Pure devotional service means

Expressions researched:
"pure devotional service means"

SB Canto 2

Pure devotional service means service to the Lord without any tinge of material desires, including desire for fruitive activity and empiric speculation.

SB 2.3.9, Translation and Purport:

One who desires domination over a kingdom or an empire should worship the Manus. One who desires victory over an enemy should worship the demons, and one who desires sense gratification should worship the moon. But one who desires nothing of material enjoyment should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

For a liberated person, all the enjoyments listed above are considered to be absolutely useless. Only those who are conditioned by the material modes of external energy are captivated by different types of material enjoyment. In other words, the transcendentalist has no material desires to be fulfilled, whereas the materialist has all types of desires to be fulfilled. The Lord has proclaimed that the materialists, who desire material enjoyment and thus seek the favor of different demigods, as above mentioned, are not in control of their senses and so give themselves to nonsense. One should therefore not desire any sort of material enjoyment, being sensible enough to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The leaders of nonsensical persons are still more nonsensical because they preach openly and foolishly that one can worship any form of demigod and get the same result. This sort of preaching is not only against the teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā, or those of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but is also foolish, just as it is foolish to claim that with the purchase of any travel ticket one may reach the same destination. No one can reach Bombay from Delhi by purchasing a ticket for Baroda. It is clearly defined herein that persons impregnated with different desires have different modes of worship, but one who has no desire for material enjoyment should worship the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. And this worshiping process is called devotional service. Pure devotional service means service to the Lord without any tinge of material desires, including desire for fruitive activity and empiric speculation. For fulfillment of material desires one may worship the Supreme Lord, but the result of such worship is different, as will be explained in the next verse. Generally the Lord does not fulfill anyone's material desires for sense enjoyment, but He awards such benedictions to worshipers of the Lord, for they ultimately come to the point of not desiring material enjoyment. The conclusion is that one must minimize the desires for material enjoyment, and for this one should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is described here as param, or beyond anything material. Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya has also stated, nārāyaṇaḥ paro 'vyaktāt: the Supreme Lord is beyond the material encirclement.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Pure devotional service means engaging all the senses of the body in the service of the Lord.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 1:

A devotee should accept only those things that are favorable to keep his body and soul together and should reject those things that increase the demands of the body. Only the bare necessities for bodily maintenance should be accepted. By minimizing bodily necessities, one can primarily devote his time to the cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness through the chanting of the holy names of God. Pure devotional service means engaging all the senses of the body in the service of the Lord. At the present moment, our senses are all designated because the body is designated. Consequently we think that this body belongs to a particular society or a particular country or a particular family. In this way the body is bound by so many designations.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Pure devotional service means śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he was simply engaged in śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. He was chanting three hundred thousand times Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

Lecture on BG 4.28 -- Bombay, April 17, 1974:

They are simply after Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply interested in the service of Kṛṣṇa. That is real yajña. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that those who are engaged in devotional service... To hear, devotional service... I have explained several times. To hear about Kṛṣṇa. Simply by hearing Kṛṣṇa, if we simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa, that is also better than dravyamaya-yajña, dravya, in charity. But because we cannot devote ourself... Pure devotional service means śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23). Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he was simply engaged in śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. He was chanting three hundred thousand times Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. We cannot imitate that. That is not possible. But pure devotional service is like that.

Just like our Gosvāmīs, the Six Gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana, how they executed devotional service is described by Śrīnivāsa Ācārya,

kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī

dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau

śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. They always engaged them in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Utkīrtana, very loudly. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana. Utkīrtanam. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartanau-parau, dancing also. Just like here the boys, they are chanting and dancing. This is very good, following the footsteps of the Gosvāmīs.

Pure devotional service means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam: no other desire, no duplicity, pure—"I am servant of Kṛṣṇa, and it is my duty to serve Kṛṣṇa," not, "I am serving Kṛṣṇa with a motive. As soon as I get the opportunity, I shall utilize."

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Hawaii, February 4, 1975:

A devotee does not care for mukti. Mukti's not very important thing for them because, actually, one who is pure devotee, he's already mukta, liberated. He doesn't care for mukti. That is stated in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā that

māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa

bhakti-yogena sevate

sa guṇān samatītyaitān

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

(BG 14.26)

"Anyone who is engaged in My devotional service without any adulteration, pure..." Pure devotional service means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam: (Brs. 1.1.11) no other desire, no duplicity, pure—"I am servant of Kṛṣṇa, and it is my duty to serve Kṛṣṇa," not, "I am serving Kṛṣṇa with a motive. As soon as I get the opportunity, I shall utilize." That is not pure devotion. Pure devotion means without any motive: "Kṛṣṇa is my Lord. I am His eternal servant. It is my duty to serve"—no motive. That is pure devotion. So if one is on the platform of devotional service, māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate (BG 14.26). Anyone who is serving Kṛṣṇa without any motive, without any alloy, pure devotional service, he's already liberated. Māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate, sa guṇān samatītya etān (BG 14.26).

So pure devotional service means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam. Anyābhilāṣa. We have got so many desires, all material desires. So one should be free from all material desires.

Lecture on BG 18.67 -- Ahmedabad, December 10, 1972:

Prabhupāda: Nistraiguṇya. As soon as you become a devotee, you become nistraiguṇya. As soon as you become a devotee, pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, you are situated on the platform of nistraiguṇya.

Indian man (1): Traiguṇya-viṣayā vedāḥ...

Prabhupāda: Traiguṇya means these three qualities: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So the whole Vedic literature is describing how to get out of this entanglement of three guṇas. So as soon as you come out of these three guṇas, then you become nistraiguṇya.

Indian man (1): Nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna.

Prabhupāda: Ahh. So how you can become nistraiguṇya? That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa

bhakti-yogena sevate

sa guṇān samatītyaitān

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

(BG 14.26)

This is nistraiguṇya. If you engage yourself in unadulterated, avyabhicāreṇa, devotion, then you become immediately situated on the platform of nistraiguṇya. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. So pure devotional service means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam. Anyābhilāṣa. We have got so many desires, all material desires. So one should be free from all material desires. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). Jñāna, nirbheda-brahmānusandhanaḥ(?). This is generally understood as jñāna. And karma means to be elevated to the higher planetary systems, heavenly planets. So anāvṛtam. We should not be touched with jñāna and karma. Neither we have any material desires. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam. Simply cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness ānukūlyena, favorably. Bhaktir uttamā. That is the highest platform of devotional service.

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ

tat-paratvena nirmalam

hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-

sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate

(CC Madhya 19.170)

When we become free from all designations... We have so many designations: "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am this," "I am that." These are our upādhi. I am pure soul. And as pure soul, I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. My only business is to serve Kṛṣṇa. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā (CC Madhya 19.167). Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Hṛṣīka, the senses, when the senses are engaged in the service of the proprietor of the sense, Hṛṣīkeśa, that is called bhakti. So nistraiguṇya means to be situated on the platform where these three guṇas cannot affect. That is nistraiguṇya.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

Pure devotional service means to serve Kṛṣṇa without any motive. That is pure. Without any motive.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 1, 1973:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice that we are trying to engage everyone in pure devotional service. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Pure devotional service means to serve Kṛṣṇa without any motive. That is pure. Without any motive. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam jñāna-karmādy anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). Not by rendering service to Kṛṣṇa, if one aspires to become liberated. That is the jñānī's aspiration. They want to merge into the existence of Brahman. Therefore pure devotional service should be uncontaminated with that jñāna idea also. Jñāna-karmādy anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). The karmīs, they want to be promoted to the higher planetary systems, heavenly planet. The jñānīs, they want to become liberated. The yogis, they want some mystic power. But a devotee should be free from all these things. No mystic power, no elevation to the heavenly planet, no merging into the exi... Never mind. What Kṛṣṇa desires, that's all right. He does not dictate anything, or he desires anything. That is pure devotional service.

Pure devotional service means without any material motive. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1972:

In the material world, so-called auspicity, to become very rich, to become very educated, to become very beautiful, high parentage, they are also, in material consideration, they are auspicity, undoubtedly. But they are also adulterated with so many sufferings, threefold miseries: ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika. So actually such position is not auspicity. Real auspicity is go back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore it is said, pure devotional service... Pure devotional service means without any material motive. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Brs. 1.1.11). So pure devotional service is the beginning of all auspiciousness. All-auspiciousness means go back to home, back to Godhead. So if we stick to pure devotional service, follow the rules and regulations, chant sixteen rounds, be engaged always in the service of the Lord, then ultimate gain is that tyaktvā dehaṁ punar naiti mām eti kaunteya. (reads:) "Pure devotional service automatically puts one in transcendental pleasure."

1971 Correspondence

The status quo of our prestige and good name can be maintained only on our being freed from any kind of sense gratifying attitude, because pure devotional service means: anya avhilasita sunya or without any other desire than to satisfy Krishna.

Letter to Bhagavan -- Gorakhpur 16 February, 1971:

It is good that you GBC members are meeting and conjointly discussing such things as life membership, book distribution, etc. The future hope of solid standing of our mission is on the proper management of our governing body. Now we are increasing in volume. The area of our activity is expanding. Under the circumstances, if our management goes on nicely to maintain our prestige and good name, that will be our success. Such status quo can be maintained only on our being freed from any kind of sense gratifying attitude, because pure devotional service means: anya avhilasita sunya or without any other desire than to satisfy Krishna.