Who has categorically revealed devotional service as the ultimate goal of life?

Jagad-guru Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is one of those spiritual masters who have been sent to this world by Sri Gaurängadeva for the benefit of the jīvas of this world. That great personality who has given everyone the opportunity to know about pure devotional service and the disciplic succession is none other than Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. He is dear to Gauranga and our only shelter.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Thakura considers devotional service to be preyas, or for the immediate good. Previous ācāryas have considered devotional service to be sreyas, a process to bring us ultimate good. But Bhaktivinoda Thakura, as a rūpānuga, has specifically revealed that bhakti is preyas. Those who do not consider devotional service preyas are godless non-Vaisnavas, devoid of their own ultimate good. Human beings consider sense gratification, fruitive activities, and mental speculation preyas; but one who considers service to the Lord as preyas and whose only concern is to gratify Krsna’s senses, becomes an intimate devotee. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is such an intimate associate of Sri Gauranga and is nondifferent from Him.

Accepting unalloyed devotional service as his primarily duty, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura instructed everyone to practice it. People may say that all paths lead to ultimate good, but Bhaktivinoda Thakura protected human society from such nondevotional propaganda. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura never discussed the incomplete, nor did he discuss nondevotional topics. His philosophy is distinct from those who try to reconcile spirit with matter and who maintain that devotional service and nondevotional service are the same. Nondevotional service and devotional service are never the same. Pleasing Krsna and pleasing Maya are not synonymous. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had no love for anything other than pure devotional service.

Before Bhaktivinoda Thakura appeared, the current of bhakti had been obstructed by the worldly masses. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura alone considered devotional service preyas and again made the current of bhakti flow.

My spiritual master is he whose life and soul is Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s teaching. Those who respect Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s words are as good as my spiritual masters.

We are under the shelter of that spiritual master who considered devotional service to be the only goal and the only thing of value. We have no relationship whatsoever with those who consider Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who was a dear associate of Gaura, an ordinary man. May we never see the sinful faces of any unfortunate persons who are envious of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura for the rest of our lives.

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