Närada - bhakti - sütra

Introduction
 In 1967, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda translated and wrote purports for thirteen of the eighty-four aphorisms (Çréla Prabhupäda called them “codes”) of the Närada-bhakti-sütra. In 1989, at their annual meeting, the Governing Body Commission of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) suggested that I complete the book. I was pleased to accept the assignment, especially because of my involvement with Çréla Prabhupäda’s initial writing of the Närada-bhakti-sütra.
 I was part of the small group of seekers who joined Çréla Prabhupäda in the latter part of 1966 at his storefront temple at 26 Second Avenue, in New York City. At one point we began passing around a Gita Press edition of Närada’s Philosophy of Love—Närada-bhakti-sütra. Some of us were attracted to the nectar and simplicity of the aphorisms. In those days it wasn’t unusual for us naive followers to pick up all sorts of translations of Sanskrit Indian books. We tended to think that anything Hindu was salutary and within Kåñëa consciousness. It wasn’t long before Çréla Prabhupäda made it clear to us that we had to discriminate. Many books, we learned, were the works of Mäyävädés, a brand of atheists in the guise of svämés, gurus, and scholars. It was hard to break our attachments to some of these books, but we always did so once Çréla Prabhupäda explained that a particular book or guru was not bona fide.
 But when I showed Çréla Prabhupäda the Närada-bhakti-sütra and told him I liked it, he encouraged me and said he might translate it.
 In our edition of the Närada-bhakti-sütra was a beautiful color illustration of Çré Çré Rädhä and Kåñëa. They looked young, about eight years old, and stood gracefully by the edge of the Yamunä River with a cow behind Them. I took the illustration to a photography shop and had a dozen color copies made. With Çréla Prabhupäda’s approval, I gave a photo to each of his initiated disciples. It became like an ISKCON membership photo and was used by devotees on their personal altars.
 When Çréla Prabhupäda left our New York home early in 1967 and went to San Francisco, I wrote him to ask if he would translate the Närada-bhakti-sütra. Here is Çréla Prabhupäda’s reply, dated February 10, 1967:
 Yes, please send me immediately one copy of Bhakti Sutra (with original Sanskrit text). I shall immediately begin the commentary.
 At first Çréla Prabhupäda’s translation of the Närada-bhakti-sütra went quickly. He sent tapes of his dictation in the mail, and I transcribed them along with the tapes he sent for his major work, Teachings of Lord Caitanya. From the beginning it was understood that Närada-bhakti-sütra was a kind of “extra” for Çréla Prabhupäda. But it had its own charm, and Prabhupäda approached it in his own inimitable way. I was surprised, on receiving the translation for the first aphorism, to see how Çréla Prabhupäda translated the word bhakti. The edition he was using translated bhakti as “devotion” or “Divine Love.” But Çréla Prabhupäda translated bhakti as “devotional service.” Even by this one phrase he indicated that bhakti was active and personal. He would not tolerate any hint that bhakti was a state of impersonal “Love.”
 It was significant that Çréla Prabhupäda began his first purport with a reference to Bhagavad-gétä, the foremost scripture for teaching bhakti-yoga. The Närada-bhakti-sütra, or any other treatise on devotion to God, should be supported by Lord Kåñëa’s direct teachings in Bhagavad-gétä. By their nature, sütras require explanation. As Lord Caitanya explained while discussing the Vedänta-sütra, the aphorisms have a direct meaning, but their brevity allows devious commentators to distort the meaning through misinterpretation. How safe we were when reading the Bhaktivedanta purports to the Närada-bhakti-sütra, and how dangerous it is to read these aphorisms when interpreted by those who lack pure devotion to the Supreme Person!
 As with his other works, Çréla Prabhupäda’s purports to the Närada-bhakti-sütra were completely in line with the teachings of the param-parä, or disciplic succession, and at the same time full of his own realizations.
 One particular statement that attracted me was his reference to enthusiasm in bhakti. Commenting on Sütra 5, Çréla Prabhupäda compared enthusiasm to a powerful engine that has to be used properly. He wrote, “If one, however, becomes disappointed in his enthusiasm for serving the Supreme Lord, that disappointment must also be rejected.” As a neophyte devotee, I was well aware of the danger of depression, which we sometimes refer to in ISKCON as being “fried.” But just as a serious practitioner restrains his tongue and other senses, so one should not indulge in too much depression or disappointment. It was comforting to hear this from Çréla Prabhupäda and to gain conviction that it is within our control—we are not helpless before unlimited waves of depression.
 One simply has to follow the rules and regulations patiently “so that the day will come when he will achieve, all of a sudden, all the perfection of devotional service.”
 I have to admit that I acquired a personal attachment for Çréla Prabhupäda’s Närada-bhakti-sütra as I happily watched its progress. I noticed that some of the same material Çréla Prabhupäda was putting into Teachings of Lord Caitanya also appeared in the Närada-bhakti-sütra, but I didn’t think anything was wrong in that. Yet at some point Çréla Prabhupäda began to think that perhaps Närada-bhakti-sütra was a bit redundant, at least while he was also working on Teachings of Lord Caitanya. I might have suspected this when he wrote in his purport to Sütra 12, “There are many authoritative books of spiritual knowledge, but all of them are more or less supplements to the Bhagavad-gétä and Çrémad-Bhägavatam. Even the Närada-bhakti-sütra is a summary of the Bhagavad-gétä and the Çrémad-Bhägavatam. Therefore the beginning of devotional service is to hear these two important transcendental books of knowledge.”
 Then, in March of 1967, while Çréla Prabhupäda was still residing in San Francisco, he wrote me this letter:
 Please accept my blessings. I have seen the typed copies of Narada Bhakti Sutras as well as Teachings of Lord Caitanya. Both of them are nicely made. I think let us finish first Teachings of Lord Caitanya and then we may take again Narada Bhakti Sutras. The subject matter discussed with Narada Sutras is already there in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya.
  I have sent you matter for the second part of the Teachings and please go on sending me a copy of your typewritten matter. I shall be glad to hear from you.
 And so Çréla Prabhupäda’s work on the Närada-bhakti-sütra stopped, and it was never resumed. It was a personal choice by the author, who wanted to concentrate on Teachings of Lord Caitanya. But we should not see it as a rejection of the Närada-bhakti-sütra. Çréla Prabhupäda intended to “take again Narada Bhakti Sutras.” And so more than twenty years later we are taking up the work again, on the authority of Çréla Prabhupäda. Whatever we have written to complete the work we have done as Çréla Prabhupäda’s student, using his commentated translations of the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, the Bhagavad-gétä, and the Caitanya-caritämåta, and his summary studies of the Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu (The Nectar of Devotion) and the Bhägavatam’s Tenth Canto (Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead).
 There is a particular charm to the Närada-bhakti-sütra in its brevity, universality, and emphasis on total surrender to Lord Kåñëa. The aphorisms are strong and can be easily remembered and confidently quoted in devotional discussions and preaching. Çréla Prabhupäda refers to the Närada-bhakti-sütra several times in his writings, as in this statement from Teachings of Lord Caitanya (p. 53–4): “In the Närada-bhakti-sütra it is said that one who is very serious about developing Kåñëa consciousness has his desire to understand Kåñëa fulfilled very soon by the grace of the Lord.”
 The major importance of the present publication is that another of Çréla Prabhupäda’s literary works is now available in book form for his growing reading audience. The GBC’s request to Gopiparäëadhana Prabhu and me to complete the Närada-bhakti-sütra is their mercy upon us. We pray that we have not deviated from Çréla Prabhupäda’s intentions and that this edition of the Närada-bhakti-sütra will bring pleasure and enlightenment to the hearts of everyone who reads it.
Satsvarüpa däsa Goswami
 Editor’s note: Citations from Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Teachings of Lord Caitanya are from “The Great Classics of India” editions (1985). Citations from The Nectar of Devotion are from the 1982 edition.
Chapter 1
The Value of Devotion
TEXT 1*
athäto bhaktià vyäkhyäsyämaù
SYNONYMS
atha—now; ataù—therefore; bhaktim—devotional service; vyäkhyäsyämaù—we shall try to explain.
TRANSLATION
Now, therefore, I will try to explain the process of devotional service.
PURPORT
Devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is explained in the Bhagavad-gétä, where the Lord says that a self-realized person is always in the transcendental state known as brahma-bhüta, which is characterized by joyfulness. When one is self-realized he becomes joyful. In other words, he is free from the material contamination of lamentation and hankering. As long as we are in material existence, we lament for the losses in our life and hanker for that which we do not have. A self-realized person is joyful because he is free from material lamentation and hankering.
 A self-realized person also sees all living entities equally. For him, there is no distinction between the higher and lower species of life. It is also stated that a learned man does not distinguish between a wise brähmaëa and a dog because he sees the soul within the body, not the external bodily features. Such a perfected, self-realized person becomes eligible to understand bhakti, or devotional service to the Lord.
 Bhakti is so sublime that only through bhakti can one understand the constitutional position of the Lord. That is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gétä (18.55): bhaktyä mäm abhijänäti. “One can understand the Supreme Lord through devotional service, and by no other process.” There are different processes of understanding the Absolute Truth, but if a person wants to understand the Supreme Lord as He is, he has to take to the process of bhakti-yoga. There are other mystic processes, such as karma-yoga, jïäna-yoga, and dhyäna-yoga, but it is not possible to understand the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, except through His devotional service. This is confirmed in the Fourth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gétä (4.3), where we learn that Kåñëa spoke the Bhagavad-gétä to Arjuna simply because he was the Lord’s devotee and friend. The Bhagavad-gétä teaches the process of bhakti-yoga, and therefore Lord Kåñëa explained it to Arjuna because he was a great devotee. As far as spiritual life is concerned, becoming a devotee of the Lord is the high-est perfection.
 People are generally misled by the spell of the illusory energy of material nature. There are innumerable living entities within the material nature, and only some of them are human beings. According to the Vedic literature, there are 8,400,000 species of life. In the Padma Puräëa it is said that there are 900,000 species of life in the water, 2,000,000 species of plants, 1,100,000 species of insects and reptiles, 1,000,000 species of birds, 3,000,000 species of beasts, and only 400,000 species of human beings. So the humans are the least numerous species of all.
 All living entities can be divided into two divisions: those that can move and those that are stationary, such as trees. But there are also many further divisions. Some species fly in the air, some live in the water, and some live on the ground. Among the living entities who live on the ground, only 400,000 are human species, and out of these 400,000 human species, many are uncivilized or unclean; they are not up to the standard of proper civilization. From the historical point of view, the Äryans are the most civilized section of human beings, and among the Äryans, the Indians are especially highly cultured. And among the Indians, the brähmaëas are the most expert in knowledge of the Vedas.
  The Vedic culture is respected all over the world, and there are people everywhere eager to understand it. The highest perfectional stage of understanding Vedic culture is explained in the Bhagavad-gétä, in the Fifteenth Chapter (15.15), where the Lord says that the purpose of all the Vedas is to understand Him (Lord Kåñëa). Fortunate are those who are attracted to the Vedic cultural life.
 The Hindus call themselves followers of the Vedas. Some say they follow the Säma Veda, and some say they follow the Åg Veda. Different people claim to follow different sections of the Vedas, but in fact for the most part they are not followers of the Vedas because they do not follow the rules and regulations of the Vedas. Therefore Lord Caitanya says that since the so-called followers of the Vedas perform all kinds of sinful activities, the number of actual followers of the Vedas is very small; and even among this small, exclusive number, most are addicted to the processes described in the Vedas’ karma-käëòa section, by which one can elevate oneself to the perfectional stage of economic development.
 The strict followers of the karma-käëòa portions of the Vedas perform various sacrifices for worship of different demigods in order to achieve particular material results. Out of many millions of such worshipers, some may actually engage in the process of understanding the Supreme, the Absolute Truth. They are called jïänés. Perfection for a jïäné lies in attaining the stage of brahma-bhüta, or self-realization. Only after self-realization is attained does the stage of understanding devotional service begin. The conclusion is that one can begin the process of devotional service, or bhakti, when one is actually self-realized. One who is in the bodily concept of existence cannot understand the process of devotional service.
 It is for this reason that the Närada-bhakti-sütra begins, “Now, therefore, I shall try to explain the process of devotional service.” The word “therefore” indicates that this process of devotional service is for the self-realized soul, one who is already liberated. Similarly, the Vedänta-sütra begins athäto brahma jijïäsä. The word brahma-jijïäsä refers to inquiry into the Supreme Absolute Truth, and it is recommended for those who have been elevated from the lower stage of addiction to the karma-käëòa portion of the Vedas to the position of interest in the jïäna-käëòa portion. Only when a person is perfectly situated in the realization that he is not the body but a spirit soul can he begin the process of bhakti, or devotional service.
TEXT 2*
sä tv asmin parama-prema-rüpä
SYNONYMS
sä—it; tu—and; asmin—for Him (the Supreme Lord); parama—highest; prema—pure love; rüpä—having as its form.
TRANSLATION
Devotional service manifests as the most elevated, pure love for God.
PURPORT
As stated before, after attaining the highest stage of self-realization, one becomes situated in devotional service to the Lord. The perfection of devotional service is to attain love of God. Love of God involves the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the devotee, and the process of devotional service. Self-realization, the brahma-bhüta stage, is the beginning of spiritual life; it is not the perfectional stage. If a person understands that he is not his body and that he has nothing to do with this material world, he becomes free from material entanglement. But that realization is not the perfectional stage. The perfectional stage begins with activity in the self-realized position, and that activity is based on the understanding that a living entity is eternally the subordinate servitor of the Supreme Lord. Otherwise, there is no meaning to self-realization. If one is puffed up with the idea that he is the Supreme Brahman, or that he has become one with Näräyaëa, or that he has merged into the brahmajyoti effulgence, then he has not grasped the perfection of life. As the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.2.32) states,
ye ’nye ’ravindäkña vimukta-mäninas
tvayy asta-bhäväd aviçuddha-buddhayaù
äruhya kåcchreëa paraà padaà tataù
patanty adho ’nädåta-yuñmad-aìghrayaù
Persons who are falsely puffed up, thinking they have become liberated simply by understanding their constitutional position as Brahman, or spirit soul, are factually still contaminated. Their intelligence is impure because they have no understanding of the Personality of Godhead, and ultimately they fall down from their puffed-up position.
 According to the Bhägavatam (1.2.11) there are three levels of transcendentalists: the self-realized knowers of the impersonal Brahman feature of the Absolute Truth; the knowers of the Paramätmä, the localized aspect of the Supreme, which is understood by the process of mystic yoga; and the bhaktas, who are in knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engage in His devotional service. Those who understand simply that the living being is not matter but spirit soul and who desire to merge into the Supreme Spirit Soul are in the lowest transcendental position. Above them are the mystic yogés, who by meditation see within their hearts the four-handed Viñëu form of the Paramätmä, or Supersoul. But persons who actually associate with the Supreme Lord, Kåñëa, are the highest among all transcendentalists. In the Sixth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gétä (6.47) the Lord confirms this:
yoginäm api sarveñäà mad-gatenäntar-ätmanä
çraddhävän bhajate yo mäà sa me yukta-tamo mataù
“And of all yogés, the one with great faith who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within himself, and renders transcendental loving service to Me—he is the most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all. That is My opinion.” This is the highest perfectional stage, known as prema, or love of God.
 In the Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu (1.4.15–16), Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé, a great authority in the devotional line, describes the different stages in coming to the point of love of Godhead:
ädau çraddhä tataù sädhu-saìgo ’tha bhajana-kriyä
tato ’närtha-nivåttiù syät tato niñöhä rucis tataù
 athäsaktis tato bhävas tataù premäbhyudaïcati
 sädhakänäm ayaà premëaù prädurbhäve bhavet kramaù
The first requirement is that one should have sufficient faith that the only process for attaining love of Godhead is bhakti, devotional service to the Lord. Throughout the Bhagavad-gétä Lord Kåñëa teaches that one should give up all other processes of self-realization and fully surrender unto Him. That is faith. One who has full faith in Kåñëa (çraddhä) and surrenders unto Him is eligible for being raised to the level of prema, which Lord Caitanya taught as the highest perfectional stage of human life.
 Some persons are addicted to materially motivated religion, while others are addicted to economic development, sense gratification, or the idea of salvation from material existence. But prema, love of God, is above all these. This highest stage of love is above mundane religiosity, above economic development, above sense gratification, and above even liberation, or salvation. Thus love of God begins with the firm faith that one who engages in full devotional service has attained perfection in all these processes.
 The next stage in the process of elevation to love of God is sädhu-saìga, association with persons already in the highest stage of love of God. One who avoids such association and simply engages in mental speculation or so-called meditation cannot be raised to the perfectional platform. But one who associates with pure devotees or an elevated devotional society goes to the next stage—bhajana-kriyä, or acceptance of the regulative principles of worshiping the Supreme Lord. One who associates with a pure devotee of the Lord naturally accepts that person as his spiritual master, and when the neophyte devotee accepts a pure devotee as his spiritual master, the duty of the spiritual master is to train the neophyte in the principles of regulated devotional service, or vaidhi-bhakti. At this stage the devotee’s service is based on his capacity to serve the Lord. The expert spiritual master engages his followers in work that will gradually develop their consciousness of service to the Lord. Therefore the preliminary stage of understanding prema, love of God, is to approach a proper pure devotee, accept him as one’s spiritual master, and execute regulated devotional service under his guidance.
 The next stage is called anartha-nivåtti, in which all the misgivings of material life are vanquished. A person gradually reaches this stage by regularly performing the primary principles of devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master. There are many bad habits we acquire in the association of material contamination, chief of which are illicit sexual relationships, eating animal food, indulging in intoxication, and gambling. The first thing the expert spiritual master does when he engages his disciple in regulated devotional service is to instruct him to abstain from these four principles of sinful life.
 Since God is supremely pure, one cannot rise to the highest perfectional stage of love of God without being purified. In the Bhagavad-gétä (10.12), when Arjuna accepted Kåñëa as the Supreme Lord, he said, pavitraà paramaà bhavän: “You are the purest of the pure.” The Lord is the purest, and thus anyone who wants to serve the Supreme Lord must also be pure. Unless a person is pure, he can neither understand what the Personality of Godhead is nor engage in His service in love, for devotional service, as stated before, begins from the point of self-realization, when all misgivings of materialistic life are vanquished.
 After following the regulative principles and purifying the material senses, one attains the stage of niñöhä, firm faith in the Lord. When a person has attained this stage, no one can deviate him from the conception of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one can persuade him that God is impersonal, without a form, or that any form created by imagination can be accepted as God. Those who espouse these more or less nonsensical conceptions of the Supreme Lord cannot dissuade him from firm faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa.
 In the Bhagavad-gétä Lord Kåñëa stresses in many verses that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But despite Lord Kåñëa’s stressing this point, many so-called scholars and commentators still deny the personal conception of the Lord. One famous scholar wrote in his commentary on the Bhagavad-gétä that one does not have to surrender to Lord Kåñëa or even accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but that one should rather surrender to “the Supreme within Kåñëa.” Such fools do not know what is within and what is without. They comment on the Bhagavad-gétä according to their own whims. Such persons cannot be elevated to the highest stage of love of Godhead. The may be scholarly, and they may be elevated in other departments of knowledge, but they are not even neophytes in the process of attaining the highest stage of perfection, love of Godhead. Niñöhä implies that one should accept the words of Bhagavad-gétä, the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as they are, without any deviation or nonsensical commentary.
 If a person is fortunate enough to vanquish all misgivings caused by material existence and rise up to the stage of niñöhä, he can then rise to the stages of ruci (taste) and äsakti (attachment for the Lord). Äsakti is the beginning of love of Godhead. By progressing, one then advances to the stage of relishing a reciprocal exchange with the Lord in ecstasy (bhäva). Every living entity is eternally related to the Supreme Lord, and this relationship may be in any one of many transcendental humors. At the stage called äsakti, attachment, a person can understand his relationship with the Supreme Lord. When he understands his position, he begins reciprocating with the Lord. By constant reciprocation with the Lord, the devotee is elevated to the highest stage of love of Godhead, prema.
TEXT 3*
amåta-svarüpä ca
SYNONYMS
amåta—immortality; svarüpä—having as its essence; ca—and.
TRANSLATION
This pure love for God is eternal.
PURPORT
When a person attains to the perfectional stage of love of Godhead, he becomes liberated even in his present body and realizes his constitutional position of immortality. In the Bhagavad-gétä (4.9), the Lord says,
janma karma ca me divyam evaà yo vetti tattvataù
tyaktvä dehaà punar janma naiti mäm eti so ’rjuna
Here the Lord says that any person who simply understands His transcendental activities and His appearance and disappearance in this material world becomes liberated, and that after quitting his present body he at once reaches His abode. Therefore it is to be understood that one who has attained the stage of love of God has perfect knowledge, and even if he may fall short of perfect knowledge, he has the preliminary perfection of life that a living entity can attain.
 To conceive of oneself as being one with the Supreme is the greatest misconception of self-realization, and this misconception prevents one from rising to the highest stage of love of God. But a person who understands his subordinate position can attain the highest stage of loving service to the Lord. Although the Lord and the living entities are qualitatively one, the living entities are limited, while the Lord is unlimited. This understanding, called amåta-svarüpa, makes one eligible for being eternally situated.
 In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.87.30) the personified Vedas pray to the Lord, “O supreme eternal, if the living entities were equal with You and thus all-pervading and all-powerful like You, there would be no possibility of their being controlled by Your external energy, mäyä.” Therefore, the living entities should be accepted as fragmental portions of the Supreme. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gétä (15.7) when the Lord says, mamaiväàço jéva-loke jéva-bhütaù sanätanaù: “The living entities are My fragmental portions, eternally.” As fragmental portions, they are qualitatively one with the Supreme, but they are not unlimited.
 One who is convinced that he is eternally a servitor of the Supreme Lord is called immortal because he has realized his constitutional position of immortality. Unless one can understand his position as a living entity and an eternal servitor of the Lord, there is no question of immortality. But one who accepts these facts becomes immortal. In other words, those who are under the misconception that the living entity and the Supreme Lord are equal in all respects, both qualitatively and quantitatively, are mistaken, and they are still bound to remain in the material world. They cannot rise to the position of immortality.
 Upon attaining love of God, a person immediately becomes immortal and no longer has to change his material body. But even if a devotee of the Lord has not yet reached the perfectional stage of love of Godhead, his devotional service is considered immortal. Any action in the stage of karma or jïäna will be finished with the change of body, but devotional service, even if not executed perfectly, will continue into the next life, and the living entity will be allowed to make further progress.
 The constitutional position of the living entity as a fragment of the Supreme Lord is confirmed in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam and the Upaniñads. The Çvetäçvatara Upaniñad (5.9) states,
bälägra-çata-bhägasya çatadhä kalpitasya ca
bhägo jévaù sa vijïeyaù sa cänantyäya kalpate
“If the tip of a hair were divided into one hundred parts, and if one of those parts were again divided into a hundred parts, that one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair would be the dimension of the living entity.” As already mentioned, this position of the living entity as a fragment of the Supreme Lord is declared in the Bhagavad-gétä (15.7) to be eternal; it cannot be changed. A person who understands his constitutional position as a fragment of the Supreme Lord and engages himself in devotional service with all seriousness at once becomes immortal.
TEXT 4*
yal labdhvä pumän siddho bhavaty amåto bhavati tåpto bhavati
SYNONYMS
yat—which; labdhvä—having gained; pumän—a person; siddhaù—perfect; bhavati—becomes; amåtaù—immortal; bhavati—becomes; tåptaù—peaceful; bhavati—becomes.
TRANSLATION
Upon achieving that stage of transcendental devotional service in pure love of God, a person becomes perfect, immortal, and peaceful.
PURPORT
The part-and-parcel living entities are entangled in the conditioned life of material existence. Because of their diverse activities they are wandering all over the universe, transmigrating from one body to another and undergoing various miseries. But when a fortunate living entity somehow comes in contact with a pure devotee of the Lord and engages in devotional service, he enters upon the path of perfection. If someone engages in devotional service in all seriousness, the Lord instructs him in two ways—through the pure devotee and from within—so that he can advance in devotional service. By cultivating such devotional service, he becomes perfect.
 Lord Kåñëa describes this form of complete perfection in the Bhagavad-gétä (8.15):
mäm upetya punar janma duùkhälayam açäçvatam
näpnuvanti mahätmänaù saàsiddhià paramäà gatäù
“The great souls who engage in My devotional service attain Me, the Supreme Lord, and do not come back to this miserable material life, for they have attained the highest perfection.” Both while in the material body and after giving it up, a devotee attains the highest perfection in service to the Lord. As long as a devotee is in his material body, his probational activities in devotional service prepare him for being transferred to the Lord’s supreme abode. Only those who are one hundred percent engaged in devotional service can achieve this perfection.
 In material, conditioned life a person always feels the full miseries caused by the transmigration of the soul from body to body. Before taking birth, he undergoes the miseries of living in the womb of his mother, and when he comes out he lives for a certain period and then again has to die and enter a mother’s womb. But one who attains the highest perfection goes back to Godhead after leaving his present body. Once there, he doesn’t have to come back to this material world and transmigrate from one body to another. That transfer to the spiritual world is the highest perfection of life. In other words, the devotee achieves his constitutional position of immortality and thus becomes completely peaceful.
 Until a person achieves this perfection, he cannot be peaceful. He may artificially think he is one with the Supreme, but actually he is not; therefore, he has no peace. Similarly, someone may aspire for one of the eight yogic perfections in the mystic yoga process, such as to become the smallest, to become the heaviest, or to acquire anything he desires, but these achievements are material; they are not perfection. Perfection means to regain one’s original spiritual form and engage in the loving service of the Lord. The living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, and if he performs the duties of the part and parcel, without proudly thinking he is one in all respects with the Supreme Lord, he attains real perfection and becomes peaceful.
TEXT 5*
yat präpya na kiïcid väïchati na çocati na dveñöi na ramate notsähé bhavati
SYNONYMS
yat—which; präpya—having attained; na kiïcit—nothing; väïchati—hankers for; na çocati—does not lament; na dveñöi—does not hate; na ramate—does not rejoice; na—not; utsähé—materially enthusiastic; bhavati—becomes.
TRANSLATION
A person engaged in such pure devotional service neither desires anything for sense gratification, nor laments for any loss, nor hates anything, nor enjoys anything on his personal account, nor becomes very enthusiastic in material activity.
PURPORT
According to Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé, there are six impediments to the discharge of devotional service, and also six activities favorable to progress in devotional service.
 The first impediment is atyähära, overeating or accumulating more wealth than we need. When we give free rein to the senses in an effort to enjoy to the highest degree, we become degraded. A devotee should therefore eat only enough to maintain his body and soul together; he should not allow his tongue unrestricted license to eat anything and everything it likes. The Bhagavad-gétä and the great äcäryas, or spiritual masters, have prescribed certain foods for human beings, and one who eats these foods eats in the mode of goodness. These foods include grains, fruits, vegetables, milk products, and sugar—and nothing more. A devotee does not eat extravagantly; he simply eats what he offers to the Supreme Lord, Kåñëa. He is interested in kåñëa-prasädam (food offered to the Lord) and not in satisfying his tongue. Therefore he does not desire anything extraordinary to eat.
 Similarly, a devotee does not wish to accumulate a large bank balance: he simply earns as much as he requires. This is called yävad-artha or yuktähära. In the material world everyone is very active in earning more and more money and in increasing eating and sleeping and gratifying the senses; such is the mission of most people’s lives. But these activities should be absent from the life of a devotee.
 The next impediment Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé mentions is prayäsa, endeavoring very hard for material things. A devotee should not be very enthusiastic about attaining any material goal. He should not be like persons who engage in fruitive activities, who work very hard day and night to attain material rewards. All such persons have some ambition—to become a very big businessman, to become a great industrialist, to become a great poet or philosopher. But they do not know that even if their ambition is fulfilled, the result is temporary. As soon as the body is finished, all material achievements are also finished. No one takes with him anything he has achieved materially in this world. The only thing he can carry with him is his asset of devotional service; that alone is never vanquished.
 The next impediment to devotional service is prajalpa, talking of mundane subject matter. Many people unnecessarily talk of the daily happenings in the newspapers and pass the time without any profit. A devotee, however, does not indulge in unnecessary talks of politics or economics. Nor is a devotee very strict in following ritualistic rules and regulations mentioned in the Vedas. Becoming enamored of these rituals is the next impediment, called niyamägraha. Because a devotee fully engages in the supreme service of the Lord, he automatically fulfills all other obligations and doesn’t have to execute all the details of Vedic rituals. As the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (11.5.41) says,
devarñi-bhütäpta-nåëäà pitèëäà
na kiìkaro näyam åëé ca räjan
sarvätmanä yaù çaraëaà çaraëyaà
gato mukundaà parihåtya kartam
“Every human being born in this world is immediately indebted to the demigods, the great sages, ordinary living entities, the family, society, and so on. But a person who surrenders unto the lotus feet of the Lord and engages fully in His service is no longer indebted to anyone. In other words, he has no obligations to fulfill except executing devotional service.”
 Finally, a devotee should not be greedy (laulyam), nor should he mix with ordinary materialistic men (jana-saìga).
 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.
 Similarly, there are six positive items for advancing in devotional service. First, while one should not be enthusiastic to attain material achievements, one should be very enthusiastic to attain the perfectional stage of devotional service. This enthusiasm is called utsäha. A living entity cannot stop acting. So when he is forbidden to become enthusiastic about material achievements, he should at once be encouraged to be enthusiastic about spiritual achievements. Enthusiasm is a symptom of the living entity; it cannot be stopped. It is just like a powerful engine: if you utilize it properly, it will give immense production. Therefore enthusiasm should be purified. Instead of employing enthusiasm for attaining material goals, one should be enthusiastic about achieving the perfectional stage of devotional service. Indeed, enthusing His devotees in devotional service is the purpose for which Kåñëa descends to this material world.
 The next item favorable for devotional service is niçcaya, confidence. When one becomes disappointed in his service to the Supreme Lord, that disappointment must be rejected and replaced with confidence in attaining the ultimate goal, love of Godhead. The devotee should patiently follow the rules and regulations of devotional service so that the day will come when he will achieve, all of a sudden, all the perfection of devotional service. He should not lament for any loss or any reverse in his advancement in spiritual life. This patience (dhairya) is the third positive item for advancing in devotional service.
 Furthermore, a pure devotee is not envious, hateful, or lazy in the discharge of devotional service. Confident of his advancement, he continually performs his prescribed devotional duties. This is called tat-tat-karma-pravartana.
 The last two items are saìga-tyäga, giving up the association of nondevotees, and sato-våtti, following in the footsteps of the previous äcäryas. These practices greatly help the devotee remain fixed on the path of devotional service and avoid the tendency to enjoy temporary, material things. Thus the activities of a devotee remain always pure and without any contamination of the material world.
TEXT 6*
yaj jïätvä matto bhavati stabdho bhavaty ätmärämo bhavati
SYNONYMS
yat—which; jïätvä—having known; mattaù—intoxicated; bhavati—becomes; stabdhaù—stunned (in ecstasy); bhavati—becomes; ätma-ärämaù—self-content (because of being engaged in the service of the Lord); bhavati—becomes.
TRANSLATION
One who understands perfectly the process of devotional service in love of Godhead becomes intoxicated in its discharge. Sometimes he becomes stunned in ecstasy and thus enjoys his whole self, being engaged in the service of the Supreme Self.
PURPORT
The Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.7.10) states,
ätmärämäç ca munayo nirgranthä apy urukrame
kurvanty ahaitukéà bhaktià itthaà-bhüta-guëo hariù
“Although those who are ätmäräma, self-satisfied, are liberated from all material contamination, they are still attracted by the pastimes of the Supreme Lord, and thus they engage themselves in His transcendental service.” When Lord Caitanya explained this ätmäräma verse to Çréla Sanätana Gosvämé, He described sixty-one meanings, and all of them point toward the devotional service of the Lord.
 How one becomes intoxicated in devotional service is very nicely described in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (11.2.40):
evaà-vrataù sva-priya-näma-kértyä
jätänurägo druta-citta uccaiù
hasaty atho roditi rauti gäyaty
unmäda-van nåtyati loka-bähyaù
“A person engaged in the devotional service of the Lord in full Kåñëa consciousness automatically becomes carried away by ecstasy when he chants and hears the holy name of Kåñëa. His heart becomes slackened while chanting the holy name, he becomes almost like a madman, and he does not care for any outward social conventions. Thus sometimes he laughs, sometimes he weeps, sometimes he cries out very loudly, sometimes he sings, and sometimes he dances and forgets himself.” These are the signs of becoming intoxicated in devotional service. This stage, called the ätmäräma stage, is possible when the Lord bestows His mercy upon a devotee for his advanced devotional activity. It is the highest perfectional stage because one cannot reach it unless one has attained pure love of God.
 Neither formal religious rituals, economic development, sense gratification, nor liberation can compare with this sweet stage of perfection of love of Kåñëa, love of the Supreme Lord. The Caitanya-caritämåta (Ädi-lélä 7.97) describes this stage of ecstasy and intoxication as being far above the ecstasy of realizing oneself as Brahman, or the supreme spirit. Lord Caitanya says that the ecstasy of bhakti (love of Godhead) is so vast that it is like an ocean compared to the drop of pleasure derived from understanding oneself as one with Brahman. In all Vedic literature, the highest perfectional stage is said to be the state of intoxication of devotional service. It is not achieved by ordinary persons, the nondevotees.
 In the stage of perfection, one’s heart becomes slackened and one becomes more and more attached to attaining the lotus feet of the Lord. Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé, a great äcärya in the line of devotional service, has described this stage as follows: “Although appearing just like a madman, a person in the ecstasy of devotional service is not mad in the material conception of the term; this ecstasy is the manifestation of the pleasure potency of the Supreme Lord.” The Lord has various potencies, one of which is called ählädiné-çakti, His internal pleasure potency. Only one who becomes a little conversant with this potency can taste such ecstasy. The Vedänta-sütra (1.1.12) states, änanda-mayo ’bhyäsät: “By nature the Lord is always joyful.” This joyfulness of the Lord is due to His pleasure potency.
 One who becomes affected by the pleasure potency of the Supreme Lord manifests various symptoms of ecstasy, such as slackening of the heart, laughing, crying, shivering, and dancing. These symptoms are not material. However, exhibiting such ecstatic symptoms just to get credit from the public is not approved by pure devotees. Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Prabhupäda says, “Persons without attainment of the highest perfectional stage of loving service cannot achieve any auspiciousness simply by artificially laughing, crying, or dancing without any spiritual understanding. Artificial movement of the body... must always be rejected. One should wait for the natural sequence within devotional service, and at that time, when one cries or dances or sings, it is approved. A person artificially showing symptoms of the pleasure potency creates many disturbances in the ordinary way of life.”
 One who attains the perfectional stage of devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master may preach the science of devotion as Lord Caitanya did. When Lord Caitanya preached, He danced and showed other symptoms of ecstasy. Once, in Benares, a Mäyävädé sannyäsé named Prakäçänanda Sarasvaté objected to these activities. He said that since Lord Caitanya had taken sannyäsa, the renounced order of life, He should not act in such an intoxicated way.
 The Lord explained that these symptoms of intoxication had automatically arisen when He had chanted the Hare Kåñëa mantra, and that upon seeing this His spiritual master had ordered Him to preach devotional service all over the world. While speaking with Prakäçänanda, Lord Caitanya quoted an important verse from the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (14.36):
tvat-säkñät-karaëähläda-viçuddhäbdhi-sthitasya me
sukhäni goñpadäyante brähmäëy api jagad-guro
“My dear Lord, O master of the universe, since I have directly seen You, my transcendental bliss has taken the shape of a great ocean. Thus I now regard the happiness derived from understanding impersonal Brahman to be like the water contained in a calf’s hoofprint.”.”
 In this way, one who reaches the perfectional stage of devotional service becomes so satisfied that he does not want anything more, and thus he always engages in pure devotional service.
TEXT 7*
sä na kämayamänä nirodha-rüpatvät
SYNONYMS
sä—that devotional service in pure love of God; na—not; kämayamänä—like ordinary lust; nirodha—renunciation; rüpatvät—because of having as its form.
TRANSLATION
There is no question of lust in the execution of pure devotional service, because in it all material activities are renounced.
PURPORT
In pure devotional service there is no question of sense gratification. Some people mistake the loving affairs between Kåñëa and the gopés (cowherd girls) for activities of ordinary sense gratification, but these affairs are not lustful because there is no material contamination. As Rüpa Gosvämé states in his Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu (1.2.285),
premaiva gopa-rämäëäà käma ity agamat prathäm
ity uddhavädayo ’py etaà väïchanti bhagavat-priyäù
“Although the dealings of the gopés with Kåñëa are wrongly celebrated by many as lust, great sages and saintly persons like Uddhava hanker for such loving affairs with Kåñëa.” Çréla Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja, the author of Caitanya-caritämåta, has therefore said,
käma, prema,—doìhäkära vibhinna lakñaëa
lauha ära hema yaiche svarüpe vilakñaëa
“As there is a difference between iron and gold, so there is a difference between material lust and Kåñëa’s loving affairs with the gopés” (Cc. Ädi 4.164). Although such loving affairs may sometimes resemble material lust, the difference is as follows:
ätmendriya-préti-väïchä—täre bali ‘käma’
kåñëendriya-préti-icchä dhare ‘prema’ näma
“The desire to satisfy one’s own senses is called lust, while the desire to satisfy the senses of Kåñëa is called prema, love of God” (Cc. Ädi 4.165).
 The impersonalists cannot understand the principle of satisfying Kåñëa’s senses because they reject the personality of Godhead. Thus they think God has no senses and therefore no sense satisfaction. But the devotees simply want to satisfy the senses of the Supreme Lord, and so they take part in the pure activities of love of Godhead. There is no question of lust in that category of pure transcendental love.
 Lust leads to fruitive activity for sense gratification. There are different kinds of duties for the human being, such as political obligations, performance of Vedic rituals, obligations for maintaining the body, and social formalities and conventions, but all such activities are directed toward satisfying one’s own senses. The gopés, however, simply wanted to satisfy Kåñëa’s senses, and thus they completely gave up the conventional path of social restriction, not caring for their relatives or the chastisement of their husbands. They gave up everything for the satisfaction of Kåñëa, showing their strong attachment to Kåñëa to be as spotless as washed white cloth.
 It is said that when conjugal affection between a lover and beloved comes to the point of being destroyed and yet is not destroyed, such a relationship is pure love, or prema. In the material world it is not possible to find this kind of love, for it exists only between Kåñëa and His intimate devotees, such as the gopés. The sentiment between the gopés and Kåñëa was so strong that it could not be destroyed under any circumstances. Kåñëa praises the gopés’ pure love in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.32.22):
na päraye ’haà niravadya-saàyujäà
sva-sädhu-kåtyaà vibudhäyuñäpi vaù
yä mäbhajan durjaya-geha-çåìkhaläù
saàvåçcya tad vaù pratiyätu sädhunä
“My dear gopés, I am not able to repay My debt for your spotless service, even within a lifetime of Brahmä. Your connection with Me is beyond reproach. You have worshiped Me, cutting off all domestic ties, which are difficult to break. Therefore please let your own glorious deeds be your compensation.”
TEXT 8*
nirodhas tu loka-veda-vyäpära-nyäsaù
SYNONYMS
nirodhaù—renunciation; tu—moreover; loka—of social custom; veda—and of the revealed scripture; vyäpära—of the engagements; nyäsa—renunciation.
TRANSLATION
Such renunciation in devotional service means to give up all kinds of social customs and religious rituals governed by Vedic injunction.
PURPORT
In a verse in the Lalita-mädhava (5.2), Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé describes renunciation in devotional service:
åddhä siddhi-vraja-vijayitä satya-dharmä samädhir
brahmänando gurur api camatkärayaty eva tävat
yävat premëäà madhu-ripu-vaçékära-siddhauñadhénäà
gandho ’py antaù-karaëa-saraëé-pänthatäà na prayäti
“Activities such as mystic trance, becoming one with the Supreme, and the religious principles of brahminism, such as speaking the truth and tolerance, have their own respective attractions, but when one becomes captivated by love of Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all attraction for mystic power, monistic pleasure, and mundane religious principles becomes insignificant.”
 In other words, by discharging pure devotional service one attains the highest stage of love of Godhead and is freed from all other obligations, such as those mentioned in the karma-käëòa, jïäna-käëòa, and yoga-käëòa sections of the Vedas. One who engages in pure devotional service has no desire to improve himself—except in the service of the Lord. In such devotional service there cannot be any worship of the impersonal or localized features of the Supreme Lord. The devotee simply performs activities that satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus attains pure love for the Lord.
 Only by the combined mercy of the pure devotee—the bona fide spiritual master—and the Supreme Lord Himself can one attain pure devotional service to the Lord. If someone is fortunate enough to find a pure devotee and accept him as his spiritual master, then this spiritual master, out of his causeless mercy, will impart the knowledge of pure devotional service. And it is the Lord, out of His causeless mercy, who sends His most confidential servitor to this world to instruct pure devotional service.
 By the divine grace of the spiritual master, the seed of pure devotional service, which is completely different from the seed of fruitive activities and speculative knowledge, is sown in the heart of the devotee. Then, when the devotee satisfies the spiritual master and Kåñëa, this seed of devotional service grows into a plant that gradually reaches up to the spiritual world. An ordinary plant requires shelter for growing. Similarly, the devotional plant grows and grows until it takes shelter in the spiritual world, without taking shelter on any planet in the material world. In other words, those who are captivated by pure devotional service have no desire to elevate themselves to any material planet. The highest planet in the spiritual world is Kåñëa-loka, or Goloka Våndävana, and there the devotional plant takes shelter.
 The Närada Païcarätra defines pure devotional service as follows:
sarvopädhi-vinirmuktaà tat-paratvena nirmalam
håñékena håñékeça-sevanaà bhaktir ucyate
 [Cc. Madhya 19.170]
“Devotional service to the Supreme Lord means engagement of all the senses in His service. In such service there are two important features: First, one must be purified of all designations, and second, the senses should be engaged only in the service of the Supreme Lord, the master of the senses. That is pure devotional service.”
 Everyone is now contaminated by various designations in relation to the body. Everyone is thinking, “I belong to such-and-such country; I belong to a certain society; I belong to a certain family.” But when a person comes to the stage of pure devotional service, he knows that he does not belong to anything except the service of the Lord.
 The symptom of unflinching faith in pure devotional service is that one has overcome the many disruptive desires that impede pure devotional service, such as (1) the desire to worship the demigods, (2) the desire to serve someone other than Kåñëa, (3) the desire to work for sense gratification, without understanding one’s relationship with Kåñëa, (4) the desire to cultivate impersonal knowledge and thereby forget the Supreme Lord, and (5) the desire to establish oneself as the Supreme, in which endeavor there is no trace of the bliss of devotional service. One should give up all these desires and engage exclusively in the loving devotional service of the Lord. Except for the service of the Lord, anything done is in the service of illusion, or mäyä.
 One should try to get out of illusion and be engaged in the factual service of Kåñëa. Service to Kåñëa utilizes all the senses, and when the senses are engaged in the service of Kåñëa, they become purified. There are ten senses—five active senses and five knowledge-acquiring senses. The active senses are the power of talking, the hands, the legs, the evacuating outlet, and the generating organ. The knowledge-acquiring senses are the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, and the sense of touch. The mind, the center of all the senses, is sometimes considered the eleventh sense.
 One cannot engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord with these senses in their present materially covered state. Therefore one should take up the process of devotional service to purify them. There are sixty-four items of regulative devotional service for purifying the senses, and one should strenuously undergo such regulative service. Then one can enter into the transcendental loving service of the Lord. (See TEXT 12 for a full discussion of these sixty-four items of devotional service.)
TEXT 9
tasminn ananyatä tad-virodhiñüdäsénatä ca
SYNONYMS
tasmin—for Him; ananyatä—exclusive dedication; tat—to Him; virodhiñu—for those things which are opposed; udäsénatä—indifference; ca—and.
TRANSLATION
Renunciation also means being exclusively dedicated to the Lord and indifferent to what stands in the way of His service.
PURPORT
The exclusive nature of devotional service has also been described by Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé in the Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu (1.1.11):
anyäbhiläñitä-çünyaà jïäna-karmädy-anävåtam
änukülyena kåñëänu-çélanaà bhaktir uttamä
 [Madhya 19.167]
“When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Kåñëa favorably, as Kåñëa desires.”
 Pure devotees are so exclusive in their intent to serve the Supreme Lord without any reward that they do not accept any kind of liberation, even though it may be offered by the Supreme Lord. This is confirmed in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (3.29.13).
 There is also something called “mixed bhakti,” which occurs before the stage of pure devotional service. It is sometimes called präkåta-bhakti, or devotional service mixed with material desires. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “When one has even a tinge of personal interest, his devotion is mixed with the three modes of material nature” (Bhäg. 3.29.9, purport). Thus mixed devotion can occur in various combinations within the modes of ignorance, passion, and goodness. Çréla Prabhupäda elaborately explains mixed devotion as follows:
Devotional service in the modes of ignorance, passion, and goodness can be divided into eighty-one categories. There are different devotional activities, such as hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping, offering prayers, rendering service, and surrendering everything, and each of them can be divided into three categories. There is hearing in the mode of passion, in the mode of ignorance, and in the mode of goodness. Similarly, there is chanting in the mode of ignorance, passion, and goodness, etc.... One has to transcend all such mixed materialistic devotional service in order to reach the standard of pure devotional service. [Bhäg. 3.29.10, purport]
 One kind of mixed devotional service is known as jïäna-miçra-bhakti, or devotional service mixed with empiric knowledge. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “People in general, who are under the influence of avidyä-çakti, or mäyä, have neither knowledge nor devotion. But when a person who is a little advanced and is therefore called a jïäné advances even more, he is in the category of a jïäna-miçra-bhakta, or a devotee whose love is mixed with empiric knowledge” (Bhäg. 4.9.16, purport).
 Närada’s definition of bhakti, being “exclusively dedicated to the Lord,” refers to pure devotional service in the liberated stage. This has also been noted by Çréla Prabhupäda in his commentary on the first sütra of the Närada-bhakti-sütra, wherein he says that pure devotional service begins after the brahma-bhüta, or liberated, stage.
 A pure devotee is akäma, free of material desire. He is conscious of his actual position and derives satisfaction only from serving the Supreme Lord. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “Çréla Jéva Gosvämé has explained this desirelessness as bhajanéya-parama-puruña-sukha-mätra-sva-sukhatvam in his Sandarbhas. This means that one should feel happy only by experiencing the happiness of the Supreme Lord” (Bhäg. 2.3.10, purport).
 In the present sütra Närada Muni states that a pure devotee is “indifferent toward what stands in the way of [the Lord’s] service.” If a devotee encounters some hindrance in his service to the Lord, he prays to the Lord to please remove it. A good example is Queen Kunté:
atha viçveça viçvätman viçva-mürte svakeñu me
sneha-päçam imaà chindhi dåòhaà päëòuñu våñëiñu
 tvayi me ’nanya-viñayä matir madhu-pate ’sakåt
 ratim udvahatäd addhä gaìgevaugham udanvati
“O Lord of the universe, soul of the universe, O personality of the form of the universe, please, therefore, sever my tie of affection for my kinsmen, the Päëòavas and the Våñëis. O Lord of Madhu, as the Ganges forever flows to the sea without hindrance, let my attraction be constantly drawn unto You without being diverted to anyone else” (Bhäg. 1.8.41–42).
 The supreme examples of devotees who let nothing stand in the way of their service to Kåñëa are the gopés of Våndävana. And among all the gopés, the best is Çrématé Rädhäräëé. Her determination to serve Kåñëa is beautifully described in this verse from Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé’s Vidagdha-mädhava (3.9):
hitvä düre pathi dhava-taror antikaà dharma-setor
bhaìgodagrä guru-çikhariëaà raàhasä laìghayanté
lebhe kåñëärnava-nava-rasä rädhikä-vähiné tväà
väg-vécébhiù kim iva vimukhé-bhävam asyäs tanoñi
“O Lord Kåñëa, You are just like an ocean. The river of Çrématé Rädhäräëé has reached You from a long distance—leaving far behind the tree of Her husband, breaking through the bridge of social convention, and forcibly crossing the hills of elder relatives.”
 Although pure devotion to Lord Kåñëa is exclusive, it is not a narrow-minded, sectarian devotion. Lord Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all emanations; therefore love for Kåñëa includes within it love for all living entities. Çréla Prabhupäda explained this by the homely example of a girl who marries and joins with her husband’s family. Just by the act of marrying one man, she automatically becomes intimately related with his family members, who now become her brothers-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and so on. Similarly, when we join with Kåñëa by rendering Him loving service, we enter into His family, which includes all living beings. Çréla Prabhupäda describes this in the preface to The Nectar of Devotion:
  The basic principle of the living condition is that we have a general propensity to love someone. No one can live without loving someone else.... The missing point, however, is where to repose our love so that everyone can become happy.... The Nectar of Devotion teaches us the science of loving every one of the living entities perfectly by the easy method of loving Kåñëa. We have failed to create peace and harmony in human society, even by such great attempts as the United Nations, because we do not know the right method.
 At the conclusion of the Bhagavad-gétä (18.66), Lord Kåñëa states,
sarva-dharmän parityajya mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja
ahaà tväà sarva-päpebhyo mokñayiñyämi mä çucaù
“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” If one hesitates to take up exclusive devotion to the Lord because of obstacles or fear of being lax in other obligations, Kåñëa assures us that there is nothing to fear. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “The particular words used here, mä çucaù, ‘Don’t fear, don’t hesitate, don’t worry,’ are very significant. One may be perplexed as to how one can give up all kinds of religious forms and simply surrender unto Kåñëa, but such worry is useless.”
TEXT 10
anyäçrayäëäà tyägo ’nanyatä
SYNONYMS
anya—other; äçrayäëäm—of shelters; tyägaù—the giving up; an-anyatä—exclusiveness.
TRANSLATION
Exclusive dedication to the Lord means giving up all shelters other than Him.
PURPORT
As mentioned above, in the Bhagavad-gétä (18.66) Lord Kåñëa advises Arjuna to give up all processes of self-realization and surrender unto Him only. Knowledge of the self, knowledge of the localized Supersoul, knowledge of executing the work prescribed for the four divisions of human society, knowledge of renunciation, knowledge of detachment, knowledge of controlling the senses and the mind, knowledge of meditation, and knowledge of how to acquire material power by mystic perfection—all these are different kinds of “shelters” leading to various degrees of spiritual perfection. But the Lord’s last instruction in the Bhagavad-gétä is that one should give up all these different shelters and simply take to His loving devotional service, and this surrender to the Lord will save one from all kinds of sinful reaction. In other words, direct attachment for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, and engagement in His transcendental service are the topmost perfections of spiritual life.
TEXT 11sütras marked with an asterisk are by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda.*
loka-vedeñu tad-anuküläcaraëaà tad-virodhiñüdäsénatä
SYNONYMS
loka—in society and politics; vedeñu—and in the Vedic rituals; tat—for that; anuküla—of what is favorable; äcaraëam—performance; tat—for that; virodhiñu—for what is opposed; udäsénatä—indifference.
TRANSLATION
Indifference toward what stands in the way of devotional service means to accept only those activities of social custom and Vedic injunction that are favorable to devotional service.
PURPORT
Material existence is a life of revolt against the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are many ways in which the living entities can manifest this spirit of revolt, such as engaging in fruitive activities, mental speculation, or mystic yoga to achieve material perfections. Generally, all conditioned souls desire to lord it over the material nature. Everyone wants to become a demilord, either by social or political activities or by Vedic rituals. Everyone wants to elevate himself to a higher status of existence or, out of frustration, become one with the Supreme. All these desires are different types of materialism; they are not favorable for devotional service.
 A pure devotee rejects demigod worship and worships only Lord Kåñëa or His Viñëu expansions. Until a person is completely free of material contamination, he might want to worship God in hope of fulfilling material desires. But even if a person has material desires, if he scrupulously worships the Supreme Lord he will very soon become purified of all such desires. On the other hand, persons whose activities are dictated by material desires and who are also addicted to worshiping the demigods cannot become pure devotees at any stage of their lives. The Lord, situated within everyone’s heart, fulfills the desires of the demigod-worshipers—but in the Bhagavad-gétä the Lord says that such demigod-worshipers are of small intelligence (alpa-medhasaù). In other words, as long as one is controlled by the modes of nature, one will be prone to worship the demigods for material purposes, but one who curbs this tendency and worships Kåñëa exclusively can rise above the modes and attain pure devotional service.
 One cannot be situated on the platform of pure devotional service, however, unless one is freed from all kinds of sinful reactions. To counteract various sinful reactions, there are prescribed duties in the ritualistic section of the Vedas, and those in the lower stage of life can become freed from all sinful reactions by strictly following the Vedic ritualistic processes. Then they can become situated in pure devotional service. Thus it should be understood that a person who is situated in pure devotional service must have in his past life already executed all the Vedic rituals with great determination. In other words, after reaching the stage of devotional service, a person does not have to execute any process of atonement mentioned in the ritualistic section of the Vedas. He is already sinless.
TEXT 12sütras marked with an asterisk are by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda.*
bhavatu niçcaya-däròhyäd ürdhvaà çästra-rakñaëam
SYNONYMS
bhavatu—let there be; niçcaya—of certainty; däròhyät—the firm fixing; ürdhvam—after; çästra—of scripture; rakñaëam—the observance.
TRANSLATION
One must continue to follow scriptural injunctions even after one is fixed up in determined certainty that devotional service is the only means for reaching the perfection of life.
PURPORT
When a person becomes firmly convinced about the importance of devotional service, he surrenders unto the Supreme Lord. There are six symptoms of surrender: (1) One should perform only those actions favorable for devotional service to Kåñëa. (2) One should give up everything unfavorable for discharging devotional service. (3) One should firmly believe that Kåñëa will protect one in all circumstances and that no one is a better protector than Kåñëa. This conviction should be distinct from the monistic philosophy that one is as good as Kåñëa. Rather, one should always think that Kåñëa, or God, is great and that one is always protected by Him. (4) One should have the conviction that Kåñëa is one’s maintainer, and one should not take shelter of any demigod for maintenance. (5) One should always remember that one’s activities and desires are not independent. In other words, the devotee should feel completely dependent on Kåñëa, and thus he should act and think as Kåñëa desires. (6) One should always think himself the poorest of the poor and feel totally dependent on the mercy of Kåñëa.
 A devotee who follows these six principles of surrender always thinks, “O Lord, I am Yours in every respect; I am Your eternal servant.” In this way a pure devotee becomes cleansed. There is a nice verse in this connection in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (11.29.34):
martyo yadä tyakta-samasta-karmä
niveditätmä vicikérñito me
tadämåtatvaà pratipadyamäno
mayätma-bhüyäya ca kalpate vai
“A person who gives up all fruitive activities and offers himself entirely unto Me, eagerly desiring to render service unto Me, achieves liberation from birth and death and is promoted to the status of sharing My own opulences.” To be elevated to such a point of devotional life, one has to execute the directions of the scriptures. But even after becoming elevated in devotional life, one should not think, “Oh, I am already elevated to the highest stage; therefore I may violate the scriptural regulations for executing devotional service.”
 Devotional service is dormant in every living being, for by nature every living being is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord and it is the healthy condition of the part to serve the whole. It is just like the situation of the parts of the body. The hand and the leg serve the body; similarly, as part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, every living entity is bound to serve the Supreme Lord in his healthy condition. When he is not thus engaged, he is in a diseased condition, but as soon as he engages all his senses in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, he is in his normal, healthy condition.
 The devotee should engage his senses in the Lord’s service according to the directions of the authoritative scriptures and under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. The beginning of one’s devotional training is to engage the ear in aural reception of the teachings of the Bhagavad-gétä and the Çrémad-Bhägavatam. There are many authoritative books of spiritual knowledge, but all of them are more or less supplements to the Bhagavad-gétä and Çrémad-Bhägavatam. Even the Närada-bhakti-sütra is a summary of the Bhagavad-gétä and the Çrémad-Bhägavatam. Therefore the beginning of devotional service is to hear these two important transcendental books of knowledge. Simply by aural reception of these two books from the bona fide spiritual master, one becomes enlightened about devotional service, which is dormant within the heart.
 Devotional service executed under the guidance of the spiritual master and according to scriptural injunctions is called vaidhi-bhakti, a part of sädhana-bhakti, or devotional service in practice. The other division of sädhana-bhakti is rägänuga-bhakti, spontaneous devotional service.
 One who wishes to advance to the platform of rägänuga-bhakti must follow the injunctions of the authoritative scriptures under the direction of the spiritual master. According to Sütra 12, even a person on a highly elevated platform of devotional service must execute the rules and regulations of the scripture, what to speak of persons who are not elevated. In other words, neophytes in devotional service must strictly and scrupulously follow the rules and regulations of the scriptures to rise to the platform of unalloyed devotional service.
 As mentioned above, a devotee who strictly practices regulative devotional service, or vaidhi-bhakti. The prime principle of vaidhi-bhakti is stated in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (2.1.5):
tasmäd bhärata sarvätmä bhagavän éçvaro hariù
çrotavyaù kértitavyaç ca smartavyaç cecchatäbhayam
“A person serious about making progress in devotional service must always think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, must always chant His glories, and must always hear about His activities.” These are the preliminary principles of following the scriptural rules and regulations.
 The Çrémad-Bhägavatam (11.5.2) states,
mukha-bähüru-pädebhyaù puruñasyäçramaiù saha
catväro jajïire varëä guëair viprädayaù påthak
Every person, whatever he may be, emanates from some part of the universal form of the Supreme Lord, the viräö-puruña. The brähmaëas (intelligentsia) emanate from the face, the kñatriyas (warriors and administrators) emanate from the arms, the vaiçyas (farmers and merchants) emanate from the thighs, and the çüdras (laborers) emanate from the feet. But wherever we may be situated, we have some particular function to execute in the service of the Supreme Whole, the Personality of Godhead. If we do not, therefore, engage our particular propensities in the service of the Lord, then we are fallen, just like a useless limb amputated from the body.
 According to the Padma Puräëa, the sum and substance of all the regulative principles of the scripture is that Lord Viñëu, or Kåñëa, should always be remembered and should never be forgotten. We should therefore mold our lives in such a way that in every activity we shall be able to remember the Supreme Lord. Any activity that reminds one of the Supreme Lord is a regulative principle in devotional service, and any activity that makes one forget the Supreme Lord is a forbidden activity for a devotee.
 In the Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya 22.115–28), Lord Caitanya lists sixty-four regulative principles one must follow to be elevated to the highest platform of devotional service. And, as stressed here in Sütra 12, even after being elevated to the highest platform of devotional service, one must continue following the scriptural injunctions for devotional life. The sixty-four regulative principles are as follows:
 (1) To accept a bona fide spiritual master. (2) To become initiated by the spiritual master. (3) To engage oneself in the service of the spiritual master. (4) To receive instructions from the spiritual master and inquire about advancing on the path of devotional service. (5) To follow in the footsteps of previous äcäryas and follow the directions given by the spiritual master. (6) To give up anything for the satisfaction of Kåñëa, and to accept anything for the satisfaction of Kåñëa. (7) To live in a place where Kåñëa is present—a city like Våndävana or Mathurä, or a Kåñëa temple. (8) To minimize one’s means of living as much as one can, while living comfortably to execute devotional service. (9) To observe fasting days, such as Ekädaçé. (10) To worship cows, brähmaëas, Vaiñëavas, and sacred trees like the banyan.
 These ten principles of devotional service are the beginning. Additional principles are as follows: (11) One should avoid committing offenses against the holy name, the Deity, etc. (12) One should avoid associating with nondevotees. (13) One should not aspire to have many disciples. (14) One should not unnecessarily divert his attention by partially studying many books so as to appear very learned. For devotional service, it is sufficient to scrutinizingly study books like the Bhagavad-gétä, the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, and the Caitanya-caritämåta. (15) One should not be disturbed in either loss or gain. (16) One should not allow oneself to be overwhelmed by lamentation for any reason. (17) One should not blaspheme the demigods, although one should not worship them. Similarly, one should not criticize other scriptures, although one should not follow the principles therein. (18) One should not tolerate blasphemy of the Supreme Lord or His devotees. (19) One should not indulge in idle talks, such as those about relationships between men and women. (20) One should not unnecessarily disturb any living being, whatever he may be.
 The above-mentioned twenty items are the doorway to devotional service. And among them, the first three—namely, acceptance of the spiritual master, initiation by the spiritual master, and service to the spiritual master—are the most important. Then come the following items: (21) To hear about the Lord. (22) To chant His glories. (23) To remember Him. (24) To serve and meditate upon the lotus feet of the Lord and His devotees. (25) To worship Him. (26) To pray to Him. (27) To think of oneself as the Lord’s eternal servant. (28) To become the Lord’s friend. (29) To offer everything to the Lord. (30) To dance before the Deity. (31) To sing before the Deity. (32) To inform the Lord of everything about one’s life. (33) To bow down to the Lord. (34) To offer respect to the spiritual master and the Supreme Lord by standing up at the appropriate time. (35) To follow the spiritual master or the Supreme Lord in procession. (36) To visit places of pilgrimage and temples of the Supreme Lord. (37) To circumambulate the temple. (38) To recite prayers. (39) To chant the Lord’s name softly to oneself. (40) To chant the Lord’s name loudly in congregation. (41) To smell incense and flowers offered to the Deity. (42) To eat the remnants of food offered to the Deity. (43) To regularly attend the ärati offered to the Deity, as well as special festivals. (44) To regularly look upon the Deity. (45) To offer one’s dearmost possessions to the Supreme Lord. (46) To meditate on the Lord’s name, form, pastimes, etc. (47) To water the tulasé plant. (48) To serve the Lord’s devotees. (49) To try to live in Våndävana or Mathurä. (50) To relish the topics of the Çrémad-Bhägavatam. (51) To take all kinds of risks for Kåñëa. (52) To always expect the mercy of Kåñëa. (53) To observe ceremonies like Janmäñöamé (the appearance day of Lord Kåñëa) and Räma-navamé (the appearance day of Lord Rämacandra) with devotees. (54) To fully surrender to Kåñëa. (55) To observe special regulations like those followed during the month of Kärtika (Oct.-Nov.). (56) To mark the body with Vaiñëava tilaka (clay markings). (57) To mark the body with the holy names of God. (58) To accept the remnants of garlands that have been offered to the Supreme Lord. (59) To drink caraëämåta, the water that has washed the lotus feet of the Deity.
 Among these fifty-nine items, five are considered so important that they are mentioned again separately, thus completing the sixty-four items of devotional service. These five are (60) associating with devotees, (61) chanting the holy name of the Lord, (62) hearing the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, (63) residing at a place of pilgrimage like Mathurä, and (64) worshiping the Deity with faith and veneration.
TEXT 13sütras marked with an asterisk are by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda.*
anyathä pätitya-çaìkayä
SYNONYMS
anyathä—otherwise; pätitya—of falling down; çaìkayä—because of anticipating the possibility.
TRANSLATION
Otherwise there is every possibility of falling down.
PURPORT
If a diseased person is being cured of the symptoms of his disease but does not care for the principles of healthy living, there is every possibility of a relapse. Similarly, the neophyte devotee serious about advancing in devotional service must carefully follow the principles of regulative devotional service; otherwise there is every possibility of his falling down. Strictly speaking, if a devotee ignores the regulative principles and acts according to his whims—if, for example, he does not eat kåñëa-prasädam but eats anywhere and everywhere, such as in restaurants—there is every possibility of his falling down. If he accumulates money without spending it for devotional service, there is every possibility of his falling down. If he applies his energy not in the service of the Lord but in some material activity, there is every possibility of his falling down. If the devotee does not engage himself always in hearing and chanting the topics of Kåñëa and His activities but instead indulges in idle talk, there is every chance of his falling down. If a neophyte devotee does not follow the orders of the spiritual master and simply officially sticks to the principles, or if he does not strictly follow the principles, there is every possibility of his falling down. To become greedy is another cause of falldown. And to associate with persons who are not in devotional service is the last word in mäyä’s allurements for causing a devotee to fall down.
 In the Bhagavad-gétä (18.5), Kåñëa clearly states that sacrifice, charity, and penance are never to be given up by a transcendentalist. If he is at all intelligent he must continue these three activities, even if he is highly elevated. A devotee is naturally very humble, and even if he is highly elevated he does not consider himself to be so. A practical example is found in the life of the author of the Caitanya-caritämåta, Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämé. He was a vastly learned scholar and a first-class devotee, yet he still referred to himself as the lowest of mankind, lower than the bacteria in the stool. He wrote that he was so sinful that no one should even utter his name, lest that person fall down! Of course, when a great devotee speaks this way, we should not believe that he is actually in the lower status of life; we should rather take it as evidence that out of humility a pure devotee never thinks he is elevated. He always thinks he is in the lowest status of spiritual life.
 As stated above, in the Bhagavad-gétä Kåñëa states that no one should give up the sacrificial portion of spiritual life. And the scriptures recommend that the best sacrifice in this Age of Kali is to chant Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare. Therefore, a devotee’s prime duty is to continue chanting this mahä-mantra, even if he is highly elevated. Otherwise, at any stage one can fall down.
TEXT 14sütras marked with an asterisk are by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda.*
loke ’pi tävad eva bhojanädi-vyäpäras tv ä-çaréra-dhäraëävadhi
SYNONYMS
loke—in social behavior; api—also; tävat—for that long; eva—indeed; bhojana—eating; ädi—and so on; vyäpäraù—the activity; tu—and; ä-çaréra-dhäraëä-avadhi—for as long as one still has this body.
TRANSLATION
For as long as the body lasts, one should engage minimally in social and political activities and in such matters as eating.
PURPORT
Spiritual life begins when a person understands that he is not the body. In the material world, all our connections—whether social or political or in the field of eating, sleeping, defending, and mating—are due only to the material body. Unless one is completely conversant with the fact that one is not the body, it is not possible to become self-realized.
 In the Bhagavad-gétä (18.54), Lord Kåñëa describes self-realization as follows:
brahma-bhütaù prasannätmä na çocati na käìkñati
samaù sarveñu bhüteñu mad-bhaktià labhate paräm
 “Self-realization [the brahma-bhüta stage] is symptomized by joyfulness. One never laments for any loss, nor is one very enthusiastic when there is some gain. One sees everyone on an equal level through spiritual understanding. These qualities are preliminary to entering into pure devotional service.”
 Pure devotional service is so powerful, however, that one may at once take to it without acquiring the previous qualification of brahma-bhüta life. A sincere devotee who engages in the service of the Lord automatically becomes situated in the brahma-bhüta stage. The devotee’s duty is only to strictly follow the principles of regulated devotional service, as previously mentioned. Therefore a devotee should not be too concerned about social and political obligations, since all such activities belong to the body. He should similarly restrict his eating; this is essential to the execution of devotional service. A devotee cannot eat anything and everything he likes; he must eat only foods that have been offered to the Lord. The Lord clearly says (Bhagavad-gétä 9.26) that He will accept a flower, a fruit, a leaf, or a little water if they are offered to Him with devotional love. (One should note that the Supreme Lord accepts only foods from the vegetable kingdom, as well as milk products. “Water” includes milk and its products.) The Lord is not hungry or poor, in need of our offering. Actually, it is to our advantage to offer Him something to eat. If the Supreme Lord kindly accepts our offering, then we are benefited. The Lord is full, but to establish the universal principle that everyone can offer something to the Lord, He accepts even the most meager offering—when it is presented with love. Even the poorest of the poor can collect a flower, a leaf, and a little water and offer them to the Supreme Lord.
 It is incumbent upon all devotees of Kåñëa to avoid eating anything that has not been offered to the Supreme Lord. A devotee who does not strictly follow this principle is sure to fall down. Similarly, one who refuses to accept prasädam, the remnants of food offered to Kåñëa, cannot become a devotee.
 In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (5.5.3) Lord Åñabhadeva states that one who is determined to become a pure devotee avoids associating with the general mass of people, who are simply engaged in the animal propensities of eating, sleeping, defending, and mating. The general mass of people mistake the body for the self, and therefore they are always busy trying to maintain the body very nicely. A devotee should not associate with such people. Nor should he be overly attached to his family members, knowing that he has been accidentally thrown together with his wife, children, and so on. Spiritually, no one is a wife, child, husband, or father of anyone else. Everyone comes into this world according to his past deeds and takes shelter of a father and a mother, but actually no one is anyone’s father or mother. While a devotee must know this, that does not mean he should neglect his family. As a matter of duty he should maintain his family members without attachment and instruct them in Kåñëa consciousness.
 So, whether in social life or political life, or in the matter of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, a devotee should avoid performing any action tainted by material attachment. The word used here is bhojanädi, which indicates the four propensities of eating, sleeping, defending, and mating. As the devotee does not eat anything that has not been offered to Kåñëa, so he does not sleep more than is absolutely necessary. In the lives of the great devotees Sanätana Gosvämé and Rüpa Gosvämé, we see that they did not sleep more than one and a half hours a day, and they were reluctant even to accept that. So sleeping is also restricted. Naturally one who is always engaged in devotional service of the Lord has very little time to sleep. Sleep is a necessity of the body, not the spirit soul, and therefore as one advances in devotional service one’s propensity to sleep decreases.
 Similarly, a devotee minimizes his defending propensity. A pure devotee knows he is under the shelter of the all-powerful Supreme Lord, and so he is not very anxious about defending himself. Although he should use his common sense in the matter of defending, he is sure that without being protected by Lord Kåñëa no one can defend himself, however expert he may be in the art of defense.
 In the same way, a devotee minimizes or eliminates sex. He does not indulge indiscriminately in sex, begetting offspring as the cats and dogs do. If he begets any children at all, he takes charge of them to elevate them to Kåñëa consciousness so that they may not have to suffer in material life again, in future lives. That is the duty of a devotee.
 In this material world, people in general engage in sense-gratificatory activities, which keep them bound up by the laws of the material modes of nature. Indeed, the more a person engages in such activities, the more he expands his life in material existence. A devotee acts differently: he knows he is not the body and that as long as he is in his body he will have to suffer the threefold material miseries. Therefore to decrease his material entanglement and help his advancement in spiritual life, he always minimizes his social and political activities and his eating, sleeping, defending, and mating.
Chapter 2
Defining Bhakti
TEXT 15sütras marked with an asterisk are by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda.*
tal-lakñaëäni väcyante nänä-mata-bhedät
SYNONYMS
tat—of it (devotional service); lakñaëäni—the characteristics; väcyante—are enunciated; nänä—various; mata—of theories; bhedät—according to the differences.
TRANSLATION
Now the characteristics of devotional service will be described according to various authoritative opinions.
PURPORT
In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (7.5.23), Prahläda Mahäräja very clearly states what the essential activities of devotional service are:
çravaëaà kértanaà viñëoù smaraëaà päda-sevanam
arcanaà vandanaà däsyaà sakhyam ätma-nivedanam
 “Devotional service consists of (1) hearing about the Lord, (2) chanting His glories, (3) remembering Him, (4) serving and meditating upon His lotus feet, (5) worshiping Him, (6) praying to Him, (7) thinking oneself His eternal servant, (8) becoming His friend, and (9) surrendering everything to Him.”
 One should surrender to the Lord as much as an animal purchased from the market surrenders to its master. Such an animal never thinks of his maintenance because he knows that his master will look after him. A soul totally surrendered to the Supreme Lord is similarly never anxious for his maintenance. Çréla Sanätana Gosvämé gives further symptoms of full surrender in his Hari-bhakti-viläsa (11.417):
änukülyasya saìkalpaù prätikülyasya varjanam
rakñiñyatéti viçväso goptåtve varaëaà tathä
ätma-nikñepa-kärpaëye ñaò-vidhä çaraëägatiù
 “The six divisions of surrender are: accepting those things favorable to devotional service, rejecting unfavorable things, the conviction that Kåñëa will give protection, accepting the Lord as one’s guardian or master, full self-surrender, and humility.” Närada will gradually explain these principles of devotion in the remaining sütras.
TEXT 16
püjädiñv anuräga iti päräçaryaù
SYNONYMS
püjä-ädiñu—for worship and so on; anurägaù—fondness; iti—so thinks; päräçaryaù—Vyäsadeva, the son of Paräçara.
TRANSLATION
Çréla Vyäsadeva, the son of Paräçara Muni, says that bhakti is fond attachment for worshiping the Lord in various ways.
PURPORT
In the previous sütra, Närada Muni promised that he would tell us some of the symptoms of devotional service according to various authoritative opinions. The Çrémad-Bhägavatam (6.3.20) mentions twelve mahä-janas, or Kåñëa conscious authorities, and among them, one mahä-jana may emphasize a different aspect of bhakti than another. The Supreme Lord possesses an unlimited variety of qualities and pastimes, and it is natural that devotees favor particular modes of service. All devotees, however, agree on the siddhänta, or accepted conclusion. Bhakti is not open to continual speculation, such as the kind Western philosophers indulge in.
 The first opinion Närada offers is that of Çréla Vyäsadeva, one of Närada’s many exalted disciples. Besides being a faithful disciple of Närada’s, Vyäsadeva is the compiler of the Vedas, and so his opinions are not contrary to Närada’s.
 The words Vyäsa uses to describe bhakti are püjä and anuräga. These refer to worship of the Lord performed with sincere love and great attachment. Nondevotees may perform püjä, but they think of it as an external ritual. The Mäyävädé, for example, has an offensive concept of worship. He sees it as “a great aid in fixing one’s mind on the Supreme.” But what the Mäyävädé really has in mind is that his püjä will lead him to see God and Brahman and the Ätman, or self, as one. In other words, he thinks that by worshiping God he will become God. The Mäyävädés plainly advocate that while a person worships the Deity his first and foremost meditation should be on his unity with Brahman. This is a faithless and duplicitous form of “worship.” The Mäyävädé may even offer a fruit or flower to the Deity, but his motivation is not to develop love for God but to attain absolute oneness with the Supreme, which he thinks he can do by imitating the activities of a devotee. Kåñëa declares in the Bhagavad-gétä (4.11), ye yathä mäà prapadyante täàs tathaiva bhajämy aham: “As they approach Me, I reward them.” And so those who desire to merge into the effulgence of the Supreme Person are awarded that impersonal status.
 Some say that mental worship of the Lord is superior to external worship. But Çréla Prabhupäda did not make such distinctions. In The Nectar of Devotion we read of a brähmaëa in South India who worshiped the Deity within his mind. The brähmaëa was poor and could not afford paraphernalia for püjä, but in his mental worship he imagined that he was fetching golden and silver pots, filling them with water, and performing very opulent Deity worship. An intimate devotee of Lord Caitanya’s, Nåsiàhänanda Brahmacäré, also performed mental worship. Once he mentally decorated a road with flowers and gems in anticipation that Lord Caitanya would walk there. So mental worship of the Lord is certainly bona fide. But while devotees may perform mental worship according to time and circumstances, when the opportunity arises they do not avoid offering flaming lamps, incense, and
 so on, as prescribed for temple worship. Moreover, whether mentally or externally, they always worship the spiritual for m of the Personality of Godhead.
 A sincere devotee’s püjä is never merely mechanical but is offered with anuräga, strong feelings of attachment for the Lord. True worship is performed with the mind, the senses, and all the bodily limbs. Therefore the meaning of worship is not limited; it includes the engagement of all one’s sensory and mental functions in service to the Supreme. As Lord Kåñëa says,
ahaà sarvasya prabhavo mattaù sarvaà pravartate
iti matvä bhajante mäà budhä bhäva-samanvitäù
 “I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts” (Bg. 10.8). Lord Kåñëa also describes the mahätmäs as “great souls [who] perpetually worship Me with devotion” (Bg. 9.14).
 Worship may include many activities, but the word püjä particularly refers to the worship of the arcä-vigraha, the form of the Deity in the temple. Although Lord Caitanya was Çré Kåñëa Himself, He worshiped Lord Jagannätha at the temple in Puré. Lord Caitanya went to see the Deity every day and experienced great transcendental bliss. When Lord Jagannätha was absent from the temple during His renovation before Ratha-yäträ, Lord Caitanya acutely felt the pain of His absence and went into solitude at Älälanätha.
 Thus Deity worship is not just for beginners, nor is it merely an aid to impersonal meditation. It is a necessary part of devotional service. Although in this age the chanting of the holy names is the foremost method of devotional service, the bhakta should also worship the arcä-vigraha to counteract his tendencies for contamination, which are so strong in the Kali-yuga. This is the opinion of Çréla Jéva Gosvämé.
 We know from reading Vyäsadeva’s Çrémad-Bhägavatam that his understanding of what constitutes worship of the Lord is not confined to temple worship of the arcä-vigraha. In the Seventh Canto of the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, Prahläda Mahäräja mentions nine processes of devotional service. Çréla Vyäsadeva—and Çréla Prabhupäda—often stressed the first two items, hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord, as the most important, especially in the present age. But by faithfully executing any of the nine processes of bhakti, one can achieve fond attachment to worshiping the Lord.
TEXT 17
kathädiñv iti gargaù
SYNONYMS
kathä-ädiñu—for narrations and so on; iti—so; garga—Garga Muni.
TRANSLATION
Garga Muni says that bhakti is fondness for narrations about the Lord, by the Lord, and so on.
PURPORT
As Garga Muni taught the importance of attachment for hearing kåñëa-kathä, so Çréla Prabhupäda also stressed kåñëa-kathä. One type of kåñëa-kathä consists of words directly spoken from the mouth of the Lord, such as the Bhagavad-gétä. Lord Caitanya advocated that we repeat the words spoken by Kåñëa (kåñëa-upadeça) to whomever we meet. Another kind of kåñëa-kathä consists of words spoken about Kåñëa, such as those spoken by Çukadeva Gosvämé to Mahäräja Parékñit in Çrémad-Bhägavatam. Çukadeva speaks throughout all twelve cantos about the wonderful pastimes of the Lord in His various incarnations. In the Tenth Canto he describes the original form of the Personality of Godhead, Lord Kåñëa in Våndävana, Mathurä, and Dvärakä. All of this is kåñëa-kathä.
  It is a characteristic of pure devotees that they speak only on transcendental subjects. A devotee practices mauna, or silence, by refraining from all mundane talk, but he is always pleased to speak kåñëa-kathä. As Kåñëa states in the Bhagavad-gétä (10.9),
mac-cittä mad-gata-präëä bodhayantaù parasparam
kathayantaç ca mäà nityaà tuñyanti ca ramanti ca
 “The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me.” Before beginning his Tenth Canto descriptions of Lord Kåñëa, Çukadeva tells Mahäräja Parékñit,
nivåtta-tarñair upagéyamänäd
bhavauñadhäc chrotra-mano-’bhirämät
ka uttamaçloka-guëänuvädät
pumän virajyeta vinä paçu-ghnät
  “Descriptions of the Lord spoken by those who are free of material desires are the right medicine for the conditioned soul undergoing repeated birth and death, and they delight the ear and the mind. Therefore who will cease hearing such glorification of the Lord except a butcher or one who is killing his own self?” (Bhäg. 10.1.4).
 Närada Muni attributed his own Kåñëa consciousness to the pure devotees (bhakti-vedäntas) whom he had served and heard speaking kåñëa-kathä when he was only a five-year-old boy: “O Vyäsadeva, in that association and by the mercy of those great Vedäntists, I could hear them describe the attractive activities of Lord Kåñëa. And thus listening attentively, my taste for hearing of the Personality of Godhead increased at every step” (Bhäg. 1.5.26). And so the opinion of Garga Muni—that bhakti consists of attraction for kåñëa-kathä—is approved and practiced by the mahä-janas.
TEXT 18
ätma-raty-avirodheneti çäëòilyaù
SYNONYMS
ätma—in relation with the Supreme Soul; rati—of pleasure; avirodhena—by freedom from obstruction; iti—so; çäëòilyaù—Çäëòilya.
TRANSLATION
Çäëòilya says that bhakti results from one’s removing all obstructions to taking pleasure in the Supreme Self.
PURPORT
Çäëòilya speaks of ätma-rati, “taking delight in the self.” But what does “taking delight in the self” mean? According to the science of bhakti, that which delights the individual self (jévätmä) is devotional service unto the Supreme Self, the Personality of Godhead. Çréla Prabhupäda comments in The Nectar of Devotion (p. 288), “The devotees and self-realized persons who are engaged in preaching the glories of the Lord always maintain an ecstatic love for the Lord within their hearts. Thus they are benefited by the rays of the ecstatic moon, and they are called saintly persons.” The state of brahma-bhüta, or the joy of discovering one’s eternal nature, is only the beginning of spiritual life. Mukti, or liberation, when conceived of as impersonal liberation from birth and death, is also not the ultimate goal. As stated in the Ädi Puräëa, “A person who is constantly engaged in chanting the holy name and who feels transcendental pleasure, being engaged in devotional service, is certainly awarded the facilities of devotional service, and never given just mukti” (The Nectar of Devotion, p. 104). There are many other statements in the Vedic scriptures that prove devotional service surpasses all other forms of liberation. In the Dämodaräñöaka, part of the Padma Puräëa, a devotee prays,
varaà deva mokñaà na mokñävadhià vä
na cänyaà våëe ’haà vareçäd apéha
idaà te vapur nätha gopäla-bälaà
sadä me manasy ävirästäà kim anyaiù
 “O Lord Dämodara, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray to You for the boon of impersonal liberation, nor for the highest liberation of eternal life in Vaikuëöha, nor for any other, similar boon. O Lord, I simply wish that this form of Yours as baby Gopäla in Våndävana may ever be manifest in my heart, for what is the use to me of any other boon besides this?” (Dämodaräñöaka 4).
 A transcendentalist may seek ätma-rati in impersonal realization before he hears the glories of devotional service from pure devotees. For example, the four Kumäras and Çukadeva Gosvämé were all Brahman-realized—but they were never offensive to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As soon as the Kumäras and Çukadeva were introduced to pure Kåñëa consciousness, they at once gave up their impersonal conceptions and became eager to render devotional service to the Lord. But stubborn Mäyävädés who deride devotional service are in a different category. Lord Caitanya declared that the Mäyävädés are great offenders to the Lord and that one should avoid their association.
 A typical example of Mäyävädé poison is their interpretation of the word ätma-rati in this sütra. The Mäyävädé claims that the worship (püjä) and talking of the Lord (kåñëa-kathä) mentioned in the two previous sütras are meant to lead one beyond the Personality of Godhead to the ätmä. This is the impersonalist’s timeserving attitude toward bhakti. He will worship the Lord and hear His lélä, but with the aim of finally denying the Personality of Godhead. He mistakenly thinks his meditation will lead him to realize that he is the all-pervading Brahman: “I am everything.”
 But if, as the Mäyävädés claim, the ultimate bliss is to know that “I am God,” then why has that bliss been missing up until now? If my identity is actually one in all respects with the all-pervading Godhead, then how did that identity become covered? What force has overcome the supreme ätmä? The fact is that the individual ätmäs, being tiny, are prone to be covered by mäyä, while the supreme ätmä, the Personality of Godhead, is never covered by mäyä or separated from His sac-cid-änanda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], His spiritual form of eternity, bliss, and knowledge. So while the individual soul can never become God—because he never was God—he can strive for his constitutional perfection as the eternal loving servant of God.
 The Mäyävädés are consistently defeated by the direct statements of Vedic scriptures. In the beginning of the Bhagavad-gétä (2.12), Lord Kåñëa makes it clear that both He and the individual ätmäs eternally exist as distinct entities. On the Battlefield of Kurukñetra, where two huge armies had massed for war, Kåñëa said to Arjuna,
na tv evähaà jätu näsaà na tvaà neme janädhipäù
na caiva na bhaviñyämaù sarve vayam ataù param
 “Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings, nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” Kåñëa reiterates this idea later in the Bhagavad-gétä (15.7): mamaiväàço jéva-loke jéva-bhütaù sanätanaù. “The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts.” Also, the Åg Veda and the Upaniñads state that the individual ätmä and the Paramätmä both reside in the heart of the living being, just as two birds sit in a tree. By the mercy of the Paramätmä, or “God in the heart,” the individual ätmä may come to realize his eternal, blissful state of loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Attempts at concocting a bhakti devoid of eternal service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead are the works of demoniac minds. For genuine bhakti to exist, there must always be three factors: Bhagavän (the Supreme Lord), the bhakta (the eternal, subordinate servitor), and bhakti (loving exchanges between Bhagavän and the bhakta).
 The Mäyävädés ignore or distort the direct statements of the scriptures, as well as the words of the mahä-janas. We need not discuss their interpretations here, except to note that the Mäyävädés are often attracted to the bhakti-çästras because they find their own meditations too dry. Thus they approach books like the Bhagavad-gétä, the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, and the Närada-bhakti-sütra, but with an intention opposed to the aims of bhakti. By preaching that the forms of Lord Viñëu and His incarnations are material, the Mäyävädé commits a severe offense against the Lord. As Lord Kåñëa says in the Bhagavad-gétä (9.11–12),
avajänanti mäà müòhä mänuñéà tanum äçritam
paraà bhävam ajänanto mama bhüta-maheçvaram
 moghäçä mogha-karmäëo mogha-jïänä vicetasaù
 räkñaséà äsuréà caiva prakåtià mohinéà çritäù
 “Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be. Those who are thus bewildered are attracted by demoniac and atheistic views. In that deluded condition, their hopes for liberation, their fruitive activities, and their culture of knowledge are all defeated.”
 We can experience true ätma-rati only in the context of our eternal loving relationship with Kåñëa, the reservoir of all pleasure. Even when we seek happiness with our material senses, we are indirectly seeking ätma-rati. We derive pleasure with the eyes or tongue or ears only because the ätmä is present within the living body. Therefore bodily pleasure depends on the existence of the ätmä. Furthermore, the ätmä’s pleasure is dependent on the Paramätmä. And the Paramätmä is an expansion of Çré Kåñëa, the original form of the Personality of Godhead. So in all circumstances we are looking for our blissful relationship with Kåñëa. Self-satisfaction actually means the satisfaction of serving and loving Kåñëa, the Supreme Self.
TEXT 19
näradas tu tad-arpitäkhiläcäratä tad-vismaraëe parama-vyäkulateti
SYNONYMS
näradaù—Närada; tu—but; tat—to Him; arpita—offered; akhila—all; äcäratä—having one’s activities; tat—Him; vismaraëe—in forgetting; parama—supreme; vyäkulatä—distress; iti—so.
TRANSLATION
Närada, however, says that bhakti consists of offering one’s every act to the Supreme Lord and feeling extreme distress in forgetting Him.
PURPORT
Närada previously gave three definitions of bhakti, according to three sages: (1) fondness for worshiping the Lord in various ways, (2) fondness for hearing narrations by or about the Lord, and (3) removing all obstacles to enjoying pleasure in the Self. Now Närada gives his own opinion, which does not contradict these views but is their culmination.
 Among all forms of the Supreme Lord, Çré Kåñëa is the original and most attractive. Similarly, among all Vaiñëavas, the pure devotees of Kåñëa in Våndävana are the best. Lord Caitanya declared that there is no better method of worshiping Kåñëa than that practiced by the gopés of Våndävana. Here Närada says that a pure devotee feels great distress upon forgetting the Lord even for a moment—but in the case of the gopés there was never any question of forgetting Kåñëa. They were so absorbed in thinking of Him that they could not even perform their household duties. In their intense loving dealings, the gopés sometimes accused Kåñëa of unfaithfulness, and they expressed a wish that they could forget Him. But they could not. As stated by Çrématé Rädhäräëé, the chief of all the gopés:
 We know all about Kåñëa and how ungrateful He is. But here is the difficulty: In spite of His being so cruel and hardhearted, it is very difficult for us to give up talking about Him. Not only are we unable to give up this talk, but great sages and saintly persons also engage in talking about Him. We gopés of Våndävana do not want to make any more friendships with this blackish boy, but we do not know how we shall be able to give up remembering and talking about His activities. [Kåñëa, p. 377]
  Out of intense humility Lord Caitanya once said that He did not have even a drop of love for Kåñëa. he claimed that if He actually loved Kåñëa, then how could He live in His absence? Far from proving a lack of love, of course, this kind of sentiment proves just the opposite—that Lord Caitanya was filled with the most exalted pure love for Kåñëa. Although it was not possible for Lord Caitanya or the gopés to forget Kåñëa at any time, they still experienced the pain of separation from Him. In His Çikñäñöaka (7), Lord Caitanya prays,
yugäyitaà nimeñeëa cakñuñä prävåñäyitam
çünyäyitaà jagat sarvaà govinda-viraheëa me
 “O Govinda! Because of separation from You, I consider even a moment a great millennium. Tears flow from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I see the entire world as void.”
 Here Närada says that an essential ingredient of bhakti is dedicating one’s every act to the service of the Lord. Unlike what passes for commitment to a cause in the material world, such dedication to Kåñëa is all-encompassing. Because Lord Kåñëa is the summum bonum of existence, the pure devotee can be with Him in every circumstance. And because the Lord is all-attractive, the devotee becomes increasingly attached to his beloved. As Kåñëa declares in the Bhagavad-gétä (6.30),
yo mäà paçyati sarvatra sarvaà ca mayi paçyati
tasyähaà na praëaçyämi sa ca me na praëaçyati
 “For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.” To the materialists, with their splayed interests in sense gratification, the devotee’s love may appear to be obsessive madness. But love for Kåñëa actually brings one in touch with the truth, that Kåñëa is everything.
  One may ask whether the devotees’ intense anguish experienced in separation from Kåñëa contradicts Sütra 18, wherein Çäëòilya defined bhakti as the bliss of self-realization. There is no contradiction, because the pain of separation felt by Lord Caitanya and other pure devotees is a variety of transcendental bliss. In the realm of spiritual emotions experienced by those at the stage of prema, love of God, both sadness and happiness are absolute and blissful. Speculative philosophers and less advanced devotees cannot know this, but we may hear about it from the scriptures and see it in the lives of self-realized saints.
 A devotee’s self-surrender means that he wants nothing in return for his loving service. He only wants Kåñëa to be pleased. Selflessness does not mean a complete loss of ego. Total self-annihilation is impossible (despite the wishes of the voidists), but ahaìkära, or false ego, is dissolved by devotional service and replaced by true ego, the understanding that “I am an eternal servant of the Lord.” The true self-interest of the living being lies in freedom from selfishness and, as Närada says here, “the offering of one’s every act to the Supreme Lord.” We are all eternally part and parcel of the Supreme Being, Kåñëa; as such, we can experience full satisfaction only through giving Him pleasure. Kåñëe tuñöe jagat tuñöam: “When Kåñëa is satisfied, everyone is satisfied.”
 The beginner in devotional service can practice selflessness by surrendering to the bona fide spiritual master. The devotee is advised to give all he has to the service of his guru and to always consider his guru his well-wisher. Devotees who practice such selfless service of the guru and the Supreme Lord never want anything in return, yet they eventually receive the greatest reward—the Lord’s intimate association. As Kåñëa says,
man-manä bhava mad-bhakto mad-yäjé mäà namas-kuru
mäm evaiñyasi satyaà te pratijäne priyo ’si me
 “Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me, and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend” (Bg. 18.65).
TEXT 20
asty evam evam
SYNONYMS
asti—it is; evam evam—like each of these.
TRANSLATION
Bhakti is, in fact, correctly described in each of these ways.
PURPORT
The definitions of bhakti given above—by Çréla Vyäsadeva, Garga Muni, Çäëòilya, and Närada Muni—are not in conflict. While Närada has given us his own definition, here he says that the others are also valid. Bhakti is in fact a universal principle present at least partially in all theistic religions. Indeed, within many religions one could find a definition of love of God that would not contradict the conclusions of Närada Muni and the principles of Kåñëa consciousness taught by the followers of Lord Caitanya.
 Närada has defined the highest form of bhakti. But is such a perfect state possible? The answer is yes. Unless devotees from time to time manifest pure bhakti, aspirants on the spiritual path would have nothing to emulate and strive for, and they might conclude that parama-bhakti is only an imaginary ideal. As Lord Caitanya says, dharma-sthäpana-hetu sädhura vyavahära: “A devotee’s behavior establishes the true purpose of religious principles” (Cc. Madhya 17.185).
 Once Sanätana Gosvämé pretended to be devoted to a sannyäsé named Mukunda Sarasvaté, rather than to Lord Caitanya. When Lord Caitanya’s intimate servant Jagadänanda Paëòita saw Sanätana’s behavior, he became very angry and threatened to beat Sanätana. Sanätana then revealed his purpose: “My dear Jagadänanda Paëòita, you are a greatly learned saint. No one is dearer to Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu than you. This faith in Lord Caitanya befits you quite well. Unless you demonstrate it, how could I learn such faith?” (Cc. Antya 13.59).
 We have seen the example of complete self-surrender and dedication of one’s activities to Kåñëa in the life of His Divine Grace
 A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda. Çréla Prabhupäda’s sanctity was not a private affair: he gave of himself profusely and was empowered to bring thousands of people to Kåñëa consciousness. Thus he perfectly fulfilled the criterion given by Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura—that one can tell the quality of a Vaiñëava by how many persons he convinces to become Vaiñëavas. By his personal preaching, by his books, and by the Kåñëa consciousness movement he created and nurtured, Çréla Prabhupäda showed the example of a life dedicated purely to pleasing Kåñëa. The potency of his acts continues as an ongoing legacy, accessible to anyone interested in taking up the path of bhakti-yoga. We are assured, therefore, of finding examples of perfect bhakti in the past, at present, and in the future.
 Here Närada states that each authority he has quoted has described bhakti in his own authentic way. But in the next sütra Närada will say that the gopés of Vraja are exemplars of bhakti. Of the brief definitions of bhakti given in Sütras 16 through 19, we find that Närada’s own definition best fits the gopés: “Bhakti consists of offering one’s every act to the Supreme Lord and feeling extreme distress in forgetting Him.”
TEXT 21
yathä vraja-gopikänäm
SYNONYMS
yathä—as; vraja—of Vraja; gopikänäm—of the cowherd women.
TRANSLATION
The cowherd women of Vraja are an example of pure bhakti.
PURPORT
In Sütra 19, Närada gave the ultimate definition of bhakti. This has led him inevitably to mention the topmost of all devotees, the gopés of Vraja. Närada might have mentioned other renowned bhaktas, such as Uddhava, Arjuna, Prahläda Mahäräja, or mother Yaçodä, but he has chosen to give the singular example of the gopés. Närada’s opinion is shared by all realized Vaiñëavas, because the gopés are renowned as the best lovers of Lord Kåñëa. The gopés are most exalted because they gave everything, and sacrificed everything, for their beloved. As Çréla Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja writes in the Caitanya-caritämåta (Ädi 4.167–69),
Social customs, scriptural injunctions, bodily demands, fruitive action, shyness, patience, bodily pleasures, self-gratification on the path of varëäçrama-dharma, which is difficult to give up—the gopés have forsaken all these, along with their families, and suffered their relatives’ punishment and scolding, all for the sake of serving Lord Kåñëa. They render loving service to Him for the sake of His enjoyment.
 The gopés’ rasa with Kåñëa is mädhurya, or conjugal love. But even bhaktas who worship the Lord in other rasas acknowledge the supermost place of the gopés in the kingdom of bhakti. Närada Muni, for example, usually associates with Lord Kåñëa in His opulent features in Vaikuëöha or Dvärakä. In his exchanges with Lord Kåñëa, Närada often praises the Lord’s inconceivable opulence. For example, once when Närada visited Kåñëa in many of His sixteen thousand palaces, he was astonished to see how the Lord had expanded Himself so He could be alone with each of His queens. “Your transcendental position is always inconceivable to everyone,” said Närada. “As far as I am concerned, I can simply offer my respectful obeisances to You again and again” (Kåñëa, p. 603). Since Närada is one of the Lord’s learned and intimate devotees, he is aware that the gopés exemplify the topmost expression of love for Kåñëa. Similarly, devotees such as Çukadeva Gosvämé, Bhéñmadeva, and Vyäsadeva appreciate the gopés’ exalted position.
  Even the impersonalists are attracted to Kåñëa’s loving affairs with the gopés, although they cannot understand them. Attempting to praise the gopés of Våndävana, one impersonalist “Swami” said, “Gopé-lélä is the acme of the religion of love, in which individuality vanishes and there is communion.” But it’s not a fact that “individuality vanishes,” either for the gopés or for any other living entity. As we have pointed out above, Lord Kåñëa clearly and repeatedly states that both His individuality and the living entities’ are eternal. The gopés did, however, completely lose their selfish interest—their interest became entirely one with Lord Kåñëa’s. To consider the gopés’ räsa dance with Kåñëa merely a stage leading to merging into the impersonal Brahman is a great insult to the gopés and to gopé-lélä, even though one’s intent is to praise. When they appeared before Kåñëa in the moonlit forest of Våndävana, the gopés certainly did not want Him to instruct them about “merging” with Him through jïäna-yoga, nor did they see the räsa dance in that way. Speaking in the mood of Çrématé Rädhäräëé as She met with Kåñëa at Kurukñetra, Lord Caitanya once complained to Him about His attempt to teach yoga and meditation to the gopés:
 My dear Kåñëa, formerly, when You were staying at Mathurä, You sent Uddhava to teach Me speculative knowledge and mystic yoga. Now You Yourself are speaking the same thing, but My mind does not accept it. There is no place in My mind for jïäna-yoga or dhyäna-yoga. Although You know Me very well, You are still instructing Me in dhyäna-yoga and jïäna-yoga. It is not right for You to do so. I would like to withdraw My consciousness from You and engage it in material activities, but even though I try, I cannot do so. I am naturally inclined to You only. Therefore Your instructions for Me to meditate on You are simply ludicrous..... It is not very good for You to think of Me as a candidate for Your instructions. [Cc. Madhya 13.139–40]
TEXT 22
taträpi na mähätmya-jïäna-vismåty-apavädaù
SYNONYMS
tatra—in that case; api—even; na—there is not; mähätmya—of greatness; jïäna—of awareness; vismåti—of forgetting; apavädaù—criticism.
TRANSLATION
Even in the case of the gopés, one cannot criticize them for forgetting the Lord’s greatness.
PURPORT
Närada is replying to a possible criticism: Although all Vaiñëavas praise the gopés, and though even the impersonalists join in the chorus, some philosophers think the gopés’ love is uninformed. Because the gopés were attracted to Kåñëa as a beautiful young boy, and because they ran from their homes in the dead of night to dance with Him in the moonlit Våndävana forest, foolish critics think the gopés did not know that Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
 The accusation against the gopés is false, says Närada. The gopés knew that Çré Kåñëa is the Supreme Person, but in their intimate rasa with Him they put aside the awe and reverence usually offered to the Supreme Lord. The Lord’s internal potency, Yogamäyä, allows loving intimacy to overshadow God’s majesty. But this does not mean that pure devotees like the gopés lack spiritual advancement. Except for the gopés Kåñëa brought with Him from the spiritual world, all the gopés came to their position of mädhurya-rasa only after many lifetimes of austerity and spiritual cultivation. Regarding the cowherd boys (gopas) who play with Kåñëa, the Çrémad-Bhägavatam states that they attained their position “only after accumulating heaps of pious activities” in many lives. So although it may sometimes appear that the liberated devotees have forgotten that Lord Kåñëa is God, this is actually an arrangement by Yogamäyä for increasing the pleasure of the Lord and His devotees.
 For example, as Vasudeva carried his baby son Kåñëa across the Yamunä River, the baby fell into the river. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “Just to test the intense love of Vasudeva, Lord Kåñëa fell down into the waters of the Yamunä while His father was crossing the river. Vasudeva became mad after his child as he tried to recover Him in the midst of the rising river” (Bhäg. 3.2.17, purport). Lord Kåñëa did not want Vasudeva to think, “Oh, Kåñëa will save Himself; He’s God,” but He wanted to evoke the paternal rasa in full intensity. In a similar way, mother Yaçodä sometimes expressed her maternal love for baby Kåñëa by punishing Him. And when His mother came to punish Him, Kåñëa reciprocated by running away in fear. Çréla Prabhupäda describes this apparent contradiction as follows:
The Lord’s pure devotee renders service unto the Lord out of unalloyed love only, and while discharging such devotional service the pure devotee forgets the position of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord also accepts the loving service of His devotees more relishably when the service is rendered spontaneously out of pure affection, without any reverential admiration.... If mother Yaçodä had been conscious of the exalted position of the Lord, she would certainly have hesitated to punish the Lord. But she was made to forget this situation because the Lord wanted to make a complete gesture of childishness before the affectionate Yaçodä.... Mother Yaçodä is praised for her unique position of love, for she could control even the all-powerful Lord as her beloved child. [Bhäg. 1.8.31, purport]
 Another prominent example is Arjuna, Kåñëa’s friend, who accepted the infallible Lord as his chariot driver.
 As for the gopés of Vraja, they often manifested deep knowledge of Kåñëa’s divinity. But they never diminished their conjugal mood in order to become scholars or meditators. Kåñëa wanted to dance with the most beautiful girls in the universe, and so the gopés, His completely surrendered servants, happily complied. When Kåñëa called the gopés to Him in the dead of night, He first began to lecture them on morality. The gopés complained to Him about this attitude, and yet their statements indicate that they knew very well who He was. The gopés said to Kåñëa,
Within these three worlds there is no distinction between men and women in relation to You because both men and women belong to the marginal potency, or prakåti. No one is actually the enjoyer, or male; everyone is meant to be enjoyed by You. There is no woman within these three worlds who cannot but deviate from her path of chastity when she is attracted to You because Your beauty is so sublime that not only men and women, but cows, birds, beasts, and even trees, fruits, and flowers—everyone and everything—become enchanted, and what to speak of ourselves? [Kåñëa, p. 252]
 After Lord Kåñëa left Våndävana, He sent Uddhava to deliver a message to the gopés. When Uddhava saw the gopés’ undying devotion for Çré Kåñëa, he praised their transcendental perfection:
My dear gopés, the mentality you have developed in relationship to Kåñëa is very, very difficult to attain, even for great sages and saintly persons. You have attained the highest perfectional stage of life. It is a great boon for you that you have fixed your minds upon Kåñëa and have decided to have Kåñëa only, giving up your family, homes, relatives, husbands, and children for the sake of the Supreme Personality. Because your minds are now fully absorbed in Kåñëa, the Supreme Soul, universal love has automatically developed in you. I think myself very fortunate that I have been favored, by your grace, to see you in this situation. [Kåñëa, p. 380]
 The gopés were always impatient when either Uddhava or Kåñëa spoke philosophy to them, because all they wanted was to be alone with Kåñëa in the Våndävana mood. So when Uddhava praised them, they did not find it very pleasing. Sometimes they even denounced Kåñëa’s behavior, and yet they remained aware of His supreme and independent position. As one gopé said, “Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the husband of the goddess of fortune, and He is self-sufficient. He has no business either with us—the girls of Våndävana forest—or with the city girls in Mathurä. He is the great Supersoul; He has nothing to do with any of us, either here or there” (Kåñëa, p. 386).
 It is offensive to judge the gopés according to ordinary standards of human behavior. The intimacy Kåñëa allowed them is inconceivable, and no one can understand it except those who are completely free of material desires. The gopés’ love is certainly beyond awe and reverence, and yet it is never mundane.
 The impersonalist sometimes tries to jump on the bandwagon of praise for the gopés. He says that the gopés cannot be understood by people infected with worldly lust, but then he himself commits an even worse offense: he thinks Kåñëa’s affairs with the gopés are “allegories that contain profound spiritual truths.” Behind the Mäyävädé’s admiration of gopé-bhäva is the desire to commit spiritual annihilation, to become one with God. In other words, the impersonalist thinks that at the last stage of perfection, a gopé will realize that her beloved Kåñëa is her very self. We have already pointed out the foolishness of these claims, but we do so again just to expose the impersonalist’s so-called praise of kåñëa-lélä.
 By contrast, Närada Muni’s praise of the gopés’ devotion to Lord Kåñëa is upheld by all çästras and sages.
TEXT 23
tad-vihénaà järäëäm iva
SYNONYMS
tat—of it (awareness of the Lord’s greatness); vihénam—devoid; järäëäm—of illicit lovers; iva—like.
TRANSLATION
On the other hand, displays of devotion without knowledge of God’s greatness are no better than the affairs of illicit lovers.
PURPORT
The gopés’ loving exchanges with Kåñëa have nothing to do with mundane passion, but because they resemble lusty activities in the material world, those with impure minds mistake them for such. Çréla Prabhupäda was therefore always very cautious in presenting Lord Kåñëa’s räsa-lélä. Lord Caitanya was also very cautious in discussing such topics. Although He was always merged in gopé-bhäva, He discussed Kåñëa’s loving affairs with the gopés only with a few intimate disciples. For the mass of people, Lord Caitanya distributed love of God by propagating the congregational chanting of the holy name.
 Çréla Prabhupäda would sometimes tell a story to show how most people mistake the transcendental loving affairs of Rädhä and Kåñëa as mundane dealings between an ordinary boy and girl. Once there was a fire in a barn, and one of the cows almost died of fright. Afterward, whenever that cow saw the color red, she would think a fire was burning and become panic-stricken. Similarly, as soon as an ordinary man or woman sees a picture of Rädhä and Kåñëa, he or she immediately thinks Their relationship is just like that between an ordinary boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife. Unfortunately, professional reciters of the Bhägavatam promote this misconception by jumping into Lord Kåñëa’s conjugal pastimes in the Tenth Canto, although neither they nor their audience are fit to hear them. The authorized approach to the Bhägavatam is to first carefully read the first nine cantos, which establish the greatness of the Supreme Lord, His universal form, His material and spiritual energies, His creation of the cosmos, His incarnations, and so on. Reading the first two cantos is like contemplating the lotus feet of the Lord, and as one gradually progresses, one looks upon the Lord’s various bodily limbs, until finally one sees His smiling face in the Tenth Canto’s account of His pastimes with the gopés.
  If Kåñëa’s pastimes with the gopés’ were lusty affairs, neither pure brahmacärés like Närada and Çukadeva nor liberated sages like Uddhava and Vyäsadeva would have praised them so highly. Such great devotees are free from all mundane passion; so how could they be interested in Rädhä and Kåñëa if Their love were a worldly sex affair?
 From the Çrémad-Bhägavatam we learn that all the gopés had spiritual bodies. This is another proof that Kåñëa’s pastimes with the gopés are supramundane. When Kåñëa played His flute in Våndävana on the full-moon night of the autumn season, the gopés went to Him in their spiritual bodies. Many of these gopés are eternal companions of Kåñëa, and when He exhibits His transcendental pastimes within the material world, they come with Him. But some of the gopés who joined Kåñëa’s pastimes within this material world came from the status of ordinary human beings. By always thinking of Kåñëa as their beloved, they became purified of all material contamination and elevated to the same status as the eternally liberated gopés. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “All the gopés who concentrated their minds on Kåñëa in the spirit of paramour love became fully uncontaminated from all the fruitive reactions of material nature, and some of them immediately gave up their material bodies developed under the three modes of material nature” (Kåñëa, p. 242). Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura explains in his commentary on the Çrémad-Bhägavatam that here “giving up the material body” does not mean dying but rather purification of all material contamination and attainment of a purely spiritual body.
 When Çukadeva Gosvämé began reciting Kåñëa’s räsa-lélä pastimes, Mahäräja Parékñit raised a doubt similar to that addressed in this sütra. He asked, “How could the gopés attain liberation by thinking of a paramour?” Çukadeva replied that even if one thinks that the gopés were motivated by lust, any association with Kåñëa will purify one of all material desires. Because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even someone like Çiçupäla, who was absorbed in thinking of Kåñëa out of envy, gained salvation. As Çréla Prabhupäda explains in Kåñëa (p. 245):
The conclusion is that if one somehow or other becomes attached to Kåñëa or attracted to Him, either because of His beauty, quality, opulence, fame, strength, renunciation, or knowledge, or even through lust, anger, or fear, or through affection or friendship, then one’s salvation and freedom from material contamination are assured.
 The society girl Kubjä is an example of how even lusty attraction to Kåñëa frees one from material contamination. She approached Kåñëa with lusty desire, but her lust was relieved just by smelling the fragrance of Kåñëa’s lotus feet.
 While the word käma (lust) is used to describe the gopés’ feelings toward Kåñëa, in their case it is actually a transcendental emotion. The gopés wanted Kåñëa to be their husband, but there was no possibility of His marrying all of them in the usual sense. So they married regular husbands (though some were unmarried at the time of the räsa dance) but retained their love for Kåñëa. Therefore Kåñëa’s loving relationship with the gopés is known as pärakéya-rasa (paramour love). But whereas in the material world the relationship of a married woman with a paramour is abominable, in the spiritual world it is the most exalted relationship one can have with Kåñëa. Just as a tree reflected in the water appears upside down, so that which is topmost in the spiritual world—Kåñëa’s loving dealings with the gopés—becomes abominable when reflected in the material world as illicit sexual affairs. When people imitate Kåñëa’s räsa dance with the gopés, they enjoy only the perverted reflection of the transcendental pärakéya-rasa. Çréla Prabhupäda writes in Kåñëa (p. 240), “It is stated in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam that one should not imitate this pärakéya-rasa even in dream or imagination. Those who do so drink the most deadly poison.”
 Another characteristic of mundane paramour love is that it is unsteady. As soon as one’s sex pleasure is disrupted, one seeks out a new partner. The Çrémad-Bhägavatam predicts that in the Age of Kali marriage will become degraded to a mere convenience for sex pleasure and will break apart as soon as that pleasure abates. But once one revives one’s loving relationship with Kåñëa, that relationship will remain steady and ever fresh.
 The gopés’ love for Kåñëa is within Çré Kåñëa’s hlädiné-çakti, or internal pleasure potency. When Çré Kåñëa wants to enjoy, He associates with the gopés, not with women of the material world. This is another indication of the gopés’ superexcellent spiritual position. In Kåñëa’s exchanges with the gopés through the hlädiné-çakti, there is unlimited and unending ecstasy; this pleasure is far different from the quickly satiated lusts of sexual affairs, which are soon followed by painful entanglements and karmic reactions.
 Even after Çukadeva Gosvämé had explained the spiritual nature of the love that Kåñëa and the gopés exchanged during the räsa dance, Mahäräja Parékñit questioned Çukadeva as to why Kåñëa would act in a way that would make ordinary people see Him as immoral. Çukadeva replied that because Lord Kåñëa is the supreme éçvara, or controller, He is independent of all social and religious principles. This is simply more evidence of His greatness. As the supreme éçvara, Lord Kåñëa may sometimes violate His own instructions with impunity, but that is possible only for the supreme controller, not for us. Since no one can imitate such astounding activities of Lord Kåñëa’s
 as creating the universe or lifting Govardhana Hill, no one should try to imitate His räsa dance, either. To further clear up all doubts about Kåñëa and the gopés, one may read Chapter Thirty-two of Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TEXT 24
nästy eva tasmiàs tat-sukha-sukhitvam
SYNONYMS
na—there is not; eva—indeed; tasmin—in it; tat—His; sukha—in the happiness; sukhitvam—finding happiness.
TRANSLATION
In such false devotion one does not find pleasure exclusively in the Lord’s pleasure.
PURPORT
As already explained, lust is as different from love as iron is from gold. Çréla Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja states,
ätmendriya-préti-väïchä—täre bali ‘käma’
kåñëendriya-préti-icchä dhare ‘prema’ näma
 “The desire to gratify one’s own senses is käma [lust], but the desire to please the senses of Lord Kåñëa is prema [love]” (Cc. Ädi 4.165). Çrématé Rädhäräëé expresses Her pure love for Kåñëa in this way:
 “I do not mind My personal distress. I only wish for the happiness of Kåñëa, for His happiness is the goal of My life. However, if He feels great happiness in giving Me distress, that distress is the best of My happiness” (Cc. Antya 20.52).
 Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja informs us, “The gopés have no inclination for their own enjoyment, and yet their joy increases. That is indeed a contradiction.” The solution to this contradiction is that “the joy of the gopés lies in the joy of their beloved Kåñëa” (Cc. Ädi 4.188–89). Although the gopés are the leaders in this selfless love for the Lord, all Vaiñëavas share in this sentiment. When Lord Nåsiàhadeva wanted to offer a benediction to Prahläda Mahäräja, who had undergone so much suffering on the Lord’s account, Prahläda declined. He said he had not performed his devotional service in the mood of a merchant seeking profit in exchange for service: “O my Lord, I am Your unmotivated servant, and You are my eternal master. There is no need for our being anything other than master and servant. You are naturally my master, and I am naturally Your servant. We have no other relationship” (Bhäg. 7.10.6).
 In a similar mood, Mädhavendra Puré underwent difficult austerities in order to carry a load of sandalwood for the sake of his beloved Gopäla Deity. Mädhavendra walked thousands of miles through territory governed by Muhammadans and filled with thieves and watchmen. Describing Mädhavendra’s service, Lord Caitanya said, “This is the natural result of intense love of Godhead. The devotee does not consider personal inconveniences or impediments. In all circumstances he wants to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead” (Cc. Madhya 4.186).
 Like the gopés, all pure devotees feel great happiness when serving Kåñëa, even when that service entails severe austerity. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “It is said that when one sees apparent unhappiness or distress in a perfect Vaiñëava, it is not at all unhappiness for him; rather it is transcendental bliss” (Cc. Madhya 4.186, purport).
 We may ask, Why does a devotee approach Lord Kåñëa with pure selfless love, seeking only to please Him? To understand the answer to this question, one has to personally experience such love. There are glimmers of such love even in the material world, as in the love a mother feels for her child. Even within the animal kingdom a mother sometimes risks her life to protect her offspring. But pure selfless love exists only in relation to the all-attractive Personality of Godhead. One cannot precisely analyze this love in intellectual terms, but one can experience it with a purified heart.
 The secret driving force for the devotees is the all-attractive nature of Kåñëa and the fact that He is the Self of all selves. Çukadeva Gosvämé explains this in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.14.50–57), after he relates how Kåñëa expanded Himself into all the calves and cowherd boys of Våndävana. When Kåñëa expanded Himself in this way, the parents of the boys and calves felt increased love for their offspring. Upon hearing the account of this miraculous pastime, Mahäräja Parékñit asked, “When Kåñëa expanded Himself, why is it that the boys’ parents became more loving toward Him than toward their own sons? Also, why did the cows become so loving toward the calves, more so than toward their own calves?” Çukadeva replied that since what is most attractive to the living being is his own self, and since Kåñëa, as the Supersoul, is the Self of all selves, He is the all-attractive center for everyone. Therefore, when He expanded Himself as the calves and boys of Våndävana, the calves’ and boys’ parents were more affectionate toward Kåñëa’s expansions than toward their own offspring.
 By loving Kåñëa, a person realizes his love for all living beings. In other words, universal love is a part of God consciousness. This is expressed in two great commandments of the Bible: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:5); and “Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 19:19). Prabhupäda would give a homely example to show how love of God implies universal love: When a man marries a woman, he also gains a relationship with her whole family and may quickly develop affection for his new in-laws. Similarly, if one develops love for Kåñëa, the father of all living beings, one immediately becomes aware of one’s loving relationship with all Kåñëa’s children. A devotee who even partially realizes his love for Kåñëa wants to work to fulfill Kåñëa’s mission in this world, which is to help all living beings end their suffering and go back to Godhead. When one does this not for fame as a preacher and not as a professional business—but as a humble servant meeting all difficulties for the sake of spreading Kåñëa consciousness—he becomes the dearmost servant of the Lord. This is the perfection of happiness in spiritual love, and it is completely unlike lust, the desire for one’s own pleasure.
TEXT 25
sä tu karma-jïäna-yogebhyo ’py adhikatarä
SYNONYMS
sä—it; tu—but; karma—to fruitive work; jïäna—speculative knowledge; yogebhyaù—and mystic meditation; api—indeed; adhikatarä—superior.
TRANSLATION
Pure devotional service, on the other hand, is far superior to fruitive work, philosophical speculation, and mystic meditation.
PURPORT
Having described the gopés of Vraja as the topmost example of parä bhakti, Närada now turns his attention to bhakti-yoga in general. Here Närada asserts that all bhaktas are categorically superior to other Vedic practitioners. The classification of human beings into karmés, jïänés, yogés, and bhaktas is itself a brilliant gift of Vedic knowledge. Let us see why, out of the full range of possible activities, bhakti is the highest.
 Karma refers in the broadest sense to any activity, but it often means activities performed within the bounds of Vedic injunctions with the intention of enjoying the results. (Another term, vikarma, is used for activity forbidden by the Vedas.) So karma, although having religious stature, is still material. The karmé is interested in rewards like money, sense pleasure, and fame in this life, and he also seeks promotion to higher planets in the next life. The great defect of karma is that it always results in reactions, which force the karmé to take another material birth by the process of transmigration of the soul. Therefore, whether “good” or “bad,” pious or impious, all karma keeps one bound within the cycle of birth and death.
 Jïäna refers to the cultivation of knowledge. The jïäné sees the shortcomings of karma and begins to inquire into higher truth. Jïänés are generally philosophers and meditators. They are not interested merely in material results, but in knowledge for its own sake. By cultivating jïäna through the study of Vedic çästras or through meditation, the jïäné can come to the brink of spiritual knowledge, awareness of eternal Brahman. But unless he goes further and understands his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he will suffer the same defeat as the karmé—confinement within the cycle of birth and death. A prayer to Kåñëa by the demigods points up the jïänés’ shortcoming:
O lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because they have no regard for Your lotus feet. [Bhäg. 10.2.32]
 The third category of human endeavor is yoga. Lord Kåñëa describes the yogé as follows: “A yogé is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist, and greater than the fruitive worker. Therefore, O Arjuna, in all circumstances be a yogé” (Bg. 6.46). There are many types of yoga, such as haöha-yoga, añöäìga-yoga, räja-yoga, dhyäna-yoga, and bhakti-yoga. Rudimentary haöha-yoga has become very popular as a form of exercise and relaxation, but real yoga—as taught by Pataïjali in his Yoga-sütra or by Kåñëa in the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gétä—is an eightfold system of meditation for attaining samädhi, or complete absorption of the mind in the Supreme. The eightfold yoga process is very difficult to perform, and even Arjuna decided it was too difficult for him. And those few who can practice it often become captivated by the siddhis, or perfections, that one can gain through this yoga, such as the ability to walk on water, become extremely small, and control other people’s minds. So the mystic yoga process, being very difficult and full of many possible distractions, is not recommended in this age.
 Activities of karma, jïäna, and yoga are not condemned as such by those practicing bhakti, devotional service. Rather, when these lesser activities are dovetailed in the service of the Supreme Lord, they are favorable methods of devotional service. For example, when karma, or activity, is joined with devotional service, it becomes karma-yoga, action in Kåñëa consciousness. Lord Kåñëa recommends this in the Bhagavad-gétä (9.27):
yat karoñi yad açnäsi yaj juhoñi dadäsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruñva mad-arpaëam
 “Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform—do that, O son of Kunté, as an offering to Me” (Bg. 9.27).
 Those who cultivate knowledge (jïäna) are often very proud and consider themselves superior to devotees. But the perfection of knowledge is to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and realize that He is everything. Then jïäna becomes jïäna-yoga and is purified of mental speculation. As Kåñëa says in the Bhagavad-gétä (7.19),
bahünäà janmanäm ante jïänavän mäà prapadyate
väsudevaù sarvam iti sa mahätmä su-durlabhaù
 “After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare” (Bg. 7.19).
 Similarly, Kåñëa tells Arjuna at the end of the Sixth Chapter of the Gétä that absorption in Kåñëa consciousness is the ultimate yoga:
yoginäm api sarveñäà mad-gatenäntar ätmanä
çraddhävän bhajate yo mäà sa me yuktatamo mataù
 “And of all yogés, the one with great faith who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within himself, and renders transcendental loving service to Me—he is the most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all. That is My opinion” (Bg. 6.47).
 So karma, jïäna, and yoga can become favorable for Kåñëa consciousness. But direct parä bhakti is the conclusion of Lord Kåñëa’s teachings in the Bhagavad-gétä:
man-manä bhava mad-bhakto mad-yäjé mäà namas-kuru
mäm evaiñyasi satyaà te pratijäne priyo ’si me
 sarva-dharmän parityajya mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja
 ahaà tväà sarva-päpebhyo mokñayiñyämi mä çucaù
 [Bg. 18.66]
 “Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me, and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend. Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear” (Bg. 18.65–66).
 Thus in the Bhagavad-gétä Lord Kåñëa confirms Närada’s assertion here that bhakti is supreme.
TEXT 26
phala-rüpatvät
SYNONYMS
phala—of the fruit; rüpatvät—because of being the form.
TRANSLATION
After all, bhakti is the fruit of all endeavor.
PURPORT
Bhakti is more than a process leading to a result: it is the constitutional nature of the living being. As Lord Caitanya states in the Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya 20.108), jévera ‘svarüpa’ haya—kåñëera ‘nitya-däsa’: “It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kåñëa.” Even in the beginning stages, bhakti is both the means and the end. To explain this, Çréla Prabhupäda gives the example of a mango. In its unripe stage, a mango is a mango, and when it becomes ripe and relishable, it is still a mango. So even neophyte activities of bhakti are within the realm of love of God and are pleasing to Kåñëa. But activities of karma, jïäna, and yoga are not pleasing to Kåñëa unless they are dovetailed with bhakti.
  When one begins devotional service, the emphasis is on performing obligatory practices ordered by the spiritual master. But even at this stage bhakti-yoga is based on the soul’s dormant inclinations. Çréla Prabhupäda explains in The Nectar of Devotion (p. 20):
[The practice of devotional service] is not for developing something artificial. For example, a child learns or practices to walk. This walking is not unnatural. The walking capacity is there originally in the child, and simply by a little practice he walks very nicely. Similarly, devotional service to the Supreme Lord is the natural instinct of every living entity.
 Närada has defined bhakti as superior to other processes because it is both the means and the end, whereas other processes must ultimately lead to bhakti to have any value. This is one important reason why bhakti is superior, and now Närada will offer further evidence.
TEXT 27
éçvarasyäpy abhimäni-dveñitväd dainya-priyatväc ca
SYNONYMS
éçvarasya—of the Supreme Lord; api—also; abhimäni—of those who are proud; dveñitvät—because of being one who dislikes; dainya—of humility; priyatvät—because of being fond; ca—and.
TRANSLATION
Furthermore, the Lord dislikes the proud but is pleased with the humble.
PURPORT
The humility Närada praises here is not ordinary modesty but is in relationship to the Supreme Lord. The whole point is that the bhakta does what Kåñëa likes. In the Hari-bhakti-viläsa (11.417), Sanätana Gosvämé describes six symptoms of a surrendered soul, and each of them involves humility before the Lord:
änukülyasya saìkalpaù prätikülyasya varjanam
rakñiñyatéti viçväso goptåtve varaëaà tathä
 ätma-nikñepa-kärpaëye ñaò-vidhä çaraëägatiù
 “The six aspects of full surrender to Kåñëa are (1) accepting things favorable for devotional service, (2) rejecting things unfavorable for devotional service, (3) believing firmly in the Lord’s protection, (4) feeling exclusively dependent on the mercy of the Lord for one’s maintenance, (5) having no interest separate from that of the Lord, and (6) always feeling meek and humble before the Lord.”
 Humility is pleasing to Kåñëa, and therefore the devotee is humble. If Lord Kåñëa had said He preferred pride, the devotee would be proud. In fact, sometimes the Lord likes His intimate friends to show a kind of transcendental pride and reprimand Him. By the influence of the Lord’s yogamäyä potency, Kåñëa’s cowherd boyfriends think themselves His equals and sometimes challenge Him. A boy will climb on His back and say, “What kind of a big man are You?” Similarly, when mother Yaçodä or Çrématé Rädhäräëé chides Kåñëa, He likes it. These are examples of proud behavior in prema-bhakti, but Närada is discussing a more basic instruction—that pride in one’s self and one’s activities is not pleasing to the Lord.
 Everyone should acknowledge that the Supreme Lord has given him whatever opulence he has. Whatever prowess, wealth, beauty, fame, or learning we possess is nothing to be proud of because it is all “borrowed plumes.” Even when we receive Kåñëa’s favor in devotional service, we should know that it is due to His mercy and not our own greatness. Sometimes when a devotee displays pride, Kåñëa personally crushes it, as at the beginning of the räsa dance:
The gopés. .. soon began to feel very proud, thinking themselves to be the most fortunate women in the universe by being favored by the company of Kåñëa. Lord Kåñëa, who is known as Keçava, could immediately understand their pride caused by their fortune of enjoying Him personally, and in order to show them His causeless mercy and to curb their false pride, He immediately disappeared from the scene, exhibiting His opulence of renunciation. [Kåñëa, p. 253]
 The more power one has, the more one is liable to become puffed up. Demigods like Brahmä and Indra sometimes become proud and forget Kåñëa’s supreme position. Once when Indra became envious of Kåñëa, he tried to punish the residents of Våndävana by sending torrential rainfall, but Kåñëa protected the Vraja-väsés by lifting Govardhana Hill. Indra then approached Kåñëa and sought forgiveness:
[Indra said,] “Within this material world there are many fools like myself who consider themselves to be the Supreme Lord or the all-in-all within the universe. You are so merciful that without punishing their offenses, You devise means so that their false prestige is subdued and they can know that You, and no one else, are the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” [Kåñëa, p. 226]
 Lord Caitanya considered humility essential for one who is aspiring to chant the holy names of God. He wrote in His Çikñäñöaka (3),
tåëäd api su-nécena taror iva sahiñëunä
amäninä mäna-dena kértanéyaù sadä hariù
 [Cc. adi 17.31]
 “One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect honor but is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.” Vaiñëavas offer respect not only to the Supreme Lord and His direct representatives, but to all living beings. The more one advances spiritually, the more humble one becomes. The greatest devotee, the mahä-bhägavata, sees everyone except himself as a servant of Lord Kåñëa. As said in the Caitanya-caritämåta (Antya 20.25), “Although a Vaiñëava is the most exalted person, he is prideless and gives all respect to everyone, knowing everyone to be the resting place of Kåñëa.”
 If at any point a devotee becomes proud of being a distinguished Vaiñëava, then he has developed an anartha (unwanted thing). This is confirmed in the Caitanya-caritämåta (Antya 20.28): “Wherever there is a relationship of love of Godhead, its natural symptom is that the devotee does not think himself a devotee. Instead, he always thinks that he has not even a drop of love for Kåñëa” (Cc. Antya 20.28).
 Although all transcendentalists may aspire to humility, bhakti-yoga is the best way to cultivate it. In bhakti-yoga one cannot advance without pleasing Lord Kåñëa by acts of humility, whereas karma, jïäna, and yoga do not directly culture humility. Therefore a person who follows these other processes is more likely to think he is advancing by his own effort. The karmé may think he is accumulating wealth by his hard endeavor, the jïäné that he is gaining knowledge by his tedious study, and the yogé that he has attained mystic powers by long years of austerity. By contrast, the pure bhakta knows that the bliss he feels in the course of his devotional service is due simply to the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Thus the devotee alone is always aware that his advancement depends on his humility before Kåñëa. One cannot be puffed up and at the same time be a devotee.
 Lord Kåñëa is attracted to the humble. For example, He was very pleased by the unpretentious behavior of Sudämä Vipra, and He blessed him in many ways. Similarly, Lord Caitanya showed special mercy to a devotee named Kälidäsa, who worshiped all Vaiñëavas with great respect and love. But Lord Caitanya was not pleased by the proud scholarship of Vallabha Bhaööa.
 Närada’s statement here—that the Supreme Lord is pleased with the humble and displeased with the proud—does not mean Kåñëa is partial. Lord Kåñëa does not withhold His love from anyone; rather, it is we who withhold our love from Him out of pride and ignorance and thus become unqualified to experience His presence and reciprocate His love. The sun shines for the benefit of all living beings, but creatures like owls hide themselves from its rays. The great devotee Prahläda Mahäräja puts it this way in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (7.9.27):
Unlike an ordinary living entity, my Lord, You do not discriminate between friends and enemies, the favorable and the unfavorable, because for You there is no conception of higher and lower. Nonetheless, You offer Your benedictions according to the level of one’s service, exactly as a desire tree delivers fruits according to one’s desires and makes no distinction between lower and higher.
TEXT 28
tasyä jïänam eva sädhanam ity eke
SYNONYMS
tasyäù—of it (bhakti); jïänam—knowledge; eva—alone; sädhanam—the means; iti—thus; eke—some.
TRANSLATION
Some say that knowledge is the means for developing devotion.
PURPORT
In this and the following two sütras Närada discusses the relation between knowledge and bhakti.
  Is bhakti based on knowledge? Acquiring knowledge is certainly an important part of Kåñëa consciousness. In the beginning of the Bhagavad-gétä, Kåñëa reprimands Arjuna for “speaking learned words” but acting like one in ignorance. Kåñëa thus becomes the guru of Arjuna and begins by teaching him about the immortality of the soul. Indeed, throughout the Bhagavad-gétä Kåñëa gives Arjuna essential knowledge concerning devotional service. Lord Caitanya also took the role of teacher in His pastimes with Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya, Prakäçänanda Sarasvaté, and Rüpa and Sanätana Gosvämés.
 Kåñëa conscious knowledge is not jïäna in the impersonal sense but is rather knowledge of the soul, God, and God’s energies, with a bhakti conclusion. It is obvious, therefore, that knowledge helps one practice bhakti. Sometimes Çréla Prabhupäda was asked, “How can a person without knowledge know if a spiritual master is bona fide?” Çréla Prabhupäda replied that to know who a bona fide spiritual master is, one must first have some idea of what a spiritual master is. He gave the example that if someone wants to buy gold, he had better learn about gold and the gold market. Otherwise, he will be easily cheated. Or if someone wants to attend a college, he has to research the qualifications of various universities, their entrance requirements, and so on. So knowledge is certainly an important component of bhakti. Çréla Prabhupäda wrote his books with the aim of distributing transcendental knowledge, and in his Bhagavad-gétä he wrote, “Religion without philosophy is sentiment, or sometimes fanaticism, while philosophy without religion is mental speculation.”
 Yet although knowledge is important, it is not an absolute requisite for bhakti. If Kåñëa likes, He can immediately bestow enlightenment upon any person, regardless of his education. And in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.2.7), Süta Gosvämé declares,
väsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaù prayojitaù
janayaty äçu vairägyaà jïänaà ca yad ahaitukam
 “By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment.”
 Therefore, while knowledge may help one to take up and prosecute bhakti, the contention that knowledge is the source of bhakti is false.
TEXT 29
anyonyäçrayatvam ity eke
SYNONYMS
anyonya—mutual; äçrayatvam—dependency; iti—thus; eke—some.
TRANSLATION
Others consider bhakti and knowledge interdependent.
PURPORT
The spiritual harmony of knowledge and devotion is well expressed in the phrase bhakti-vedänta. Some observers think of bhakti and jïäna as separate or in opposition to each other. The Advaitins claim a monopoly on jïäna through the study of the Vedänta-sütra according to the commentary of Çaìkara. But Vedäntic study is not in opposition to bhakti-yoga. The author of the Vedänta-sütra is Çréla Vyäsadeva, who also compiled the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, which is a masterpiece of bhakti as well as the natural commentary on the Vedänta-sütra. The Vaiñëava äcäryas Rämänuja, Madhva, and Baladeva Vidyäbhüñaëa all wrote commentaries on the Vedänta-sütra and proved Vedänta to be harmonious with devotional service. So when a Vaiñëava studies the Vedänta-sütra and other Vedic literatures in order to understand the glories of the Supreme Lord, then we have bhakti-vedänta.
  Knowledge is especially required by the Kåñëa conscious preacher, who has to meet opposing arguments. The Vaiñëava äcäryas were all highly learned in Sanskrit, philosophy, and logic, but they were never dry speculators like the academic or impersonalist scholars. They knew that Kåñëa is the conclusion of the Vedas. As Çré Kåñëa says in the Bhagavad-gétä (15.15), vedaiç ca sarvair aham eva vedyaù/ vedänta-kåd veda-vid eva cäham: “By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedänta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.”
 Knowledge and devotion are harmonious, but to say that they are interdependent is too strong. Love of Kåñëa often arises without a
 long development of jïäna. Närada Muni once blessed a sadistic hunter with pure devotion to Kåñëa. This type of spontaneous development of bhakti is known as kåpä-siddhi, perfection via the good graces of the Lord and the Vaiñëavas.
 In the eternal pleasure pastimes of the Lord, Yogamäyä sometimes covers the devotee’s knowledge that Kåñëa is God. This is another example of how knowledge and bhakti are not always interdependent. Sometimes the eternal associates of Kåñëa remember that He is the Supreme Lord, and sometimes they forget, depending on the requirements of their particular devotional mood, or rasa. At Kåñëa’s name-giving ceremony, the sage Garga said, “This child will grow in power, beauty, opulence—everything—on the level of Näräyaëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Still, mother Yaçodä treated Kåñëa as her dependent child. Once Yaçodä ordered Kåñëa to open His mouth so she could see if He had eaten dirt. Kåñëa obeyed, and when mother Yaçodä looked into her child’s mouth, she saw the universal form, including all time, space, and planets. Realizing that Kåñëa was the Supreme Person, she prayed,
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead,... under whose illusory energy I am thinking that Nanda Mahäräja is my husband and Kåñëa is my son, that all the properties of Nanda Mahäräja belong to me, and that all the cowherd men and women are my subjects. [Kåñëa, p. 84]
 But then Lord Kåñëa expanded His internal energy to cover mother Yaçodä’s sense of awe and reverence with maternal affection. She immediately forgot that Kåñëa was God and again accepted Him as her child. In cases like these, in the eternal pastimes of the Lord, knowledge of Kåñëa’s divinity comes and goes, but always in the service of bhakti.
TEXT 30
svayaà phala-rüpeti brahma-kumäraù
SYNONYMS
svayam—itself; phala-rüpä—manifesting as its fruit; iti—thus; brahma-kumäraù—the son of Brahmä (Närada).
TRANSLATION
But the son of Brahmä says that bhakti is its own fruit.
PURPORT
Närada now gives his opinion—that bhakti is not dependent on anything else for nourishment. In other words, Kåñëa consciousness is the natural, transcendental state of the living being, and this state manifests automatically when we take up the process of bhakti-yoga. As Çréla Prabhupäda puts it in his lecture entitled “On Chanting Hare Kåñëa,” “Kåñëa consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind. This consciousness is the original energy of the living entity.” The chanting of Hare Kåñëa, Çréla Prabhupäda says, “is directly enacted from the spiritual platform, surpassing all lower stages of consciousness—namely, sensual, mental, and intellectual.”
 In His Çikñäñöaka (1), Lord Caitanya declares that the chanting of the holy name of Kåñëa cleans the mirror of the mind. When the mirror of the mind is clean, one can see one’s original, spiritual self along with the Supreme Lord. The initial activities of bhakti, therefore, clear away ignorance and false ego and reveal to the living entity his eternal state of devotional service. So bhakti is not produced by something else; rather, the practices of sädhana-bhakti remove the obstacles to our original loving relationship with the Lord.
 Çréla Prabhupäda would sometimes say that Kåñëa consciousness is causeless. For example, “Revival of the dormant affection or love of Godhead does not depend on the mechanical system of hearing and chanting, but it solely and wholly depends on the causeless mercy of the Lord” (Bhäg. 1.7.6, purport). This means that the Lord freely bestows bhakti upon the devotee. The Supreme Lord is not bound to respond to any religious act or austerity we may perform, as if in mechanical obedience to law. This theory, put forward by the Karma-mémäàsakas, is rejected in bhakti-yoga. Kåñëa is svaräö, supremely independent, and so is bhakti. In other words, one’s advancement in devotional service does not depend on any of the various departments of human accomplishment, such as karma, jïäna, or yoga. If a person happens to be lacking in any department—even in devotion itself—Lord Kåñëa can supply the requirements as He likes.
 In a purport describing the free wandering of Närada Muni, Çréla Prabhupäda gives an eloquent expression of the independence of bhakti-yoga:
  There is no reason or obligation for [Närada’s] traveling, and no one can stop him from his free movement. Similarly, the transcendental system of devotional service is also free. It may or may not develop in a particular person even after he undergoes all the detailed formulas. Similarly, the association of the devotee is also free. One may be fortunate to have it, or one may not have it even after thousands of endeavors. Therefore, in all spheres of devotional service, freedom is the main pivot. [Bhäg. 1.6.37, purport]
 The Mäyävädés sometimes twist a sütra like this one in an attempt to prove that the individual ätmä needs no assistance to attain self-realization. They say that the scriptures and gurus and even God Himself are just inventions that may help us achieve self-realization but that then must be thrown away, just as one may remove a thorn in his flesh with another thorn and then throw them both away. The misconception here is that the bhakti-çästras and pure devotees are finite products of the material world. In truth, the çästras are eternal manifestations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as stated in the Bhagavad-gétä (3.15): brahmäkñara-samudbhavam. Elsewhere it is stated that the Vedas are the “breathing of Näräyaëa.” The Vedic scriptures are sometimes manifest and sometimes not, but they exist eternally. Similarly, the Supreme Lord and His eternal associates sometimes appear within the material world, and after a time they disappear, but they are always manifest in the spiritual world, where they engage in unlimited varieties of pastimes. Çréla Prabhupäda writes,
Persons with a poor fund of knowledge conclude that a place devoid of material qualities must be some sort of formless nothingness. In reality, however, there are qualities in the spiritual world, but they are different from the material qualities because everything there is eternal, unlimited, and pure. [Cc. Ädi 5.22, purport]
 Lord Kåñëa, His expansions, and His devotees are not “dispensable,” as the Mäyävädés contend. On the contrary, it is the Mäyäväda doctrine that is a temporary creation, introduced at a certain time for a special purpose but intended to be discarded later. Çréla Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja writes,
Çaìkara, who was an incarnation of Lord Çiva, is faultless because he is a servant carrying out the orders of the Lord. But those who follow his Mäyäväda philosophy are doomed. They will lose all their advancement in spiritual knowledge. One who considers the transcendental body of Lord Viñëu to be made of material nature is the greatest offender at the lotus feet of the Lord. There is no greater blasphemy against the Supreme Personality of Godhead. [Cc. Ädi 7.114–15]
 The opinion of Närada Muni, here describing himself as “the son of Lord Brahmä,” is that bhakti is eternal and self-manifested, not dependent on any lesser process. When such devotional service is revealed to a sincere devotee, he realizes that its nature is like the Lord’s—sac-cid-änanda, full of eternity, bliss, and knowledge.
SÜTRAS 31–32
räja-gåha-bhojanädiñu tathaiva dåñöatvät.
 na tena räja-paritoñaù kñuc-chäntir vä
SYNONYMS
räja—royal; gåha—in a residence; bhojana—in a meal: ädiñu—and so on; tathä eva—just like this; dåñöatvät—because of its being seen; na—not; tena—by that; räja—of the king; paritoñaù—satisfaction; kñut—of hunger; çäntiù—pacification; vä—or.
TRANSLATION
This is illustrated by the examples of a royal palace, a meal, and so on. A king is not really satisfied just by seeing a palace, nor can someone placate his hunger just by looking at a meal.
PURPORT
By these worldly examples, Närada helps us understand the actual experience of bhakti. Närada has said that some philosophers think knowledge is the means for developing bhakti, whereas others say that knowledge and bhakti are interdependent. But Närada’s conclusion is that bhakti is its own fruit. This means that bhakti, being an intimate exchange between the Lord and His devotees, does not depend on any other process. Only the Lord’s pure devotees can enter into and understand such an exchange.
 The examples Närada gives illustrate the difference between jïäna (theoretical knowledge) and vijïäna (realized knowledge). It is especially important to hear from a spiritual master who has vijïäna. We will have to experience vijïäna for ourselves, but if the spiritual master is not self-realized, how can he guide us? Only those who have confidential knowledge can convey it to others. For example, Lord Brahmä, the first enlightened living being, received Vedic knowledge directly from Lord Kåñëa. If one hears Brahmä’s realized knowledge from someone in disciplic succession who has also realized it, then one is in a position to receive vijïäna.
  Much depends on the quality of submissive hearing. These sütras of the Närada-bhakti-sütra dealing with the examples of a king’s palace and a feast give us a remarkable inside look at spiritual life. If we listen with sensitivity and faith, then even before the stage of full realization we can begin to get an inkling of what it is like. We hear that spiritual perfection will be like going home, and our attraction for this develops. One thinks, “Yes I too would like to go home, back to Godhead.” Faithful hearing can produce realization. Çréla Prabhupäda writes,
For topics concerning Uttama-çloka, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the spiritual master speaks, and the disciple hears with attention.... The spiritual master and disciple do not need to understand more than Kåñëa because simply by understanding Kåñëa and talking about Kåñëa, one becomes a perfectly learned person. [Bhäg. 10.1.4, purport]
 Throughout the Vedic literature we find a strong emphasis on hearing about Kåñëa. Çréla Prabhupäda states, “Whenever offenseless hearing and glorification of God are undertaken, it is to be understood that Lord Kåñëa is present there in the form of transcendental sound, which is as powerful as the Lord personally” (Bhäg. 1.2.17, purport). Unless one experiences it, one cannot understand the powerful purification engendered by hearing from a bona fide spiritual master. As Çréla Prabhupäda further writes:
Human reason fails to understand how by serving the devotee bhägavata or the book bhägavata one gets gradual promotion on the path of devotion. But actually these are facts explained by Çréla Näradadeva, who happened to be a maidservant’s son in his previous life. [Bhäg. 1.2.18, purport]
 Effective hearing must be accompanied by surrender to the Lord and the Lord’s devotee. It is not idle armchair talk. One has to be serious about inquiring into the Absolute Truth, prepared to hear submissively, and ready to serve the learned spiritual master.
 Here Närada’s analogies of a king looking at a palace and a hungry man looking at a meal point up the fact that bhakti has to be practiced wholeheartedly if one wants to fully appreciate it. The other processes—karma, jïäna, and yoga—even if practiced well, cannot bring the taste of kåñëa-bhakti. They are compared to the nipples on a goat’s neck, which look promising but which cannot yield milk, no matter how much you try to milk them. Nor can mere academic knowledge of bhakti produce any real understanding of it. Prabhupäda liked to compare academics who study bhakti to bees who lick the outside of a bottle of honey: a lot of energy expended, but all for naught.
 The example of eating is also a metaphor to help us understand what it is like to attain Kåñëa consciousness:
bhaktiù pareçänubhavo viraktir
anyatra caiña trika eka-kälaù
prapadyamänasya yathäçnataù syus
tuñöiù puñöiù kñud-apäyo ’nu-ghäsam
 “Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other things—these three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the same way that pleasure, nourishment, and relief from hunger come simultaneously and increasingly with each bite for a person engaged in eating” (Bhäg. 11.2.42).
 Çréla Prabhupäda used to say that no one has to give you a certificate to state that you are now Kåñëa conscious. You will know it for yourself, and in fact, only you can know it for yourself. Similarly, if you are hungry and you begin to appease your hunger by eating, no one has to tell you, “Now you’re satisfied.” So, even the most vivid analogies cannot enlighten us beyond our realization. Ultimately, we have to go to the spiritual world to see it for ourselves. During the 1960’s in America, at the time of the Vietnam War, a new devotee asked Çréla Prabhupäda, “What is it like in Kåñëaloka?” Çréla Prabhupäda replied, “You won’t be bothered by the draft board.” That was a suitable (and humorous) reply for a person plagued with that particular fear, but there is of course much more to Kåñëaloka than “no draft board.” Sometimes when Prabhupäda was pressed with inquiries about the spiritual world, he would reply, “You will know when you go there.”
 The conclusion is that Närada and the äcäryas are inviting us to get off the mental platform and to actually participate in bhakti-yoga—if we want to know what it really is and taste its fruit, going back to Godhead.
TEXT 33
asmät saiva grähyä mumukñubhiù
SYNONYMS
asmät—therefore; sä—it; eva—only; grähyä—should be accepted; mumukñubhiù—by persons desiring liberation.
TRANSLATION
Therefore seekers of liberation should take to devotional service alone.
PURPORT
As stated in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.2.32), those who pursue liberation but do not take shelter of the Supreme Lord in devotional service may think that they have attained the highest position and been liberated, but eventually they fall down to materialistic activities. Because the impersonalist meditator fails to develop his loving relationship with the Supreme Person, he must return from his sojourn in Brahman and come back into the material world to fulfill his personal desires. Therefore eternal liberation, freedom from repeated birth and death, is achieved only in the spiritual world, when one is fixed in one’s eternal relationship of loving devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In previous sütras Närada mentioned that pure devotional service is not performed for any reward, including release from birth and death. Lord Caitanya also expressed this idea in His Çikñäñöaka (4):
na dhanaà na janaà na sundaréà
kavitäà vä jagad-éça kämaye
mama janmani janmanéçvare
bhavatäd bhaktir ahaituké tvayi
 “O almighty Lord, I have no desire for accumulating wealth, nor do I have any desire to enjoy beautiful women, nor do I want many followers. All I want is Your causeless devotional service in my life, birth after birth.” By saying “birth after birth,” Lord Caitanya implies that He does not seek liberation, either. All He desires is continuous service and remembrance of the Lord, in any sphere of life.
 And yet although a pure devotee never aspires for mukti, he automatically achieves it. By Kåñëa’s desire, he is promoted to Kåñëaloka or to a Vaikuëöha planet, depending on his rasa with the Lord. Or, like Närada, he may remain in the material world to preach Kåñëa consciousness. Çréla Prabhupäda used to say that liberation doesn’t mean one has to develop four arms and four heads. If one is purely Kåñëa conscious one may continue to live in the material world and be fully liberated. As Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé says in his Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu (1.2.187):
éhä yasya harer däsye karmaëä manasä girä
nikhiläsv apy avasthäsu jévan-muktaù sa ucyate
 “A person acting in the service of Kåñëa with his body, mind, intelligence, and words is a liberated person even within the material world, although he may engage in many apparently material activities.”
Chapter 3
The Means of Achievement
TEXT 34
tasyäù sädhanäni gäyanty äcäryäù
SYNONYMS
tasyäù—of it; sädhanäni—the means of development; gäyanti—sing; äcäryäù—the great teachers.
TRANSLATION
Standard authorities have described the methods for achieving devotional service.
PURPORT
Having described the essence of parä bhakti, the highest stage of devotional service, Närada now turns to the practices one must perform to reach that stage. The practice stage of bhakti is called sädhana-bhakti. Närada previously stated that bhakti was its own means, that it does not depend on anything else—specifically jïäna, or knowledge. And as Çréla Prabhupäda points out, bhakti doesn’t even depend on the devotee’s practice:
 Kåñëa consciousness cannot be aroused simply by practice. Actually there is no such practice. When we wish to develop our innate capacity for devotional service, there are certain processes which, by our accepting and executing them, will cause that dormant capacity to be invoked. Such practice is called sädhana-bhakti. [The Nectar of Devotion, p. 20]
 The rules and regulations of bhakti are meant to cure a conditioned soul of the madness that causes his bondage and suffering. Çréla Prabhupäda writes (The Nectar of Devotion, p. 21), “As a man’s mental disease is cured by the directions of a psychiatrist, so this sädhana-bhakti cures the conditioned soul of his madness under the spell of mäyä, material illusion.”
 Närada says that the methods he will teach have been given by the äcäryas, those who teach by both word and deed. Bhakti can be taught only by Vaiñëava äcäryas and their representatives, not by teachers of comparative religion or impersonalists in the guise of bhaktas. Närada himself is one of the greatest äcäryas, and so his own sayings are sufficient. Still, following the paramparä tradition, he quotes previous äcäryas and also gives his own insights. Thus his teachings are acceptable to all, regardless of sampradäya or particular founder-äcärya. Here Närada uses the word gäyanti, “they sing,” because the äcäryas joyfully teach the principles of bhakti.
TEXT 35
tat tu viñaya-tyägät saìga-tyägäc ca
SYNONYMS
tat—that; tu—and; viñaya—of sense gratification; tyägät—by rejection; saìga—of (material) association; tyägät—by rejection; ca—and.
TRANSLATION
One achieves bhakti by giving up sense gratification and mundane association.
PURPORT
Viñaya refers to the objects of sense enjoyment, and one who indulges in sense enjoyment is called a viñayé. A viñayé cannot succeed in devotional service. The äcäryas therefore set down regulations for eating, mating, and so on. Närada states that one should not only give up gross practices of sense indulgence but should even stop thinking of sense gratification. The word saìga-tyäga indicates that one should refrain from associating with sense objects even within the mind and heart. The äcäryas of all religions so consistently recommend such renunciation of sense pleasure that the need for it may seem a truism. But to practice it is not easy. And yet if we want to advance in bhakti-yoga, practice it we must. As Lord Kåñëa says, “What is called renunciation you should know to be the same as yoga, or linking oneself with the Supreme, O son of Päëòu, for one can never become a yogé unless he renounces the desire for sense gratification” (Bg. 6.2).
 The Kåñëa conscious method of renunciation is to engage the mind and senses in devotional service. As Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé says in his Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu (2.255),
anäsaktasya viñayän yathärham upayuïjataù
nirbandhaù kåñëa-sambandhe yuktaà vairägyam ucyate
 “When one is not attached to anything but simultaneously accepts everything in relation to Kåñëa, one is situated above possessiveness.”
 An active devotee is more complete in his renunciation than one who rejects material things without knowledge of their relationship to Kåñëa. This method of yukta-vairägya gives one great freedom, but it must be done rightly. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “One should, however, note that after doing something whimsically he should not offer the results to the Supreme Lord. That sort of duty is not in the devotional service of Kåñëa consciousness. One should act according to the order of Kåñëa, [which] comes through disciplic succession from the bona fide spiritual master” (Bg. 18.57, purport). In short, sinful activity cannot be brought under the purview of “offering everything to Kåñëa.” Indeed, Çréla Prabhupäda would not accept disciples unless they agreed to follow the four regulative principles—no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, and no meat-eating.
 Renunciation is possible because of the higher pleasure attainable in spiritual life. As Kåñëa states in the Bhagavad-gétä (2.59),
viñayä vinivartante nirähärasya dehinaù
rasa-varjaà raso ’py asya paraà dåñövä nivartate
 “Although the embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, the taste for sense objects remains. But ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.” In his purport to this verse, Çréla Prabhupäda compares the restriction from sense enjoyment mystic yogés observe to the restrictions a doctor places upon a patient that forbid him from taking certain types of food. In neither instance is the taste for the forbidden pleasures lost. “But,” Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “one who has tasted the beauty of the Supreme Lord, Kåñëa, in the course of his advancement in Kåñëa consciousness no longer has a taste for dead, material things. Therefore, restrictions are there for the less intelligent neophytes in the spiritual advancement of life, but such restrictions are good only until one actually has a taste for Kåñëa consciousness.”
 Previously Närada has stated that it is not sufficient merely to hear about spiritual life or to tell others about it without actually practicing it and realizing its fruits oneself. And so the sädhana-bhakta actually practices—he avoids lusty attachments on the strength of his vows, and Kåñëa helps him from within. Eventually he relishes a higher taste and loses the desire for sense gratification. Bhakti-yoga, being a transcendental science, yields the expected results when carefully followed.
 The phrase saìga-tyägät, which Närada uses here, also appears in Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé’s Upadeçämåta (3). According to Rüpa Gosvämé, saìga-tyäga, by which he means “abandoning the association of nondevotees,” is one of the most important requirements for the execution of pure devotional service. When Lord Caitanya was asked to define a Vaiñëava, He replied, asat-saìga-tyäga—ei vaiñëava äcära: “Characteristically, a Vaiñëava is one who gives up the association of worldly people, or nondevotees” (Cc. Madhya 22.87). Just as asat-saìga increases our material attachment and impedes our devotional service, so sädhu-saìga furthers our devotional service by helping us become attached to Lord Kåñëa and detached from the practices of nondevotees.
 In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam Lord Kapila advises His mother, Devahüti, that while material attachment is the greatest entanglement for the spirit soul, “that same attachment, when applied to the self-realized devotees, opens the door of liberation” (Bhäg. 3.25.20). In his purport, Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “This indicates that the propensity for attachment cannot be stopped; it must be utilized for the best purpose. Our attachment for material things perpetuates our conditioned state, but the same attachment, when transferred to the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotee, is the source of liberation.”
 This sütra contains a stern order for the aspiring devotee: “If you want to progress in bhakti, you must give up sense gratification and material association.” In his Bhagavad-gétä purports, Çréla Prabhupäda tells us how we should approach such orders: “The Lord instructs that one has to become fully Kåñëa conscious to discharge duties, as if in military discipline. Such an injunction may make things a little difficult; still, duties must be carried out, with dependence on Kåñëa, because that is the constitutional position of the living entity” (Bg. 3.30, purport). Lethargy in the face of these orders should be thrown off. The alternative is great unhappiness, more than we can imagine, as the soul falls down into lower species of life, birth after birth.
TEXT 36
avyävåtta-bhajanät
SYNONYMS
avyävåtta—uninterrupted; bhajanät—by worship.
TRANSLATION
One achieves bhakti by worshiping the Lord ceaselessly.
PURPORT
Närada has given a negative order—to restrain the mind and senses; he now gives the positive method for engaging the mind and senses in Kåñëa consciousness. Çréla Prabhupäda compared Kåñëa conscious activity to placing an iron rod in fire. As the rod stays steadily within the flames, it becomes hotter and hotter, until eventually it becomes fiery. In the same way, the devotee who steadily engages in Kåñëa consciousness gradually becomes transformed, until eventually he becomes fully Kåñëa conscious. If one is completely absorbed in Kåñëa’s service, there is no scope for the activities of mäyä.
  The Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.2.6) also recommends uninterrupted devotional service:
sa vai puàsäà paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokñaje
ahaituky apratihatä yayätmä suprasédati
  “The supreme occupation for all humanity is that by which one can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendental Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.”
 In this sütra Närada uses the word bhajana, which also appears, in a slightly different form, in the Bhagavad-gétä (6.47). In concluding His instructions on añöäìga-yoga in the Sixth Chapter of the Gétä, Lord Kåñëa says that one who serves Him with devotion and faith (çraddhävän bhajate yo mäm) is the highest yogé. Çréla Prabhupäda explains that the word bhaj means “service”:
Service with love and faith is especially meant for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One can avoid worshiping a respectable man or demigod and may be called discourteous, but one cannot avoid serving the Supreme Lord without being thoroughly condemned. [Bg. 6.47, purport]
 This passage indicates that bhakti is not a spiritual recreation for a few people but is intended for all, and it cannot be avoided without dire consequences.
 Närada says bhakti is attained by uninterrupted loving service. But does he mean that one must be flawless, that one must never slip? No, Lord Kåñëa allows for mistakes, provided one is determined to serve Him. He says in the Ninth Chapter of the Gétä,
api cet su-duräcäro bhajate mäm ananya-bhäk
sädhur eva sa mantavyaù samyag vyavasito hi saù
 “Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination” (Bg. 9.30). Çréla Prabhupäda warns us, however, not to take advantage of this statement and think we can intentionally violate the rules of devotional life and still be a devotee. The blessing from the Lord expressed here is that if we go on serving the spiritual master and Kåñëa with determination—especially by chanting Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare—then Lord Kåñëa will accept us as His devotee, despite our imperfections.
 But exactly what does one do to always keep busy in Kåñëa consciousness and avoid becoming bored or restless? Prahläda Mahäräja taught a ninefold process of bhakti for maintaining full engagement in the Lord’s service: (1) hearing about the Lord, (2) chanting His name and glories, (3) remembering Him, (4) serving His lotus feet, (5) worshiping the Deity, (6) offering prayers to the Lord, (7) becoming His servant, (8) becoming His friend, and (9) offering Him everything. While the first two of these processes are extremely important, any one of them is sufficient for achieving perfection. Çréla Prabhupäda writes:
The nine different processes enunciated by Prahläda Mahäräja, who learned them from Närada Muni, may not all be required for the execution of devotional service; if a devotee performs only one of these nine without deviation, he can attain the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. [Bhäg. 7.5.24, purport]
 In early 1968 I wrote a letter to Çréla Prabhupäda saying that sometimes I couldn’t decide which service I should do at a given moment. Should I wash the dishes or chant Hare Kåñëa? Prabhupäda replied:
There isn’t any difference between chanting the Holy Name [and] washing the dishes of the Temple. So do not be worried when you are attracted for doing other work in the Temple. There is variegatedness in transcendental activities. Sometimes we like to chant, sometimes we like to wash dishes. There is no difference on the Absolute plane.
TEXT 37
loke ’pi bhagavad-guëa-çravaëa-kértanät
SYNONYMS
loke—in the world; api—even; bhagavat—of the Supreme Lord; guëa—about the qualities; çravaëa—by hearing; kértanät—and chanting.
TRANSLATION
One achieves bhakti by hearing and chanting about the Supreme Lord’s special qualities, even while engaged in the ordinary activities of life in this world.
PURPORT
Someone might say that Närada is being unreasonable in advocating “uninterrupted loving service.” How can those who are busy with duties in the world maintain constant bhajana? But Närada, like all äcäryas, is well aware of the worldly situation and the jéva’s predicament. Thus he recommends çravaëaà kértanam, hearing and chanting about the Lord, for all persons at all times. An outstanding example of a Kåñëa conscious devotee who was busy in the world is Arjuna, Kåñëa’s friend. And it was Lord Kåñëa Himself who insisted that Arjuna not renounce the battlefield in favor of meditation:
tasmät sarveñu käleñu mäm anusmara yudhya ca
mayy arpita-mano-buddhir mäm evaiñyasy asaàçayaù
 “Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kåñëa and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt” (Bg. 8.7).
 Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “The Lord never suggests anything impractical.... If he [Arjuna] doesn’t practice remembering Kåñëa while he is struggling for existence, then it will not be possible for him to remember Kåñëa at the time of death” (Bg. Introduction). Lord Caitanya also advises, kértanéyaù sadä hariù: [Cc. adi 17.31] “One should always chant the names of the Lord.”
 Still the question remains, How can an active person perform double duty—work and chant at the same time? But it is possible, through love. Prabhupäda gave the example of a man who goes to work in an office while his young son is very ill at home. Out of natural affection, the father is always thinking, “How is the boy?” Another example, given by the äcäryas, concerns a married woman’s attachment for her paramour. The wife always thinks of her lover, even while doing her household chores. In fact, she does her housework even more carefully so that her husband will not suspect her. In the same way, we should always remember the supreme lover, Çré Kåñëa, even while meticulously discharging our material duties. If we say, “But I lack strong love for Kåñëa,” the only remedy is vaidhi-bhakti. The very purpose of this training stage of bhakti is to bring out our original love for God, just as striking a match brings out a flame. And among all the devotional practices, the foremost are çravaëaà kértanaà viñëoù [SB 7.5.23], hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord.
 No one can honestly say he has absolutely no time to devote to çravaëaà kértanam. Even the busiest people find time daily to go through newspapers or magazines, and almost everyone finds some time for television, as well as for idle talk. Much of this time could be spared for bhakti-yoga. And even when we are working at the office or factory, if we are donating a portion of our earnings to Kåñëa we may think, “Kåñëa has assigned me this particular duty.”
 If despite his best efforts a devotee finds his social and occupational duties overwhelming, he should consider living in a different way. One should avoid ugra-karma, work that completely saps one of all higher energy and pious inclination. In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, Närada Muni advised Mahäräja Yudhiñöhira that one should work “to earn his livelihood as much as necessary to maintain body and soul together.
 ... An intelligent man in human society should make his program of activities very simple” (Bhäg. 7.14.5–6).
 Çréla Prabhupäda, who worked for many years as a Kåñëa conscious businessman, addressed the problem realistically. He said that there was no question of stopping all activities, just as there is no question of wiping out one’s temperature altogether when trying to recover from a fever. If one has a fever of 105ºF, one should carefully decrease it to the normal temperature, 98.6º, and maintain it there. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “The great sages and saints of India wanted to maintain the normal temperature by a balanced program of material and spiritual knowledge. They never allowed the misuse of human intelligence for diseased sense gratification” (Éçopaniñad 11, purport). Most people give the highest priority to economic development and sense gratification, relegating religion to a support activity. But actual religion—self-realization—should come first. Economic development is required only to maintain the body in a sound, healthy condition.
 Understanding the awkward position of people in the Kali-yuga, the Supreme Lord has given us the chanting of the holy names as the yuga-dharma, the religion of the age:
harer näma harer näma harer nämaiva kevalam
kalau nästy eva nästy eva nästy eva gatir anyathä
 [Adi 17.21]
 “In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way” (Båhan-näradéya Puräëa).
 Çréla Prabhupäda formed the International Society for Krishna Consciousness on the basis of the yuga-dharma and Närada Muni’s instructions in this sütra. Throughout the world, many of Prabhupäda’s followers chant sixteen rounds of the Hare Kåñëa mantra daily, attend a morning and evening program of kértana and scriptural discourse, and follow the four rules prohibiting sinful life—even while pursuing active professional careers. Lord Kåñëa has personally promised Närada Muni that whoever chants His glories will attain the Lord’s mercy, despite social or occupational status:
nähaà tiñöhämi vaikuëöhe yoginäà hådayeñu vä
yatra gäyanti mad-bhaktäù tatra tiñöhämi närada
 “My dear Närada, I do not dwell in Vaikuëöha or in the hearts of the yogé, but wherever My devotees sing My glories” (Padma Puräëa).
TEXT 38
mukhyatas tu mahat-kåpayaiva bhagavat-kåpä-leçäd vä
SYNONYMS
mukhyataù—primarily; tu—but; mahat—of great souls; kåpayä—by the mercy; eva—indeed; bhagavat—of the Supreme Lord; kåpä—of the mercy; leçät—by a trace; vä—or.
TRANSLATION
Primarily, however, one develops bhakti by the mercy of great souls, or by a small drop of the Lord’s mercy.
PURPORT
Närada has outlined the main practices for a devotee-in-training (sädhaka). Now he emphasizes that the devotee cannot succeed simply on the strength of his own endeavor, but only when he receives the mercy of Kåñëa’s representative or a drop of the Lord’s direct mercy.
 Unless one seeks out the association of a sädhu, bhakti will remain distant. But who is a sädhu? Çréla Prabhupäda explains:
A sädhu is not just an ordinary man with a saffron robe or long beard. A sädhu is described in Bhagavad-gétä as one who unflinchingly engages in devotional service. Even though one is found not to be following the strict rules and regulations of devotional service, if one simply has unflinching faith in Kåñëa, the Supreme Person, he is understood to be a sädhu. ... If one associates with a sädhu, the result will be that the sädhu will teach him how to become a devotee, a worshiper and sincere servitor of the Lord. These are the gifts of a sädhu. [Bhäg. 3.25.20, purport]
 The Caitanya-caritämåta and the Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu state that the acceptance of a spiritual master is absolutely essential for advancement in devotional service. Çréla Prabhupäda writes:
Without the attentive service of his parents, a child cannot grow to manhood; similarly, without the care of the spiritual master one cannot rise to the plane of transcendental service.... One should always remember that a person who is reluctant to accept a spiritual master and be initiated is sure to be baffled in his endeavor to go back to Godhead. [Cc. Ädi 1.46, purport, and 1.35, purport]
 And so by the grace of the spiritual masters, all the aforementioned practices taught by Närada—the chanting and hearing of the holy names, avoiding sense gratification, and so on—will come naturally to one who serves and inquires from devotees.
 Conditioned souls are brought to the path of bhakti by the help of the Vaiñëavas, and also by the direct guidance of the Supreme Lord. Harià vinä naiva såtià taranti: “Without the blessings of Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot stop the continuous chain of birth and death within this material world.” Lord Kåñëa, as the Supersoul within everyone’s heart, directly gives us guidance. When a soul cries out for spiritual guidance, the Lord as the caitya-guru, or the spiritual master in the heart, gives direct inspiration. Kåñëa states,
teñäm evänukampärtham aham ajïäna-jaà tamaù
näçayämy ätma-bhäva-stho jïäna-dépena bhäsvatä
 “To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance” (Bg. 10.11).
 In the purport to the previous verse (Bg. 10.10), Çréla Prabhupäda explains, “A person may have a bona fide spiritual master and may be attached to a spiritual organization, but still, if he is not intelligent enough to make progress, then Kåñëa from within gives him instructions so that he may ultimately come to Him without difficulty.”
 The Lord’s mercy is therefore available both in the form of the instructing spiritual masters and the Supersoul within the heart. The appearance of the spiritual master within the life of the conditioned soul is the direct mercy of the Lord. Prabhupäda writes that “the great sage Çukadeva Gosvämé was certainly inspired by Lord Kåñëa to appear voluntarily before Mahäräja Parékñit, the great devotee of the Lord, just to give him the teachings of Çrémad-Bhägavatam” (Bhäg. 1.19.36).
 It is truly a sign of the Lord’s mercy when one meets His pure representative, the bona fide spiritual master. But how effective this mercy is depends on one’s sincerity. As soon as the Lord finds that a soul has developed eagerness to go back to Godhead, the Lord sends a bona fide spiritual master, and if one takes full advantage of the instructions of such a spiritual master, one is guaranteed success. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “The conclusion is that to get the... help of a bona fide spiritual master means to receive the direct help of the Lord Himself” (Bhäg. 1.19.36, purport; italics in original).
TEXT 39
mahat-saìgas tu durlabho ’gamyo ’moghaç ca
SYNONYMS
mahat—of great souls; saìgaù—the association; tu—but; durlabhaù—difficult to achieve; agamyaù—difficult to understand; amoghaù—infallible; ca—also.
TRANSLATION
The association of great souls is rarely obtained, difficult to understand, and infallible.
PURPORT
In His instructions to Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé (Cc. Madhya 19.138–48), Lord Caitanya graphically describes the rarity of gaining the association of a pure devotee. The Lord tells Rüpa Gosvämé that there are unlimited living entities among 8,400,000 species, and all these living entities are wandering from body to body, planet to planet, within this universe. The few living entities in human bodies may be divided into the uncultured and the cultured—those who are ignorant of the Vedic principles and those who know them. Among those who know the Vedic principles, roughly half simply give lip service to these principles while committing all kinds of sins in violation of these principles. Out of those who actually follow the Vedic principles, most seek material rewards like wealth, good birth, or elevation to heaven. Among millions of pious followers of the Vedic injunctions, one may be actually wise (a jïäné). Out of many millions of such jïänés, Lord Caitanya says, one may actually become liberated from birth and death, and out of many millions of such liberated persons, a devotee of the Lord is very difficult to find.
 Lord Kåñëa makes the same point:
manuñyäëäà sahasreñu kaçcid yatati siddhaye
yatatäm api siddhänäà kaçcin mäà vetti tattvataù
 “Out of many thousands of men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth” (Bg. 7.3). This indicates that even one who has attained Brahman realization falls far short of knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We should not be misled, therefore, about who is a “great soul” or think that any “swami” or “guru” will be able to deliver us from material entanglement. As the Çrémad-Bhägavatam says (6.14.5),
muktänäm api siddhänäà näräyaëa-paräyaëaù
su-durlabhaù praçantätmä kotiñv api mahä-mune
 “O great sage, out of many millions of materially liberated people who are free from ignorance, and out of many millions of siddhas who have nearly attained perfection, there is hardly one pure devotee of Näräyaëa. Only such a devotee is actually completely satisfied and peaceful.”
 Even when mahätmäs do appear in human society, they are often not appreciated or understood. Çréla Prabhupäda writes,
Sometimes devotees are personally attacked with violence. Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, Haridäsa Öhäkura was caned in twenty-two marketplaces, and Lord Caitanya’s principal assistant, Nityänanda, was violently attacked by Jagäi and Mädhäi.... Although a sädhu is not inimical toward anyone, the world is so ungrateful that even a sädhu has many enemies. [Bhäg. 3.25.21, purport]
 But if one gets the association of a mahätmä and is receptive to his blessings, one will infallibly be benefited. Närada is an excellent example of a mahätmä who transformed the lives of many. He once turned a hunter into a pure Vaiñëava. The hunter was so cruel that he used to half kill animals because he enjoyed their pain. But as soon as he met Närada and began to hear from him, the hunter became afraid of his sins. Närada assured him, “If you follow my instructions, you can be liberated.” Närada then instructed the hunter to worship Lord Kåñëa by chanting the Hare Kåñëa mantra. A mahätmä never says, “Surrender to me,” but he advises everyone to surrender to Lord Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is his infallibility.
 The power of the Vaiñëavas is expressed in a Bengali song beginning gauräìgera bhakta-gaëi jani jani çakti dhare: “The devotees of Lord Caitanya are very powerful, and every one of them can deliver the whole world.” But the disciple has to do his part also. On receiving the grace of a Vaiñëava, one must agree to give up his sinful activities. Then the spiritual master can take care of him and elevate him to spiritual emancipation. Devotees who may not be on the level of a paramahaàsa like Närada Muni, but who strictly follow in his disciplic succession, can also deliver infallible knowledge. Çréla Prabhupäda writes:
The spiritual master, being in the disciplic succession stemming from Närada Muni, is in the same category with Närada Muni. A person can be relieved of his sinful activity if he surrenders to the lotus feet of a person who actually represents Närada Muni. [Cc. Madhya 24.258, purport]
 Another proof of the power of the mahätmä is his ability to convert nondevotees into saintly persons. Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura stated that a Vaiñëava can be tested by seeing how good a “touchstone” he is—by seeing how many Vaiñëavas he has made during his life. Lord Caitanya desired that as many persons as possible should repeat the message of Kåñëa and convince others to take up Kåñëa consciousness, following in the footsteps of Närada Muni and other great äcäryas.
  In conclusion, the association of a mahätmä is very rare, and yet it is available to a sincere seeker. Upon contacting a great soul, one should realize one’s good fortune, and with a joyful but serious attitude one should surrender unto his lotus feet. How one should regard a mahätmä upon meeting him is exemplified in this quote from the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (13.2), spoken by Lord Caitanya to Sanätana Gosvämé:
My dear Vaiñëava, seeing a person like you is the perfection of one’s eyesight, touching your lotus feet is the perfection of the sense of touch, and glorifying your good qualities is the tongue’s real activity, for in the material world it is very difficult to find a pure devotee of the Lord.
TEXT 40
labhyate ’pi tat-kåpayaiva
SYNONYMS
labhyate—it is gained; api—yet; tat—of Him (the Supreme Lord); kåpayä—by the mercy; eva—only.
TRANSLATION
The association of great souls can be attained—but only by the Lord’s mercy.
PURPORT
Although the pure devotee is rarely found in the world, the Supreme Lord directly helps a sincere seeker of the truth. As Lord Caitanya declared to Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé:
brahmäëòa bhramite kona bhägyavän jéva
guru-kåñëa-prasäde päya bhakti-latä-béja
 “According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down to the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kåñëa. By the mercy of both Kåñëa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service” (Cc. Madhya 19.151).
 In His Paramätmä feature, Lord Kåñëa is situated in everyone’s heart, and He fulfills our desires in accordance with what we deserve, which is based on our previous activities. (Even sinful desires must be sanctioned by Kåñëa before one can fulfill them.) Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “If the living entity by chance or fortune comes in contact with the Kåñëa consciousness movement and wishes to associate with that movement, Kåñëa, who is situated in everyone’s heart, gives him the chance to meet a bona fide spiritual master” (Cc. Madhya 19.151, purport). If one doesn’t know exactly what or who he is looking for, but he calls out to God and asks to be delivered, the Lord will bestow His mercy—the chance to surrender to a great soul.
 Närada’s disciple Dhruva Mahäräja is an example of one who was helped by God. Dhruva was insulted by his stepmother, and on the advice of his mother he went to seek God in the forest. Although the boy desired an exalted position and revenge, his determination appealed to the Supreme Lord. Dhruva wandered in the forest asking the animals, “Where is God? Are you God?”—and suddenly the great sage Närada appeared before him. Çréla Prabhupäda explains,
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is present in everyone’s heart, and as soon as He understands that the living entity is serious about entering devotional service, He sends His representative. In this way Närada was sent to Dhruva Mahäräja. [Bhäg. 4.8.25, purport]
TEXT 41
tasmiàs taj-jane bhedäbhävät
SYNONYMS
tasmin—in Him; tat—His; jane—in the people; bheda—of difference; abhävät—because of the absence.
TRANSLATION
[One can attain bhakti either by the association of the Lord’s pure devotees or directly by the Lord’s mercy because] the Lord and His pure devotees are nondifferent.
PURPORT
The mercy of the Lord and that of His pure devotees are equally potent because the devotee and the Supreme Lord impart the same teachings. Çré Kåñëa says, “Surrender to Me,” and the pure devotee says, “Yes, I surrender to You,” and tells others, “Surrender to Kåñëa.” Thus the mercy of the Lord and that of His loving servants have the same effect: the seed of devotion is planted in the hearts of receptive conditioned souls.
 The Mäyävädés are always seeking an opportunity to annihilate God’s personal identity, and so they interpret this sütra in the following way: “Just as a river loses its name and form after it enters the ocean, so a devotee loses his individuality when he merges himself in the Lord.” Impersonalists consider annihilation of the self and merging with the Lord as the last word in divine love. As for the meaning intended by Närada and the scriptures, the Mäyävädés say that this is a concession “for the ordinary devotees.”
 Vaiñëavas, however, do not tolerate such blasphemous word jugglery. The oneness of God and guru (or God and all living beings) is a oneness in quality. The living entities are small samples of the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is full, powerful, and opulent. The living beings tend to forget their qualitative oneness with the Lord, and so He appears in the form of scriptures, great souls, and the caitya-guru (Supersoul) to remind us of our spiritual identity. The Supersoul doesn’t have to be reminded of His own divinity, because He is never designated by a material body. This is another difference between the jévas and the Lord: The Lord is always self-enlightened in His spiritual form, while the jévas are always prone to come under the influence of mäyä. Another difference between the two is that the Supersoul is present in everyone’s body, whereas the individual conditioned soul is present in one particular body.
 The sac-cid-änanda form of Godhead is different from that of the living entity in both his conditioned and liberated states. Although the Mäyävädés will continue to misunderstand the philosophy of spiritual oneness, a kavi, or learned person, doesn’t commit such mistakes. Çréla Prabhupäda describes the position of the Mäyävädés and those they influence:
Only atheists consider the living entity and the Personality of Godhead equal in all respects. Caitanya Mahäprabhu therefore says, mäyävädi-bhäñya çunile haya sarva-näça: “If one follows the instructions of Mäyävädé philosophers and believes that the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the individual soul are one, his understanding of real philosophy is forever doomed.” [Bhäg. 4.28.63, purport]
TEXT 42
tad eva sädhyatäà tad eva sädhyatäm
SYNONYMS
tat—that; eva—only; sädhyatäm—should be strived for; tat—that; eva—only; sädhyatäm—should be strived for.
TRANSLATION
Strive, strive only for the association of pure devotees.
PURPORT
Näradadeva blesses the hearers of the Närada-bhakti-sütra with his advice, repeated twice here for emphasis—strive, strive for attaining the lotus feet of guru and Kåñëa via the association of pure devotees. When the Lord and His devotees see our sincere efforts, they will give us all required assistance.
 The best expression of single-minded devotion to Kåñëa was given by Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu. Let us strive to follow in His footsteps, always asking for direction from His well-wishing followers and always praying as He showed us in His Çikñäñöaka (4):
na dhanaà na janaà na sundaréà
kavitäà vä jagad-éça kämaye
mama janmani janmanéçvare
bhavatäd bhaktir ahaituké tvayi
 “O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth.”
TEXT 43
duùsaìgaà sarvathaiva tyäjyaù
SYNONYMS
duùsaìgam—bad association; sarvathä—in all its aspects; eva—indeed; tyäjyaù—to be given up.
TRANSLATION
One should give up all kinds of degrading association.
PURPORT
After stating that the association of pure devotees is as good as being with the Supreme Lord, Närada informs us of the destructive effects of bad company. As we mentioned previously, Lord Caitanya once defined a Vaiñëava as one who gives up the association of worldly people and nondevotees: asat-saìga-tyäga—ei vaiñëava äcära. Caitanya Mahäprabhu specifically enumerated different types of asat-saìga: stré-sangé, eka asädhu krsnäbhakta ära (Cc. Madhya 22.87). A Vaiñëava should avoid stré-saìgé, those who associate loosely with women, and he should also shun the kåñëa-abhaktas, those who are not devotees of Kåñëa. This especially refers to Mäyävädés.
 Lord Kapila states, “The infatuation and bondage that accrue to a man from attachment to any other object is not as complete as that resulting from an attachment to a woman or to the fellowship of men who are fond of women” (Bhäg. 3.31.35). In the Kali-yuga, we are constantly invited to partake in illicit sex through advertising and television. Unrestricted social mixing between men and women is a major distraction from the spiritual path.
 The statements about women should not be taken as a criticism of women as a class. Just as woman is often the symbol of mäyä for a man, so attachment to men is also the main entanglement for a woman. As Lord Kapila states, “A woman, therefore, should consider her husband, her house, and her children to be the arrangement of the external energy of the Lord for her death, just as the sweet singing of the hunter is death for the deer” (Bhäg. 3.31.42). Of course, it is not possible to completely restrict the sexes from associating with each other, and so the positive approach is to put Kåñëa in the center of one’s life. If a man and a woman live in a Kåñëa conscious marriage, transferring their main attachment to Kåñëa, then their relationship may become a source of spiritual rejuvenation.
 When Lord Caitanya says that one should avoid the non-sädhus, he means persons who don’t follow basic principles of religious life. For example, every Kåñëa conscious devotee follows the four rules, but the non-sädhus always indulge in illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication, and gambling. If a devotee begins to intensively associate with non-sädhus, he will eventually pick up their habits, despite all his knowledge and training. As stated in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya, “Association is very important. It acts just like a crystal stone, which will reflect anything put before it” (The Nectar of Devotion, p. 106). And as Lord Caitanya taught Sanätana Gosvämé, “One should not even see those who are bereft of devotional service in Kåñëa consciousness and who are therefore devoid of pious activities” (Cc. Madhya 22.92).
 When the demon Hiraëyakaçipu sarcastically inquired from his son about Kåñëa consciousness, Prahläda explained why the demons cannot possibly know about Kåñëa:
matir na kåñëe parataù svato vä
mitho ’bhépadyeta gåha-vratänäm
adänta-gobhir viçatäà tamisraà
punaù-punaç-carvita-carvaëänäm
 “[Prahläda Mahäräja said:] Because of their uncontrolled senses, persons too addicted to materialistic life make progress toward hellish conditions and repeatedly chew that which has already been chewed. Their inclinations toward Kåñëa are never aroused, either by the instructions of others, by their own efforts, or by a combination of both” (Bhäg. 7.5.30).
 Those with uncontrolled senses can never know Kåñëa themselves, and if an aspiring devotee associates with them, he will also lose his ability to know Kåñëa.
 Association with nondevotees takes place in many ways, aside from face-to-face encounters. Through books, movies, gathering places—the possibilities of contact are unlimited. Especially nowadays, a person may apparently live alone in a city apartment and yet be completely immersed in bad association through mass media and technological entertainment. It takes deliberate cultivation, and a fight, to remove oneself from bad influences.
 One may object to these injunctions and claim, “God is everywhere! Why say that certain people are bad?” The topmost devotee, the mahä-bhägavata, can see all persons as perfect servants of God. He humbly thinks that everyone is a servant of the Lord except himself. But another qualification of a mahä-bhägavata is that he always thinks of Kåñëa and never forgets Him for a moment. One should not imitate one aspect of the mahä-bhägavata’s activities while lacking his qualifications. In other words, on the plea of following the example of the great devotees, one should not indulge in bad association and claim, “It’s all Kåñëa.”
 The great majority of devotees have to make an effort to come up from the lower (kaniñöha) stage of devotion, where one sees God only in the temple. They have to strive to reach the second stage (madhyama), where one acknowledges that God is in everyone’s heart and yet discriminates in his relationships. The madhyama-bhakta saves his love for the Supreme Lord, makes friendships with like-minded devotees, shows compassion to innocent persons, and avoids the demons. He takes seriously the following injunction from the Kätyäyana-saàhitä: “It is better to accept the miseries of being encaged within bars and surrounded by burning flames than to associate with those bereft of Kåñëa consciousness. Such association is a very great hardship” (Cc. Madhya 22.91).
TEXT 44
käma-krodha-moha-småti-bhraàça-buddhi-näça-sarva-näça-käraëatvät
SYNONYMS
käma—of lust; krodha—anger; moha—bewilderment; småti-bhraàça—failure of memory; buddhi-näça—loss of intelligence; sarva-näça—and total loss; käraëatvät—because of being the cause.
TRANSLATION
Material association is the cause of lust, anger, confusion, forgetfulness, loss of intelligence, and total calamity.
PURPORT
One may wonder why Närada is dwelling on the effects of bad association after having discussed advanced subjects in bhakti-yoga. But who else will heed the warnings except those who are serious about crossing the ocean of birth and death? Even one who is practicing devotional service in the renounced order can fall down. As stated in Caitanya-candrodaya-näöaka (8.23),
niñkiïcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya
päraà paraà jigamiñor bhava-sägarasya
sandarçanaà viñayinäm atha yoñitäà ca
hä hanta hanta viña-bhakñaëato ’py asädhu
 “Alas, for a person who is seriously desiring to cross the material ocean and engage in the transcendental loving service without material motives, seeing a materialist engaged in sense gratification and seeing a woman who is similarly interested are more abominable than drinking poison willingly.” And so the advice against bad association is intended for all, including those transcendentalists who wish to progress without impediment.
 In the Bhagavad-gétä (2.62–63), Lord Kåñëa analyzes the soul’s downfall due to bad association:
dhyäyato viñayän puàsaù saìgas teñüpajäyate
saìgät saïjäyate kämaù kämät krodho ’bhijäyate
krodhäd bhavati sammohaù sammohät småti-vibhramaù
småti-bhraàçäd buddhi-näço buddhi-näçät praëaçyati
  “While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises. From anger complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool.”
 Bad association (duùsaìga) brings out the stored karmic tendencies for sin, thus activating one’s lower propensities. If an aspiring devotee hears the hedonists talk of lusty enjoyments, he may easily become agitated, since until he becomes pure he has many tendencies to enjoy worldly pleasures. As soon as he begins to think about the objects of pleasure, he will begin to desire them. Then he will attempt to fulfill his desires, and on being frustrated he will become angry. Thereafter he will lose his discrimination, become deluded, and so on. By keeping company with nondevotees, therefore, bad habits crop up one after another, and good qualities become ruined. As Lord Kapiladeva states (Bhäg. 3.31.32–33):
If, therefore, the living entity again associates with the path of unrighteousness, influenced by sensually-minded people engaged in the pursuit of sexual enjoyment and the gratification of the palate, he again goes to hell as before. He becomes devoid of truthfulness, cleanliness, mercy, gravity, spiritual intelligence, shyness, austerity, fame, forgiveness, control of the mind, control of the senses, fortune, and all such opportunities.
 Not only “coarse fools” but even austere ascetics—if they are not devotees—are considered duùsaìga. Mental speculators, impersonal yogés, jïänés, and voidists may all adversely influence a devotee and turn him toward nondevotional paths. Bhagavän Äcärya, a follower of Lord Caitanya’s, insisted that he was immune to contamination because he was a fixed-up devotee of the Lord. But Svarüpa Dämodara Gosvämé replied that hearing talks on Mäyäväda philosophy “breaks the heart and life of a devotee” and should not be indulged in. Çréla Prabhupäda writes:
The Mäyävädé philosophers have presented their arguments in such attractive, flowery language that hearing Mäyäväda philosophy may sometimes change the mind of even a mahä-bhägavata, or very advanced devotee. An actual Vaiñëava cannot tolerate any philosophy that claims God and the living being to be one and the same. [Cc. Ädi 7.110, purport]
 Considering the dangers of duùsaìga, even for a fully engaged sädhaka, we can see that Närada has not exaggerated these dangers or given a warning only for neophytes.
TEXT 45
taraìgitä apéme saìgät samudräyanti
SYNONYMS
taraìgitäù—forming waves; api—indeed; ime—these; saìgät—from material association; samudräyanti—create an ocean.
TRANSLATION
Rising like waves from material association, these bad effects mass into a great ocean of misery.
PURPORT
The deluding potency, mäyä, is the Lord’s own energy and can thus overcome even a powerful sage. As Lord Kapila declares, “Among all kinds of living entities begotten by Brahmä, namely men, demigods, and animals, none but the sage Näräyaëa is immune to the attraction of mäyä in the form of a woman” (Bhäg. 3.31.37). One should not flirt with mäyä, thinking that one can transgress a little and then pull back later if it gets too rough. Until we are completely liberated we maintain seeds of destruction within us, and we should not allow them to grow by bad association.
 Once Çréla Prabhupäda learned that some of his initiated disciples had indulged in their former habits of smoking marijuana. Prabhupäda said that this was due to bad association, and he gave the example of bedbugs. During winter, bedbugs seem to disappear from your bed, but in due time they emerge and again bite you and grow fat on your blood. Similarly, a transcendentalist’s käma may seem to be entirely subdued, but it is actually present in a very reduced state. If given a fresh opportunity, his material desires will strike again. On another occasion, Çréla Prabhupäda referred to “hippy seeds.” Having noticed one of his brahmacäré disciples with long hair, he said the disciple’s old hippy tendencies were now sprouting in the form of long hair.
 So it is good to be afraid of even a little bad association and avoid it at all costs. But one may question whether this attitude is at odds with the compassionate mood of the preacher. If the preacher associates with materialists, won’t he become like them? The answer is that a preacher must be strong in his Kåñëa consciousness to prevent becoming contaminated. If he follows the rules and regulations of bhakti-yoga—including association with devotees, chanting and hearing the Lord’s glories, avoiding sense gratification, and so on—then he will be able to preach without falling down. Acting as the spiritual master of Lord Caitanya, Éçvara Puré gave him instructions that in truth are directed at us: “My dear child, continue dancing, chanting, and performing saìkértana in association with devotees. Furthermore, go out and preach the value of chanting kåñëa-näma, for by this process You will be able to deliver all fallen souls” (Cc. Ädi 7.92). Similarly, Çréla Prabhupäda instructed his disciples to be compassionate preachers:
One who is not very expert in preaching may chant in a secluded place, avoiding bad association, but for one who is actually advanced, preaching and meeting people who are not engaged in devotional service are not disadvantages. A devotee gives the nondevotees his association but is not affected by their misbehavior. Thus by the activities of a pure devotee even those who are bereft of love of Godhead get a chance to become devotees of the Lord one day. [Cc. Ädi 7.92, purport]
 Çréla Prabhupäda sometimes told the following story to illustrate how one may mix with nondevotees and yet keep one’s devotional integrity:
 Once a crocodile invited a monkey in a tree to come and ride on his back. The foolish monkey jumped down from the tree and soon found himself clinging to the crocodile’s back in the middle of the river.
 The monkey asked the crocodile, “Where are we going?”
 The crocodile replied, “I’m going to take you home, where my wife will cut out your heart and we will eat you for lunch!”
 The monkey replied, “But I left my heart back on shore in the tree. Will you please let me get it?”
 The crocodile thought this was a good proposal and allowed the monkey to touch shore. But the monkey jumped into his tree and refused to accept further invitations from the crocodile.
 The moral of this story: You may associate with the nondevotee, but don’t give him your heart.
 Preachers living in ISKCON temples follow this advice daily. They rise early and gather for maìgala-ärati before the temple Deities, chant kértana and japa, hear Çrémad-Bhägavatam class, and honor prasädam in the association of devotees. Strengthened by this morning program, they go out to preach in the most materialistic places in the world, offering people a chance to receive Kåñëa’s mercy in the form of literature, prasädam, or hari-näma. In the early evening the preachers return to the temple for more chanting and hearing. While they are with the nondevotees, they do not compromise their devotional principles, and thus they keep their hearts aloof from the modes of material nature and bad association.
 Of course, if a preacher finds himself being overwhelmed by the material energy, he should save himself instead of allowing mäyä to swallow him up while he’s trying to save others. But Närada’s advice against bad association does not mean that those who are strong enough to preach should not approach the Jagäis and Mädhäis of this world and humbly offer them the holy name and transcendental literature. If devotees don’t approach them, how will the fools and rascals be saved?
TEXT 46
kas tarati kas tarati mäyäà yaù saìgaà tyajati yo mahänubhävaà sevate nirmamo bhavati
SYNONYMS
kaù—who; tarati—crosses beyond; kaù—who; tarati—crosses beyond; mäyäm—illusion; yaù—he who; saìgam—material association; tyajati—abandons; yaù—who; mahä-anubhävam—the wise person; sevate—serves; nirmamaù—free from false proprietorship; bhavati—becomes.
TRANSLATION
Who can cross beyond illusion? One who abandons material association, serves the sages, and becomes selfless.
PURPORT
Crossing over mäyä is sometimes compared to crossing an ocean. At the time of death the conditioned soul has to transmigrate to another material body, and even if he is born in a higher planet, he still has to suffer repeated birth and death. To cross the limits of this ocean of saàsära, he has to go back to Godhead. But this is very difficult, because any material desires, whether sinful or pious, will plunge the conditioned soul back into saàsära.
  However, Lord Kåñëa makes the process easy. In the Bhagavad-gétä (7.14) He states,
daivé hy eñä guëa-mayé mama mäyä duratyayä
mäm eva ye prapadyante mäyäm etäà taranti te
 “This divine energy of mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.”
 Närada is now giving detailed information on how to surrender to Kåñëa and cross over the powerful ocean of illusion. In this sütra he mentions renouncing attachment, associating with great souls, and becoming free of possessiveness. One has to attempt all these and other favorable methods, but at the same time one must understand that he cannot swim across the ocean on his own. By one’s sincere acts of devotion, Kåñëa is moved to come to the rescue. Lord Kåñëa tells Arjuna, “But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service—for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death” (Bg. 12.6–7). In his purport Çréla Prabhupäda states, “Simply by chanting the holy name of Kåñëa—Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare—a devotee of the Lord can approach the supreme destination easily and happily, but this destination cannot be approached by any other process of religion.”
 As already stated, the mercy of the Lord is best obtained from His pure devotees. They enable one to take shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet, which act like a boat to carry one across the vast ocean of mäyä:
 O lotus-eyed Lord, by concentrating one’s meditation on Your lotus feet, which are the reservoir of all existence, and by accepting those lotus feet as the boat by which to cross the ocean of nescience, one follows in the footsteps of mahä-janas [great saints, sages, and devotees]. By this simple process, one can cross the ocean of nescience as easily as one steps over the hoofprint of a calf. [Bhäg. 10.2.30]
TEXT 47
yo vivikta-sthänaà sevate yo loka-bandham unmülayati nistraiguëyo bhavati yo yoga-kñemaà tyajati
SYNONYMS
yaù—who; vivikta—secluded; sthänam—a place; sevate—serves; yaù—who; loka—of mundane society; bandham—the bondage; unmülayati—uproots; nistrai-guëyaù—free from the influence of the three modes of material nature; bhavati—becomes; yaù—who; yoga—(desire for) gain; kñemam—and security; tyajati—gives up.
TRANSLATION
[Who can cross beyond illusion?] That person who stays in a secluded place, cuts off at the root his attachment to mundane society, becomes free from the influence of the three modes of nature, and gives up hankering for material gain and security.
PURPORT
Närada is giving more ways to cross beyond mäyä. The first is solitude (vivikta-sthänaà sevate). Several times in the Bhagavad-gétä Lord Kåñëa advises that one practice spiritual life alone. Solitude is particularly stressed in meditative yoga, which requires that one live alone in a secluded place (rahasi sthitaù ekäké) (Bg. 6.10). And in the Thirteenth Chapter, when listing the items of knowledge, Lord Kåñëa includes vivikta-deça-sevitvam, “aspiring to live in a solitary place” (Bg. 13.11). Again, in the Eighteenth Chapter, when describing a person who has been elevated to the position of self-realization, Lord Kåñëa says that he “lives in a solitary place” (vivikta-sevé) (Bg. 18.52).
 Neophyte devotees, however, are not advised to live alone. Although solitary bhajana was practiced by Nämäcärya Haridäsa Öhäkura, and sometimes by Lord Caitanya, Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura criticized devotees who prematurely wanted to chant in a solitary place. He wrote, “My dear mind, why are you so proud of being a Vaiñëava? Your solitary worship and chanting of the holy name of the Lord are based on a desire for cheap popularity, and therefore your chanting of the holy name is only a pretension” (quoted in Kåñëa, p. 882).
 A sacred and solitary place, as mentioned in the Gétä, also refers to a place of pilgrimage. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “In India the yogés—the transcendentalists or the devotees—all leave home and reside in sacred places such as Prayäga, Mathurä, Våndävana, Håñékeça, and Hardwar and in solitude practice yoga where the sacred rivers like the Yamunä and Ganges flow” (Bg. 6.11–12, purport). For devotees of Kåñëa, the most sacred place of pilgrimage is Mathurä-maëòala, the district that includes Mathurä and Våndävana. Rüpa Gosvämé recommends living in Mathurä-maëòala as one of the five main principles of bhakti-yoga, and Çréla Prabhupäda praises Mathurä-maëòala as follows in his summary study of Rüpa Gosvämé’s Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu:
 A pure devotee of Lord Kåñëa resides in the district of Mathurä or Våndävana and visits all the places where Kåñëa’s pastimes were performed.... Actually, if someone goes to Våndävana, he will immediately feel separation from Kåñëa, who performed such nice activities when He was present there. [The Nectar of Devotion, p. 139]
 Çréla Prabhupäda worked hard for many years to establish temples in Våndävana and in Mäyäpura, the birthplace of Lord Caitanya, so that Westerners could come and be purified by living in the dhäma. Of Våndävana Çréla Prabhupäda states, “The places in the eighty-four-square-mile district of Mathurä are so beautifully situated on the banks of the river Yamunä that anyone who goes there will never want to return to this material world.... Transcendental feelings are aroused immediately without fail after one arrives in Mathurä or Våndävana” (The Nectar of Devotion, p. 111). The essential benefit of a solitary place is that it provides freedom from worldly people and passions. For devotees, this can best be attained in the dhäma, in the association of like-minded souls.
 Närada also says that one who wants to overcome mäyä must break the bonds of material attachment and live above the modes of nature. These are some of the natural results of Kåñëa conscious life. In the Fourteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gétä Lord Kåñëa describes how the three modes of nature—goodness, passion, and ignorance—bind the living entity in saàsära. To become free of the modes, one has to hear the truth from the spiritual master. Then one will gradually understand his original spiritual nature and how one is entrapped by the modes. If one lives in the association of transcendentalists and serves Lord Kåñëa along with them, one will not be controlled by the modes of goodness, passion, and ignorance. The äcäryas tell us that living in the forest is in the mode of goodness, living in a town is in the mode of passion, and living in a brothel is in the mode of ignorance—but to live in a temple of Viñëu, in the society of devotees, is Vaikuëöha. Indeed, another meaning of “secluded and sacred place” is the temple of the Lord. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “In this bhakti-yoga system, the temple is considered the sacred place. The temple is nirguëa, transcendental” (The Path of Perfection, p. 38).
 Närada also recommends renouncing anxieties for acquisition and maintenance: yoga-kñemaà tyajati. Lord Kåñëa also mentions yoga-kñema in the Bhagavad-gétä (9.22):
ananyäç cintayanto mäà ye janäù paryupäsate
teñäà nityäbhiyuktänäà yoga-kñemaà vahämy aham
  “But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.”
 Dependence on the Lord for maintenance is an advanced stage of spiritual life, but it is not based on imagination. The principle is that one should not want more than what is absolutely necessary. Wanting anything beyond that will simply cause anxiety. In any case, whether one is a poor brähmaëa, a mendicant sannyäsé, a businessman, or an administrator in a religious institution, he or she should realize that the Supreme Lord is the actual maintainer. If we live simply, engaging in Kåñëa’s service and not creating unnecessary demands, we will be able to reduce concerns for maintenance and enter the spirit of yoga-kñemaà tyajati, as recommended by Närada Muni.
TEXT 48
yaù karma-phalaà karmäëi sanyasyati tato nirdvandvo bhavati
SYNONYMS
yaù—who; karma-phalam—the fruit of material work; karmäëi—his material activities; sanyasati—resigns; tataù—thus; nirdvandvaù—un-affected by dualities; bhavati—becomes.
TRANSLATION
[Who can cross beyond illusion?] That person who renounces material duties and their profits, thus transcending duality.
PURPORT
A devotee has faith that Lord Kåñëa will supply his needs. But this does not mean that he becomes lazy or inactive. He works for Kåñëa. By dedicating all acts to the Lord, the devotee becomes free from karmic reactions. As long as one continues to work under the influence of the modes of nature, one must experience duality—good and bad, hot and cold, rich and poor, pleasure and pain, and so on. As Lord Kåñëa states in Bhagavad-gétä (7.27),
icchä-dveña-samutthena dvandva-mohena bhärata
sarva-bhütäni sammohaà sarge yänti parantapa
 “O scion of Bhärata, O conqueror of foes, all living entities are born into delusion, bewildered by dualities arisen from desire and hate.” And in his purport, Prabhupäda explains,
Deluded persons, symptomatically, dwell in dualities of dishonor and honor, misery and happiness, woman and man, good and bad, pleasure and pain, etc., thinking, “This is my wife; this is my house; I am the master of this house; I am the husband of this wife.” These are the dualities of delusion. Those who are so deluded by dualities are completely foolish and therefore cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
 The delusion of duality stems from identifying the self with the body. When a person understands that he is not the body but an eternal servant of Kåñëa, the delusion of duality ceases for him. A devotee can break the bonds of duality even while living in the material world. When a devotee feels bodily heat or cold, pleasure or pain, he sees it in terms of the body, and he continues to perform his service without distraction. Early in the Bhagavad-gétä, Lord Kåñëa advises Arjuna to remain equipoised in both happiness and distress. Later, Kåñëa expresses His pleasure with the devotee who transcends duality: “One who neither rejoices nor grieves, who neither laments nor desires, and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things—such a devotee is very dear to Me” (Bg. 12.17).
 It should be obvious by now that bhakti is not merely pious thoughts of “love” but rather fearless action. Närada asks nothing less of the bhakta than complete surrender and complete dedication unto the will of Bhagavän. But if at any point one feels himself unable to reach the ideals taught by Närada, he is not condemned. Lord Kåñëa also says that if we cannot achieve the topmost surrender, then we should do what we can and try to progress gradually (see Bhagavad-gétä 12.8–12). But we should be humble about our inability to fully surrender to Lord Kåñëa. We should not attempt to change the uncompromising teachings in order to justify our weakness. Närada and the Vaiñëava äcäryas are asking us to change our lives in order to become bhaktas, because that alone will make us eternally happy. The difficulties we feel in making these changes are due to our material attachments.
 Lord Kåñëa gives a stern order in Bhagavad-gétä (3.30):
mayi sarväëi karmäëi sannyasyädhyätma-cetasä
niräçér nirmamo bhütvä yudhyasva vigata-jvaraù
 “O Arjuna, surrendering all your works unto Me, with full knowledge of Me, without desires for profit, with no claims to proprietorship, and free from lethargy, fight.” And Çréla Prabhupäda was also stern, cautioning his followers, “An easy-going life and Kåñëa consciousness go ill together.” Mäyä dictates to us to take it easy and stay in the material world, but her suggestions are only a deception. She will tell us not to perform austerities in devotional service, but if we fall under her influence, we will be forced to labor and suffer in lower species of life, birth after birth. Närada is asking us to undergo a little trouble now in order to cross over the ocean of mäyä and be free of all suffering forever.
TEXT 49
yo vedän api sanyasyati kevalam avicchinnänurägaà labhate
SYNONYMS
yaù—who; vedän—the Vedas; api—even; sanyasyati—renounces; kevalam—exclusive; avicchinna—uninterrupted; anurägam—loving attraction; labhate—obtains.
TRANSLATION
That person who renounces even the Vedas obtains exclusive and uninterrupted attraction for God.
PURPORT
By “renouncing the Vedas” Närada means renouncing the fruitive sacrifices recommended in the Vedas’ karma-käëòéya portions, which are for those pursuing fruitive results. Lord Kåñëa advises Arjuna, “The Vedas deal mainly with the subject of the three modes of material nature. O Arjuna, become transcendental to these three modes.... All purposes served by a small well can at once be served by a great reservoir of water. Similarly, all the purposes of the Vedas can be served to one who knows the purpose behind them” (Bg. 2.45–46). The karma-käëòéya instructions are for gradual development, but the ultimate goal is to know Lord Kåñëa, the cause of all causes (see Bhagavad-gétä 15.15). If one is attached only to the rituals and not the goal, then he cannot rise to the transcendental stage.
 Similarly, the study of the Vedänta-sütra is meant for understanding Lord Kåñëa. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “Vedänta is the last word in Vedic wisdom, and the author and knower of the Vedänta philosophy is Lord Kåñëa; and the highest Vedäntist is the great soul who takes pleasure in chanting the holy name of the Lord” (Bg. 2.46, purport).
 Çréla Vyäsadeva begins the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.1.2) with the declaration that no lesser forms of religion will be taught: dharmaù projjhita-kaitavaù. Only pure devotional service is taught in the Bhägavata Puräëa. Lord Kåñëa also concludes His instructions to Arjuna by advising him, sarva-dharmän parityajya mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja: “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.” (Bg. 18.66)
 Still, although a pure devotee ignores the karma-käëòéya portion of the Vedas and gives up all forms of dharma save bhakti, he never defies the bhakti-çästras or gives up following their injunctions. In fact, liberated souls always relish hearing the pastimes of the Personality of Godhead from transcendental books like the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, the Caitanya-caritämåta, and the works of the six Gosvämés of Våndävana. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “The Çrémad-Bhägavatam. .. is purely transcendental literature which can be understood only by the pure devotees of the Lord who are transcendental to competitive sense gratification” (Bhäg. 1.1.2, purport). Çréla Vyäsadeva says, “O thoughtful devotees, as long as you are not absorbed in transcendental bliss, you should continue tasting the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, and when you are fully absorbed in bliss you should go on tasting its mellows forever” (Bhäg. 1.1.3). The sages at Naimiñäraëya declare, “We never tire of hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Personality of Godhead, who is glorified by hymns and prayers. Those who enjoy association with Him relish hearing His pastimes at every moment” (Bhäg. 1.1.19).
 Even great souls who were liberated in Brahman realization became attracted to the narrations of Kåñëa in Çrémad-Bhägavatam. As Çukadeva Gosvämé told Mahäräja Parékñit, “My dear King, although I was fully situated in the transcendental position, I was nonetheless attracted to the pastimes of Lord Kåñëa. Therefore I studied Çrémad-Bhägavatam from my father.” (Bhäg. 2.1.9) And Lord Caitanya, though God Himself, constantly relished hearing the Bhägavatam and other Vaiñëava literatures, as well as the poetry of Vaiñëava saints, which He discussed among His intimate devotees. So renouncing the karma-käëòéya rituals of the Vedas does not mean giving up the eternal pastimes of Lord Kåñëa.
 For those who are striving for perfection, certainly the relevant part of the Vedas is not to be rejected. But sometimes devotees in the spontaneous stage appear to come into conflict with Vedic customs. Once Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya had to explain this stage of spontaneous love to King Pratäparudra. The king had observed the devotees of Lord Caitanya arriving in Puré without following some of the customary rules. The king asked Särvabhauma, “Why have they not observed the regulations for visiting the pilgrimage place, such as fasting and shaving the head? Why have they first eaten prasädam?” Särvabhauma replied to the king, “What you have said is right according to the regulative principles governing the visiting of holy places, but there is another path, which is the path of spontaneous love. According to those principles, there are subtle intricacies involved in the execution of religious principles” (Cc. Madhya 11.111–12). Because Lord Caitanya was personally present and distributing prasädam from His own hand, His intimate devotees neglected the regulative principle of fasting.
 Närada uses the word kevalam, which indicates that one’s love for Kåñëa must be undivided and unalloyed. Bhakti as taught by Närada is not part-time service, or devotion only up to a certain point. In the spontaneous stage, all considerations except bhakti are unimportant, as in the gopés’ rejection of family and social considerations. The gopés did not disregard their duties consciously, but they were simply unable to think of anything but going to Kåñëa.
 When a devotee reaches the stage Närada describes here, his devotional service flows uninterruptedly. Queen Kunté aspired for that stage: “O Lord of Madhu,” she prayed, “as the Ganges ever flows to the sea without hindrance, let my attraction be constantly drawn unto You without being diverted to anyone else” (Bhäg. 1.8.42). Çréla Prabhupäda describes Närada Muni’s own flow of devotional service:
Such a flow of devotional service cannot stop. On the contrary, it increases more and more without limitation. The flow of devotional service is so potent that any onlooker also becomes liberated from the influence of the modes of passion and ignorance. [Bhäg. 1.5.28, purport]
 Neophyte devotees complain of sporadic enthusiasm. They are sometimes eager to chant and hear of Kåñëa, but at other times they are troubled by thoughts of sense pleasure and a lack of taste for Kåñëa consciousness. This up-and-down syndrome is not unusual for beginners. Every soul’s original state is to experience a spontaneous flow of love of God, but this love has been covered by countless millions of years of conditioning in the material world. This conditioning is not easy to overcome. In the early stages of bhakti, therefore, determination is of the utmost importance. At the same time, we may be inspired by the reality of spontaneous love as described by Närada and exhibited by devotees who serve the Lord in prema-bhakti.
TEXT 50
sa tarati sa tarati lokäàs tärayati
SYNONYMS
saù—he; tarati—crosses beyond; saù—he; tarati—crosses beyond; lokän—the people of this world; tärayati—he makes cross beyond.
TRANSLATION
Such a person, indeed, is delivered, and he also delivers the rest of the world.
PURPORT
Närada repeats “He crosses mäyä” so that there will be no doubt. The skeptic questions, “Has anyone really crossed over mäyä?” Don’t doubt, Närada says: The pure devotee crosses mäyä, and he can deliver you, too.
 Many disciples of Çréla Prabhupäda attest to the fact that he personally picked them up from mäyä. When I first met Çréla Prabhupäda, I asked him, “Is there a stage in spiritual advancement from which one won’t fall back?” Prabhupäda replied, “Yes.” And his answer convinced me. The perfect answer in a book would not have been enough for me. Although great souls are not self-assertive, they personally demonstrate that liberated persons do exist, and that they can help us. As the demigods stated in their prayers to Kåñëa as He lay in the womb of Devaké, “When äcäryas completely take shelter under Your lotus feet in order to cross the fierce ocean of nescience, they leave behind on earth the method by which they cross, and because You are very merciful to Your other devotees, You accept this method to help them” (Bhäg. 10.2.31). Çréla Prabhupäda writes,
If things are made easy, this affords facility for the person who has made them easy and also for others who follow the same principles. The process recommended for crossing the ocean of nescience is easy not only for the devotee but for common persons who follow the devotee (mahä-jano yena gataù sa panthäù). [Bhäg. 10.2.30, purport]
 Pure devotees help others in many ways. Sometimes they give lectures, and at other times they meet with both devotees and nondevotees. When persons come forward for more serious instruction, the pure devotee acts as spiritual master and trains disciples to render service to the Personality of Godhead. Sometimes pure devotees become authors. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “It is the duty of the äcärya to publish books that will help future candidates take up the method of service and become eligible to return home, back to Godhead, by the mercy of the Lord.” Sometimes the liberated souls recruit disciples who then go out and preach, following the example of their spiritual master. Great souls sometimes begin movements or societies in which devotees can live and practice bhakti. And sometimes they construct temples where the public can come to see the Deity form of Lord Kåñëa and taste His prasädam, the remnants of food offered to Him. Thus both by personal example and by precept, and even after their disappearance from the mortal world, the great souls help the conditioned souls who have forgotten their love for Kåñëa. As Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura so eloquently put it:
 He reasons ill who says that Vaiñëavas die,
When thou art living still in sound!
The Vaiñëavas die to live, and living try
To spread the holy name around.
Chapter 4
Pure and Mixed Devotion
TEXT 51
anirvacanéyaà prema-svarüpam
SYNONYMS
anirvacanéyam—beyond description; prema—of mature love of God; svarüpam—the essential identity.
TRANSLATION
The true nature of pure love of God is beyond description.
PURPORT
Although Närada has been expertly analyzing bhakti from the beginning stages up to parä bhakti, he now says that it is inexpressible. Bhakti is particularly inexplicable to unqualified persons. Until a person practices devotion with faith, how can he know of it just by inquiring from a sage? Sometimes when devotees would ask Çréla Prabhupäda questions on subjects that were beyond their ability to understand, he would give the analogy of a small boy trying to understand sexual pleasure. Because the child is physically immature, he cannot know what sex is, but once he reaches puberty, he automatically understands. When I first began typing Prabhupäda’s manuscript of Teachings of Lord Caitanya, I was curious about some esoteric aspects of parä bhakti. Lord Caitanya described that when a devotee reaches perfection, he chooses to follow a particular eternal resident of Våndävana and learn of his own rasa from that resident. In March of 1967 I wrote to Prabhupäda asking more about this subject. He replied as follows:
When we are in the perfect stage of devotional service, we can know our eternal relation with Krishna, and as such one of the associates of Lord Krishna becomes our ideal leader. This acceptance of leadership by one of the eternal associates of the Lord is not artificial. Do not therefore try it at present; it will be automatically revealed to you at the proper time.
 It is not only immature young bhaktas who are barred from understanding parä bhakti. This advanced stage of devotion is even beyond the ability of erudite scholars to fathom. Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja writes, “The pastimes of Lord Kåñëa are uncommonly full of transcendental potency. It is characteristic of such pastimes that they do not fall within the jurisdiction of experimental logic and arguments” (Cc. Antya 19.103). Rüpa Gosvämé echoes this statement: “The activities and symptoms of that exalted personality in whose heart love of Godhead has awakened cannot be understood even by the most learned scholar” (Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu 1.4.17).
 To say that bhakti is inexpressible is not merely an evasive reply given to an outsider. In the higher stages especially, bhakti is inconceivable. The most intense expression of love of Godhead was displayed by Lord Caitanya. As described in Caitanya-caritämåta, Çré Kåñëa wanted to know the love that Çrématé Rädhäräëé felt for Him, and so He appeared as Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya’s ecstatic feelings and expressions were recorded in notes kept by Svarüpa Dämodara Gosvämé, memorized by Raghunätha däsa Gosvämé, and related by Raghunätha däsa to Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämé. But in telling these pastimes in the Caitanya-caritämåta, Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja confessed his limitations:
Even Anantadeva, who possesses thousands of mouths, cannot fully describe the ecstatic transformations that Lord Caitanya experienced in a single day. What can a poor creature like me describe of those transformations? I can give only a hint of them, as if showing the moon through branches of a tree. This description, however, will satisfy the mind and ears of anyone who hears it, and he will be able to understand these uncommon activities of deep ecstatic love for Kåñëa. Ecstatic love for Kåñëa is wonderfully deep. By personally tasting the glorious sweetness of that love, Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu showed us its extreme limits. [Cc. Antya 17.64–67]
 Although prema-bhakti is beyond words, whatever can be conveyed by authorized devotees is appreciated by those who are sincere and faithful. Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja says,
Just try to hear these topics with faith, for there is great pleasure even in hearing them. That hearing will destroy all miseries pertaining to the body, mind, and other living entities, and the unhappiness of false arguments as well. [Cc. Antya 19.110]
 A Vaiñëava compares the pastimes of Lord Kåñëa or Lord Caitanya to the unlimited sky. Many birds fly in the sky, but some fly higher according to their abilities. In the society of devotees, realized souls share their realizations, but no one presumes to describe all the qualities or pastimes of Kåñëa. Bhakti can therefore be partially expressed, but its totality is inconceivable and inexpressible. When Lord Caitanya was about to teach Rüpa Gosvämé, He said,
My dear Rüpa, please listen to Me. It is not possible to describe devotional service completely; therefore I am just trying to give you a synopsis of the symptoms of devotional service. The ocean of the transcendental mellow of devotional service is so big that no one can estimate its length and breadth. However, just to help you taste it, I am describing but one drop. [Cc. Madhya 19.136–37]
TEXT 52
mükäsvädana-vat
SYNONYMS
mükä—of a mute; äsvädana—the tasting; vat—like.
TRANSLATION
[Trying to describe the experience of pure love of God] is like a mute’s effort to describe what he tastes.
PURPORT
Even a qualified devotee may not be able to put his exact experience of love of God into words. Language has its limits for conveying experience, but it may function like the branch of the tree that helps us locate the moon in the sky. In describing the gradual development of bhakti to Rüpa Gosvämé, Lord Caitanya compared it to an intensifying taste of sweetness:
Gradual development of love of God may be compared to different states of sugar. First there is the seed of the sugar cane, then sugar cane, and then the juice extracted from the cane. When this juice is boiled, it forms liquid molasses, then solid molasses, then sugar, candy, rock candy, and finally lozenges. [Cc. Madhya 19.179]
 Lord Caitanya went on to describe the combination of devotional ecstasies known as sättvika and vyabhicäré: “These tastes are like a combination of yogurt, sugar candy, ghee, black pepper, and camphor, and are as palatable as sweet nectar” (Cc. Madhya 19.182). There is nothing deceptive or incomplete in this language, and yet it is language—the branch pointing to the moon in the sky. After hearing of the taste of love of Godhead, a devotee should aspire for that love and practice devotional service so that he may taste it for himself.
 Närada does not say that the subject matter of bhakti is something so vague and inconceivable that it can never be known or spoken of. His point is that the individual and ultimate experience is so wonderful that it is very hard to describe. One should not glibly say, “I know everything about love of Kåñëa.” Although the gopés always chanted the glories of Lord Kåñëa, they were sometimes struck dumb. Çréla Prabhupäda writes,
Spiritual feelings of happiness and intense ecstasies have no mundane comparison. Therefore it is very difficult to give expression to such feelings. We can have just a glimpse of such ecstasy in the words of Çré Närada Muni. [Bhäg. 1.6.17, purport]
TEXT 53
prakäçyate kväpi pätre
SYNONYMS
prakäçyate—it is revealed; kva api—sometimes; pätre—to a fit recipient.
TRANSLATION
Nonetheless, from time to time pure love of God is revealed to those who are qualified.
PURPORT
A mahä-bhägavata devotee, or the Lord Himself, is pleased to find a fit candidate for understanding the inexpressible meanings of bhakti-yoga. The transference of knowledge in Kåñëa consciousness is, in one sense, very straightforward. Çréla Prabhupäda used to criticize the story of a disciple who said that he received knowledge from his guru by a method similar to receiving an electric shock. Lord Kåñëa taught Arjuna by the process of question and answer, and one may still faithfully study Kåñëa’s lucid words for enlightenment in bhakti-yoga. As always, therefore, the process of receiving the teachings of bhakti-yoga is to serve the spiritual master, inquire from him, and hear his paramparä instructions.
 And yet learning the science of bhakti-yoga is not an ordinary transference of knowledge, as when a professor writes lessons on a blackboard and his students write them down. Only if the spiritual teacher is actually potent and the students are purely receptive can the teacher plant the seed of bhakti (the bhakti-latä-béja) in their hearts. How that seed fructifies in a student’s heart is not understandable by material calculations. Çréla Prabhupäda writes,
Human reason fails to understand how by serving the devotee bhägavata or the book bhägavata one gets gradual promotion on the path of devotion. But actually these are the facts explained by Çréla Näradadeva, who happened to be a maidservant’s son in his previous life. [Bhäg. 1.2.18, purport]
 Although the guru-disciple relationship is a subtle one, it can be understood by the standard qualifications of both persons. For example, although Närada was a young boy, the bhaktivedänta sages who visited his home found him a fit candidate, and so they blessed him. Närada recalls the incident:
Although they were impartial by nature, those followers of the Vedänta blessed me with their causeless mercy. As far as I was concerned, I was self-controlled and had no attachment for sports, even though I was a boy. In addition, I was not naughty and I did not speak more than required. [Bhäg. 1.5.24]
 The sages at Naimiñäraëya praised the speaker Süta Gosvämé in a similar way:
And because you are submissive, your spiritual masters have endowed you with all the favors bestowed upon a gentle disciple. Therefore you can tell us all that you have scientifically learned from them. [Bhäg. 1.1.8]
 For realization of the most advanced spiritual knowledge, such as the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, the devotee has to be extremely well qualified. As Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja says, “Unto one who is able to understand, Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu has shown mercy by giving him the association of the servant of His own servant” (Cc. Madhya 2.83). The spiritual knowledge Lord Caitanya conveyed to Rämänanda Räya was so completely out of the range of mundane vision that Lord Caitanya said that “only a madman can understand it.” Lord Caitanya confided to Rämänanda:
Please rest assured that I have nothing to hide from you. Even if I do try to hide something from you, you are such an advanced devotee that you can understand all My secrets.... The facts which I have disclosed to you cannot be understood by materialistic people. When they hear of this, they will simply laugh at Me. You can understand this yourself and keep it to yourself. [Teachings of Lord Caitanya, p. 346]
 In his later years, when Lord Caitanya exhibited His pastimes of entering intensely into the mood of Rädhäräëé in separation from Kåñëa, He shared this rasa only with His most intimate devotees, such as Rämänanda Räya and Svarüpa Dämodara. They could understand the Lord’s moods, which sometimes produced displays of seeming madness and which ordinary words or behavior could not express. “Only a person on the level of Svarüpa Dämodara Gosvämé can fully know what Lord Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu tastes in His love for Kåñëa” (Cc. Antya 18.22).
 Närada Muni’s point in this sütra is that even when bhakti cannot be expressed in words, its essence can be manifest by the ecstatic symptoms of one great soul and appreciated by other great souls. When Lord Caitanya felt an ecstatic mood coming on but there were nondevotees present, He would try to restrain His outward manifestations of ecstatic love. For example, when Lord Caitanya first met Rämänanda Räya, they embraced and almost lost consciousness, overwhelmed by the ecstatic love of Kåñëa and the gopés. But some stereotyped, ritualistic brähmaëas were present at that time, and they doubted the propriety of the interaction between the Lord and Rämänanda. According to Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja, “While the brähmaëas were thinking in this way about the activities of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu and Rämänanda Räya, Lord Caitanya saw the brähmaëas and restrained His transcendental emotions” (Cc. Madhya 8.28).
 We should not think that only a fixed number of intimate devotees can receive the bhakti-çakti, and that we are obviously not among the chosen. The äcäryas advise us that if we keep striving, one day each one of us may uncover our original, dormant Kåñëa consciousness. Moreover, Lord Caitanya surpassed all previous äcäryas, bhaktas, and incarnations by very liberally distributing intimate love of God. Anyone who is receptive to the saìkértana movement of Lord Caitanya can therefore be quickly elevated to the platform where he can understand the inexpressible experiences of bhakti-yoga. In appreciation for this liberality of Lord Caitanya, Rüpa Gosvämé composed a prayer:
namo mahä-vadänyäya kåñëa-prema-pradäyate
kåñëäya kåñëa-caitanya nämne gaura-tviñe namaù
 “I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Çré Kåñëa Caitanya, who is more magnanimous than any other avatära, even Kåñëa Himself, because He is bestowing freely what no one else has ever given—pure love of Kåñëa.”
TEXT 54
guëa-rahitaà kämanä-rahitaà pratikñaëa-vardhamänam avicchinnaà sükñma-taram anubhava-rüpam
SYNONYMS
guëa—material qualities; rahitam—devoid of; kämanä—material desire; rahitam—devoid of; prati-kñaëa—at every moment; var—dhamänam—increasing; avicchinnam—uninterrupted; sükñma-taram—most subtle; anubhava—consciousness; rüpam—as its form.
TRANSLATION
Pure love of God manifests as the most subtle consciousness, devoid of material qualities and material desires, increasing at every moment, and never interrupted.
PURPORT
What passes for love in the material world often sounds and appears like bhakti, at least to those who are untrained in devotional service. But Närada Muni makes it clear in this sütra that bhakti is always different from material loving affairs.
 The word guëa-rahitam means “above the modes of nature.” Närada has already mentioned this quality of bhakti in Sütra 47. Bhakti is not like any kind of behavior governed by the modes of ignorance, passion, or goodness. We should never think that Lord Kåñëa’s pastimes with the gopés and cowherd boys are mundane. Kåñëa’s pastimes are, in fact, the original activities of love, and whatever resembles love in any way within this material world comes originally from Kåñëa. As Çréla Prabhupäda explains in Kåñëa, p. 27:
If there is any opulence within this material world, the cause of the opulence is Kåñëa. If there is any reputation within this material world, the cause of the reputation is Kåñëa. If there is any strength within this material world, the cause of such strength is Kåñëa. If there is any wisdom and education within this material world, the cause of such wisdom and education is Kåñëa. Therefore Kåñëa is the source of all relative truths. [Kåñëa, p. 27]
 The word kämanä-rahitam means “without selfish desire.” This quality, too, has appeared before—in Sütra 27, where Närada said, “There is no question of lust in the execution of devotional service in pure love of God, because in it all material activities are renounced.”
 Unlike the pleasure that comes from exchanges of material so-called love, the pleasure of bhakti is pratikñaëa-vardhamänam (increasing at every moment) and avicchinnam (uninterrupted). This is the nature of the Lord’s spiritual pleasure potency, known as hlädiné-çakti, which conducts the loving exchanges between Kåñëa and His devotees. In sex passion, satiation soon brings an end to the mounting feelings of pleasure, but in the loving exchanges between Kåñëa and His eternal associates there is an eternal competition, bringing ever-
 increasing pleasure. Kåñëa is very pleased to see the beauty of His gopés, and when the gopés see that Kåñëa is pleased with them they become many times more happy, and this increases their beauty. In turn, this increases Kåñëa’s beauty and pleasure. And so the devotee and the Lord enjoy loving exchanges, but without interruption.
 Unlike mortal love affairs, in bhakti the love does not break by quarrel or death of one of the partners. Lord Caitanya describes the bliss of saìkértana as änandämbudhi-vardhanam, “increasing the ocean of transcendental bliss.” Because the Supreme Lord is Himself ever increasing and always fresh, the devotee is never bored or unfaithful and is never cheated.
 Bhakti is also sükñma-taram, subtler than the subtlest thing. As described in the Bhagavad-gétä (3.42): “The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he (the soul) is even higher than the intelligence.” So the subtle exchanges of loving emotion between the pure souls and their beloved Lord are completely unlike material love, which is really nothing but lust.
TEXT 55
tat präpya tad evävalokayati tad eva çåëoti tad eva bhäñayati tad eva cintayati
SYNONYMS
tat—it; präpya—having obtained; tat—Him; eva—alone; avalokayati—one looks at; tat—Him; eva—alone; çåëoti—one hears about; tat—Him; eva—alone; bhäñayati—one speaks about; tat—Him; eva—alone; cintayati—one thinks about.
TRANSLATION
Having obtained pure love of God, one looks only at the Lord, hears only about Him, speaks only of Him, and thinks only of Him.
PURPORT
Lord Kåñëa describes this stage of perfection in the Bhagavad-gétä (6.30),
yo mäà paçyati sarvatra sarvaà ca mayi paçyati
tasyähaà na praëaçyämi sa ca me na praëaçyati
  “For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.” Çréla Prabhupäda writes,
Such a person may appear to see all the separate manifestations of the material nature, but in each and every instance he is conscious of Kåñëa, knowing that everything is a manifestation of Kåñëa’s energy.” [Bg. 6.30, purport]
 This is samädhi, or trance, and whether one achieves it by the eightfold yoga system or by bhakti-yoga, it is the same. In the case of the bhakti-yogé, he is fixed in devotional service at all times, and whatever he sees contributes to his meditation on Kåñëa.
 To help us understand pure Kåñëa consciousness, the äcäryas give us examples of samädhi-like states, even in ordinary affairs. When a mother sees the shoes of her little child, she doesn’t just perceive them as neutral objects: she feels protection and love for her child. Similarly, when a lover picks up his beloved’s comb (especially if he is in separation from her) he may feel intense emotions of love. In the case of Çré Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, everything is His energy. So wherever the bhakta goes or whatever he perceives throughout the universe, he is reminded of the Lord. Moreover, this recognition is not merely an intellectual habit but a total, overpowering state of love.
 In his Brahma-saàhitä (5.38), Lord Brahmä describes the devotional qualification for seeing Kåñëa always and everywhere:
premäïjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaù sadaiva hådayeñu vilokayanti
yaà çyämasundaram acintya-guëa-svarüpaà
govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi
 “I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Çyämasundara, Kåñëa Himself, with inconceivable, innumerable attributes, and whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love.”
 In his purport, Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté writes,
The eye of devotion is nothing but the eye of the pure unalloyed spiritual self of the jéva. The form of Kåñëa is visible to that eye in proportion to its purification by the practice of devotion.
 What prevents most of us from seeing Kåñëa with eyes of love? We have a “cataract” on our eyes that consists of our material attachments. As Çré Kåñëa states,
nähaà prakäçaù sarvasya yoga-mäyä-samävåtaù
müòho ’yaà näbhijänäti loko mäm ajam avyayam
 “I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible” (Bg. 7.25). Lord Kåñëa does not hide from us; He wants us to be with Him. He is like the sun that always blazes in the sky. No cloud is big enough to cover the sun, but from our earthly vantage point even a small cloud can block our view of the sun. In the same way, the clouds of our desire and hatred prevent us from seeing our beloved Lord and block us from enjoying the happiness and peace that come from serving Him. To realize Kåñëa consciousness, therefore, we have to rise above our upädhis, the false designations that make us think the body is the self and make us identify with our mental concoctions.
 Närada is describing the ultimate stage of bhakti. This stage is rare, but one can achieve it by the mercy of the Vaiñëavas who teach bhakti-yoga. One who reads the Vedic literature with a speculative attitude will never know Kåñëa. But we can attain His grace if we work in bhakti-yoga, guided by His representatives. Çréla Prabhupäda writes,
When one is fully engaged in Kåñëa consciousness, beginning by chanting the mahä-mantra—Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare—then only can one understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. [Bg. 7.24, purport]
TEXT 56
gauëé tridhä guëa-bhedäd ärtädi-bhedäd vä
SYNONYMS
gauëé—secondary, mixed with the material modes; tridhä—threefold; guëa—of the material modes; bhedät—by the differentiation; ärta—of the one who is distressed; ädi—and so on; bhedät—by differentiation; vä—or.
TRANSLATION
Secondary devotional service is of three kinds, according to which of the three material modes predominates, or according to which material motivation—distress and so on—brings one to bhakti.
PURPORT
It may seem as if we have been suddenly dropped from the heights. Närada has been describing the highest stage of Kåñëa consciousness, and now he is discussing secondary devotion. But Närada’s course of instruction is well planned, practical, and realistic. He wants us to attain the higher stages, but, as Lord Kåñëa says, väsudevaù sarvam iti sa mahätmä su-durlabhaù: “The great soul who can see Kåñëa everywhere is very rare” (Bg. 7.19). Närada is therefore bringing our attention to the anarthas within the minds and habits of aspiring bhaktas so that we can work toward the higher stages and not consider pure love of Kåñëa an unattainable dream. On the other hand, if one tries to jump to the higher stages as if such a leap were easy, that is another mistake (committed by the präkåta-sahajiyäs), which causes a great disturbance to both oneself and society.
 The preparatory stages of bhakti are called secondary devotion, and they are necessary for those who are still affected by the modes of nature. Lord Kåñëa describes the motivations for such secondary devotion in the Bhagavad-gétä (7.16):
catur-vidhä bhajante mäà janä sukåtino ’rjuna
ärto jijïäsur arthärthé jïäné ca bharatarñabha
 “O best among the Bhäratas, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me: the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.”
 This Bhagavad-gétä verse occurs just after Lord Kåñëa describes the four kinds of persons who never surrender to the Lord. Those who are devoted to the Supreme Lord, even while seeking to fulfill material desires, are called sukåtinaù, or pious souls. Their good qualification is that they have turned to God. In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (2.3.10), Çukadeva Gosvämé encourages everyone, no matter what his present condition, to take up kåñëa-bhakti:
akämaù sarva-kämo vä mokña-käma udära-dhéù
tévreëa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruñaà param
 “A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of all material desire, without any material desire, or desiring liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead.”
 The sukåtés who are not yet on the platform of unalloyed devotion can be purified by association with pure devotees. Of course, if one remains stuck in this lower stage, then he will be discontented. What prevents a devotee from advancing is the desire for bhukti (enjoyment of material objects) or mukti (liberation). In the Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu (1.2.22), Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé describes bhukti and mukti as two witches who haunt the conditioned souls and keep them from experiencing the bliss of bhakti. Actual devotional service is anyäbhiläñitä-çünya, service rendered favorably to the Lord without desire for material profit or speculation (see Bhagavad-gétä 7.16, purport).
 The devotees who serve Kåñëa in order to satisfy selfish desires are called sakäma-bhaktas. Those who serve purely, without such desires, are akäma devotees. When a sakäma devotee continues to render devotional service, the Supreme Lord turns him from a sakäma- into an akäma-bhakta. The devotee begins to realize that the taste of serving Kåñëa is the real goal and pleasure, and his desires for other things begin to dwindle. This auspicious change of heart occurs by the potency of Çré Kåñëa working through the process of bhakti. As stated in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (5.19.27),
The Supreme Personality of Godhead fulfills the material desires of a devotee who approaches Him with such motives, but He does not bestow benedictions upon the devotee that will cause him to demand benedictions again. However, the Lord willingly gives the devotee shelter at His feet, even though such a person does not aspire for it, and that shelter satisfies all his desires. That is the Supreme Personality’s special mercy.
 Lord Kåñëa substitutes the nectar of His service for one’s attraction to petty things. Who else could do this but the merciful and all-knowing Personality of Godhead? The stage of secondary devotion, therefore, is not meant for permanent residence; rather, it is an auspicious stage from which to go forward. Since any progress the conditioned soul makes toward the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord is favorable for him, secondary devotional service is not unimportant, just as the first steps a baby takes as he attempts to walk are crucial for his development.
TEXT 57
uttarasmäd uttarasmät pürva-pürvo çreyäya bhavati
SYNONYMS
uttarasmät uttarasmät—than each later one; pürva-pürvaù—each earlier one; çreyäya bhavati—is to be considered better.
TRANSLATION
Each earlier stage should be considered better than the one following it.
PURPORT
Worship of the Lord in the mode of goodness (sattva) is better than worship in passion (rajas), and worship in the mode of passion is better than worship in ignorance (tamas). In His teachings to His mother, Lord Kapiladeva explains devotional service executed under the influence of the three modes:
O noble lady, there are multifarious paths of devotional service in terms of the different qualities of the executor. Devotional service executed by a person who is envious, hypocritical, violent, and angry, and who is a separatist, is considered to be in the mode of darkness. The worship of Deities in the temple by a separatist, with a motive for material enjoyment, fame, and opulence, is devotion in the mode of passion. When a devotee worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead and offers Him the results of his activities in order to free himself from the inebrieties of fruitive activities, his devotion is in the mode of goodness. [Bhäg. 3.29.7–10]
 In his purport to this passage, Çréla Prabhupäda explains the key word bhinna-dåk, meaning “possessed of a separatist vision”:
The word “separatist” must be understood carefully.... A separatist is one who sees his interest as separate from that of the Supreme Lord. Mixed devotees, or devotees in the modes of passion and ignorance, think that the interest of the Supreme Lord is supplying the orders of the devotee; the interest of such devotees is to draw from the Lord as much as possible for their sense gratification. This is the separatist mentality.
 Still, despite their separatist mentality, such mixed devotees are blessed, for if they begin executing devotional service under the guidance of teachers who are in pure goodness (çuddha-sattva), they can be gradually elevated to pure bhakti. As stated in the verse previously quoted (Bhäg. 2.3.10), all classes of worshipers are encouraged to turn to the supreme father, even with their material desires. In his purport Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “As the unmixed sun ray is very forceful and is therefore called tévra, similarly unmixed bhakti-yoga of hearing, chanting, etc. (tévreëa bhakti-yogena [SB 2.3.10]), may be performed by one and all, regardless of inner motive.”
TEXT 58
anyasmät saulabhyaà bhaktau
SYNONYMS
anyasmät—than anything else; saulabhyam—ease of attainment; bhaktau—in devotional service.
TRANSLATION
Success is easier to attain by devotional service than by any other process.
PURPORT
Närada assures us that everyone can speedily advance by practicing bhakti-yoga—because it is the easiest way. This is an extremely important qualification, especially for us in the present age, the Age of Kali. As stated in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.1.10),
präyeëälpäyuñaù sabhya kaläv asmin yuge janäù
mandäù su-manda-matayo manda-bhägyä hy upadrutäù
 “O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky, and, above all, always disturbed.”
 The characteristics of the people of this age are all disqualifications for spiritual life. In previous millennia the human condition was much more favorable for spiritual advancement. In the Satya-yuga almost all people were in the mode of goodness, and society was peaceful and religious. At that time the recommended form of religion was meditation. The sage Välméki is said to have meditated sixty thousand years before writing the Rämäyaëa, and Kardama Muni meditated ten thousand years. As the millennia proceeded from Tretä to Dväpara, human society degraded more and more. Five thousand years ago, when Lord Kåñëa recommended añöäìga-yoga to Arjuna, Arjuna rejected it, saying it was impractical and impossible for him. We should not maintain grandiose conceptions of what we are able to perform nowadays but should face the facts of our near-bankrupt condition of spirituality. “Here is the easiest path,” says Närada, and we should grab at his offer as a drowning man grabs for a life raft.
 Even in former ages, when more difficult processes were recommended, the goal was always bhakti, or devotion to the Supreme Lord. In this age the most accessible form of bhakti is saìkértana, or congregational chanting of the holy names of God. It is recommended as the yuga-dharma, or religion of the age. As stated in the Båhan-näradéya Puräëa, “In the Age of Kali no effective means of God realization is possible except the chanting of the holy names.” The same thing is recommended in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, where the nine sages known as the Yogendras declare that in Kali-yuga intelligent persons will take to the process of saìkértana. And Çukadeva Gosvämé tells Mahäräja Parékñit that the chanting of the holy names is the saving grace of this age:
kaler doña-nidhe räjan asti hy eko mahän guëaù
kértanäd eva kåñëasya mukta-saìgaù paraà vrajet
 “My dear king, although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: simply by chanting the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom” (Bhäg. 12.3.51).
 In ignorance and defiance of the recommended yuga-dharma, unauthorized teachers make a business of teaching yoga and meditation. But since almost no one is qualified to practice the severe austerities of meditation, streamlined versions are taught, which are mostly a form of cheating. Even if a person seriously takes up the path of karma-yoga, jïäna-yoga, or añöäìga-yoga, he will meet with many difficulties. For example, the jïäné may become very attached to accumulating knowledge for its own sake, up to the point where he tries to merge with the Absolute Truth. The karma-yogé, or man of action, too often forgets to dedicate his activities to God and instead becomes attached to the fruits of his work or to fame. The añöäìga-yogés, if they are able to progress at all in the eightfold system, are liable to get sidetracked by the siddhis, or powers, that come to them. But bhakti, by its very nature, purifies one’s senses, actions, and motives. Moreover, one doesn’t have to go painfully and slowly through every single step on the yoga ladder from karma to jïäna to bhakti. At any moment, whenever one decides to surrender, and wherever one gets the association of pure devotees, one can take the express elevator of bhakti-yoga. As Lord Kåñëa recommends,
daivé hy eñä guëa-mayé mama mäyä duratyayä
mäm eva ye prapadyante mäyäm etäà taranti te
 “This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it” (Bg. 7.14).
TEXT 59
pramäëäntarasyänapekñatvät svayaà pramäëatvät
SYNONYMS
pramäëa—means of valid knowing; antarasya—another; an-apekñatvät—because of not being dependent on; svayam—in its own right; pramäëatvät—because of being a valid authority.
TRANSLATION
The reason devotional service is the easiest of all spiritual processes is that it does not depend on any other authority for its validity, being itself the standard of authority.
PURPORT
Pramäëa means proof. Vaiñëava philosophers condense all the different types of pramäëas into three: pratyakña, anumäna, and çabda. Pratyakña means direct evidence by the senses. But since the senses are imperfect, pratyakña often has to be corrected by higher knowledge. Anumäna refers to deductive and inductive logic, which depends on the validity of its premises and reasons, and so cannot prove anything with final certainty. Çabda means receiving knowledge from authoritative sources. Vedic knowledge is çabda-pramäëa. This is particularly applicable to transcendental subject matter, which cannot be understood by the empirical and theorizing methods. Even in ordinary affairs, there are many things we have to accept on authority. We can learn the identity of our father from our mother, the only foolproof authority. Aside from the mother there is no way to know for sure who our father is. When the source of information is perfect, as in Vedic knowledge, then çabda-pramäëa, or çabda-brahma, becomes the ultimate proof. As Çréla Prabhupäda states, “As far as the soul’s existence is concerned, no one can establish his existence experimentally beyond the proof of çruti, or Vedic wisdom” (Bg. 2.25, purport).
 Aside from the proof of çästra and guru, Närada has taught that the truth of bhakti is proven by one’s directly experiencing its fruits in one’s own life. In Sütras 31 and 32, Närada gives the analogy of how a man’s hunger cannot be appeased just by looking at a meal. It is not enough to hear that a particular food preparation has a very sweet and delicious flavor. Even if you know all the dish’s ingredients, that knowledge will not satisfy your hunger. In the same way, mere theoretical knowledge of God does not bring pleasure—either to God or to the individual soul. Bhakti has to be directly perceived. Çréla Prabhupäda used to say that when you become Kåñëa conscious no one has to give you a certificate or diploma saying, “You are now Kåñëa conscious.” You’ll know it for yourself.
 The potency of bhakti to purify one’s heart is proved by the loss of material desires. Those who come to Kåñëa consciousness after years of sinful life know this proof very well. Their renunciation of meat-eating, intoxicants, and illicit sex is not an act of repression but is based on tasting a higher pleasure. And so bhakti is its own proof.
 Nondevotees may ask for empirical proof: “Show us your Kåñëa. Prove that He is God. We want to see Him lift Govardhana Hill.” But their demand for proof cannot be satisfied in that way. Lord Kåñëa reveals Himself in His original form only to His devotees:
nähaà prakäçaù sarvasya yoga-mäyä-samävåtaù
müòho ’yaà näbhijänäti loko mäm ajam avyayam
 “I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible” (Bg. 7.25).
 To the atheists, God gives proof of His existence when He appears as death and takes everything away. But God does not manifest His internal potency to the faithless. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “Even if one is perfected by realization of impersonal Brahman or localized Paramätmä, he cannot possibly understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Çré Kåñëa, without being in Kåñëa consciousness” (Bg. 7.26, purport).
TEXT 60
çänti-rüpät paramänanda-rüpäc ca
SYNONYMS
çänti—of peace; rüpät—because of (being) the form; parama—topmost; änanda—of pleasure; rüpät—because of (being) the form; ca—and.
 TRANSLATION
Furthermore, bhakti is the embodiment of peace and supreme ecstasy.
PURPORT
This sütra is further proof that bhakti is the best process for spiritual advancement. Lord Kåñëa’s personal form, name, and varied activities attract His devotees, who experience a love filled with çänti (peace) and paramänanda (supreme ecstasy). Indeed, the very nature of bhakti is peace and happiness.
 In the Bhagavad-gétä, Lord Kåñëa tells us who is eligible for çänti:
bhoktäraà yajïa-tapasäà sarva-loka-maheçvaram
suhådaà sarva-bhütänäà jïätvä mäà çäntim åcchati
 “One in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries” (Bg. 5.29).
 Çréla Prabhupäda calls this verse “the peace formula,” the sure method for achieving both individual and collective tranquillity. When people who temporarily control some property ignore the Lord’s proprietorship over all that be and claim that they themselves are the sole proprietors and enjoyers of the world, and when people in positions of leadership claim to be the best friends of their dependents but fail to give them a chance to acquire transcendental knowledge, then the result is not peace but agitation, chaos, and war. Peace comes when we recognize Lord Kåñëa as the supreme ruler, proprietor, and friend.
 Regarding happiness, Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé defines three types: “(1) happiness derived from material enjoyment, (2) happiness derived by identifying oneself with the Supreme Brahman, and (3) happiness derived from Kåñëa consciousness” (The Nectar of Devotion, p. 10). Rüpa Gosvämé’s conclusion is that happiness derived from pure bhakti is the highest because it is eternal, whereas material enjoyment and even oneness with Brahman are bound to be disrupted. Happiness in devotional service is open to all, but those who try to increase their own importance cannot know the sweet taste of Kåñëa consciousness. Happiness comes not by trying to be the master but by becoming the servant of the servant of the supreme master. While praying to the Supreme Lord for relief from his suffering, Gajendra praised the happiness of the devotees:
Unalloyed devotees, who have no desire other than to serve the Lord, worship Him in full surrender and always hear and chant about His activities, which are most wonderful and auspicious. Thus they always merge in an ocean of transcendental bliss. Such devotees never ask the Lord for any benediction. [Bhäg. 8.3.20]
TEXT 61
loka-hänau cintä na käryä niveditätma-loka-vedatvät
SYNONYMS
loka—of the world; hänau—about loss; cintä—worry; na käryä—should not be done; nivedita—because of having surrendered; ätma—one’s own; loka—mundane affairs; vedatvät—and Vedic duties.
TRANSLATION
After consigning to the Lord all one’s mundane and Vedic duties, one no longer need worry about worldly loss.
PURPORT
This sütra holds various meanings. First, the devotee should not worry about his worldly situation. Having surrendered to Lord Kåñëa, he is on the most auspicious path, going back to Godhead. Even if he suffers financial loss or ill health, he realizes that Lord Kåñëa is giving him token punishment for his past sinful activities. And so he converts the losses into spiritual assets by remaining steadfast in devotional service, despite the disturbances (see Bhägavatam 10.14.8).
 In the beginning of his commitment, a devotee may fear that he is somehow jeopardizing his future by fully surrendering to Lord Kåñëa. Arjuna worried that if he took up the meditative yoga process Kåñëa outlined in the Sixth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gétä he might become an “unsuccessful transcendentalist, who in the beginning takes to the process of self-realization with faith but who later desists due to worldly-mindedness” (Bg. 6.37). If that were to happen, Arjuna reasoned, he would have “no position in any sphere” and could thus enjoy neither material success nor spiritual profit. But Lord Kåñëa assured His disciple, “A transcendentalist engaged in auspicious activities does not meet with destruction either in this world or in the spiritual world; one who does good, My friend, is never overcome by evil” (Bg. 6.40). Even if a devotee does fall short in his attempt at full surrender, whatever devotional service he performs is eternally counted in his favor. At the time of death, one’s material success is taken away, but whatever devotional service one has performed, even if “unsuccessfully,” is a profit for the next life. As Närada Muni himself states in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.5.17),
tyaktvä sva-dharmaà caraëämbujaà harer
bhajann apakvo ’tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva väbhadram abhüd amuñya kià
ko värtha äpto ’bhajatäà sva-dharmataù
 “One who has forsaken his material occupation to engage in the devotional service of the Lord may sometimes fall down while in an immature stage, yet there is no danger of his being unsuccessful. On the other hand, a nondevotee, though fully engaged in occupational duties, does not gain anything” (Bhäg. 1.5.17).
 Not only should a devotee reject the idea that he is somehow missing out on material happiness, but he should also be free of worry that he is neglecting his worldly responsibilities. It is a fact that everyone born into the material world has many obligations and moral debts. But a life of dedication to the Supreme Lord frees one—at least from the Lord’s point of view—from all other duties:
devarñi-bhütäpta-nåëäà pitèëäà
na kiìkaro näyam åëé ca räjan
sarvätmanä yaù çaraëaà çaraëyaà
gato mukundaà parihåtya kartam
 “Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of liberation, giving up all other obligations, and has taken to the path in all seriousness, owes neither duties nor obligations to the demigods, sages, general living entities, family members, humankind, or fore-fathers” (Bhäg. 11.5.41).
 If a sincere devotee is accused of being irresponsible, or if his life is endangered and it seems as though the cause is his attempt to surrender to Lord Kåñëa, he has no recourse but to pray for the mercy of the Lord. The devotee has surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he cannot take back that surrender in a misguided effort to “save” himself. As Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura sings,
märabi räkhabi—yo icchä tohärä
nitya-däsa prati tuä adhikärä
 “Now if You like You can kill me, or if You like You can give me protection. Whatever You like You can do. I am Your eternal servitor. You have every right to deal with me in any way You please.”
TEXT 62
na tatsiddhau loka-vyävahäro heyaù kintu phala-tyägas tat-sädhanaà ca käryam eva
SYNONYMS
na—not; tat—of it (devotional service); siddhau—in the achievement; loka—mundane; vyävahäraù—business; heyaù—to be abandoned; kintu—rather; phala—of the results; tyägaù—abandonment; tat—of it (devotional service); ca—and; käryam—must be done; eva—indeed.
TRANSLATION
Even after one has achieved devotional service, one should not abandon one’s responsibilities in this world but should rather continue surrendering the results of one’s work to the Lord. And while still trying to reach the stage of pure devotion, one must certainly continue executing prescribed duties.
PURPORT
Lord Kåñëa has strongly criticized the pseudo renunciants who live at the cost of society: “One who restrains the senses of action but whose mind dwells on sense objects certainly deludes himself and is called a pretender” (Bg. 3.7). Çréla Prabhupäda states that it is better to work in karma-yoga (Kåñëa consciousness) within one’s varëa and äçrama designation:
A householder can also reach this destination [Viñëu, or Kåñëa] by regulated service in Kåñëa consciousness. For self-realization, one can live a controlled life, as prescribed in the çästras, and continue carrying out his business without attachment, and in that way make progress. A sincere person who follows this method is far better situated than the false pretender who adopts show-bottle spiritualism to cheat the innocent public. A sincere sweeper in the street is far better than the charlatan meditator who meditates only for the sake of making a living. [Bg. 3.7, purport]
 This does not mean, however, that ordinary work is itself the fulfillment of human life. The karmé slogan “Work is worship” is not the same as working in Kåñëa consciousness. But one has to do both: work to earn one’s living and at the same time work for the satisfaction of Viñëu, or Kåñëa. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “Any other work done in this material world will be a cause of bondage, for both good and evil work have their reactions, and any reaction binds the performer.”
 How to maintain oneself and one’s family and at the same time work for Kåñëa is a great art, and as such it requires the guidance of the Lord’s devotee. If obligations to family and society conflict with one’s basic spiritual vows, then one must give first priority to the spiritual duties. One who has taken initiation into spiritual life should never give up his vow to chant a quota of holy names daily and to fulfill the basic orders of the spiritual master.
 Whether a Vaiñëava works in the business world or lives as a renunciant, he should never be embarrassed to preach Kåñëa consciousness or doubt the value of preaching. Even if we consider preaching work a debt to humanity, it is a crucial social commitment. Once the mother and father of a young devotee complained to Çréla Prabhupäda that their son was a full-time student in the Kåñëa consciousness movement. They said they wanted him to become a doctor. Prabhupäda replied that they should let the young man decide for himself, and that in any case, there were many doctors in the world but few serious devotees. Prabhupäda said that the work of the devotee was more important than the work of a physician. A doctor can repair the health of a few hundred people, but even that is temporary. Medical cures do not free the patient from his karma, which forces him to take rebirth and suffer again in another material body. But a devotee who successfully distributes Kåñëa consciousness can help people achieve liberation from birth and death. So his work is the most important in the world.
 Although he may not be an expert politician or economist, a bhakta knows the real cause of people’s suffering—forgetfulness of their relationship with Kåñëa, which leads to their becoming conditioned by the modes of material nature. Knowing that bhakti-yoga is the only way to extricate oneself from material conditioning and reestablish one’s relationship with God, the devotee tries to distribute knowledge of Kåñëa consciousness. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “Since the [devotee] tries to broadcast the importance of becoming Kåñëa conscious, he is the best philanthropist in the world” (Bg. 6.32, purport).
 The preacher stays connected to the world, yet he is transcendental to worldly concerns. Although some yogés abandon society and cultivate their own spiritual salvation, the bhakti-yogé who follows Prahläda Mahäräja, Lord Caitanya, and Çréla Prabhupäda keeps a compassionate connection with the people of the world. As Lord Caitanya stated to His followers, “Distribute this Kåñëa consciousness movement all over the world. Let people eat these fruits [of love of God] and ultimately become free from old age and death” (Cc. Ädi 9.39).
 The surrendered devotee, therefore, does not worry about his worldly situation, nor does he support mundane welfare causes. But to satisfy Lord Caitanya and the spiritual masters descending from Him in disciplic succession, he works magnanimously on behalf of all living beings by spreading Kåñëa consciousness.
TEXT 63
stré-dhana-nästika-caritraà na çravaëéyam
SYNONYMS
stré—of women; dhana—wealth; nästika—and atheists; caritram—stories; na çravaëéyam—should not be listened to.
 TRANSLATION
One should not find entertainment in news of women, money, and atheists.
PURPORT
Närada has said that a bhakta may discharge his duties in the world as long as he is God-centered and offers the results of his work to the Lord in devotional service. But while living in the world he must avoid sinful life and persons who indulge in it (see Sütras 43 and 44). Now he says we should avoid not only associating with sinful persons but even hearing about them.
 If we want to be free from mäyä, we cannot take Närada’s advice lightly or dismiss it as old fashioned. Mäyä is not a lightweight contender. She has been placed in charge of imprisoning all the conditioned souls in the universe, and some of her principal weapons are indicated in this sütra—sex, wealth, and atheism. With a healthy respect for her power, we should give a wide berth to the mäyic talks concerning these topics.
 Mundane talks are also known as prajalpa. In his Upadeçämåta, Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé mentions prajalpa as one of the main impediments to devotional service. And Lord Caitanya instructed Sanätana Gosvämé, “A devotee should avoid reading or hearing newspapers or mundane books that contain stories of love affairs between men and women or subjects palatable to the senses” (Cc. Madhya 22.120).
 In the modern age these injunctions have become more difficult than ever to follow. The airwaves are filled with prajalpa, and by pressing a button we can turn on a television set and plunge ourselves into a visual and aural phantasmagoria. While writing his purports on the Bhägavatam verses describing the life of Ajämila, Çréla Prabhupäda responded to our predicament. Ajämila was a pious young brähmaëa, but one day, while traveling along the public way, he came upon a low-class man embracing a prostitute and was overcome by lust. Prabhupäda writes, “In Kali-yuga, a drunken, half-naked woman embracing a drunken man is a very common sight, especially in the Western countries, and restraining oneself after seeing such things is difficult. Nevertheless, if by the grace of Kåñëa a person adheres to the regulative principles and chants the Hare Kåñëa mantra, Kåñëa will certainly protect him” (Bhäg. 6.1.60, purport).
 We cannot expect to follow Prabhupäda’s advice in a vacuum. Unless we have Kåñëa conscious friends to talk with and a society of devotees to live in, we might conclude, “It’s impossible to avoid hearing talks of sex, money, and atheists. What am I supposed to do, live alone in a cave?” No, and this is precisely one of the reasons Çréla Prabhupäda founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness—to give everyone an opportunity to hear kåñëa-kathä in the society of devotees. The benefits of such a practice are numerous, as Lord Kapila states in the Bhägavatam (3.25.25):
satäà prasaìgän mama vérya-saàvido
bhavanti håt-karëa-rasäyanä kathäù
taj-joñaëäd äçv apavarga-vartmani
çraddhä ratir bhaktir anukramiñyati
 “The spiritually powerful message of Godhead can be properly discussed only in a society of devotees, and it is greatly pleasing to hear in that association. If one hears from devotees, the way of transcendental experience quickly opens to him, and gradually he attains firm faith that in due course develops into attraction and devotion.”
 Our weapons in the campaign against prajalpa and mind pollution may include novels, dramas, paintings, films, musical recordings, festivals, formal lectures, seminars, and casual meetings—all centered on Kåñëa. Why should the forces of illusion possess all the weapons, and not the devotees?
 Närada previously said that bhakti was easy. It is certainly not easy to avoid all mundane sound vibrations. But under the guidance of the pure devotee we may create a pleasant, easy-to-take atmosphere of kåñëa-kathä in the home and with friends—even when driving a car or at work—and this hearing will lead to viñëu-smaraëam, or remembrance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TEXT 64
abhimäna-dambhädikaà tyäjyam
SYNONYMS
abhimäna—pride; dambha—deceit; ädikam—and so on; tyäjyam—should be given up.
TRANSLATION
One should put aside false pride, hypocrisy, and other vices.
PURPORT
Mäyä is so subtle that even if one is able to avoid hearing about sex, money, and atheists, and even if one joins a society of devotees, one may still become a victim of pride and hypocrisy. One may think, “I am a better devotee than the others,” and thus prepare oneself for a fall. The remedy for pride is to remember that our good fortune, including our spiritual assets, are all due to the mercy of the Supreme Lord and the spiritual masters.
 Närada has used the word ädi, “et cetera,” to include other vices, such as the demoniac traits listed in the Sixteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gétä. All of these should be avoided. One should become aware of specific bad habits and try to eliminate them, and therefore Närada and the äcäryas often give detailed instructions. We can examine each anartha and see what we can do to renounce it. When we catch ourselves indulging in unwanted thoughts or acts, we should stop them as soon as possible.
 At the same time, a “holistic” approach is also recommended. That is, we should be confident that our sincere prosecution of bhakti-yoga will eliminate all unwanted habits and desires. In fact, if we try to eliminate vices one by one, we will fail. But by bhakti we can eliminate them wholesale. As stated in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (6.1.15),
kecit kevalayä bhaktyä väsudeva-paräyaëäù
aghaà dhunvanti kärtsnyena néhäram iva bhäskaraù
 “Only a rare person who has adopted complete, unalloyed devotional service to Kåñëa can uproot the weeds of sinful actions with no possibility that they will revive. He can do this simply by discharging devotional service, just as the sun can immediately dissipate fog by its rays.”
 Devotional service is beyond both piety and impiety. By chanting Hare Kåñëa, hearing about Lord Kåñëa, and performing other routine services in Kåñëa consciousness, one vanquishes all phases of sinful life and all unwanted habits.
 The practical application of this principle is to persevere in sädhana-bhakti with faith and determination. This is called çraddhä, the conviction that one will achieve all goals by practicing Kåñëa consciousness. Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé also recommends niçcaya, “endeavoring with confidence” (The Nectar of Instruction, Text 3). Çréla Prabhupäda explains in his purport, “In devotional service surrender means that one has to become confident. The devotee thinks, ävaçya rakñibe kåñëa: ’Kåñëa will surely protect me and give me help for the successful execution of devotional service.’ ” And so the devotee uses both negative and positive approaches: He diligently seeks to eliminate particular unwanted habits, but at the same time he is confident that his engagement in devotional service is like a blazing fire that will burn to ashes all the fuel of sinful activities.
TEXT 65
tad arpitäkhiläcäraù san käma-krodhäbhimänädikaà tasminn eva karaëéyam
SYNONYMS
tat—to Him; arpita—having offered; akhila—all; äcäraù—actions; san—being; käma—desire; krodha—anger; abhimäna—pride; ädikam—and so on; tasmin—toward Him; eva—only; karaëéyam—should be done.
TRANSLATION
Offering all one’s activities to the Lord, one should feel desire, anger, and pride only with regard to Him.
PURPORT
Närada now advises that traits normally considered vices may be dovetailed into favorable devotional service. This does not contradict Närada’s previous statement that pride, anger, and lust should be renounced. A pure devotee is always free of vices, and the practicing bhakta tries to be free of them by controlling his senses and mind as far as possible. Therefore Närada here refers to a transcendental application of anger, pride, and lust in relation to the Supreme Lord.
 Liberated devotees often apply so-called vices in devotional service, and we can learn the art from them. Hanumän vented his anger upon Rävaëa, the enemy of Lord Räma. Lord Kåñëa instigated Arjuna to become angry so he would fight the Battle of Kurukñetra. Even Lord Caitanya became angry with the drunken brothers Jagäi and Mädhäi. These are examples of properly directed anger. We cannot stop anger completely. As Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “To try to create a vacuum in the mind is artificial. The vacuum will not remain. However, if one always thinks of Kåñëa and how to serve Kåñëa best, one’s mind will naturally be controlled” (The Nectar of Instruction, Text 1, purport).
 Even anger directed at Kåñëa can be part of devotional service. The gopés, for instance, often became angry at Him during lovers’ quarrels. Once Çrématé Rädhäräëé was displeased with Kåñëa and ordered Her assistants to stop Him from seeing Her at all costs. The cowherd boys would fight with Kåñëa in the forest, and in the heat of play they would sometimes become angry with Him and tell Him they wouldn’t play with Him anymore. Lord Kåñëa very much liked these chidings of love, and He asked forgiveness from His friends.
 Kaàsa’s hatred of the Lord, however, was not bhakti. Kaàsa was afraid that Kåñëa would kill him, and so his mind became absorbed in animosity toward the Lord. Prabhupäda writes, “The state of mind of a great devotee is also to be absorbed in Kåñëa, but a devotee thinks of Him favorably, not unfavorably” (Kåñëa, p. 26).
 We should not imitate the transcendental feelings of the pure devotees, but we may become inspired by hearing of them. We should patiently wait for the day when these feelings will naturally manifest within us. At that time we will not be able to stop them even if we want to. Meanwhile we may practice becoming greedy for chances to spread the word of Kåñëa, proud that Kåñëa is our Lord and that we have such an exalted spiritual master in Çréla Prabhupäda, and angry at the mäyic obstacles that prevent us from attaining bhakti. If we learn to dovetail everything for Lord Kåñëa in this way, we will have learned the essential lesson Närada is imparting in this sütra.
TEXT 66
tri-rüpa-bhaìga-pürvakaà nitya-däsya-nitya-käntä-bhajanätmakaà prema käryaà premaiva käryam
SYNONYMS
tri-rüpa—of the three material forms (the qualities of goodness, passion, and ignorance); bhaìga—the breaking; pürvakam—preceded by; nitya—perpetual; däsya—servitude; nitya—perpetual; käntä—as a lover; bhajana—service; ätmakam—consisting of; prema—pure love; käryam—one should manifest; prema—pure love; eva—alone; käryam—one should manifest.
TRANSLATION
After breaking through the aforementioned coverings of the three modes of nature, one should act only in pure love of God, remaining perpetually in the mood of a servant serving his master, or a lover serving her beloved.
PURPORT
As described in Sütra 56, there are three secondary forms of devotional service tinged with the guëas (goodness, passion, and ignorance). These are practiced by sakäma devotees, who approach the Supreme Lord when in distress, when seeking wealth, or when seeking knowledge. One should transcend these secondary types of devotion and approach the Supreme Lord only with love. In other words, here Närada is urging us to come to the spontaneous stage, as in the rasas of servitude (nitya-däsya) and conjugal love (nitya-käntä-bhajana). We should not think that we have completed the course of bhakti by becoming a religionist in the conventional sense—by attending the temple and making obligatory prayers and donations.
 As a spiritual master, Närada has responsibly taught the lower stages of bhakti and encouraged anyone with even a drop of faith. But it is also his responsibility to remind us that the goal is prema, and prema alone. His method is similar to Lord Kåñëa’s in the Bhagavad-gétä, where the Lord mercifully encourages all kinds of karmés, jïänés, and yogés, advising them on how to progressively turn their attention toward Him. But then He concludes, “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me” (Bg. 18.66).
 Out of love, without seeking reward, a devoted servant tries to please his master, and a wife her husband. We see the perfection of servitude in the spiritual world, in Kåñëa’s servants like Raktaka, Däruka, and Patré, and we see the perfection of a wife’s devotion in the queens of Dvärakä. In Lord Kåñëa we find the perfect master and the perfect beloved, and so His servants and wives are eternally liberated as nitya-däsa and nitya-käntä. Following in the footsteps of such liberated beings, devotees in this world should strive to practice devotional service on the level of pure love. As stated in the Caitanya-maïjuñä: premä pum-artho mahän. “Love for Kåñëa is the supreme goal of life.”
TEXT 67
bhaktä ekäntino mukhyäù
SYNONYMS
bhaktäù—devotees; ekäntinaù—exclusive; mukhyäù—principal.
TRANSLATION
Among the Lord’s devotees, the greatest are those who are dedicated to Him solely as His intimate servants.
PURPORT
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda showed an excellent example of ekänta-bhakti, single-minded devotion to the Supreme Lord. Prabhupäda showed this in many ways. For example, his commentary on Çré Kåñëa’s book, Bhagavad-gétä, does not even slightly deviate from Kåñëa’s true intent. Impersonalism taints the vast majority of Bhagavad-gétä commentaries, but Çréla Prabhupäda’s purports in Bhagavad-gétä As It Is lead the reader directly to the lotus feet of Kåñëa. This is true of all of Prabhupäda’s books—Çrémad-Bhägavatam, Caitanya-caritämåta, and so on. His translation of the Sanskrit or Bengali is always accurate from a scholarly point of view, but at the same time he writes as a pure devotee: “Surrender to Kåñëa.”
 In all of Çréla Prabhupäda’s spontaneous conversations, he was single-mindedly Kåñëa conscious. When he spoke of Kåñëa, he seemed to be talking about his dearmost friend, not merely repeating something he had read. Sometimes his kåñëa-kathä took the form of convincing an atheist scientist that there is a supreme controller, sometimes he related the pastimes of Kåñëa to his disciples, and sometimes he assured devotees that Kåñëa is in our hearts and will give us the intelligence to execute a difficult service. Çréla Prabhupäda maintained this single-mindedness even while undergoing the rigors of constant travel and while living in the biggest cities of the world. Wherever he was, Prabhupäda was on a mission for Kåñëa.
 Being single-pointed in devotional service does not mean shutting out reality. Exclusivity can become sectarian if one focuses on relative truths or dedicates oneself to an ordinary person. But when the object of appreciation is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one attains the broadest vision, the vision of a mahätmä.
 The devotee who is fixed on Kåñëa has actually attained to the complete truth. That the Lord is the complete truth is stated in the Invocation to the Éçopaniñad: oà pürëam adaù pürëam idam [Éçopaniñad, Invocation]. “The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete.” A devotee glorifies the Lord as the complete Absolute Truth when he utters the famous Vedic aphorism tat tvam asi, “You are that.” The impersonalist philosophers adore the tat tvam asi aphorism because they take it to mean that they are one with the formless Brahman. But the actual meaning of tat tvam asi is different. When the devotee says “You are that,” he is addressing the Supreme Lord. Çréla Prabhupäda explains in his purport to Bhagavad-gétä 4.9:
The Vedic version tat tvam asi is actually applied in this case. Anyone who understands Lord Kåñëa to be the Supreme, or who says unto the Lord, “You are the same Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead,” is certainly liberated instantly, and consequently his entrance into the transcendental association of the Lord is guaranteed.
 A pure devotee who sees Kåñëa in everything can maintain one-pointed concentration on the Lord, even while performing a wide variety of services for Him. By contrast, materialistic persons cannot be ekänté, or focused. Because the field of sense gratification tempts the conditioned souls in many directions, and because the mind is very fickle, the hedonist’s attention is splayed. As Lord Kåñëa says,
vyavasäyätmikä buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-çäkhä hy anantäç ca buddhayo ’vyavasäyinäm
 “Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched” (Bg. 2.41).
 Çukadeva Gosvämé describes the materialist in a similar way in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (2.1.2):
çrotavyädéni räjendra nåëäà santi sahasraçaù
apaçyatäm ätma-tattvaà gåheñu gåha-medhinäm
 “Those persons who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, have many subject matters for hearing in human society, O emperor.” Absorbed in political work or scientific research or social and economic betterment, the gåhamedhés put aside the ultimate problems of old age, disease, and death. They do not inquire about self-realization, which would lead them eventually to Kåñëa consciousness. But a person who wants to succeed in bhakti must give up the life of bewildering distractions and take up devotional service under the guidance of a spiritual master.
 The best way to cultivate single-minded devotion to Kåñëa is to chant the Hare Kåñëa mantra. This practice is what the scriptures and äcäryas recommend as the main limb of devotional service for the Age of Kali. By this one simple act—chanting and hearing the holy name—we serve Lord Kåñëa the way He likes best. Haridäsa Öhäkura set the example by making the chanting of hari-näma his exclusive service. Serious Gauòéya Vaiñëavas follow in his footsteps by chanting daily at least sixteen rounds of Hare Kåñëa on beads. As stated in the Caitanya-caritämåta (Antya 3.268), “The holy name of Kåñëa is so attractive that anyone who chants it—including all living entities, moving and unmoving, and even Lord Kåñëa Himself—becomes imbued with love of Kåñëa. This is the effect of chanting the Hare Kåñëa mantra.”
 In the beginning stages, the restless mind balks at the single-minded devotion required to chant Hare Kåñëa for long stretches. The holy name is actually the sweetest nectar, but until we reach the spontaneous stage of devotion, one has to outsmart the mischievous mind. The mind is called caïcala, or unfaithful, but it can become the devotee’s best friend. When one chants Hare Kåñëa and performs other duties with concentration and devotion, the mind clears and the devotee realizes his true interest. Then the devotee becomes attracted to serving the holy names in the ekäntina spirit, which Närada Muni recommends here as the best.
TEXT 68
kaëöhävarodha-romäçrubhiù parasparaà lapamänäù pävayanti kuläni påthivéà ca
SYNONYMS
kaëöha—of the throat; avarodha—with blockage; roma—with bodily hair (standing erect); açrubhiù—and with tears; parasparam—among one another; lapamänäù—conversing; pävayanti—they purify; kuläni—their communities; påthivém—the earth; ca—and.
TRANSLATION
Conversing among one another with throats choked, hair standing on end, and tears flowing, the Lord’s intimate servants purify their own followers and the whole world.
PURPORT
One may ask, “Does Närada expect me to also become a great devo-tee and experience such ecstasy?” The answer is yes, the ecstasy of devotional service is open to all. But a humble devotee may think himself unfit to experience the advanced stages of Kåñëa consciousness for many lifetimes. We may respond best to a sütra like this by trying to appreciate, at least slightly, the wonderful influence of the great souls who have come to this earth. This will inspire us to seek the association of the servants of the servants of such great souls, to assist them in their mission, and to receive shelter from them against the world of mäyä.
 The symptoms of ecstasy should not be imitated, but it is not wrong to aspire to experience them. In The Nectar of Devotion, Rüpa Gosvämé encourages us to develop a spontaneous attachment for serving the Lord without any desire for profit. Çréla Prabhupäda writes,
In other words, one should learn how to cry for the Lord. One should learn this small technique, and one should be very eager and actually cry to become engaged in some particular type of service. This is called laulyam, and such tears are the price for the highest perfection. [The Nectar of Devotion, p. 84]
 The absence of warm or spontaneous feelings for the Lord may indicate that we are still committing one or more of the ten offenses against the holy name, or that we are indulging in some of the vices mentioned in the Närada-bhakti-sütra. As Lord Caitanya, taking the role of the neophyte, laments in His Çikñäñöaka (2), “I am so unfortunate that I commit offenses while chanting the holy name, and therefore I do not achieve attachment for chanting.”
 Although the bodily transformations symptomatic of ecstatic love of God (bhäva) are sometimes exhibited by great souls, pretenders may imitate them. Real bhäva, however, is manifested by steady symptoms:
Bhäva is definitely displayed in the matter of cessation of material desires (kñänti), utilization of every moment in the transcendental loving service of the Lord (avyartha-kälatvam [Cc.Madhya 23.18-19]), eagerness for glorifying the Lord constantly (näma-gäne sadä ruciù), attraction for living in the land of the Lord (prétis tad-vasati-sthale [Cc.Madhya 23.18-19]), complete detachment from material happiness (viraktiù), and pridelessness (mäna-çünyatä). One who has developed all these transcendental qualities is really possessed of the bhäva stage, as distinguished from the stonehearted imitator or mundane devotee. [Bhäg. 2.3.24, purport]
 The influence of pure devotees of the Lord is very great. Their conversations are entirely Kåñëa conscious, and that is why they purify everyone who hears them, and even the place they inhabit. When bona fide devotees perform kåñëa-kértana or discuss topics concerning Kåñëa, the Lord is personally present:
The topics of Lord Kåñëa are so auspicious that they purify the speaker, the hearer, and the inquirer. They are compared to the Ganges waters, which flow from the toe of Lord Kåñëa. Wherever the Ganges waters go, they purify the land and the person who bathes in them. Similarly, kåñëa-kathä, or the topics of Kåñëa, are so pure that wherever they are spoken the place, the hearer, the inquirer, the speaker, and all concerned become purified. [Bhäg. 2.1.1, purport]
 The practical effect of a devotee’s influence is that people take up spiritual life and abandon their sinful habits. Without devotional reform in society, humanity will degrade to a barbaric species. Prabhupäda writes, “Men face each other in enmity just like cats and dogs snarling. Çré Éçopaniñad cannot give advice to the cats and dogs, but it delivers the message of Godhead to man through the bona fide äcäryas, or holy teachers” (Éçopaniñad 1, purport).
 At least on an individual basis every sane person should save himself by coming forward to render service and to hear from Vaiñëavas of the caliber Närada describes in this sütra. If one is under the protection of a pure devotee and sincerely renders service to him in bhakti-yoga, one will be able to counteract all sinful reactions, including the accumulated sinful karma of the whole world population. Närada praises the influence of devotees, but Lord Kåñëa praises the influence of Närada:
If someone is able, by chance, to see face to face a great saintly person like Närada, who is always serene and merciful to everyone, then immediately that conditioned soul becomes liberated. This is exactly like being situated in the full light of the sun; there cannot be any visionary impediment. [Kåñëa, p. 97]
TEXT 69
térthé-kurvanti térthäni su-karmé-kurvanti karmäëi sac-chästré-kurvanti çästräëi
SYNONYMS
térthé—into holy places; kurvanti—they make; térthäni—the holy places; su-karmé—into auspicious works; kurvanti—they make; karmäëi—works; sat—pure; çästré—into scriptures; kurvanti—they make; çästräëi—the scriptures.
TRANSLATION
Their association makes holy places holy, works auspicious, and the scriptures authoritative.
PURPORT
A tértha is a place made sacred because the Supreme Lord performed His pastimes there. For example, Våndävana is sacred because Çré Kåñëa spent His youth there, Navadvépa because Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu began His saìkértana movement there. Places like Dhruva-ghäöa or Naimiñäraëya, where mahä-janas performed devotional service, are also térthas. Devotees like to reside in térthas and perform their bhajana there, and pilgrims seeking purification go to bathe in the sacred rivers flowing through the sacred sites. But the térthas become burdened by the sins of visiting pilgrims, who sometimes commit new sins even while traveling on pilgrimage. In all the religions of the world, commercialism tends to spring up and pollute the famous shrines. Because of this, the Gauòéya Vaiñëava äcärya Narottama däsa Öhäkura stated that in the Kali-yuga going on pilgrimage creates bewilderment. Çréla Prabhupäda writes:
In India it is still a practice that many advanced transcendentalists give up their family lives and go to Våndävana to live there alone and completely engage in hearing and chanting the holy pastimes of the Lord. This system is recommended in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, and the six Gosvämés of Våndävana followed it, but at the present moment many karmés and pseudo devotees have overcrowded the holy place of Våndävana just to imitate this process recommended by Çukadeva Gosvämé. [Kåñëa, p. 881]
 To purify the térthas of the influence of the nondevotees, saints occasionally visit them. In fact, it is the presence of the saints that actually makes the places holy. If one visits a tértha and only does some shopping and takes a ritual bath there, without inquiring from saintly persons, his visit is useless.
 When the sage Vidura went to the palace of the Kurus in Hastinäpura, Yudhiñöhira Mahäräja praised him with the same words Närada uses here: térthé-kurvanti térthäné. Çréla Prabhupäda writes,
By their actions the pure devotees of the Lord can render any place into a place of pilgrimage, and the holy places are worth the name only on their account. Such pure devotees are able to rectify the polluted atmosphere of any place, and what to speak of a holy place rendered unholy by the questionable actions of interested persons who try to adopt a professional life at the cost of the reputation of the holy place. [Bhäg. 1.13.10, purport]
 In a similar passage, the sage Bhagératha praised the river Ganges and the saints who bathe in her waters: “When such pure devotees bathe in your water, the sinful reactions accumulated from other people will certainly be counteracted, for such devotees always keep in the core of their hearts the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who can vanquish all sinful reactions” (Bhäg. 9.9.6).
 If the saints are so influential just by their presence, then we can just imagine how much their acts are worshipable and worth following. Most people’s actions result in reactions (karma), but the acts of great souls convert karma into bhakti. Whoever serves a pure devotee gains a permanent spiritual asset, even if he does so unknowingly (ajïäta-sukåti). Although we cannot expect to equal the deeds of pure devotees, we should not shy away from trying to emulate them. As Çréla Prabhupäda used to say, “Do as I am doing.”
 Närada states that the best devotees add spiritual authority even to the scriptures. A striking example of this is Çréla Prabhupäda’s fulfillment of a prediction of Lord Caitanya’s recorded in the Caitanya-bhägavata:
påthivéte äche yata nagarädi-gräma
sarvatra pracära haibe mora näma
 “In every town and village of the world, My name [the holy name of Kåñëa] will be preached.” This statement used to puzzle Vaiñëava scholars; some said it was to be taken allegorically. How could mlecchas in Western countries take up the worship of Lord Kåñëa and Lord Caitanya and chant Hare Kåñëa in their towns and cities? But Çréla Prabhupäda proved the skeptics wrong: On his spiritual master’s order and by Lord Caitanya’s grace, he created the Hare Kåñëa movement, which quickly spread until newspapers and commentators proclaimed: “Kåñëa Chant Startles London,” and “ ‘Hare Kåñëa’ has become a household word.”
 Çréla Prabhupäda’s preaching of the Bhagavad-gétä provides another example of how the pure devotees give authority to the scriptures. For more than two hundred years before Çréla Prabhupäda came to the West with Bhagavad-gétä As It Is, the Bhagavad-gétä had been known in Western countries as “the sacred gospel of the Hindus.” And yet no one had become a devotee of Lord Kåñëa from reading Bhagavad-gétä, although Lord Kåñëa teaches surrender to Him as the goal of the Gétä. But through his realized translations and purports Çréla Prabhupäda brought life to the text of Bhagavad-gétä, and now thousands of non-Hindus throughout the world are recognizing Lord Kåñëa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and becoming His sincere devotees.
 Närada will now explain why saintly persons are so auspicious and influential.
TEXT 70
tan-mayäù
SYNONYMS
tat—with Him; mayäù—filled.
TRANSLATION
The intimate servants of the Supreme Lord are fully absorbed in loving Him.
PURPORT
Närada’s definitions give us portraits of complete dedication, of love, and of oneness of interest between the Supreme Lord and His devotee. When we read a superb sütra such as number 49 or 67 we may think, “Now he has given the last word on bhakti: nothing more can be said as briefly and as well.” But then Närada delights us with even more precise aphorisms on bhakti-yoga.
  This sütra is quite similar to number 41: “The Lord and His pure devotees are nondifferent.” In the Gurv-añöaka, Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura states, “The spiritual master is to be honored as much as the Supreme Lord because he is the most confidential servitor of the Lord. This is acknowledged in all revealed scriptures and followed by all authorities.” Although a qualified student of bhakti knows that the Vaiñëava is not God Himself, the disciple experiences Kåñëa’s direct presence in the form of His dedicated servant. And the disciple is fully satisfied in serving the Supreme Lord by serving His pure devotee, who is the transparent medium to Kåñëa.
 When Sanätana Gosvämé met Lord Caitanya, the Lord told him, “Lord Kåñëa has saved you from life’s deepest hell.” Sanätana replied, “I do not know who Kåñëa is. As far as I am concerned, I have been released from prison only by Your mercy” (Cc. Madhya 20.64). The disciple’s gratitude toward the Vaiñëava is also expressed in Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura’s song Ohe! vaiñëava öhäkura: “Kåñëa is yours. You’re able to give Him to me, for such is your power. I am indeed wretched and simply run after you, crying, ‘Kåñëa! Kåñëa!’ ”
 This is why the place where great devotees reside is a tértha and why Närada says that they purify established holy places and give authority to the scriptures—because they are tan-mayäù, “filled with Him.”
TEXT 71
modante pitaro nåtyanti devatäù sa-näthä ceyaà bhür bhavati
SYNONYMS
modante—become joyful; pitaraù—forefathers; nåtyanti—dance; devatäù—demigods; sa-näthä—having good masters; ca—and; iyam—this; bhüù—earth; bhavati—becomes.
TRANSLATION
Thus the pure devotees’ forefathers become joyful, the demigods dance, and the world feels protected by good masters.
PURPORT
A great devotee is so dear to the Supreme Lord that his family members receive the Lord’s blessings even though they may not appreciate their devotee relative. When Lord Nåsiàhadeva rescued His dearmost bhakta, Prahläda, from his demonic father, Prahläda Mahäräja asked that his father be excused and not punished in the next life for his heinous crimes. Lord Nåsiàhadeva replied, “My dear Prahläda, most pure, O great saintly person, your father has been purified, along with twenty-one forefathers in your family. Because you were born in this family, the entire dynasty has been purified. Whenever and wherever there are peaceful, equipoised devotees who are well behaved and decorated with all good qualities, that place and the dynasties there, even if condemned, are purified” (Bhäg. 7.10.18–19).
 Lord Caitanya also gave special mercy to His devotees’ relatives. Amogha, the son-in-law of Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya, blasphemed Lord Caitanya and had to suffer cholera. But Lord Caitanya spared him and said, “You are the object of My affection because you are the son-in-law of Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya. Everyone in Särvabhauma’s house is very dear to Me, including his maids and servants and even his dog. And what to speak of his relatives?” (Cc. Madhya 15.283–4). A pure devotee identifies more with the family of all living entities than with his bodily relatives, and yet whoever is even remotely connected with a pure devotee, even a distant relative, receives benefit. The influence of the devotee is that great.
 Next Närada says nåtyanti devatäù, “The demigods dance when they see a pure devotee appear.” The devas are staunch devotees of Lord Viñëu, and they hate to see the demons gain control. Sometimes the demons capture the demigods’ palaces, as during the rule of Hiraëyakaçipu. But the pure devotee Prahläda caused the appearance of Lord Nåsiàhadeva, who destroyed Hiraëyakaçipu. Hiraëyakaçipu was “like a fever of meningitis in the head of the three worlds.” When he was killed by Lord Nåsiàhadeva, the demigods prayed, “When this demon was condemned by devotees because they were disgusted with him, then he was killed by You” (Bhäg. 7.8.53). Thus the pure devotee’s work is so significant that it affects the whole universe and creates a shift in favor of godliness. The demigods’ joy at the appearance of a Vaiñëava proves that the devas are also Vaiñëavas. They are more pleased with a pure devotee who renders service unto the Supreme Lord than they are with their own worshipers who seek material boons from them.
 Finally Närada states that with the appearance of a pure devotee, the earth gets a savior. Mother Earth is abused in Kali-yuga in many ways. When Kali-yuga began, Mahäräja Parékñit found a çüdra beating the earth personified, who appeared in the form of a cow. Nowadays the earth is drilled recklessly for oil, deforested, blown up, polluted by chemicals, stripped of fertile topsoil, and filled up with cheaters and liars who create an intolerable burden.
 The earth is not a dead mass to be exploited by the human species; rather, she is a living entity meant to be protected. When the earth is protected, she gives ample space and a peaceful and prosperous residence for all living entities. But when human beings plunder the earth, she seeks protection from a magnanimous devotee. Though a devotee may appear to work as a humble mendicant without much power, higher beings and truly learned souls know that a savior has appeared.
 The devotee is especially a savior for human beings, most of whom would surely fall down into lower species in their next lives without the devotee’s efforts to reform them. According to time, place, and person, every pure-devotee savior teaches the same message: “Do not rot in this material world; follow the word of God and be saved.” The world still worships saviors such as Jesus Christ, Lord Buddha, and Lord Caitanya. Many other pure devotees continue to appear, as the son of God or as çakty-äveça avatäras, to save the human race. Considering the far-reaching auspicious effects of a pure devotee’s presence, which are mostly beyond normal comprehension, we can appreciate better why Çréla Prabhupäda said, “If only one man becomes a pure devotee of the Lord, we shall consider our attempt a success.”
TEXT 72
nästi teñu jäti-vidyä-rüpa-kula-dhana-kriyädi-bhedaù
SYNONYMS
na asti—there is not; teñu—in them; jäti—of class; vidyä—education; rüpa—beauty; kula—family; dhana—wealth; kriyä—occupation; ädi—and so on; bhedaù—difference.
TRANSLATION
There are no distinctions among such pure devotees in terms of social class, education, bodily beauty, family status, wealth, occupation, and so on.
PURPORT
Çré Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, does not discriminate among devotees based on their birth, wealth, and so on, so why should we? Kåñëa says, “O son of Påthä, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth—women, vaiçyas [merchants], and çüdras [workers]—attain the supreme destination” (Bg. 9.32). And according to the Padma Puräëa, “Anyone who thinks of the Deity of Viñëu as merely stone or the guru as an ordinary man, or who thinks a Vaiñëava belongs to a particular family or country, is a resident of hell.”
 In his Upadeçämrta (6), Rüpa Gosvämé has also warns us not to take a material view of devotees: “Being situated in his original Kåñëa conscious position, a pure devotee does not identify with the body. Such a devotee should not be seen from a materialistic point of view. Indeed, one should overlook a devotee’s having a body born in a low family, a body with a bad complexion, a deformed body, or a diseased or infirm body. According to ordinary vision, such imperfections may seem prominent in the body of a pure devotee, but despite such seeming defects, the body of a pure devotee cannot be polluted. It is exactly like the waters of the Ganges, which sometimes during the rainy season are full of bubbles, foam, and mud. The Ganges waters do not become polluted. Those who are advanced in spiritual understanding will bathe in the Ganges without considering the condition of the water.”
 Çréla Prabhupäda states that one should not think, “Oh, here is an American gosvämé,” and on that basis discriminate against him. On the other hand, Westerners who have come to Kåñëa consciousness by Prabhupäda’s grace should not be puffed up and think themselves better than Indian brähmaëas. The çästras state, kalau çüdra-sambhavaù: “In the Age of Kali, everyone is born a çüdra.” We are elevated by the process of Kåñëa consciousness, but we have nothing to be proud of on our own account: it is all due to the mercy of the Lord and His pure devotee. Çréla Haridäsa Öhäkura set the example: even after he became the most elevated transcendentalist, he did not assert himself as a superior person but wished to be regarded as lowborn. In the name of becoming a transcendentalist, one should not become captured again by false pride.
 Only one who is ignorant of the transforming power of bhakti discriminates against devotees on the basis of material designations. Prabhupäda writes, “One should therefore avoid observing a pure devotee externally, but should try to see the internal features and understand how he is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord” (The Nectar of Instruction, Text 6, purport).
 In her prayers to Lord Kapila, Devahüti affirmed that the Lord’s holy names possess the transcendental power to transform anyone: “Oh, how glorious are they whose tongues are chanting Your holy name! Even if born in families of dog-eaters, such persons are worshipable” (Bhäg. 3.33.7).
TEXT 73
yatas tadéyäù
SYNONYMS
yataù—because; tadéyäù—His.
TRANSLATION
Pure devotees are not distinguished by externals like social class, for they belong to the Lord.
PURPORT
Here Närada explains why one should avoid caste-conscious prejudice toward devotees of Kåñëa: because devotees are all one class—they are all His own. And because they belong to the Supreme Lord (tadéyäù), the devotees are worshipable:
ärädhanänäà sarveñäà viñëor ärädhanaà param
tasmät parataraà devi tadéyänäà samarcanam
 “Of all types of worship, worship of Lord Viñëu is best, and better than the worship of Lord Viñëu is the worship of His devotee, the Vaiñëava” (Padma Puräëa).
 Tadéya means “in relation to Him.” The devotees are intimately related to the Lord because they are under the shelter of His internal energy. Thus they always accompany Him and serve Him as His carrier Garuòa, His couch Ananta Çeña, His cows, His gopas and gopés, and so on.
 In a general sense, all living entities are part and parcel of Kåñëa—“My eternal fragmental parts,” Kåñëa says—and that is another reason why one should not judge someone higher or lower by material standards. But although all jévas are dear to Lord Kåñëa, He is dear only to His devotees, and therefore they receive His special attention. As He says in the Bhagavad-gétä (9.29),
samo ’haà sarva-bhüteñu na me dveñyo ’sti na priyaù
ye bhajanti tu mäà bhaktyä mayi te teñu cäpy aham
 “I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend—is in Me—and I am also a friend to him.”
 During a conversation with Sanätana Gosvämé and Haridäsa Öhäkura in Jagannätha Puré, Lord Caitanya once elaborately explained the same truth expressed in this sütra. Sanätana had contracted a skin disease that produced oozing sores. Out of humility he considered his body useless for devotional service, and he decided to commit suicide under the wheel of Lord Jagannätha’s chariot. But Lord Caitanya read his mind and forbade him to do so, telling him that he had already surrendered his body to the Lord for service. Lord Caitanya used to embrace Sanätana, and this made Sanätana feel mortified because his oozing sores touched the Lord’s body. And so Sanätana decided to leave Jagannätha Puré. But Lord Caitanya explained that He was not offended by Sanätana’s body; rather, He felt great bliss while embracing Sanätana because He saw his body as transcendental. Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu quoted the Bhagavad-gétä (5.18):
vidyä-vinaya-sampanne brähmaëe gavi hastini
çuni caiva çva-päke ca paëòitäù sama-darçinaù
 “The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brähmaëa, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater [outcaste].”
 On hearing this quote, Haridäsa said, “What You have spoken deals with external formalities.” Lord Caitanya then revealed His inner thoughts regarding His love for His devotees:
My dear Haridäsa and Sanätana, I think of you as My little boys, to be maintained by Me. The maintainer never takes seriously any faults of the maintained....When a child passes stool and urine that touch the body of the mother, the mother never hates the child. On the contrary, she takes much pleasure in cleaning him. The stool and urine of the child appear like sandalwood pulp to the mother. Similarly, when the foul moisture oozing from the sores of Sanätana touches My body, I have no hatred for him. [Cc. Antya 4.184–7]
 Lord Caitanya then further explained the glories of devotional service and how it transforms a devotee’s body into spiritual existence.
 In conclusion, the body of a pure devotee is never material. Even if it appears so, Kåñëa still accepts the devotee as dear and embraces him as His own. By the Lord’s mercy, the devotee is spiritualized, and in his transcendental body he renders service to the Lord’s lotus feet.
Chapter 5
Attaining Perfection
TEXT 74
vädo nävalambyaù
SYNONYMS
vädaù—debate; na—not; avalambyaù—to be resorted to.
TRANSLATION
One should not indulge in argumentative debate.
PURPORT
Närada discourages the egotistic wrangling spirit. One who is proud of his debating skills and eager to defeat others will lose his humility, which, as Närada says in Sütra 27, is essential for pleasing Kåñëa. The existence of God is not something to be proven or disproven merely by a battle of logical wits. The spiritual reality cannot be understood by material logic or the speculations of the material mind. As the Vedänta-sütra (2.1.11) declares, tarkäpratiñöhänät: “Logical reasoning is inconclusive.”
 However, when a Kåñëa conscious preacher defends the Lord or the Vaiñëavas against blasphemy, that should not be taken as vain controversy. The devotee doesn’t argue on his own account, but on Kåñëa’s. Also, a devotee’s preaching is not based on mental speculation, which is always imperfect, but on the perfect process of receiving knowledge from the çästra and the äcäryas. As it is said, “Mistakes, illusion, cheating, and defective perception do not occur in the sayings of the authoritative sages” (Cc. Ädi 2.86). Also, the Vaiñëava äcäryas have all argued against Mäyäväda interpretations. This kind of argumentation is not to be avoided but is rather one of the duties of the madhyama-bhakta, or preacher. Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja states, “A sincere student should not neglect the discussion of such conclusions [concerning the philosophy of Kåñëa consciousness], considering them controversial, for such discussion strengthens the mind. Thus one’s mind becomes attached to Kåñëa” (Cc. Ädi 2.117).
 But sometimes a preacher will avoid a fight if he sees that the challenger simply wants to argue for the sake of argument. Rüpa Gosvämé once declined to debate a rascal who came to defeat him, but then Rüpa’s nephew, Jéva Gosvämé, took up the challenge. So a devotee may or may not choose to meet the challenges of the atheists and voidists, depending on the circumstances, but in any case he knows that debate and challenge do not lead to a true understanding of God.
 Certainly the devotee himself has no challenging spirit when he approaches the scriptures or the äcäryas. He accepts them axiomatically, beyond argument. The best method for solving one’s personal doubts is to inquire submissively from advanced Vaiñëavas, who will always be able to answer in terms of çästra and reason.
TEXT 75
bähulyävakäçatväd aniyatatväc ca
SYNONYMS
bähulya—for excessiveness; avakäçatvät—because of involving opportunities; aniyatatvät—because of not being decisive; ca—and.
TRANSLATION
Such argumentation leads to excessive entanglements and is never decisive.
PURPORT
In the Mahäbhärata, Yudhiñöhira Mahäräja describes the defect of argumentation as follows: tarko ’pratiñöhaù çrutayo vibihinnä näsäv åñir yasya mataà na bhinnam. “Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood” (Mahäbhärata, Vana-parva 313.117).
 If you base your philosophical conclusions on logical arguments, a superior logician will eventually defeat you. This is the method of Western philosophers, and India also has its munis. A muni is not considered distinguished unless he defeats the arguments of previous thinkers. But then another muni comes and finds flaws in the arguments of the current champion and claims to replace him with “the latest philosophy.” Those who study argumentation come to the conclusion that there is no final truth. This is skepticism, the fruit of mental speculation.
 A bhakta should not take part in the tedious, inconclusive contests of logicians. The Vedic truths have been thoroughly researched since time beyond memory and are established conclusively. The äcäryas who guide the destiny of Vedic culture, such as Madhva, Rämänuja, and Lord Caitanya, did not invent the Vedic siddhänta (conclusion), though they all presented it according to time, place, and recipients.
 King Yudhiñöhira continues: dharmasya tattvaà nihitaà guhäyäà mahä-jano yena gataù sa panthäù.“The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person. Consequently, as the çästras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahä-janas advocate.”
 The bhakti method of receiving truth is by paramparä, or disciplic succession. It is confirmed by a checks-and-balances system of hearing from guru, çästra, and sädhu. On the other hand, one who rejects the paramparä system and persists in hearing argumentation will never understand the Absolute Truth. As Lord Kåñëa states, bhaktyä mäm abhijänäti: “One can understand Me only by devotional service” (Bg. 18.55).
 When Lord Caitanya first came to Jagannätha Puré, a dispute arose between His followers and Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya, who was at that time a mundane logician. The Bhaööäcärya and his students refused to accept that Lord Caitanya was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although Gopénätha Äcärya presented much evidence from Vedic scriptures. Finally the disciples of the Bhaööäcärya said, “We derive knowledge of the Absolute Truth by logical hypothesis.” Gopénätha Äcärya replied, “One cannot attain real knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by such logical hypothesis and argument” (Cc. Madhya 6.81). Gopénätha Äcärya further stated that only that person who has received the mercy of the Lord by rendering Him devotional service can understand Him. Logical hypothesis is not the way, but rather çabda-brahma, hearing from authorized sources. Lord Brahmä made the same point in his prayers to Lord Kåñëa in Chapter Fourteen of the Tenth Canto of Çrémad-Bhägavatam:
athäpi te deva padämbuja-dvaya-
prasäda-leñänugåhéta eva hi
jänäti tattvaà bhagavan-mahimno
na cänya eko ’pi ciraà vicinvan
 “My Lord, one who is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your lotus feet can understand the greatness of Your personality. But those who speculate in order to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they continue to study the Vedas for many years” (Bhäg. 10.14.29).
 Vain controversy may also include gossip and rumor (prajalpa). Närada previously stated that a bhakta shouldn’t hear from people who speak of women, wealth, and atheists (Sütra 63). Even members of a religious movement have to be careful in their talks, or they too may become another association of harsh and idle talkers like the nondevotees. One has to distinguish between responsible dialogue on important issues and talk that leads nowhere. If we enter into controversial topics, we should do so with restraint, sincerely seeking the Vaiñëava siddhänta according to guru, çästra, and sädhu. The çästras are not to be researched merely as so much ammunition for our own opinions. When we enter debate with an egoistic zest to defeat the opposition, we miss the point and end up fighting with the Vaiñëavas. In the prayer known as the Haàsa-gühya, offered by Dakña to Lord Viñëu, Dakña concluded that the method of logical dispute is actually a product of illusion:
 I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is full of unlimited qualities and whose different potencies bring about agreement and disagreement between disputants. Thus the illusory energy again and again covers the self-realization of both disputants. [Bhäg. 6.4.31]
TEXT 76
bhakti-çästräëi mananéyäni tad-bodhaka-karmäëi karaëéyäni
SYNONYMS
bhakti—of devotional service; çästräëi—the scriptures; mananéyäni—should be respected; tat—by them; bodhaka—made known; karmäëi—prescribed activities; karaëéyäni—should be executed.
TRANSLATION
One should respect the revealed scriptures of devotional service and discharge the duties they prescribe.
PURPORT
The most important bhakti-çästras have been translated with paramparä purports by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “In our Kåñëa consciousness movement we have therefore limited our study of Vedic literature to Bhagavad-gétä, Çrémad-Bhägavatam, Caitanya-caritämåta, and Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu. These four works are sufficient for preaching purposes. They are adequate for the understanding of the philosophy and the spreading of missionary activities all over the world” (Cc. Madhya 22.118, purport).
 The Vedas are vast, comprising millions of Sanskrit çlokas. And while the conclusion of all branches of Vedic literature is to render devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, some parts of the Vedic literature are addressed to materialistic religionists and therefore teach a gradual process of elevation. The sages at Naimiñäraëya, therefore, asked Süta Gosvämé to teach them the essence of the Vedas. In Kali-yuga most people do not have the time, energy, or interest to go through all the Vedas, nor is it advisable to try. The essence, selected by Süta Gosvämé, is Çrémad-Bhägavatam, which teaches bhakti-yoga as the supreme dharma and rejects all “cheating religion.” To bring transcendental light into the age of darkness, Çréla Vyäsadeva, the compiler of all the Vedas, gave the world the Çrémad-Bhägavatam as his mature contribution:
anarthopaçamaà säkñäd bhakti-yogam adhokñaje
lokasyäjänato vidväàç cakre sätvata-saàhitäm
  “The material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyäsadeva compiled this Vedic literature, which is in relation to the Supreme Truth” (Bhäg. 1.7.6).
 Bhakti-çästras include contemporary works written in pursuance of the conclusions of Çrémad-Bhägavatam, Bhagavad-gétä, and so on. The writing of commentaries and other bhakti literary works can continue for the edification of people in every age and create a movement away from mundane and speculative books.
 Närada states that a person should not only read bhakti-çästras but also live by their instructions. The serious student should render service in terms of what he has heard from the spiritual master and the bhakti-çästras. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “Without hearing such literatures, one cannot make actual progress. And without hearing and following the instructions, the show of devotional service becomes worthless and therefore a sort of disturbance on the path of devotional service. Therefore, devotional service is established on the principles of çruti, småti, puräëa, and païcarätra authorities. The make-show of devotional service should at once be rejected” (Bhäg. 1.2.12, purport).
TEXT 77
sukha-duùkhecchä-läbhädi-tyakte käle pratékñamäëe kñaëärdham api vyarthaà na neyam
SYNONYMS
sukha—happiness; duùkha—unhappiness; icchä—hankering; läbha—profiteering; ädi—and so on; tyakte—having given up; käle—the time; pratékñamäëe—being waited for; kñaëa—of a moment; ardham—one half; api—even; vyartham—vainly; na neyam—should not be wasted.
TRANSLATION
Patiently enduring till the time when one can put aside material happiness, distress, desire, and false gain, one should not waste even a fraction of a second.
PURPORT
Human birth is rare and one’s life span brief. Why is human life so precious? Because we can use it for self-realization and get free of birth and death. But, as implied by this sütra, much of our human lifetime is consumed in the struggle for existence. While instructing his young schoolmates on the urgency of Kåñëa consciousness, Prahläda Mahäräja made a calculation of how human life is wasted:
 Every human being has a maximum duration of life of one hundred years, but for one who cannot control his senses, half of those years are completely lost because at night he sleeps twelve hours, being covered by ignorance. Therefore such a person has a lifetime of only fifty years.
 In the tender age of childhood, when everyone is bewildered, one passes ten years. Similarly in boyhood, engaged in sporting and playing, one passes another ten years. In this way twenty years are wasted. Similarly, in old age, when one is an invalid, unable to perform even material activities, one passes another twenty years wastefully.
 One whose mind and senses are uncontrolled becomes increasingly attached to family because of insatiable lusty desires and very strong illusion. In such a madman’s life, the remaining years are also wasted because even during those years he cannot engage himself in devotional service. [Bhäg. 7.6.6–8]
 Whenever we misspend time, it is an irretrievable loss. As Cäëakya Paëòita states, all the gold in a rich man’s possession cannot buy back a single moment of time.
 A devotee uses his time well, and this is one of the symptoms of his advancement. Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “He is always anxious to utilize his time in the devotional service of the Lord. He does not like to be idle. He wants service always, twenty-four hours a day without deviation” (The Nectar of Devotion, p. 138).
 We cannot wait until after we complete our many duties before starting to remember Kåñëa. If we give bhakti such a low priority, our practice will never be more than a formality, a hurried prayer stolen from our time for “real” business or a perfunctory visit to the temple once a week. Rather, as Närada has observed, “One achieves bhakti by hearing and chanting about the Supreme Lord’s special qualities, even while engaged in the ordinary activities of life in this world” (Närada-bhakti-sütra 37). Let us remember Lord Kåñëa’s advice in Bhagavad-gétä (8.7): “Remember Me and fight.”
 The voice of delusion says, “When I’m older, I’ll be less occupied with the struggle for existence. Then I’ll take to Kåñëa consciousness.” But we may die before old age ever comes, or we may be too feeble at that time. As King Kulaçekhara prays (Mukunda-mäla-stotra 40),
kåñëa tvadéya-pada-paìkaja-païjaräntam
adyaiva me viçatu mänasa-räja-haàsaù
präëa-prayäëa-samaye kapha-väta-pittaiù
kaëöhävarodhana-vidhau smaraëaà kutas te
 “O Lord, at this moment let the royal swan of my mind enter the network of the stems of the lotus flower of Your feet. How will it be possible for me to remember You at the time of death, when my throat will be choked up with mucus, bile, and air?”
 Närada advises that one should “patiently endure.” This is advice for the devotee. He should fully engage himself in Kåñëa consciousness with the goal of going back to Godhead, and in the meantime he should tolerate the dualities of life. As Lord Kåñëa advises Arjuna, “O son of Kunté, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and dis-appearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed” (Bg. 2.14). “Patiently endure” does not mean that one should stoically put up with life’s dualities and not fully engage in Kåñëa consciousness! The devotee spends all his days and moments wholeheartedly engaged in devotional service, but still he has to contend with material upheavals. So in the face of these inevitable changes, he should patiently endure and go on chanting Hare Kåñëa.
TEXT 78
ahiàsä-satya-çauca-dayästikyädi-cäritryäëi paripälanéyäni
SYNONYMS
ahiàsä—of nonviolence; satya—truthfulness; çauca—cleanliness; dayä—compassion; ästikya—faith; ädi—and so on; cäritryäëi—the characteristics; paripälanéyäni—should be cultivated.
TRANSLATION
One should cultivate such good qualities as nonviolence, truthfulness, cleanliness, compassion, and faith.
PURPORT
Throughout the Bhakti-sütras, Närada has taught the best, the ultimate. He has never given mediocre definitions of bhakti, but from his own realizations and from other Vaiñëavas he has taught parä bhakti. Similarly, Çréla Prabhupäda would always give definitions containing the fullest Kåñëa conscious substance.
 The present verse, therefore, must be understood in the context of what has gone before. Far from cultivating the listed virtues for themselves, the aspiring devotee should understand that all virtues will remain within the framework of the material modes until they are dovetailed in Kåñëa consciousness. The good man is the paragon of the sättvika mode, but even he cannot attain liberation if he fails to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As Lord Kåñëa states, “Those situated in that mode [sattva-guëa] become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge” (Bg. 14.6).
 Defining ahiàsä, Çréla Prabhupäda took it to its ultimate conclusion for the life of a devotee:
 Nonviolence is generally taken to mean not killing or destroying the body, but actually nonviolence means not to put others into distress. People in general are trapped by ignorance in the material concept of life, and they perpetually suffer material pangs. So unless one elevates people to spiritual knowledge, one is practicing violence. One should try his best to distribute real knowledge to the people, so that they may become enlightened and leave this material entanglement. That is nonviolence. [Bg. 13.12, purport]
 Çréla Prabhupäda preached tirelessly against violence to animals, especially to the cow. Whenever he met a religionist or educated person, Çréla Prabhupäda would test him on this point. He never conceded that it was permissible to kill God’s creatures “because they have no soul,” or for whatever reason the meat-eaters invented. To the followers of Lord Buddha Çréla Prabhupäda challenged, “We are glad that people are taking interest in the nonviolent movement of Lord Buddha. But will they take the matter very seriously and close the animal slaughterhouses altogether? If not, there is no meaning to the ahiàsä cult” (Bhäg. 1.3.25, purport; italics in original).
 Lord Kåñëa lists satya, “truthfulness,” as one of the divine qualities. But truthfulness depends on recognizing the Absolute Truth to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Otherwise, no matter how strenuously one practices honesty, it remains relative and not fully pleasing to the Supreme Lord. But when a person recognizes that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the supreme embodiment of truth and thus dedicates his life to following the truth and distributing that truth, then he can begin to be an honest person.
 Cleanliness refers to both inner and outer states. Both are important, but internal purity is more important. Lord Caitanya declared that the congregational chanting of the holy names is the best process for cleaning the mind. All material concepts—such as identifying the self as the body, seeing dualities in the world, and hankering for sense gratification—are “dirty things” in the heart. The bhakta is always busy cleaning and polishing, freeing himself from the accumulation of dust, by the practice of chanting Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare.
 As for dayä, there can be no better kindness than to attain pure Kåñëa consciousness yourself and to share it with others.
 The word ästikya, “faith,” implies that we should not interpret the words of scripture but take it “as it is.” When Kåñëa says in Bhagavad-gétä “Surrender to Me,” one should not think himself wiser than Kåñëa and claim that it is not to the person Kåñëa whom we have to surrender but to the spirit within Kåñëa. “Faith” also means to practice devotional service without motivation and without interruption.
 In discussing a similar list of virtues in the Bhagavad-gétä (13.8–12), Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “The process of knowledge terminates in unalloyed devotional service to the Lord. So if one does not approach, or is not able to approach, the transcendental service of the Lord, then the other nineteen items have no particular value. But if a person takes to devotional service in full Kåñëa consciousness, the other nineteen items automatically develop within him.”
 By listing prominent virtues and using the word ädi, indicating that there are many others, Närada reminds us that bhakti has to be situated on a foundation of good behavior. A bhakta cannot be a coarse fool or rascal. Çréla Prabhupäda was once asked by a TV interviewer, “How would I be able to tell a devotee of Kåñëa?” Prabhupäda replied, “He would be a perfect gentleman.”
TEXT 79
sarvadä sarva-bhävena niçcintair bhagavän eva bhajanéyaù
SYNONYMS
sarvadä—always; sarva-bhävena—with all one’s feeling; niçcintaiù—by those who are free from doubt; bhagavän—the Supreme Lord; eva—indeed; bhajanéyaù—should be worshiped.
TRANSLATION
Those who are free of doubts should constantly worship the Supreme Lord with all their hearts.
PURPORT
In his purport to Sütra 12, Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “The Närada-bhakti-sütra is a summary of the Bhagavad-gétä and the Çrémad-Bhägavatam.” Here again we see the truth of that statement, since this sütra is very similar to Lord Kåñëa’s confidential statements in the Bhagavad-gétä. For example, at the end of Chapter Fifteen He says,
yo mäm evaà asammüòho jänäti puruñottamam
sa sarva-vid bhajati mäà sarva-bhävena bhärata
 iti guhyatamaà çästram idam uktaà mayänagha
 etad buddhvä buddhimän syät kåta-kåtyaç ca bhärata
 “Whoever knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is the knower of everything. He therefore engages himself in full devotional service to Me, O scion of Bharata. This is the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures, O sinless one, and it is disclosed now by Me. Whoever understands this will become wise, and his endeavors will know perfection” (Bg. 15.19–20). And again in the Eighteenth Chapter:
sarva-guhyatamaà bhüyaù çåëu me paramaà vacaù
iñöo ’si me dåòham iti tato vakñyämi te hitam
 man-manä bhava mad-bhakto mad-yäjé mäà namaskuru
 mäm evaiñyasi satyaà te pratijäne priyo ’si me
 “Because you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you My supreme instruction, the most confidential knowledge of all. Hear this from Me, for it is for your benefit. Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me, and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend” (Bg. 18.64–65).
 There is no difference between Lord Kåñëa’s instruction to “think of Me always” and Närada’s instruction to “always think of Bhagavän Kåñëa.” And indeed, any follower of Närada’s in disciplic succession can repeat his words: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead alone should always be worshiped wholeheartedly.” But our words must be uttered with the conviction born from a life dedicated to the practices Närada has given in the Bhakti-sütras.
  Our words and acts in devotional service cannot be mechanical. To qualify as bhakti, they must be done with loving feelings. As Lord Kåñëa says, “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water, I will accept it” (Bg. 9.26). And again, “To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me” (Bg. 10.10).
 The wholehearted, exclusive devotion to Kåñëa Närada recommends is echoed in Bhéñma’s definition of love: “Love means reposing one’s affection completely upon one person, withdrawing all affinities for any other person” (The Nectar of Devotion, p. 147). This stage was attained by all great devotees, such as Prahläda, Uddhava, Närada, and the residents of Våndävana.
 We must remember that constant, ecstatic absorption in Lord Kåñëa is the goal of bhakti, and that bhakti includes the approach to that goal. In the Twelfth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gétä, Lord Kåñëa recommends the topmost stage, spontaneous love, but He also encourages us by saying that undertaking the practices of bhakti-yoga will bring one to the ultimate stage:
mayy eva mana ädhatsva mayi buddhià niveçaya
nivasiñyasi mayy eva ata ürdhvaà na saàçayaù
 atha cittaà samädhätuà na çaknoñi mayi sthiram
 abhyäsa-yogena tato mäm icchäptuà dhanaïjaya
 “Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt. My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without deviation, then follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga. In this way develop a desire to attain Me” (Bg. 12.8–9).
 Hearing from mahä-janas who are in the spontaneous stage of bhakti is itself one of the most important services of the practicing devotee. Even Lakñmaëä, one of Lord Kåñëa’s wives, confided that her attraction to the Lord had been evoked by hearing the words of Närada: “My dear queen, many times I heard the great sage Närada glorifying the pastimes of Lord Kåñëa. I became attracted to the lotus feet of Kåñëa when I heard Närada say that the goddess of fortune, Lakñmé, was also attracted to His lotus feet” (Kåñëa, p. 708).
 Let us always keep Närada and his representatives as our worshipable preceptors. They will lead us to Lord Kåñëa.
TEXT 80
sa kértyamänaù çéghram evävirbhavaty anubhävayati bhaktän
SYNONYMS
saù—He; kértyamänaù—being glorified; çéghram—quickly; eva—indeed; ävirbhavati—appears; anubhävayati—gives realization; bhaktän—to the devotees.
 TRANSLATION
When He is glorified, the Lord swiftly reveals Himself to His devotees and allows them to know Him as He is.
PURPORT
The Çrémad-Bhägavatam describes how Närada attained direct perception of Lord Kåñëa. After Närada heard about Kåñëa from sages who were visiting his house, he continued living with his mother, since he was only a five-year-old boy. But his mother suddenly died, and Närada took to wandering. Once, as he sat under a banyan tree and began to meditate upon the Supersoul, the Lord appeared to him. Närada relates, “As soon as I began to meditate upon the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead with my mind transformed in transcendental love, tears rolled down my eyes and without delay the Personality of Godhead, Çré Kåñëa, appeared on the lotus of my heart” (Bhäg. 1.6.16).
 After this initial darçana, the Supreme Lord withdrew Himself in His personal form but spoke to Närada: “O virtuous one, you have only once seen My person, and this is just to increase your desire for Me, because the more you hanker for Me, the more you will be freed from all material desires” (Bhäg. 1.6.22). The Supreme Lord further told Närada that he would eventually “become My associate in the transcendental world after giving up the present deplorable material worlds.”
 And so Närada’s life is a personal testimony to his own instruction given in this sütra. Närada went on to become one of the twelve authorities on Kåñëa consciousness known as mahä-janas, and he is the spiritual master of such stalwarts as Prahläda, Dhruva, and Vyäsadeva.
 Närada once came to Vyäsadeva when Vyäsa was feeling despondent, even after having compiled most of the Vedic scriptures. Närada quickly diagnosed his disciple’s depression and spoke to him:
 You have not actually broadcast the sublime and spotless glories of the Personality of Godhead. That philosophy which does not satisfy the transcendental senses of the Lord is considered worthless. Please, therefore, describe the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, more vividly. [Bhäg. 1.5.8, 21]
 Vyäsa took Närada’s instructions to heart and began composing the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, which is filled with the glories of Lord Kåñëa in His many incarnations, as well as narrations of the Lord’s pure devotees. Vyäsadeva later expressed his profound gratitude by glorifying Çré Näradadeva in various verses of the Çrémad-Bhägavatam:
 aho devarñir dhanyo ’yaà yat kértià çärìga-dhanvanaù
 gäyan mädyann idaà tantryä ramayaty äturaà jagat
 “All glory and success to Çréla Närada Muni because he glorifies the activities of the Personality of Godhead, and in so doing he himself takes pleasure and also enlightens all the distressed souls of the universe” (Bhäg. 1.6.38).
TEXT 81
tri-satyasya bhaktir eva garéyasé bhaktir eva garéyasé
SYNONYMS
tri—in three ways (by his mind, body, and words); satyasya—for one who is truthful; bhaktiù—devotional service; eva—alone; garéyasé—most dear; bhaktiù—devotional service; eva—alone; garéyasé—most dear.
TRANSLATION
Devotional service is the most precious possession of a person who honestly uses his mind, body, and words.
PURPORT
The word tri-satya may refer to the three ways of expressing truth—with one’s thoughts, actions, and words. Then again, tri-satya may be taken to indicate that bhakti is the best way of realizing the truth in all three phases of time—namely, past, present, and future. Lord Kapila told His mother, Devahüti, “I shall now explain unto you the ancient yoga system, which I explained formerly to the great sages. It is serviceable and practical in every way” (Bhäg. 3.25.14). In his purport Prabhupäda writes, “When we have a superexcellent process already present in the Vedic scriptures, there is no need to concoct a new system to mislead the innocent public. At present it has become a fashion to reject the standard system and present something bogus in the name of a newly invented process of yoga” (Bhäg. 3.25.14, purport). Bhakti is ancient wisdom, an immediate practical program, and the vision of the future. It is tri-käla-jïäna, knowledge of past, present, and future.
 As the best use of body, speech, and mind, bhakti is the best happiness, the best action, and the best meditation. When Lord Caitanya asked Rämänanda Räya to explain the very best thing, Rämänanda Räya described bhakti in many ways:
 The Lord inquired, “Of all types of education, which is the most important?” Rämänanda Räya replied, “There is no education that is important other than the transcendental devotional service of Kåñëa.”
 Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu then inquired, “Out of all liberated persons, who should be accepted as the greatest?” Rämänanda replied, “He who has love for Kåñëa has attained the topmost liberation.”
 Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu asked, “Out of all topics people listen to, which is the best for living entities?” Rämänanda Räya replied, “Hearing about the loving affairs between Rädhä and Kåñëa is most pleasing to the ear.” [Cc. Madhya 8.245, 249, 255]
 In this sütra Närada says the same thing as Rämänanda Räya did, but in condensed form: Bhakti is the best in every category. Why should we doubt it? And why should we dilute bhakti with other truths, as if bhakti is in need of help? Bhakti itself confers all knowledge and renunciation. It offers the most courageous action, as well as the best art, science, and recreation. Most important of all, only bhakti is pleasing to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As Lord Kåñëa says, “One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God” (Bg. 18.55). Even if we think that we may be able to accomplish something just as well by a non-bhakti method, our effort would still fail to please the Lord, and thus we would not find self-satisfaction.
 Bhakti is best, and bhakti means devotional service to the Supreme Lord, Çré Kåñëa. Once Närada visited Lord Kåñëa in Våndävana and praised His unique position:
 My Lord, let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Your lotus feet.... Your unlimited potency cannot even be measured by anyone. My dear Lord, You are the supreme controller. You are under Your own internal potency, and it is simply vain to think that You are dependent on any of Your creations.... Your advent on the surface of the earth in Your original form of eternal blissful knowledge is Your own pastime. You are not dependent on anything but Yourself; therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto Your lotus feet. [Kåñëa, p. 303]
 Let us keep Närada’s spirited words in our hearts so that we may practice bhakti-yoga without doubt. And let us proclaim the glories of Kåñëa joyfully, as Närada does. Närada is a space traveler, and wherever he goes he sings the Lord’s glories to the accompaniment of his véëä:
närada muni    bäjäya véëä
rädhikä-ramaëa näme
 “Playing his véëä, Närada Muni chants the names of Lord Rädhikä-ramaëa.” As followers of Närada Muni, we may also select a “véëä,” or method of bhajana, and use it to please the Lord. Playing our véëä like Närada, we may tell everyone we meet, “Bhakti is the best path, bhakti is the best!”
TEXT 82
guëa-mähätmyäsakti-rüpäsakti-püjäsakti-smaraëäsak ti-däsyäsakti-sakhyäsakti-vätsalyäsakti-käntäsakty-ä tma-nivedanäsakti-tan-mayäsakti-parama-virahäsakti-rüpai kadhäpy ekädaçadhä bhavati
SYNONYMS
guëa—of the (Lord’s) qualities; mähätmya—to the greatness; äsakti—attachment; rüpa—to His beauty; äsakti—attachment; püjä—to worship; äsakti—attachment; smaraëa—to remembrance;  äsakti—attachment; däsya—to service; äsakti—attachment; sakhya—to friendship; äsakti—attachment; vätsalya—to parental affinity; äsakti—attachment; käntä—as a conjugal lover; äsakti—attachment; ätma—of one’s self; nivedana—to the offering; äsakti—attachment; tat-maya—to being full of thought of Him; äsakti—attachment; parama—supreme; viraha—to separation; äsakti—attachment; rüpä—having as its forms; ekadhä—onefold;  api—although; ekädaçakhä—elevenfold; bhavati—becomes.
TRANSLATION
Although devotional service is one, it becomes manifested in eleven forms of attachment: attachment to the Lord’s glorious qualities, to His beauty, to worshiping Him, to remembering Him, to serving Him, to reciprocating with Him as a friend, to caring for Him as a parent, to dealing with Him as a lover, to surrendering one’s whole self to Him, to being absorbed in thought of Him, and to experiencing separation from Him. This last is the supreme attachment.
PURPORT
Närada has taught that bhakti is the best of all processes for realizing truth, and he has described the rules and regulations leading to perfection. He has told us that we have to experience bhakti for ourselves, and that it is the highest bliss. Now he indicates the liberality of bhakti by listing the various ways one may render devotional service.
 There has been nothing to suggest that Närada is presenting a theoretical treatise. Thus we should not conclude our reading of the Närada-bhakti-sütra without deciding how we shall render practical service to Kåñëa. Once a college student came to visit Çréla Prabhupäda and told him that he had already read the Bhagavad-gétä. Çréla Prabhupäda asked, “So, what is your conclusion?” The student admitted that he had not reached any particular conclusion after his study of the Gétä. Prabhupäda explained that the conclusion of the Bhagavad-gétä
  is that Lord Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that one should give up all other processes of religion and serve Him. An intelligent reader of the Bhagavad-gétä should know this and take up devotional service. Similarly, here at the end of the Bhakti-sütras Närada is telling us how we may serve the Supreme Lord.
 Of course, the rasas with Kåñëa are for the liberated devotees and cannot be taken up arbitrarily. Our service to Kåñëa should be guided by our spiritual master. He will help us to serve according to our psychophysical nature, in a way that is most effective for our purification. But from the beginning we can at least know that Lord Kåñëa is served by His liberated associates in many ways and that our own perfection will be to discover how we are meant to serve Him eternally to our heart’s content.
 A devotee appreciates the many services the Lord’s devotees engage in, and he studies how to become perfect in his particular relationship with the Lord. Närada’s eleven ways of bhakti appear to be a combination of the nine process of bhakti taught by Prahläda Mahäräja and the five main rasas with Lord Kåñëa described by Rüpa Gosvämé in his Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu. Examples of devotees who achieved perfection by practicing one of the nine processes of bhakti are as follows:
 (1) Mahäräja Parékñit became perfect by hearing about Kåñëa; (2) Çukadeva Gosvämé became perfect by speaking the glories of the Lord; (3) Prahläda Mahäräja became perfect by remembering the Lord; (4) Lakñmédevé became perfect by serving the lotus feet of the Lord; (5) Mahäräja Påthu became perfect by worshiping the Lord; (6) Akrüra became perfect by offering prayers to the Lord; (7) Hanumän became perfect by serving the Lord; (8) Arjuna became perfect by befriending the Lord; and (9) Bali Mahäräja became perfect by offering everything to the Lord.
 As for the five rasas, they are: (1) adoration of the Lord (çänta), (2) servitude (däsya), (3) friendship (sakhya), (4) parental love (vätsalya), and (5) conjugal love (mädhurya). Prominent examples of devotees in each of these rasas are as follows: the four Kumäras in çänta-rasa; Hanumän and Kåñëa’s various servants in Dvärakä and Mathurä in däsya-rasa; Çrédämä, Sudämä, and Stoka-kåñëa in säkhya-rasa; Kåñëa’s parents in vätsalya-rasa; and the gopés of Våndävana and the queens in Dvärakä in mädhurya-rasa.
 All liberated devotees are situated in absolute transcendence, and one devotee does not hanker for the perfection of another. But the Vaiñëava äcäryas have analyzed the rasas to show that there is a progression in affection—and a diminishing in feelings of awe and reverence toward the Lord—from däsya-rasa up to mädhurya-rasa. All the qualities of the other rasas are fully contained in conjugal love. As for love in separation, which Närada mentions as the eleventh and highest stage of attachment, that was especially demonstrated by the gopés of Våndävana, and also by Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya’s demonstration of viraha, or transcendental anguish in separation from Kåñëa, is the highest of all possible expressions of love of God.
 Although there is a progression in intimacy in the rasas from däsya-rasa to mädhurya-rasa, all are based on the ecstasy of service to the Lord. Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja writes, “Love for Kåñëa has this one unique effect: it imbues superiors, equals, and inferiors with the spirit of service to Lord Kåñëa” (Cc. Ädi 6.53). Kåñëa’s friends in Våndävana feel pure fraternal affection for Him, yet they too worship His lotus feet in a spirit of servitude. Kåñëa’s mother and father sometimes chastise the Lord, thinking that He is their little son, and yet they always think of themselves as His servants. Kåñëa’s father, Nanda Mahäräja, once said to Uddhava, “May our minds be attached to the lotus feet of your Lord Kåñëa, may our tongues chant His holy names, and may our bodies lie prostrate before Him” (Cc. Ädi 6.60). Even the gopés of Våndävana regard themselves as Kåñëa’s maidservants. Çrématé Rädhäräëé prays, “O My Lord,... reveal Yourself to Your maidservant, who is very much aggrieved by Your absence” (Bhäg. 10.33.9). Being a servant of the Supreme Lord is so auspicious and blissful that even Lord Kåñëa Himself descended as Lord Caitanya to accept the emotions and form of His own servant. Therefore all devotees can best cultivate their loving relationship with Lord Kåñëa by becoming the servant of other Vaiñëava devotees. If we fix ourselves in steadfast and spontaneous loving service to the Lord’s devotees, Kåñëa will reveal Himself to us and indicate new, intimate ways in which we may serve Him.
TEXT 83
ity evaà vadanti jana-jalpa-nirbhayä eka-matäù kumära-vyäsa-çuka-çäëòilya-garga-viñëu-kauëòilya-çeñoddhaväruëi-bali-hanümad-vibhéñaëädayo bhakty-äcäryäù
SYNONYMS
iti—thus; evam—in this way; vadanti—they speak; jana—of ordinary people; jalpa—of the gossip; nirbhayäù—unafraid; eka—of one; matäù—opinion; kumära-vyäsa-çuka-çäëòilya-garga-viñëu-kauëòilya-çeña-uddhava-aruëi-bali-hanümat-vibhéñaëa-ädayaù— the Kumäras, Vyäsa, Çuka, Çäëòilya, Garga, Viñëu, Kauëòilya, Çeña, Uddhava, Aruëi, Bali, Hanumän, Vibhéñaëa, and others; bhakti—of devotional service; äcäryäù—the founding authorities.
TRANSLATION
Thus say the founding authorities of devotional service: the Kumäras, Vyäsa, Çuka, Çäëòilya, Garga, Viñëu, Kauëòilya, Çeña, Uddhava, Aruëi, Bali, Hanumän, Vibhéñaëa, and others—speaking without fear of worldly gossip and sharing among themselves one and the same opinion.
PURPORT
Närada previously gave definitions of bhakti according to sages like Vyäsa and Garga, and now he gives a longer list. He also adds that there are many other authorities who could also be cited. In this way, although Närada’s word is sufficient, he increases the authority of his conclusion that bhakti is the best of all paths.
 While praising Lord Kåñëa as the Supreme Brahman and the God of gods, Arjuna also referred to great sages in order to support his statement:
paraà brahma paraà dhäma pavitraà paramaà bhavän
puruñaà çäçvataà divyam ädi-devam ajaà vibhum
 ähus tväm åñayaù sarve devarñir näradas tathä
 asito devalo vyäsaù svayaà caiva bravéñi me
 “You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. All the great sages such as Närada, Asita, Devala, and Vyäsa confirm this truth about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me” (Bg. 10.12–13).
 Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “It is not that because Kåñëa is Arjuna’s intimate friend Arjuna is flattering Him by calling Him the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth. Whatever Arjuna says in these two verses is confirmed by Vedic truth” (Bg. 10.12–13, purport). When Yamaräja wanted to impress upon his messengers, the Yamadütas, that Lord Viñëu is the supreme authority and that bhakti is the supreme path, he also quoted an impressive list of names. These teachers are known as the twelve mahä-janas, or authorities in Kåñëa consciousness:
svayambhür näradaù çambhuù kaumäraù kapilo manuù
prahlädo janako bhéñmo balir vaiyäsakir vayam
dvädaçaite vijänémo dharmaà bhägavataà bhaöäù
guhyaà viçuddhaà durbodhaà yaà jïätvämåtam açnute
 [SB 6.3.20]
 “Lord Brahmä, Bhagavän Närada, Lord Çiva, the four Kumäras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahüti], Sväyambhuva Manu, Prahläda Mahäräja, Janaka Mahäräja, Grandfather Bhéñma, Bali Mahäräja, Çukadeva Gosvämé, and I myself know the real religious principle. My dear servants, this transcendental religious principle, which is known as bhägavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord and love for Him, is un-contaminated by the material modes of nature. It is very confidential and difficult for ordinary human beings to understand, but if by chance a person fortunately understands it, he is immediately liberated, and thus he returns home, back to Godhead” (Bhäg. 6.3.20–21).
 In his purport, Çréla Prabhupäda stresses not only the importance of the individual sages but the fact that they are representatives of Vaiñëava sampradäyas:
  There are four lines of disciplic succession: one from Lord Brahmä, one from Lord Çiva, one from Lakñmé, the goddess of fortune, and one from the Kumäras. The disciplic succession from Lord Brahmä is called the Brahmä-sampradäya, the succession from Lord Çiva (Çambhu) is called the Rudra-sampradäya, the one from the goddess of fortune, Lakñméjé, is called the Çré-sampradäya, and the one from the Kumäras is called the Kumära-sampradäya. One must take shelter of one of these four sampradäyas in order to understand the most confidential religious system. In the Padma Puräëa it is said, sampradäya-vihénä ye manträs te niñphalä matäù: “If a person does not follow the four recognized disciplic successions, his mantra or initiation is useless.” [Bhäg. 6.3.20–21, purport]
 Närada states that the äcäryas of the Absolute Truth were not afraid of criticism. In bygone ages fools criticized pure devotees and even the Supreme Lord Himself. Once the powerful progenitor Dakña cursed Närada because he had convinced Dakña’s sons to reject marriage and remain celibate. Dakña called Närada a sinful rascal posing as a devotee. Närada tolerated Dakña’s curse without retaliation, but he continued his preaching.
 In his purports, Çréla Prabhupäda compares the criticism Närada received to the criticism he himself received from his disciples’ parents. Their accusation was the same as Dakña’s—that the spiritual master has unreasonably caused young boys (and girls) to give up the normal life of sense gratification and take to extreme forms of renunciation and devotion to God. The criticism of the Kåñëa consciousness movement has taken organized shape as part of the “anticult movement,” but Çréla Prabhupäda assured his followers not to be afraid of attacks:
 We have no business creating enemies, but the process is such that nondevotees will always be inimical toward us. Nevertheless, as stated in the çästras, a devotee should be both tolerant and merciful. Devotees engaged in preaching should be prepared to be accused by ignorant persons, and yet they must be very merciful to the fallen, conditioned souls. If one can execute his duty in the disciplic succession of Närada Muni, his service will surely be recognized.... Preaching can be a difficult, thankless task, but a preacher must follow the orders of the Supreme Lord and be unafraid of materialistic persons. [Bhäg. 6.5.39, purport]
 Critics deride the Hare Kåñëa movement as a concocted new cult. But just as the Närada-bhakti-sütra is supported by venerable authorities and mahä-janas, so the Kåñëa consciousness movement, created by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda, is also authoritative. In fact, the same authorities Närada has cited also back up the Kåñëa consciousness movement. Çréla Prabhupäda comes in the disciplic line of the Brahma-Madhva-Gauòéya-sampradäya, a line that includes Brahmä, Närada, Vyäsadeva, Madhva, and Lord Caitanya. In the praëäma-mantra Çréla Prabhupäda’s followers chant, the phrase gaura-väëé-pracäriëe means that Çréla Prabhupäda teaches the message of Lord Caitanya. The saìkértana movement, the congregational chanting of Hare Kåñëa, was begun by Lord Caitanya Himself, and so the Kåñëa consciousness movement now spreading around the world is not a new religion but a continuation of the original sampradäya. As Çréla Prabhupäda says, “Actually the original father of this movement is Lord Kåñëa Himself, since it was started a very long time ago but is coming down to human society by disciplic succession” (Bhagavad-gétä As It Is, preface).
TEXT 84
ya idaà närada-proktaà çivänuçäsanaà viçvasiti çraddhate sa bhaktimän bhavati sa preñöhaà labhate sa preñöhaà labhata iti
SYNONYMS
yaù—one who; idam—this; närada-proktam—spoken by Närada; çiva—auspicious; anuçäsanam—instruction; viçvasiti—trusts; çraddhate—is convinced by; saù—he; bhakti-män—endowed with devotion; bhavati—becomes; saù—he; preñöham—the most dear (Supreme Lord); labhate—attains; saù—he; preñöham—the most dear; labhate—attains; iti—thus.
TRANSLATION
Anyone who trusts these instructions spoken by Närada and is convinced by them will be blessed with devotion and attain the most dear Lord. Yes, he will attain the most dear Lord.
PURPORT
Närada ends the Bhakti-sütras by stating that one has to hear them with faith. Inquiries and even doubts may be placed before the guru, just as Arjuna expressed his doubts before Lord Kåñëa. But an attitude of disbelief will prevent us from understanding. As Lord Kåñëa states,
açraddadhänäù puruñä dharmasyäsya parantapa
apräpya mäà nivartante måtyu-saàsära-vartmani
 “Those who are not faithful in this devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of enemies. Therefore they return to the path of birth and death in this material world” (Bg. 9.3). And as stated in the Çvetäçvatara Upaniñad (6.23),
yasya deve parä bhaktir yathä deve tathä gurau
tasyaite kathitä hy arthäù prakäçante mahätmanaù
 [ÇU yasya deve parä bhaktir
yathä deve tathä gurau
tasyaite kathitä hy arthäù
prakäçante mahätmanaù
“Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed.” (Çvetäçvatara Upaniñad 6.23)
ataù çré-kåñëa-nämädi
na bhaved grähyam indriyaiù
sevonmukhe hi jihvädau
svayam eva sphuraty adaù
“No one can understand Kåñëa as He is by the blunt material senses. But He reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased with them for their transcendental loving service unto Him.” (Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu 1.2.234)
bhaktyä mäm abhijänäti
yävän yaç cäsmi tattvataù
tato mäà tattvato jïätvä
viçate tad-anantaram
“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.” (Bg. 18.55)
These are Vedic instructions. One must have full faith in the words of the spiritual master and similar faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then the real knowledge of ätmä and Paramätmä and the distinction between matter and spirit will be automatically revealed. This ätma-tattva, or spiritual knowledge, will be revealed within the core of a devotee’s heart because of his having taken shelter of the lotus feet of a mahäjana such as Prahläda Mahäräja.6.23]
 “Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of the Vedas are automatically revealed.”
 This final sütra declares that if a person hears the Närada-bhakti-sütra with faith, then Närada blesses him with devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This means that Närada Muni is present and acting through the teachings of the sütras. The same potent blessing Närada has given to many persons enabling them to become staunch bhaktas are available even now through his väëé, or teachings. As the Skanda Puräëa states, “My dear Närada, of all the saintly persons, you are so great and glorious that simply by your good wishes a lowborn hunter also has become a great, elevated devotee of Lord Kåñëa” (The Nectar of Devotion, p. 137).
 Let us gratefully receive this benediction and repeatedly hear the Närada-bhakti-sütra for our transcendental pleasure and benefit. Närada wishes to bless us that we shall attain the paräà gatim, the ultimate goal of life, the most cherished desire. But we must ask ourselves, “What do I desire?” If we desire to attain kåñëa-bhakti and if we lead our life in accordance with the teachings of Kåñëa consciousness, then Närada promises we will attain the ultimate in this life and the next: we will render devotional service to Lord Kåñëa, the supreme beloved. As Rüpa Gosvämé states in his Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu, the goal of bhakti is very rarely attained. The Supreme Lord doesn’t grant devotion as easily as He grants liberation, because when He gives devotion one gets an opportunity to serve Him directly. Çukadeva Gosvämé tells Mahäräja Parékñit, “Those engaged in getting the Lord’s favor attain liberation from the Lord very easily, but He does not very easily give the opportunity to render direct service unto Him” (Bhäg. 5.6.18).
 Närada assures us twice, so there should be no doubt about it: although bhakti is very rare and hard to attain, with the blessings of Närada and his representatives we will attain the supreme beloved, we will attain the supreme beloved.
—Completed on Unmélané Mahä-dvädaçé, November 24, 1989, in Jagannätha Puré, as desired by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda