beings in two capacities. By doing so, the living entity enjoys life. BG 1972 Introduction
- Every living creature is engaging in the service of something else. A living being's constitutional position is to render service, but in maya, or illusion, or the conditional state of existence, the conditioned soul seeks the service of illusion
- Every living entity is engaged in some sort of service, either for the self, or for the family, or for the society, country, etc., but, unfortunately, all such services are rendered due to material attachment
- Every one of us is kuyogi because we have engaged in the service of this material world, forgetting our eternal relationship with the Lord as His eternal loving servants. It is our duty to rise from the kuyoga platform to become suyogis, perfect mystics
- Every one of us within this world is perpetually engaged in some sort of service, and the impetus for such service is the pleasure we derive from it. Driven by affection for his wife and children, a family man works day and night
- Every service has some attractive feature which drives the servitor progressively on and on. Every one of us within this world is perpetually engaged in some sort of service, and the impetus for such service is the pleasure we derive from it
- Everyone engages in some sort of service. If one does not know one's constitutional position, one engages in the service of his personal gross body or his family, society or country
- Everyone is serving his senses. This is the position. This is dharmasya glanir bhavati. As soon as we are engaged in serving our senses, that is dharmasya glanih. And as soon as we agree to serve the senses of Krsna, that is dharma
F
H
- He (Prahlada Maharaja) prays to the Lord that all of us fallen souls in this material world may, by the grace of the Lord, engage in the service of His servant and thus be delivered
- He (Prahlada) refused direct service but he wanted blessing that he may be engaged in the service of his spiritual master. This is Vaisnava conclusion
- He prefers to remain without shelter, and his great wife also agrees to live with him humbly. People in general worship goddess Durga, the wife of Lord Siva, for material prosperity, but Lord Siva engages her in his service without material desire
- Her husband (Kardama Muni) was living in a cottage, and since she (Devahuti) was always engaged in serving him, her royal beauty disappeared, and she became just like an ordinary maidservant
- Here is the chance. You come to the temple, engage in the temple service. Naturally your mind will be absorbed in Krsna. This temple is open not for making a force; just to make this process, nivesita-atma, always absorbed in Krsna thought
- Hiranyakasipu was so powerful in the heavenly planets that all the demigods except Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and Lord Visnu were forced to engage in his service. Indeed, they were afraid of being severely punished if they disobeyed him
I
- If one directly engages in the service of the President, when one is in some difficulty he is especially protected
- If one engages in the service of a pure devotee, the reactions of one's sinful life are vanquished automatically
- If one engages in the service of the spiritual master, he not only sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead but attains liberation
- In our conditional state, our senses are engaged in serving these bodily demands. When the same senses are engaged in executing the order of Krsna, our activities are called bhakti