Is indulging in worldly talks harmful to devotional service?
Sriman Mahaprabhu told us to neither hear wordly topics nor discuss them. We should neither eat palatable foods nor wear opulent clothing. He gave those instructions for those who had developed faith in and taste for worshiping Lord Hari. Eating palatable foods is harmful, but it does not inconvenience others or create obstacles in their worship of Hari. Wearing opulent clothing, however, is more harmful to others. When we dress attractively, we draw other's eyes to ourselves. The purpose of gorgeous dress is to distract people's minds and eyes from Lord Hari's worship.
Isn't it posiible to serve Hari by our own endeavors?
Service to Hari is possible only if Lord Krsna mercifully bestows such an opportunity upon us. Otherwise, it is impossible to engage in Hari's service even after taking much personal trouble. Service to Hari is not a light engagement. In the hope to serve Hari, high birth is an enemy, opulence is an enemy, vast learning is an enemy, and beauty is an enemy. Unless we engage each of these in the service of the lover of the *gopis*, they will captivate us.
How can we enhance our devotional service?
Our propensity to serve will increase if we simply serve. If we have no desire at all to serve the spiritual master or Krsna, then what is the question of increasing our service? If our mind is fixed at the spiritual master's lotus feet, then wherever we may be, our propensity to serve will increase. If our mind is fixed otherwise, we will only increase our propensity for sense gratification and material life. By serving the spiritual master continuously, we attain all fortune. If instead we choose to serve Maya or become busy seeking personal happiness, we will experience various disturbances and misfortunes and find ourselves in danger.
What a is service?
Service is not a function of the body or mind but of the spirit soul. There is no business or trade in service. For the service to be actually devotional, it must be intended simply for Krsna's pleasure. One's service should contain nothing motivated by a desire for one's own happiness. Devotional service is unmotivated, causeless, and the uninterrupted propensity of the spirit soul. One cannot understand the ultimate goal of knowledge unless he engages in unalloyed service to guru. Only the Lord's devotee is eligible to become a spiritual master.
Who can act as our spiritual master?
Only that great personality who has been sent by the Lord from the spiritual world into this world to deliver fallen souls like us, who delivers people who are afflicted with the threefold miseries and sends them back to Godhead, who is most dear to the Supreme Lord and who represents Him, and who is the messenger of transcendental subject matter, is capable of acting as our spiritual master. He is an actual devotee and an actual spiritual master whose ax-like words remain always sharpened to sacrifice our propensities for material enjoyment and dry renunciation.
What is the path of auspiciousness?
No path in this material world is auspicious except the path of service to the Lord. The mentality that we understand life better than the devotees do leads to hell, and therefore keeping such a mentality is harmful. The secret of success in spiritual life is to follow the path traversed by the lord's devotees. We should follow the devotees no matter how difficult the path.
What is devotional service?
Devotional service means trying to please the Lord. It is meant to give Krsna happiness, not to give hapiness to ourselves. Devotional service is the soul's eternal constitutional propensity, the living entity's natural characteristic. The soul has no other constitutional duty than to offer service to the Lord. Temporary material propensities are not the original characteristic of the spirit soul but only the characteristic of the materially conditioned living entity. Material propensities are changeable because they are temporary, but devotional service destroys lamentation, illusion, and fear, all of which come from absorption in matter. Absorption in anything other than Krsna and His devotees is called material absorption. Devotional service is absolute and meant only for the Lord's pleasure. Practicing devotional service helps us develop Krsna consciousness.
Who is a devotee?
One who sacrifies his happiness for Krsna's happiness and who remains always engaged in Krsna's service by remouncing his own enjoyment for Krsna's pleasure is a devotee. He certainly attains auspiciousness. Devotional service is the propensity to give Krsna pleasure. The endeavor to make oneself happy is non devotional service and is the source of misery.
Does a devotee see Krsna everywhere?
According to a Vaishanav's transcendental vision, the Lord is eternally present in water as well as on earth. He is present in each and every atom. The Lord is situated everywhere as the SuperSoul. But he does not come under the purview of those nondevotees who are attached to wealth, women and fame. Such people do not believe in the Vaishnav's conviction. But Lord Narsimhadeva, who proved His devotee's words true, proved that Supreme Lord is everywhere by appearing from a stone pillar. Sri Narsimhadeva destroys impediments on the path of *bhakti*.
What is the conception of the devotees?
Devotees consider all objects to be ingredients of the Lord's service. If we see things with a service attitude rather than a spirit of enjoyment, then everything is worshipable. If there is a gap in our hearing, chanting or remembering the Lord, then we will be swallowed by the idea that we are the enjoyer. If we become absorbed in gossip, we will lose the opportunity to associate with *sadhus* and therefore lose the serving mentality.
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Message of Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur.
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