Category:Wants of a Devotee of God
Theme Analysis
The wants of a pure devotee are fundamentally different from those of a materialist or an impersonalist. While the materialist seeks sense gratification and the impersonalist seeks liberation (mukti), the pure devotee wants nothing for his own satisfaction. His only desire is to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that a devotee is satisfied in any condition of life, whether in heaven or hell, as long as he can remember and serve the Lord. This state of desirelessness is not an artificial void but a positive engagement in satisfying the senses of Kṛṣṇa (hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam). Examples like Prahlāda Mahārāja, who refused to enter the kingdom of God without the fallen souls, and Dhruva Mahārāja, who rejected material benedictions after seeing the Lord, illustrate this supreme standard of selflessness. The devotee's only ambition is to see everyone happy in Kṛṣṇa consciousness (sarve sukhino bhavantu).
- No Personal Desire: A devotee does not want material prosperity, mystic powers, or even liberation; he wants only to serve.
- Universal Compassion: The devotee's want is for the welfare of others; he desires to see everyone become Kṛṣṇa conscious.
- Serving Kṛṣṇa's Senses: Like the gopīs, the devotee's only interest is Kṛṣṇa's pleasure, not his own happiness.
- Satisfaction in Service: Whether in distress or happiness, the devotee is content if he is engaged in the Lord's service.
- Rejection of Benedictions: When offered benedictions by the Lord, pure devotees like Dhruva and Prahlāda refuse them, seeking only pure devotion.
- Explore the synthesized synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Selfless Service - The Wants of a Devotee of God.
Subcategories
This category has the following 8 subcategories, out of 8 total.
D
S
Pages in category "Wants of a Devotee of God"
The following 88 pages are in this category, out of 88 total.
A
- A devotee does not want even salvation. Why Lord Caitanya says: "birth after birth"? The salvationists, they want to stop; the voidists, they want to stop this material way of life
- A devotee does not want mystic powers or liberation or material prosperity. He is satisfied in any condition of life, as long as he is constantly engaged in the service of the Lord
- A learned person sees everyone equally on a spiritual basis, and a learned person, a devotee, wants to see everyone developed in Krsna consciousness
- After leaving his home, which was full of politics and diplomacy, Vidura wanted to purify himself by traveling to all the sacred places, which are so situated that anyone who goes there automatically becomes purified
- All these points (of SB 10.9.13-14) considered, Krsna cannot be measured. How then did Yasoda want to measure Him and bind Him? We must conclude that this took place simply on the platform of pure transcendental love. This was the only cause
- Although because of God's disappearance Kamsa would harass her more and more, thinking that the child born of her was hidden somewhere, she did not want the transcendental child to be harassed and killed. Therefore she requested Lord Visnu to disappear
- Although this was a transaction of spiritual potency (Vasudeva and Devaki apparently wanted to live like ordinary grhasthas for sexual indulgence), their desire appears like attachment for sex in conjugal life
- Although Vasudeva had promised to hand over every child to Kamsa, this time he wanted to break his promise and hide the child somewhere. But because of the Lord's appearance in this surprising four-armed form, He would be impossible to hide
- Arjuna did not want to fight for his own sense satisfaction, but when he became fully Krsna conscious he fought because Krsna wanted him to fight. BG 1972 purports
- Arjuna did not want to kill his relatives, and if there were any need to kill them, he desired that Krsna kill them personally. BG 1972 purports
- Arjuna wants to clarify the two distinct subject matters of Bhagavad-gita, namely renunciation (tyaga) and the renounced order of life (sannyasa). Thus he is asking the meaning of these two words. BG 1972 purports
- As soon as a devotee wants the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be his order supplier, the Lord immediately refuses to become the master of such a motivated devotee
- As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 11.2.42), bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra ca: in bhakti, a devotee’s only attachment is Krsna; he no longer wants to maintain his attachments to many other things
B
- Because Lokanatha dasa Gosvami did not want his name mentioned in the Caitanya-caritamrta, we do not often see it in this celebrated book
- Because of full affection, to stop Krsna from leaving the house, she (mother Yasoda) wanted to bind Him with rope
- Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, Bahir-mukha-brahma-janma nahi mora asa - And if I become nondevotee and take my birth as Lord Brahma, I don't want it. Let me become an insect in the house of a devotee
D
- Devaki is on the platform of vatsalya. She wanted to deal with her eternal son, Krsna, in that stage of love, and therefore she wanted the Supreme Personality of Godhead to withdraw His opulent form of Visnu
- Devaki requested the Lord, who had appeared as Visnu, to conceal that form, for she wanted to see the Lord as an ordinary child, like a child appreciated by persons who have material eyes
- Devaki wanted to save her brother (Kamsa) from this terrible, sinful act (the killing of a helpless, newborn child). Therefore she told him - Don't be so atrocious as to kill a female child. Let there be all good fortune for you
- Devaki wanted to see whether the Supreme Personality of Godhead had factually appeared or she was dreaming the Visnu form
- Devotees can handle Him (Krsna) because they act on the basis of loving service (bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah) (BG 18.55). Thus mother Yasoda wanted to bind Him
- Dhruva Maharaja at first wanted to achieve the greatest material kingdom and greater material possessions than his father, but when he was actually favored by the Lord, who appeared before him to give him the benediction he desired, he refused it
- Dhruva Maharaja wanted the material benediction of a kingdom greater than that of his father, and although he received a spiritual body, he also got the kingdom, for the SP of Godhead does not disappoint anyone who takes shelter of His lotus feet
- Dhruva Maharaja went to worship God to gain something, but when he actually came in contact with God he did not want anything from the Lord. The Lord, however, awarded Dhruva Maharaja both benefits - that is, the Lord fulfilled his desires
H
- He (a devotee) simply wants to engage everything in the service of God; therefore he has no problem (with the senses). He stands in his original constitutional position. All this is possible when one receives Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's merciful glance
- He (a Vaisnava) knows that "Everywhere I will be protected by Krsna," so he has no problem. Therefore real Vaisnava, he wants to deliver all these fallen souls from this miserable condition of life
- He (Arjuna) wanted to become nonviolent in the discharge of his specific duty. For a ksatriya to be in the battlefield and to become nonviolent is the philosophy of fools. BG 1972 purports
- He (Krsna) has already cleared up the question of the future of the individual living entity. Now, Arjuna wants to know of the future of the unsuccessful transcendentalist. BG 1972 purports
- He (Nanda Maharaja) wanted to go immediately to Mathura to pay the taxes due and also to offer some presentation for the sake of his newborn son
- He (Prahlada) refused to go into the kingdom of God without taking all the fallen souls with him. This is a Vaisnava. Nanyam tvad asya saranam bhramato 'nupasye: "I simply want to teach them how to surrender unto You (God). That's all. That is my goal
- He (the pure devotee) simply wants to associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead like the inhabitants of Vrndavana - Srimati Radharani, the gopis, Krsna's father and mother (Nanda Maharaja and Yasoda), Krsna's friends and Krsna's servants
- He simply wants success in the progress of devotional service. For a devotee, there cannot be worship of others or demigod worship. A pure devotee does not engage himself in such pseudo devotional service. He is interested only in satisfying Krsna
- Here (in SB 10.4.5) we see that Devaki first focused Kamsa's attention on his atrocious activities, his killing of her many sons. Then she wanted to compromise with him by saying that whatever he had done was not his fault, but was ordained by destiny
I
- I want the benediction of at least one million ears, for thus I may be able to hear about the glories of Your lotus feet from the mouths of Your pure devotees
- In the transcendental world also, Krsna reciprocates with His pure devotees in the transcendental attitude, just as the devotee wants Him. BG 1972 purports
- It appears that mother Yasoda did not want to forget Krsna's activities at any time. Therefore she poeticized all of Krsna's childhood activities, such as the killing of Putana, Aghasura, Sakatasura and Trnavarta
M
- Maharaja Bali wanted to give everything to Vamanadeva, who had appeared as a beggar, but Sukracarya, being Maharaja Bali's familial spiritual master in the line of seminal succession, could not appreciate Maharaja Bali's promise
- Maharaja Prthu had no desire to promote himself to the higher planetary systems. He wanted to return home immediately, back to Godhead
- Maharaja Yayati was eager to serve Vasudeva, Krsna, and therefore as soon as he wanted to renounce material life, Lord Vasudeva helped him
- Mother Yasoda wanted to bind Krsna not in order to chastise Him but because she thought that the child was so restless that He might leave the house in fear. That would be another disturbance
- Mother Yasoda wanted to collect the milk from these cows, make it into yogurt and churn it into butter personally
- Mother Yasoda wanted to impress upon Krsna that since He was afraid merely to see her stick, He should not perform such disturbing activities as breaking the container of yogurt and butter and distributing its contents to the monkeys
- Mother Yasoda, of course, did not want to chastise her beloved child very much, and therefore she immediately threw her stick away and simply rebuked Krsna
N
- Nanda Maharaja wanted not only to pay Kamsa the yearly taxes but also to offer some presentation so that Kamsa too would be satisfied. His only concern was how to protect his transcendental child, Krsna
- Nanda Maharaja wanted to see his newborn child happy. That was his purpose. Therefore he wanted to satisfy Lord Visnu, and to satisfy Lord Visnu it was necessary to satisfy His devotees, such as the learned brahmanas, magadhas and sutas
- Not wanting to be ridiculed for having given birth to Visnu, Devaki wanted Krsna, with two hands, and therefore she requested the Lord to change His form
O
- On the contrary, he (the devotee of the Lord) will accept any body, material or spiritual, for he wants to serve the Lord. This is real liberation
- Once a friend of Bhagavan Acarya's from Bengal wanted to recite a drama that he had written that was against the principles of devotional service, and although Bhagavan Acarya wanted to recite this drama before Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu
- Ordinarily they (saintly persons) never want anyone killed. Therefore, although it may appear that Lord Krsna or Prahlada Maharaja acted immorally, in fact they acted in accord with the highest morality
S
- She (Devaki) was anxious, thinking that if her neighbors heard that Visnu had appeared as her son, none of them would believe it. Therefore she wanted Lord Visnu to transform Himself into a human child
- Since a devotee wants to satisfy the desires of the Lord, he can, Lord willing, accept all kinds of opulence for the service of the Lord, and if the Lord is not willing, he should not accept a farthing. BG 1972 purports
- Sometimes it is misunderstood that by using the word raghunatha he (Krsnadasa Kaviraja) wanted to offer his respectful obeisances to Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, for it is sometimes stated that Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami was his initiating spiritual master
- Sri Arjuna, wanting to satisfy his senses by becoming a so-called nonviolent and pious man, at first decided not to fight
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu treated Advaita Acarya as His spiritual master, but Sri Advaita Acarya did not like this behavior of Lord Caitanya, for He wanted to be treated as His eternal servant
- Srila Viraraghava Acarya comments, yathesta-gatir ity arthah: by worshiping Visnu, a devotee can get whatever he likes. Maharaja Citraketu wanted only to return home, back to Godhead, and therefore he achieved success in that way
- Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura illuminates this fact (Devaki wanted to deal with her eternal son, Krsna, in vatsalya, and therefore she wanted Krsna to withdraw His opulent form of Visnu) very clearly in his explanation of this verse - SB 10.3.31
- Srivasa Thakura was so patient that he did not allow anyone to express sorrow by crying (when one of his son died), for he did not want the kirtana going on at his house to be disturbed. Thus kirtana continued without a sound of lamentation
- Suppose in next life I become some demigod like Lord Brahma or the Moon or the Sun. They are all demigods. Or Vayu, Varuna. The Vaisnava says, - No, we don't want this
- Svarupa Damodara, the Lord’s (Caitanya's) secretary, did not allow him (Bhagavan Acarya) to do so - he wanted to recite a drama before Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu which was against the principles of devotional service written by his friend of Bengal
T
- The Caitanya hinted in many ways that if Vallabha Bhatta wanted to know what devotional service actually is, he would have to learn from all the devotees He mentioned, beginning with Advaita Acarya, Nityananda, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and Ramananda Raya
- The devotee who wants to elevate himself to the higher level of understanding must know that the Lord is present in every living entity, and, as stated in the previous verse (SB 3.29.23), one should be compassionate to other living entities
- The devotee, on the positive side, wants to possess something, and this is very nicely described by Prahlada , who says, "If I must take some benediction from You (Nrsimhadeva), I pray that within the core of my heart there may be no material desires"
- The devotees who want some benefit out of devotional service are accepted by the Lord because there is an exchange of affection. BG 1972 purports
- The Gandharvas can sing continuously for days, and therefore Vakresvara Pandita wanted to dance as they sang
- The gopis approached Krsna with lusty desire. Krsna was a very beautiful boy, and they wanted to meet and enjoy His company. But this lusty desire is different from that of the material world
- The gopis want Him (Krsna) simply to stay in Vrndavana so that they can render service unto Him, for His pleasure. There is not even a tinge of personal sense gratification
- The mind of Arjuna (the fact that he didn't want to fight) was predicated by the Lord in friendly joking. BG 1972 purports
- The pure devotee only wants to please the Supreme Lord, and so the Lord says that for anyone who is unflinchingly devoted to Him, He is easy to attain. BG 1972 purports
- The words bhaktanam anurupatma-darsanam mean that the Lord is always pleased to favor the devotee in the particular form in which the devotee wants to worship and render service unto Him
- They (the cowherd men and women) looked upon Krsna and the boys with silent eyes, not wanting to turn their eyes aside now that the boys were safe - SB 10.11.54
- They (the gopis) wanted to take Krsna to the village of Vrndavana and enjoy His company in the groves. This desire was also felt by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and He danced in ecstasy before the Ratha-yatra festival when Lord Jagannatha went to Gundica
- This is the test. Sarve sukhino bhavantu. A devotee wants to see that everyone is happy. It doesn't matter whether he is a Hindu or a Muslim or a Christian. It doesn't matter. We want to see that everyone is happy
- This statement (of SB 10.2.31) reveals how the merciful acaryas and the merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead together help the serious devotee who wants to return home, back to Godhead
V
- Vaisnavas never want to merge into the existence of the Supreme; rather, they want to be everlastingly servants of the Lord to render loving service unto Him
- Vallabha Bhatta was greatly proud of his knowledge in devotional service, and therefore he wanted to speak about Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu without understanding the Lord’s position
- Vasudeva and Devaki had been dam-pati, husband & wife, since the time of Sutapa & Prsni, and they wanted to remain husband and wife in order to have the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their son. This attachment came about by the influence of devamaya
- Vasudeva knew that Yasoda had given birth to a female child, whom he had stolen and replaced with a male child. This was a great mystery, and Vasudeva wanted to determine whether this mystery was already known to Nanda Maharaja
- Vasudeva was transcendentally jubilant, and he wanted to perform a festival, as ksatriyas do to celebrate the birth of a child, but because of his imprisonment he was unable to do it externally, and therefore he performed the festival within his mind
W
- We Gaudiya Vaisnavas, under the guidance of Lord Caitanya, want steady attention for Krishna, not flickering. Therefore, in our line of thoughts and action there is no scope for worshiping any other demigods
- When his brother (Gopala Bhattacarya) came to Jagannatha Puri, Bhagavan Acarya wanted to hear from him about Mayavada philosophy, but Svarupa Damodara forbade him to do so, and there the matter stopped
- When Krsna came before them (Vasudeva and Devaki) and asked them what they wanted, they said, "We want a son like You. That is our desire." But how is it possible for there to be another God
- When Lord appeared before Dhruva Maharaja to give him benediction he refused it by saying, svamin krtartho'smi varam na yace - Now I am fully satisfied. I do not want any material benediction. (Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 7.28) This is the perfection of life
- When the gopis of Vrndavana, the residents of Gokula, met Krsna at Kuruksetra during the solar eclipse, they wanted to take Krsna back to Vrndavana