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

XXllThe Nectar of DevotioniIllI !IIDevotional service means to prosecute Kr9!1-a conscious activitieswhich are favorable to the transcendental pleasure of the SupremeLord Kr9!1-a, and any activities which are not favorable to the transcendentalfavor of the Lord cannot be accepted as devotional service.For example, great demons like Rava!la, Kamsa and Hira!lyakasipuwere always thinking of Kr9!1-a, but they were thinking of Him as theirenemy. This sort of thinking cannot be accepted as bhakti or KrwaconsciOusness.The impersonalists sometimes misunderstand devotional service insuch a way that they divide Kr9!1-a from His paraphernalia and pas ­times. For example, the Bhagavad-gitii is spoken on the battlefield ofKuruk9etra, and the impersonalists say that although Kr9!1-a is ofinterest, the battlefield of Kuruk9etra isn't. The devotees, however,also know that the battlefield of Kuruk9etra by itself has nothing todo with their business, but in addition they know that "Kr9!1-a" doesnot mean just Kr9!1-a alone. He is always with His associates andparaphernalia. For instance, if someone says, "Give something toeat to the man with the weapons," the eating process is done by theman and not by the weapons. Similarly, in Kr9!1-a consciousness, adevotee may be interested in the paraphernalia and locations-suchas the battlefield of Kuruk9etra-which are associated with Kr9pa, buthe is not concerned with simply any battlefield. He is concerned withKr9pa-His speech, His instructions, etc. It is because Kr9pa is therethat the battlefield is so important.This is the summary understanding of what Kr!la consciousness is.Without this understanding one is sure to misunderstand why thedevotees are interested in the battlefield of Kuruk9etra. One who isinterested in Kr9!1-a becomes interested in His different pastimes andactivities.The definition of a pure devotee, as given by Riipa Gosvami inBhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, can be summarized thus: his service is favorableand is always in relation to Krpa. In order to keep the purity ofsuch Kr§!la conscious activities, one must be freed from all materialdesires and philosophical speculation. Any desire except for the serviceof the Lord is called material desire. And philosophical speculationrefers to the sort of speculation which ultimately arrives at a11l