Pradyumna: "Srila Rupa Gosvami has also quoted a definition from the Narada-pancaratra as follows: 'One should be free from all material designations and must be cleansed of all material contamination by Krsna consciousness. He should be restored to his pure identity, where he engages his senses in the service of the proprietor of the senses.' So when our senses are engaged for the actual proprietor of the senses, that is called devotional service."
Prabhupada: Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Bhakti, devotional service, does not mean inertness. Not simply sitting down or meditate. It is activity, engaging all the senses. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam. Hrsika means these senses -- not these senses, but purified senses. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). Just like pranair arthair dhiyah vaca. Prana, life; artha, riches, money; dhiya, intelligence; and vaca, speeches. So everyone using... Just like for national cause people are engaging life, they are sacrificing life. So many, for attainment of independence in India, so many Indians gave up their life. Pranaih. So many people gave up their everything. We know during national movement, Mr. C. R. Das, a great leader of the Congress group, he sacrificed everything. He was a big, very big lawyer, barrister. He sacrificed his profession, he sacrificed his life -- everything. So as we are sacrificing everything for attainment of some so-called national independence, the same thing, if we sacrifice for Krsna, then our life becomes successful. Pranair arthair dhiya vaca sreya-acaranam sada.
So it is not inactivity. Caitanya Mahaprabhu or his followers, they were not inactive. They were acting. This Rupa Gosvami, he was so active that he could not sleep at night even for more than one and one half hour. They retired from the material activities. He was minister. He gave up his job and joined Caitanya Mahaprabhu in old age. He came to Vrndavana not to live a retired life, but a very active life.
- nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau sad-dharma-samsthapakau
- lokanam hita-karinau tri-bhuvane manyau saranyakarau
- radha-krsna-padaravinda-bhajananandena-mattalikau
- vande rupa-sanatana raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau
Here is, sitting, Sri Gosvamiji. He's coming from Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. So all these six Gosvamis, they were not inactive. They were always active. As we are active in the karma, karmi life, so bhakti life is also activity. It is not sitting down idly or gossiping. One must find out some job to serve Krsna. That is bhakti life. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam (CC Madhya 19.170). Sevanam means activity. Sevanam does not mean sit down idle, inert. No. As soon as seva... Seva means activity. One has to preach, one has to write, one has to do this, do that, cook, offer the prasadam, everything. Seva, activity.
So that activity and karmis' activity, there is difference. The karmi's activity is on upadhi. "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian." With this upadhi, we are acting. But bhakti means without upadhi. Sarvopadhi-virnirmuktam. Activity without upadhi. Working not as American. Working not as Indian. Working not as Hindu. Working not as Muslim. That is sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). If we think that "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am American," that is with upadhi. When we purely think that "We are...," or "I am servant of Krsna. My only business is to satisfy Krsna," that activity is called bhakti. If I become interested in some party, that is not... Sometimes people criticize these American and European devotees, that they think that "They are American devotee; we are Hindu devotee. There is difference." This is not bhakti-marga. This is upadhi. Why you should think yourself as Hindu? Why you should think of others who have come from America as American? That is less intelligent. Krsna-bhakta... Vaisnave jati-buddhih. If one thinks of Vaisnava as belonging to this class, this nation, he has no vision. Naraki. That is called naraki-buddhih. Vaisnave jati-buddhih arcye siladhir gurusu nara-matir vaisnave jati-buddhih. If we think the Deity as made of stone and made of wood, arcye sila-dhir; gurusu, nara-matih, if we accept spiritual master as ordinary human being; vaisnave jati-buddhih, and if we take a Vaisnava as belonging to America or Europe or India... No. They are transcendental. Neither the Deity in the temple is stone, neither the spiritual master is ordinary human being, nor the Vaisnava belongs to any caste. This vision is perfect vision. When you come to this vision, that is bhakti. Tat-paratvena nirmalam. A bhakta has to become purified. Tat-paratvena, being dovetailed with the service of tat, om tat sat. Tat-param. This is the process of devotional service. One should not be designated "I am this," "I am that," "I am that." No. The world should unite. This Krsna consciousness movement is so nice that one should forget that he's Indian or Hindu or Christian or American or Indian. Everything should unite as servant of Krsna. That is bhakti-marga. Unfortunately, they distinguish between American Vaisnava and Indian Vaisnava: brahmana Vaisnava, sudra Vaisnava. No. A Vaisnava is Vaisnava. Visnur asya devatah iti vaisnava. One who has accepted Visnu as "my Lord," he has no designation. A Vaisnava has no such distinction. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170).