B H A K T I (DEVOTIONAL SERVICE). part 10.

In the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa it is said that all the results of traveling on all thepilgrimages within the three worlds can be achieved simply by touching theholy land of Mathurā. In many śāstras (scriptures) it is said that simply byhearing, remembering, glorifying, desiring, seeingor touching the land of Mathurā, one can achieve all desires.In the Padma Purāṇa, there is a nice statement praising the service of theVaiṣṇavas, or devotees. In that scripture Lord Śiva tells Pārvatī, "My dear Pārvatī,there are different methods of worship, and out of all such methods the worshipof the Supreme Person is considered to be the highest.But even higher than the worship of the Lordis the worship of the Lord's devotees."In the Skanda Purāṇa, it is stated, "Persons whose bodies are marked with tilaka,symbolizing the conchshell, wheel, club and lotus — and who keep the leavesof tulasī on their heads, and whose bodies are always decoratedwith gopī-candana — even seen once, can help the seerbe relieved from all sinful activities."In the Ādi Purāṇa, it is stated by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, addressed to Arjuna:"My dear Pārtha, one who claims to be My devotee is not so.Only a person who claims to be the devotee of My devotee is actually My devotee."No one can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly.One must approach Him through His pure devotees. Therefore, in the system ofVaiṣṇava activities, the first duty is to accept a devoteeas spiritual master and then to render service unto him.In the Padma Purāṇa it is said, "The Lord may offer liberation or material happinessto a devotee, but after some devotional service has been executed,particularly in Mathurā during the month of Kārttika, the devotees want onlyto attain pure devotional service unto the Lord."It is said in the Ādi Purāṇa, "A person who is constantly engaged in chanting theholy name and who feels transcendental pleasure, being engaged in devotionalservice, is certainly awarded the facilities of devotional serviceand is never given just mukti (liberation)."Mukti means liberation from material contamination; when liberated,one does not have to take birth again in the material world.(The Nectar of Devotion).According to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, mukti is only the beginning of one's becomingsituated in his normal condition. The normal condition of every living entityis to be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord.Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the desire tree of Vedic wisdom.Veda itself means "the aggregate of knowledge."And whatever knowledge is required for human societyis perfectly presented in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is considered to be the ripened fruitof this desire-fulfilling tree of the Vedas. A tree is honoured by the production of its fruit.For example, a mango tree is considered very valuable because it produces the kingof all fruits, the mango. When the mango fruit becomes ripened it is the greatest giftof that tree, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is similarly held to be the ripened fruit ofthe Vedic tree. And as ripened fruit becomes more relishable when first touched bythe beak of a parrot, or śuka, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has become more relishableby being delivered through the transcendental mouth of Srila Śukadeva Gosvāmī.Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam should be received in disciplic succession without any breakage.When a ripened fruit comes from the upper part of the tree onto the ground by theprocess of being handed down from a higher branch to a lower branch by personsin the tree, the fruit does not break. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, when received in theparamparā system, or disciplic succession, will likewise remain unbroken.It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā that the disciplic succession, orparamparā, is the wayof receiving transcendental knowledge. Such knowledge must come down throughthe disciplic succession, through authorized personswho know the real purpose of the śāstra.Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended that one learn Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam fromthe mouth of the self-realized person called bhāgavatam. Bhāgavata means"in relationship with the Personality of Godhead [Bhagavān]." So the devotee issometimes called bhāgavatam, and the book which is in relationship withdevotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is alsocalled Bhāgavatam. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended that, in order torelish the real taste of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one should takeinstruction from the person bhāgavatam.Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is relishable even by a liberated person. Srila ŚukadevaGosvāmī admitted that although he was liberated from within the very wombof his mother, it was only after relishing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that hebecame a great devotee. Thus, one who is desirous of advancing in Kṛṣṇaconsciousness should relish the purport of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatamthrough the discussions of authorized devotees.It is stated in the Ādi Purāṇa by Kṛṣṇa. While addressing Arjuna He says,"Anyone who is engaged in chanting My transcendental name must beconsidered to be always associating with Me. And I may tell you franklythat for such a devotee I become easily purchased."In the Padma Purāṇa it is stated, "The chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantrais present only on the lips of a person whohas for many births worshipped Vāsudeva."It is said in the Padma Purāṇa, "There is no difference between the holyname of the Lord and the Lord Himself. As such, the holy name is asperfect as the Lord Himself in fullness, purity and eternity. The holy nameis not a material sound vibration, nor has it any material contamination."The holy name cannot, therefore, be chanted offenselessly by one whohas failed to purify his senses. In other words, materialistic senses cannotproperly chant the holy names of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. But byadopting this chanting process, one is given a chance to actuallypurify himself, so that he may very soon chant offenselessly.(The Nectar of Devotion).Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended that everyone chant theHare Kṛṣṇa mantra just to cleanse the dust from the heart. If the dust of theheart is cleansed away, then one can actually understand the importance ofthe holy name.For persons who are not inclined to clean the dust from theirhearts and who want to keep things as they are, it is not possible to derivethe transcendental result of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.(The Nectar of Devotion).One should, therefore, be encouraged to develop his service attitude towardthe Lord, because this will help him to chant without any offense. And so,under the guidance of a spiritual master, the disciple is trained to renderservice and at the same time chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.(The Nectar of Devotion).As soon as one develops his spontaneous service attitude, he canimmediately understand the transcendental nature ofthe holy names of the mahā-mantra.(The Nectar of Devotion).