Q) How can we intensify the desire for the mood of service?A) We can intensify our desire for the mood of service through the examples of the acaryas who have that mood of service. Through their association, such souls offer us the doorways and their beckoning. If possible, hear those topics from elevated souls and discuss those topics in the association of like-minded souls. Churning of these topics should not be done in an artificial or imitative or pretentious way. Hear the topics of the great personalities that are in the scriptures, topics of our acaryas and those that inspire you, and meditate on what their mood is. Hear about them, speak about them, remember them, glorify them, pray to them -- hear their prayers, writings and teachings – and you will imbibe their mood also, because that’s their persona or mood. Their kindness will be felt although they may not be physically present.The key thing is also the qualitative way in which one chants the holy name every day. That is the watering or nurturing or nourishing process for the service mood. As that mood of chanting is taken up in the trinad api sunicena spirit, it awakens our mood of service more and more daily. That becomes your mood if you take up chanting by that instruction. The holy name is like a touchstone, and the touchstone fulfills all desires. So, if you have the desire to intensify the mood of service, approach the holy name with that prayer.Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura offers three ways to go more deeply in our chanting. The first one is to meditate on the meaning. The meaning of the Hare Krishna mantra is a request for service. So, his suggestion is, while chanting the maha-mantra, call out for Krishna’s name with the mood of, “Please accept me” and the unstated part is, “as Your servant”. The more detailed form is, “Please engage me in Your service”. Now, from the Lord’s side, He is calling us, but we are absent, or we say, “yes”, but it is just lip service and there is no response from the heart. So it needs to be a call from the heart, and one that is overwhelming with the sense of humility and reciprocation which keeps us in that humble position. Otherwise the contamination of pride comes which makes us think, “We are chanting nicely”. Even when entering into that deeper mood of service, the contamination of pride, selfishness, and egoism are so strong. So, continue to strive to become the servant of the servant of the servant.From a lecture by HH Romapada Swami on ‘Srimad Bhagavatam 1.11.26’, India, Oct-Nov 2008
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