Category:Items of Devotional Service to God
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Pages in category "Items of Devotional Service to God"
The following 54 pages are in this category, out of 54 total.
A
- A devotee is always liberated in all stages of life because he is always engaged in the nine items of devotional service - sravanam, kirtanam, etc
- Adoption of any of the above-mentioned items (hearing, chanting etc), can help a conditioned soul get out of the tangle of nescience and thus become liberated from all material sufferings created by the living being illusioned by the external energy
- After item 26 (meditation) (of the positive actions), the twenty-seventh is to serve tulasi, the twenty-eighth is to serve the Vaisnavas, the twenty-ninth is to live in Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krsna, & the thirtieth is to read SB regularly
- All these different items are favorable in elevating saintly persons situated in santa-rasa to the advanced stage of devotional service
- Although these items (of devotional service to God) are not mentioned here (CC Madhya 22.129), they are to be added to the previous thirty-five items. Thus the total number becomes thirty-nine
- Among these fifty-nine items (of devotional service mentioned in the purport of NBS 12), five are considered so important that they are mentioned again separately, thus completing the sixty-four items of devotional service
- Another four items of devotional service: (1) marking one's body with sandalwood pulp , (2) painting one's body with the holy names, (3) covering one's body with the remnants of the Deity covers, (4) accepting caranamrta, the water which washes the Deity
- As soon as one hears of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (krsna-kirtana), one immediately comes in touch with the Lord. A devotee immediately comes in touch with the Lord by any or all of the items of devotional service - sravanam kirtanam visnoh
I
- If we are engaged in the execution of all the items of devotional service, as was Maharaja Ambarisa, then the perfection of devotional service is guaranteed from each one of these items
- In all, there are sixty-four items listed for the rendering of service unto Krsna, and these are the regulative principles enjoined in the sastras and given by the spiritual master
- In devotional service, therefore, two items out of the nine, namely hearing and chanting, are most important. Without hearing nicely, one cannot preach the message of Vedic knowledge
- Items of devotional service, when directly offered to Krsna, constitute the highest attainment of life. This is the verdict of the revealed scriptures
O
- Of the nine different items of bhakti-yoga, the first and foremost is to chant and hear about the Lord
- On the path of regulative devotional service, one must observe the following items: (1) One must accept a bona fide spiritual master. (2) One must accept initiation from him. (3) One must serve him
- One executes the religious principles by rendering devotional service, specifically the nine items like hearing, chanting and remembering
- One may be able to perform one item or many items, according to one's capacity, but it is the principal factor of complete attachment to devotional service that makes one advance on the path
- One should be very careful as far as these items are concerned. If one is not careful, one will be negligent in executing devotional service
- One should surrender to Krsna in all respects. (35) One should observe particular vows like kartika-vrata. These are some of the sixty-four important items of devotional service
- Out of these (39 items for DS) the following 5 are most important: (1) to associate with devotees, (2) to chant the holy name, (3) to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, (4) to live in a holy place (Mathura or Vrndavana), (5) to serve the Deity with great devotion
S
- Since hearing about Prthu Maharaja is one of the items of devotional service (sravanam), naturally hearing about him brings all good fortune
- Some individual devotees who attained perfection in devotional service by executing only 1 item are: Maharaja Pariksit, who was liberated & fully perfected simply by hearing; Sukadeva Gosvami, who became liberated & attained perfection in DS by chanting
- Some of them (great personalities, including sages and kings) attained success even by adhering to one single item of devotional service with faith and perseverance
- Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura points out that there are thirty-five items up to the point of observing special vows in the month of Kartika
T
- The above-mentioned 20 items (in NBS 12 pur) are the doorway to devotional service. And among them, the first 3 - namely, acceptance of the spiritual master, initiation by the spiritual master, and service to the spiritual master - are the most important
- The eleventh item is to avoid offenses when rendering devotional service and chanting the holy names
- The first ten items are dos and the second ten items are don’ts (on the path of regulative devotional service). Thus the first ten items give direct action, and the second ten items give indirect action
- The idea is that we should follow in the footsteps of great devotees. If we are unable to execute all the different items of devotional service, we must try to execute at least one of them, as exemplified by previous acaryas
- The next item favorable for devotional service is niscaya, confidence
- The processes of speculative knowledge and renunciation are not actually the chief items for elevation in devotional service
- The thirty-nine items (of devotional service to God) plus these five come to a total of forty-four. If we add the previous twenty items to these forty-four, the total number becomes sixty-four
- There are 35 items of devotional service, & they are as follows: (1) hearing, (2) chanting, (3) remembering, (4) worshiping, (5) praying, (6) serving, (7) engaging as a servitor, (8) being friendly, (9) offering everything, (10) dancing before the Deity
- There are 35 items of devotional service: (21) smelling the incense and flowers offered to the Deity, (22) accepting prasada (food offered to Krsna), (23) attending aratrika ceremony, (24) seeing the Deity, (25) offering palatable foodstuffs to the Lord
- There are 35 items of devotional service: (26) meditating, (27) offering water to the tulasi tree, (28) offering respect to the Vaisnavas or advanced devotees, (29) living in Mathura or Vrndavana, (30) understanding Srimad-Bhagavatam
- There are 35 items of DS: (31) trying one's utmost to attain Krsna, (32) expecting the mercy of Krsna, (33) performing ceremonial functions with the devotees of Krsna, (34) surrendering in all respects, (35) observing different ceremonial functions
- There are many devotees in history who have attained perfection in devotional service simply by discharging the duties of one item, and there are many other devotees, like Maharaja Ambarisa, who executed all the items
- There are many devotees who execute only one of the nine processes of devotional service. Nonetheless, they get ultimate success. Devotees like Maharaja Ambarisa execute all nine items, and they also get ultimate success
- There are ten items in the beginning of devotional service, up to the point of worshiping the dhatri trees, banyan trees, cows, brahmanas and devotees of Lord Visnu
- There are thirty-five items of devotional service, and they can be analyzed as follows: (11) singing, (12) informing, (13) offering obeisances, (14) standing up to show respect to the devotees, (15) following a devotee when he gets up to go to the door
- There are thirty-five items of devotional service: (16) entering the temple of the Lord, (17) circumambulating the temple of the Lord, (18) reading prayers, (19) vibrating hymns, (20) performing sankirtana, or congregational chanting
- These four items (marking tilaka on different parts of the body, writing the names of the Lord all over the body, accepting the Deity’s garland & accepting caranamrta) are understood to be included by Kaviraja Gosvami within arcana, worship of the Deity
- These items are especially mentioned by Rupa Gosvami in his book Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. The thirty-nine items above, plus these five items, total forty-four items
- These ten items are preliminary necessities for beginning the discharge of devotional service in regulative principles
- This process entails always considering oneself the eternal servant of Krsna, making friends with Him and dedicating everything unto Him. These nine items of devotional service, when directly offered to Krsna, constitute the highest attainment of life
- To be elevated to the platform of devotional service, the following five items should be observed: association with devotees, engagement in the service of Krsna, the reading of SB, the chanting of the holy names and residence at Vrndavana or Mathura
- To hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, (4) to see the decorated temple and the Deity and, if possible, (5) to live in a place like Vrndavana or Mathura. These items alone can help a devotee achieve the highest perfectional stage
- To these 39 (items of devotional service) should be added 5 others: association with devotees, chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, reading SB regularly, residing in Mathura, the birthplace of Krsna, and worshiping the Deity with great respect and veneration
- To these thirty-five items (of devotional service to God), another four are added - namely marking tilaka on different parts of the body, writing the names of the Lord all over the body, accepting the Deity’s garland and accepting caranamrta
W
- When one comes to the stage of pure devotional service, the process of sravanam kirtanam is very essential. By executing the nine items of devotional service, beginning with sravanam kirtanam, one is completely purified
- When Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya asked the Lord which item was most important (in devotional service), Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately answered that the most important item is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord - Hare Krsna maha-mantra