View source for The central purpose of these eighteen principles is the attainment of transcendental devotional service to the Personality of Godhead. Therefore all classes of men are encouraged to learn the art of devotional service to the Lord

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[[Category:Central]]
[[Category:Purpose]]
[[Category:These]]
[[Category:Eighteen]]
[[Category:Principles of Devotional Service to God]]
[[Category:Attaining Devotional Service to God]]
[[Category:Transcendental Devotional Service to God]]
[[Category:Personality of Godhead]]
[[Category:Thereafter]]
[[Category:Class of Men]]
[[Category:Encouraged in Devotional Service to God]]
[[Category:Learning Devotional Service to God]] 
[[Category:Learn The Art Of...]]
[[Category:Art of Devotional Service to God]]
[[Category:Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 11]]
[[Category:Sri Isopanisad Mantras 01 to 18, Translations and Purports]]
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<h2>Other Books by Srila Prabhupada</h2>
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<h3>Sri Isopanisad</h3>
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The central purpose of these eighteen principles is the attainment of transcendental devotional service to the Personality of Godhead. Therefore all classes of men are encouraged to learn the art of devotional service to the Lord.
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[[Vanisource:ISO 11 (1974)|Sri Isopanisad 11, Translation and Purport]]
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Only one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality.
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Human activities diseased by a tendency toward sense gratification have been regulated in the Vedas under the principles of salvation. This system employs religion, economic development, sense gratification and salvation, but at the present moment people have no interest in religion or salvation. They have only one aim in life-sense gratification-and in order to achieve this end they make plans for economic development. Misguided men think that religion should be maintained because it contributes to economic development, which is required for sense gratification. Thus in order to guarantee further sense gratification after death, in heaven, there is some system of religious observance. But this is not the purpose of religion. The path of religion is actually meant for self-realization, and economic development is required just to maintain the body in a sound, healthy condition. A man should lead a healthy life with a sound mind just to realize vidyā, true knowledge, which is the aim of human life. This life is not meant for working like an ass or for culturing avidyā for sense gratification.

The path of vidyā is most perfectly presented in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which directs a human being to utilize his life to inquire into the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is realized step by step as Brahman, Paramātmā and finally Bhagavān, the Personality of Godhead. The Absolute Truth is realized by the broadminded man who has attained knowledge and detachment by following the eighteen principles of the Bhagavad-gītā described in the purport to Mantra Ten. The central purpose of these eighteen principles is the attainment of transcendental devotional service to the Personality of Godhead. Therefore all classes of men are encouraged to learn the art of devotional service to the Lord.

The guaranteed path to the aim of vidyā is described by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, which we have presented in English as The Nectar of Devotion. The culture of vidyā is summarized in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.14|1.2.14]]) in the following words:

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:tasmād ekena manasā
:bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ
:śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca
:dhyeyaḥ pūjyaś ca nityadā
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"Therefore, with one-pointed attention one should constantly hear about, glorify, remember and worship the Personality of Godhead, who is the protector of the devotees."

Unless religion, economic development and sense gratification aim toward the attainment of devotional service to the Lord, they are all simply different forms of nescience, as Śrī Īśopaniṣad indicates in the following mantras.
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