Principles of devotional life

Expressions researched:
"principles of devotional life"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 4.10, Purport:

One has to get rid of all three stages of attachment to the material world: negligence of spiritual life, fear of a spiritual personal identity, and the conception of void that arises from frustration in life. To get free from these three stages of the material concept of life, one has to take complete shelter of the Lord, guided by the bona fide spiritual master, and follow the disciplines and regulative principles of devotional life. The last stage of the devotional life is called bhāva, or transcendental love of Godhead.

CC Antya-lila

CC Antya 2.172, Purport:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to prove that His devotees are exalted and that their character is ideal. He kindly accepts His faithful devotees and teaches them how much tribulation and disturbance can be produced by even a slight deviation from the strict principles of devotional life.

Nectar of Devotion

Nectar of Devotion 35:

The qualifications of a saintly person are described in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu as follows. A saintly person is one who understands fully that simply by discharging devotional service he can become confident of liberation. He is always situated in the regulative principles of devotional life and at the same time aspires to be liberated from material entanglement.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Isana -- New Vrindaban 23 May, 1969:

I am very much pleased to receive your daily reports, and you are one of the best students who follows the regulative principles rigidly for enhancing the devotional service. Rupa Goswami has recommended that for enhancing this spirit of devotional service one should be very enthusiastic, one should be patient, one should be firmly convinced, one should follow the regulative principles rigidly, one's occupation should be very honest and straightforward, and one should keep company with devotees. Anyone who follows these six principles of devotional life is sure to achieve success. Similarly there are six principles which we should avoid. They are as follows: eating or accumulating money more than necessary, wasting energy for material gain, talking unnecessarily, following the regulative principles fanatically without any sense, not following the regulative principles, and to become too much greedy and associate with persona non-grata. So as you are serious in the matter of advancement in Krishna Consciousness, you will remember the above instructions given by Rupa Goswami, and you will feel more and more secure in your endeavor.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Atreya Rsi -- Calcutta 17 May, 1971:

am to understand that you have professional managerial experience and are presently engaging your talents to strengthen the managerial position of our N.Y. center. That is very valuable service and I thank you very much. We learn from Srimad-Bhagavatam that a person may be situated in any occupational duty but the perfection of such activity is tested by the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. And because you are engaging your talents in His service, surely Krishna will be pleased upon you and give you all facility for advancement in Krishna Consciousness. Simply if you will regularly chant Hare Krishna Mantra, 16 rounds daily and without fail and rigidly follow the regulative principles of devotional life, read all our books and engage in Krishna's business 24 hours, your rapid advancement in Krishna Consciousness will be certain.

Letter to Radhavallabha (Bill Schoenbart) -- Los Angeles 5 July, 1971:

I am so glad to hear that you are working cooperatively with Hrdayananda Prabhu in our Gainesville center to push on this Krishna Consciousness movement. It is surely Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mercy that such sincere boys as you are helping me to fulfill the order of my Spiritual Master. I am doing the work of my Spiritual Master and similarly you also help me and we will all be benefited in Krishna Consciousness. So stay strong in Krishna's service by strictly following the regulative principles of devotional life, chant at least 16 rounds daily, read all our books, and if there are any questions you can refer them to Hrdayananda Prabhu. He is very intelligent boy. So together you work cooperatively to make our Gainesville center a grand success and I will be very pleased.

Letter to Sukhasagari (Candice Kellepoury) -- Los Angeles 8 July, 1971:

I am so glad to note that you are strictly following the regulative principles of devotional life and regularly chanting 16 rounds of beads daily. Continue faithfully, because such chanting of Hare Krishna Mantra is our very strength in spiritual life and will keep you always in touch with Krishna. And soon you will be getting yourself married with Batua Gopala Prabhu (Ed), so it is your duty as his wife to help him advance in Krishna Consciousness in every respect. So if you will keep yourself 24 hours engaged in Krishna's service, then surely he will follow suit. Make Krishna the very center of your household life and work cooperatively to serve Him to the very best of your capacity. Then you will be happy and your lives will know perfection.

Letter to Eugene L. Baum -- Brooklyn 20 July, 1971:

I am so glad to hear that you have been staying at our St. Louis center under the expert guidance of Sriman Vamanadeva Prabhu and have been chanting 16 rounds of beads daily. Continue to do so faithfully and follow all the regulative principles of devotional life. If there are any questions, refer them to your god-brothers and sisters. And just as soon as you are recommended for initiation by Vamanadeva, I will be glad to accept you as my duly initiated disciple.

Letter to Sukhada -- London 4 August, 1971:

I beg to thank you very much for your kind letter undated and delivered personally by Harer Nama Prabhu on 1st August, 1971 at New York. Upon his recommendation and the recommendation of Satsvarupa Prabhu I have gladly consented to accept you as my duly initiated disciple and have given you the spiritual name Sukhada Devi Dasi. Sukhada means one who is always giving pleasure to Krishna. That you can do by engaging in His service 24 hours. Surely then He will be pleased and bestow upon you all blessings for making rapid advancement in Krishna Consciousness.

The process is simple. Follow the regulative principles of devotional life undeviatingly, regularly chant 16 rounds of beads daily and without fail, read all our literatures, attend classes and aratis, go for street Sankirtana. If there are any questions, always refer them to your elder godbrothers and sisters. So our method is not so difficult. Rather it is joyful. So engage yourself enthusiastically in this way and you will be happy and in the end go back to home, back to Godhead.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Kisora -- Bombay 25 December, 1972:

I am very glad to note that you are so much sincere and enthusiastic devotee of Krishna. That is wanted. If I do not do anything else, at least let me produce one such sincere devotee that's all. You are leader, so if you are enthusiastic then all of the others will remain always enthusiastic, that is your greatest qualification. And it is easy thing to maintain your enthusiastic behavior if you yourself and the rest devotees under your protection always without fail chant minimum 16 rounds daily, rise early in the morning for mangal arati, take bath, cleanse everything nicely, go out for preaching work, like that. In this way, if you stick tightly to the basic principles of devotional life as chalked out for us by our great predecessors, then always you will be feeling transcendental ecstasy of enthusiasm—that is Krishna Consciousness. It is very simple.

Letter to Trai -- Bombay December 27, 1972:

You are, I can understand, very much enthusiastic to endeavor big things on Krsna's behalf, and all of the new students there at Boston center are also feeling enthusiasm from your example. That is the business of leader: He must be himself always enthusiastic and inspire others to be always enthusiastic. Then he is real leader. And that enthusiastic mood is maintained when everyone is always without fail chanting 16 rounds daily, rising early for mangala aratrika, reading books, preaching—in this way, by observing strictly the regulative principles of devotional life, that enthusiasm or great eagerness to have Krsna will come out.