The Nectar of Devotion - 1970 ISKCON press edition ... - Prabhupada

may be divided into two classes: one class may be for achieving acertain goal, and the other may be for avoiding some unfavorablecircumstance. In Sanskrit, these activities are called pravrtti andnivrtti-positive and negative action. There are many examples ofnegative action. For instance, a diseased person has to be cautious andtake medicine in order to avoid some unfavorable illness.Those who are cultivating spiritual life and executing devotionalservice are always engaged in activity. Such activity can be performedwith the body or with the mind. Thinking, feeling and willing are allactivities of the mind, and when we will to do something, the activitycomes to be manifest by the gross bodily senses. Thus, in our mentalactivities we should always try to think of Krwa and try to plan howto please Him, following in the footsteps of the great iiciiiyas and thepersonal spiritual master. There are activities of the body, activitiesof the different senses and activities of speech. A Kra consciousperson engages his words in preaching the glories of the Lord. This iscalled kirtana. And by his mind a Kra conscious person alwaysthinks of the activities of the Lord-as He is speaking on the battlefieldof Kuruketra or engaging in His various pastimes at V rndavanawith His devotees. In this way one can always think of the activitiesand pastimes of the Lord. This is the mental culture of Kra con­XX The Nectar of DevotionsciOusness.between,] L,Similarly, we can offer many services with our bodily activities. Butall such activities must be in relationship with Kra. This relationshipis established by conecting oneself with the bona fide spiritual masterwho is the direct representative of Kra in disciplic succession.Therefore, the execution of Kra conscious activities with the bodyshould be directed by the spiritual master and then performed withfaith. The connection with the spiritual master is called initiation.From the date of initiation by the spiritual master, the connectionKrwa and a person cultivating Kra consciousness isestablished. Without initiation by a bona fide spiritual master, theactual connection with Kra consciousness is never performed.This cultivation of Krwa consciousness is not material. The Lordhas generally three energies-namely, the external energy, the internal