munayah sadhu prsto 'ham
bhavadbhir loka-mangalam
yat krtah krsna-samprasno
yenatma suprasidati
O sages, I have been justly questioned by you. Your questions are worthy because they relate to Lord Krsna and so are of relevance to the world's welfare. Only questions of this sort are capable of completely satisfying the self.
Suta Gosvami
SB 1.2.6
sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.
Suta Gosvami
SB 1.2.7
vasudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogah prayojitah
janayaty asu vairagyam
jñanam ca yad ahaitukam
By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.
Suta Gosvami
SB 1.2.8
dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
visvaksena-kathasu yah
notpadayed yadi ratim
srama eva hi kevalam
The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.
Suta Gosvami
Washing dishes vs Chanting
The nine different processes enunciated by Prahlada Maharaja, who learned them from Narada Muni, may not all be required
for the execution of devotional service; if a devotee performs only one of these nine without deviation, he can attain the
mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. [SB 7.5.24, purport]
In early 1968 I wrote a letter to srila Prabhupada saying that sometimes I couldn't decide which service I should do at a
given moment. Should I wash the dishes or chant Hare Krishna? Prabhupäda replied:
There isn't any difference between chanting the Holy Name [and] washing the dishes of the Temple. So do not be worried when
you are attracted for doing other work in the Temple. There is variegatedness in transcendental activities. Sometimes we
like to chant, sometimes we like to wash dishes. There is no difference on the Absolute plane. (Narada Bhakti sutra 36
purport, compiled by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami)
But chanting 16 round is of primary importance. All other activities should be given secondary importance. Book reading is
also important but chanting first.
Writing
Here is a wonderful punch on 'writing' from Srila Prabhupada's lecture given in Los Angeles on August 14, 1972.
"Realization means you should write, every one of you, what is your realization. What for this back to Godhead is? You
write your realization, what you have realized about Krishna. That is required. It is not passive. Always you should be
active.
Whenever you find time, you write. Never mind, writing or offering prayers, glories. This is one of the functions of the
Vaisnava. You are hearing, but you have to write also. Then write means smaranam, remembering what you have heard from your
spiritual master, from the scripture. Sravanam, kirtanam and visnoh. Write about Visnu, not for others.
Don't write any nonsense thing for any nonsense man. Useless, waste of time. Visnu. Write about Visnu, Krishna. This is
cultivation of Krishna consciousness. Hear, write, remember, and try to understand. Don't be dull, dull headed. Very
intelligent. Without being very intelligent no body can have full Krishna consciousness. It is for the most intelligent
man. So that intelligence will come if you try to understand Krishna. We have got so many books. Always try or understand
Krishna"
Association
What is the prescribed technique to progress on and on in our life ?
Here is the remedy for eliminating all inauspicious things within the heart which are considered to be obstacles in the
path of self-realization. The remedy is the association of the Bhägavatas. There are two types of Bhägavatas, namely the
book Bhägavata and the devotee Bhägavata. Both the Bhägavatas are competent remedies, and both of them or either of them
can be good enough to eliminate the obstacles. A devotee Bhägavata is as good as the book Bhägavata because the devotee
Bhägavata leads his life in terms of the book Bhägavata and the book Bhägavata is full of information about the Personality
of Godhead and His pure devotees, who are also Bhägavatas. Bhägavata book and person are identical.
The devotee Bhägavata is a direct representative of Bhagavän, the Personality of Godhead. So by pleasing the devotee
Bhägavata one can receive the benefit of the book Bhägavata. Human reason fails to understand how by serving the devotee
Bhägavata or the book Bhägavata one gets gradual promotion on the path of devotion. But actually these are facts explained
by Srila Närada deva, who happened to be a maidservant's son in his previous life .The maidservant was engaged in the
menial service of the sages, and thus he also came into contact with them. And simply by associating with them and
accepting the remnants of foodstuff left by the sages, the son of the maidservant got the chance to become the great
devotee and personality Srila Närada deva. These are the miraculous effects of the association of Bhägavatas. And to
understand these effects practically, it should be noted that by such sincere association of the Bhägavatas one is sure to
receive transcendental knowledge very easily, with the result that he becomes fixed in the devotional service of the Lord.
The more progress is made in devotional service under the guidance of the Bhägavatas, the more one becomes fixed in the
transcendental loving service of the Lord. The messages of the book Bhägavata, therefore, have to be received from the
devotee Bhägavata, and the combination of these two Bhagavatas will help the neophyte devotee to make progress on and on.
- Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.18.
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