Category:Following Devotional Service to God
Theme Analysis
The path of devotional service (bhāgavata-dharma or bhakti-yoga) is declared by the Vedic scriptures to be the supreme religious system (sarvotkṛṣṭa). Unlike mental speculation or mechanical yoga—which only lead to partial realizations of the impersonal Brahman or localized Supersoul—bhakti-yoga allows the devotee to realize and even "capture" the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa. This path is entirely non-sectarian and open to everyone, regardless of degraded birth or material occupation. However, to awaken the dormant ecstatic love for Godhead, one must first undergo the training of sādhana-bhakti (vaidhī-bhakti). This requires strictly following the regulative principles under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī instructs that this process must be executed with enthusiasm, patience, and conviction. By regularly chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, reading the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, associating with pure devotees, and avoiding offenses, the practitioner reaches the stage of anartha-nivṛtti, where all material contamination disappears. Though the path may seem difficult, it becomes joyful and easy when one simply follows the great authorities (mahājanas) without attempting to artificially jump to the highest stages of spontaneous love (prema-bhakti).
- The Supreme and Accessible Path: Bhakti-yoga is the highest religious system, yet it is completely accessible to anyone who agrees to follow it, regardless of their material qualifications.
- Realizing the Supreme Person: While other paths lead to partial realizations, only devotional service allows one to fully realize and please the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- The Necessity of Sādhana-Bhakti: One cannot artificially jump to the highest stages of love; one must undergo the rigorous training of regulative principles under the direction of a spiritual master.
- Purification and Protection: By enthusiastically following the rules and regulations, associating with devotees, and chanting the holy name, the heart is completely cleansed of material contamination.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: The Infallible Path - Following Devotional Service to God.
Subcategories
This category has only the following subcategory.
S
Pages in category "Following Devotional Service to God"
The following 48 pages are in this category, out of 48 total.
A
- A person be full of desires or have no desires, he may follow this path of infallible bhakti-yoga for complete perfection
- Anyone can qualify as a brahmana if he follows the path of devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master
- Aryans, who are advanced in civilization, follow bhagavata-dharma
B
- Bhagavata-dharma is called sarvotkrsta, the best of all religious systems, because those who follow bhagavata-dharma are not envious of anyone
- Both Suniti and Narada Muni knew that the demand of Dhruva Maharaja was impossible for any demigod to fulfill, and therefore both of them recommended following the process of devotional service to Lord Krsna
- By following such process (of devotional service to the Lord) one becomes completely detached from all material activities. One who can thus situate himself in the brahmajyoti is equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in quality. BG 1972 purports
D
- Devotional service following in the footsteps of the gopis of Vrndavana or the queens at Dvaraka is called devotional service in conjugal love
- Devotional service is the path of vairagya-vidya (renunciation and knowledge). Haridasa Thakura was following this path, but Ramacandra Khan planned to induce him to break his vows
- Does he (a mahatma) follow this devotional service blindly? No. Jnatva. Jnatva means - knowing perfectly that I (Krsna) am the source of everything
E
- Each and every one of these processes is so powerful that if anyone follows even one single one of them, he can achieve the desired perfection without fail
- Ecstatic love of Godhead can be potently invoked simply by following the rules and regulations of devotional service as they are prescribed in scriptures, under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master
- Execution of devotional service is prescribed first with enthusiasm and patience. One can execute this transcendental activities staying as he is, but he must follow and try to apply in practical life the instructions as they are given in the BG or SB
I
- In following the regulative principles of devotional service, there is a stage called anartha-nivrtti, which means the disappearance of all material contamination
- In the bhakti-marga, the path of devotional service, one must strictly follow the regulative principles by first controlling the tongue
- In the path of devotional service there are no impediments due to degraded birth and occupation. The path is open for everyone who agrees to follow it
- It is essential for a neophyte devotee who is beginning to follow the path of devotional service to observe ten principles. One should also try to avoid offenses in serving the Lord and in chanting His holy names
L
- Lord Sri Krsna, the son of Srimati Yasoda, is not easily available to those following the principles of mental speculation but is easily available to all kinds of living beings who follow the path of devotional service
- Love of Godhead is dormant within everyone’s heart, and if one simply follows the standard process of devotional service, it is awakened. But foolish mundane people who simply read about Krsna mistakenly think that He is immoral or criminal
N
- No one can reach the abode of the Lord by any mechanical means of mind or machine, but one can reach the abode of the Vaikunthalokas simply by following the process of bhakti-yoga because the Lord can be realized only through the bhakti-yoga process
- No one can reach the abode of the Lord by any mechanical means of the mind or machine, but one can reach the abode of the Vaikunthalokas simply by following the process of bhakti-yoga because the Lord can be realized only through the bhakti-yoga process
O
- One should be very careful to defend the (bhakti) creeper by fencing it in - that is, by following the regulative principles and associating with pure devotees
- One should not try to elevate himself artificially to the stage of prema-bhakti without seriously following the regulative principles of sadhana-bhakti
- 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
T
- The bhakti process, as performed under the regulative principles of vaidhi-bhakti, or devotional service following the prescribed rules and regulations, is defined by the revealed scriptures and confirmed by great acaryas
- The gosvamis do not deliver lectures on the Bhagavatam capriciously. Rather, they execute their services most carefully, following their predecessors who delivered the spiritual message unbroken to them
- The great sage Narada told Dhruva Maharaja: The instruction given by your mother, Suniti, to follow the path of devotional service to the SPG, is just suitable for you. You should therefore completely absorb yourself in the devotional service of the Lord
- The path of devotional service is undoubtedly very difficult to follow, but it becomes very easy if the candidate actually wants to follow the path of the mahajana
- There is a statement about Maharaj Ambarisa, who followed every one of the devotional processes
- They (pure devotees) should regularly chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra on their beads, follow the devotional process, rise early in the morning, attend mangala-arati and recite Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad-gita regularly
- Thinking in this way, Venkata Bhatta believed that worship of Narayana was the supreme form of worship, superior to all other processes of devotional service, for it was followed by the Sri Vaisnava disciples of Ramanujacarya
- This is the process (of devotional service) descending from time immemorial. Learning from the life of Ajamila, we should vow with determination to do what is necessary to follow this path
- This system is still followed by many devotees. They go to Mathura or Vrndavana and stay there during the month of Karttika specifically to perform devotional services during this period
- Those who follow the process of knowledge realize Him as impersonal Brahman; those who follow the process of yoga realize Him as the localized Supersoul; and those who follow the process of DS realize Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna
- Those who follow this imperishable path of devotional service and who completely engage themselves with faith, making Me the supreme goal, are very, very dear to Me
- To act under the direction of spiritual master... Spiritual master directs means he knows sastra. According to the direction of sastra or acaryas, he gives direction. And if we follow, that is called sadhana-bhakti
- To be elevated to the platform of devotional service, the following five items should be observed: association with devotees, engagement in the service of Krsna, the reading of SB, the chanting of the holy names and residence at Vrndavana or Mathura
- To come to this platform of confidence or Krsna consciousness, there is training. That training is called viddhi-marga, regulative principles, following the regulative principles
- To make a show of devotional service will not help one. One must be a pure devotee following the devotional process; then one can convert others to devotional service
W
- When by good fortune one comes in contact with a pure devotee and hears from him patiently, one begins to follow the path of devotional service. Such an opportunity is offered to a person who is sincere
- Without following the above-mentioned ten principles, one cannot properly elevate himself to the platform of sadhana-bhakti, or devotional service in practice