Rejecting Material Motives - That Is Not Bhakti
To understand the pure path of devotional service, one must first clearly understand what it is not. Elaborating on this crucial point, Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly clarifies that genuine bhakti is completely untainted by selfish desires, mental speculation, or bodily designations. Anything less than unalloyed, favorable service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is simply a material imitation.
The Trap of Material Motives
People often approach the Lord to fulfill material desires or to ask for daily necessities. Although approaching God is better than atheism, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that keeping the Lord as a mere order-supplier is definitely not pure devotion. True bhakti requires an unconditional approach, completely free from the demands of personal sense gratification or business-like transactions.
- So long I keep God as my order-supplier, that is not bhakti. Generally, people keep God as his order-supplier: "O God, give us our daily bread," "O God, I am in distress," "O God, I am in difficulty," "O God, I am..." God supplies them.
- No motive. That is required. If I think that I shall get some benefit - that is business; that is not bhakti. That is taught by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
- If I am trying under the, I mean to say, cover of becoming bhakta and trying to gather some material profit, that is not bhakti. That is very dangerous.
- So devotional service, this line of activities should not be taken for some material gain. This is not bhakti. Bhakti must be pure, cent percent pure, free from all material desires.
Not Just Sentiment or Inactivity
Many people mistakenly believe that spiritual life means sitting idly in meditation or putting on an external show of sentimental fanaticism. Dispelling this myth, Śrīla Prabhupāda states that real devotion demands active, practical engagement of all one's senses for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord. Laziness and artificial renunciation have no place on the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for true bhakti is highly dynamic.
- Bhakti does not mean stop your work. Bhakti does not mean sentimental fanaticism. That is not bhakti. Bhakti means to engage all your senses for the satisfaction of the proprietor of the senses. That is called bhakti.
- Laziness is not bhakti. There must be something. But if somebody says, "Now I'll chant, sitting down. Who is going to see me? I'll doze, and people will know I am chanting." You see? This kind of cheating will not do.
- God never says "I am God, Krsna. I am your friend. You sit down idly and I shall do everything." He never said that. He said "You must fight." That is our duty, not that God has given us hands and legs and you sit down idly and let God do it. This isn't devotion.
- Bhakti, or devotional service is not such a thing which can be checked. "Sir, I was feeling very sick, therefore I could not chant." No, that is not bhakti. We are subjected to all these tribulations utterly.
Misplaced Affection and Demigod Worship
Love directed toward family, country, or demigods is often praised in the material world, but it falls short of the transcendental standard. Clarifying this distinction, Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that these forms of affection are actually just extended variations of lust and material attachment. Pure devotional service is exclusively meant for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and any diversion of this loving propensity is a compromise of true spiritual life.
- Bhakti is only for Bhagavan. Not that "My bhakti for this or that, for this demigod, for that demigod, for my family, for my country, for my society, for my wife, for my cat, for my dog." This is not bhakti. They are imitation only. That is lust.
- Bhakti means to satisfy Krsna. Bhakti cannot be applied to anyone else. If somebody says that "I am a great devotee of Kali, goddess Kali," that is not bhakti; that is business. Because any demigod you worship, there is some purpose behind.
- To render service to God, that is bhakti. We are rendering service to so many things. That is not bhakti.
- Sometimes people criticize these American and European devotees, that they think that "They are American devotee; we are Hindu devotee. There is difference." This is not bhakti-marga. This is upadhi. Why you should think yourself as Hindu?
The Impersonal and Unfavorable Illusions
The impersonalist philosophers frequently claim that devotion is merely a temporary stepping stone to ultimately merge into the existence of God. Firmly rejecting this idea, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that merging into the Absolute or thinking of the Lord unfavorably, as demons like Kaṁsa did, completely destroys the loving relationship required for real devotion. True bhakti means constantly harboring favorable desires to please Kṛṣṇa, totally free from the contaminations of mental speculation and voidism.
- So bhakti is not very ordinary thing. It begins after one is liberated. The Mayavadi says that "By bhakti one can become one with God." No. That is not bhakti. That is Mayavada. That is mistake.
- If the conclusion of philosophical speculation is voidism or impersonalism, that is not bhakti.
- Kamsa was liberated. Although he was unfavorably Krsna conscious, but he was thinking of Krsna. Hiranyakasipu, he was also thinking of Krsna. But unfavorably. So that is not bhakti. We must think of Krsna favorably.
- Favorably means what Krsna wants. That is favorable. If you do what Krsna wants, that is favorable. And if you do what Krsna does no want, that is unfavorable; that is not bhakti.
Conclusion
By carefully analyzing these misconceptions, a sincere practitioner learns how to avoid the many pitfalls on the spiritual path. Concluding his precise instructions, Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes that true bhakti is the pure, unconditional, and active service to the Supreme Lord, untainted by personal desires, laziness, or philosophical speculation. Embracing this unalloyed standard allows one to experience the true joy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, free from all material limitations.
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 That Is Not Bhakti - Devotional Service to God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.