Anyone Who Wants to Serve the Supreme Lord Must Also Be Pure
This article explores the evolution of the soul's desire to serve, as presented in the teachings of Śrīla Prabhupāda. In the material world, service is almost always tainted by ulterior motives, but spiritual life demands a complete purification of intent. By recognizing the supreme purity of the Lord and progressively abandoning all material desires, a devotee cultivates the unalloyed, spontaneous affection necessary to return to the spiritual world.
The Awakening of Pure Devotion
Because Kṛṣṇa is the supreme pure, our approach to Him must also be completely purified. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that when the living entity rejects their constitutional duty to serve God, they are immediately subjected to the harsh service of māyā, the illusory energy. However, through the practice of devotional service, a natural affection gradually awakens, similar to a grown child appreciating their father. At this stage, the soul completely gives up the service of illusion and sincerely wants to serve the Supreme Lord out of a pure sense of duty and love.
- The Lord is the purest, and thus anyone who wants to serve the Supreme Lord must also be pure. Unless a person is pure, he can neither understand what the Personality of Godhead is nor engage in His service in love.
- At dasya-rati stage, there is an awakening of natural affection, such as is felt by a son who grows up and begins to appreciate his father's benedictions. At this stage the living entity wants to serve the Supreme Lord instead of serving maya, illusion.
- Here in the material world we serve somebody with a motive, for some material gain. But in the spiritual world, to serve God means - It is my duty. I love him. I want to serve Him.
- When we don't want to serve God, then we are sent to the maya, to serve maya.
Serving Without Material Motives
It is natural in the beginning stages of religion to approach God for material benedictions. Śrīla Prabhupāda acknowledges that someone who approaches the Lord for material gain is far superior to an atheist. However, true devotional service (bhakti) means serving Kṛṣṇa favorably, without any desire for personal profit. The karmīs, jñānīs, and yogīs are perpetually dissatisfied because they always want something for themselves. Perfection is reached only when the devotee throws away all material demands and simply begs for the opportunity to serve.
- The karmis, jnanis, yogis - everyone is in want. They cannot be happy. And when you come to the position, "My Lord, I do not want anything. Simply I want to serve You. Give me this opportunity," that is perfection.
- The devotees of the Lord do not want anything like that (material enjoyment or liberation) for self-satisfaction. They want only to serve the Lord because He is great and as living entities they are eternally subordinate parts and parcels of the Lord.
- As Rupa Gosvami points out, we have to serve Krsna favorably. Generally we want to serve God for some material purpose or gain.
- We want to serve God with some material purpose, some material gain. Of course, that is also nice. If somebody goes to God for some material gain, he is far greater than the person who never goes to God.
The Desire for Eternal Service
A pure Vaiṣṇava possesses a completely different consciousness from the impersonalists. While the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs desire to merge into the Brahman effulgence to escape material suffering, a devotee considers such liberation to be hellish. The devotee does not mind personal inconveniences, impediments, or the type of body they are awarded; they will happily accept any situation in any world, provided they can serve Kṛṣṇa. This unshakeable determination to serve under all circumstances is the actual definition of liberation.
- On the contrary, he (the devotee of the Lord) will accept any body, material or spiritual, for he wants to serve the Lord. This is real liberation.
- They (devotees) want only to serve the Lord anywhere in the material or spiritual worlds that the Lord desires, and the Lord is always specifically compassionate towards such devotees.
- Caitanya continues, "This is the natural result of intense love of Godhead. The devotee does not consider personal inconveniences or impediments. In all circumstances he wants to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
- Vaisnavas accept the SP as the supreme cause and want to serve Him, talk with Him and see Him, just as the Lord is also eager to see His devotees and talk, eat and dance with them. These personal exchanges of love do not appeal to the Mayavadi sannyasis.
The Lord's Loving Reciprocation
The relationship between the Supreme Lord and His devotee is wonderfully reciprocal. When Kṛṣṇa sees that a soul genuinely wants to serve Him, He acts as the Paramātmā within the heart, providing the exact intelligence needed to advance. Furthermore, if a sincere devotee still possesses lingering material attachments to home or family, the Lord may make special arrangements to completely purify them of these obstacles. Ultimately, Kṛṣṇa is so eager to please His pure devotees that He arranges for them to take all the credit for His own miraculous works, as He did with Arjuna.
- Everything is done by Krsna, but Krsna . . . and Arjuna is devotee. As the devotee wants to serve Krsna, similarly, Krsna also wants to give credit to His devotee. That is the business between the Lord and His devotee.
- When a devotee wants to serve the Supreme Lord, the Lord, as Paramatma, gives the devotee the intelligence to make progress in devotional service. The Lord directly witnesses our activities and experiences our desires.
- Sometimes a pure devotee may have a habit or attraction for wife, children and home but at the same time want to serve the Supreme Lord to the best of his ability. For such a devotee, the Lord makes a special arrangement to take away his false attachment.
- He (young brahmana) wanted only to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the older brahmana, who was also a Vaisnava and very much devoted to the Lord.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes that to enter the eternal association of Kṛṣṇa, we must elevate our consciousness from the demanding nature of a materialist to the selfless nature of a pure Vaiṣṇava. By recognizing that we are parts and parcels of God, we must actively strip away our material motivations and surrender unconditionally to His service. By dedicating ourselves to the instructions of the spiritual master and constantly chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, our original, pure desire to serve the Lord is fully reawakened.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Wanting to Serve God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.