Greatness of Serving Krishna as a Servitor, as said by Sri Rupa Goswami!
There are different aspects of Transcendental Service to the Lord. In this Post, let us see Serving Krishna as a Servitor, as said by Sri Rupa Goswami and as explained by Srila Prabhupada:
WHAT IS CALLED SERVITORSHIP?
In the opinion of the karmis (fruitive workers), offering the results of karma is called servitorship.
But according to Vaisnava acaryas like Rupa Gosvami, servitorship means constant engagement in some kind of service to the Lord.
(WEAPONS TO BEAT MAYA – TILAKA, TULASI BEADS AND PRASADAM! READ HERE!)
WHO ARE CALLED THE DEVOTEES?
In the Skanda Purana it is said that those who are attached to ritualistic activities, the four orders of social life and the four orders of spiritual life, are considered devotees.
WHO ARE CALLED THE PURE DEVOTEES?
But when devotees are actually engaged in offering service to the Lord directly, these must be bhagavatas, or pure devotees.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DEVOTEES AND PURE DEVOTEES
Those who are engaged in fruitive activities, or prescribed duties according to the four orders of social and spiritual life, are not actually pure devotees.
But still, because they are offering the result to the Lord, they are accepted as devotees.
When one has no such desire, but acts spontaneously out of love of God, such a person must be accepted as a pure devotee.
(IMPORTANCE OF KIRTANA (SINGING) IN PLEASING KRISHNA! READ HERE!)
WHY VARNASHRAMA DHARMA?
The conditioned souls who have come into contact with the material world are all more or less desirous of lording it over material nature. The system of varnasrama and the prescribed duties under this system are so designed that the conditioned soul may enjoy in the material world according to his desire for sense gratification and at the same time gradually become elevated to spiritual understanding.
WHAT IS CALLED DEVOTIONAL SERVICE?
Under these prescribed duties of varna and asrama there are many activities which belong to devotional service in Krsna consciousness.
Those devotees who are householders accept Vedic ritualistic performances as well as the prescribed duties of devotional service, because both are meant for satisfying Krsna.
When householder devotees perform some Vedic ritualistic duties, they do so to satisfy Krsna. As we have previously discussed, any activity aiming at satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead is considered devotional service.
(Importance of Caranamrta (Charanamrutha) in devotion! READ HERE!)
ELIGIBILITY TO PERFORM DEVOTIONAL SERVICE
Srila Rupa Gosvami says that persons who are neophytes and who have developed a little love of Godhead are not interested in the activities of sense gratification, in proportion to their devotion. (ie, when the devotion intensifies, interest in sense gratification comes down).
But if there is still some attraction for sense gratifying activities, then the result of such activities should be offered to Krsna.
This is also called engagement in the service of the Lord, with the Lord as the master and the worker as the servant.
HOW SERVITORSHIP IS TRANSCENDENTAL?
In the Naradiya Purana there is a statement of how this servitorship is transcendental. It is said there that a person who is constantly engaged in devotional service by his body, mind and words, or even a person who is not practically engaged but is simply desiring to be so, is considered to be liberated.
Hope you enjoyed this Post on Serving Krishna as a Servitor.
(Offering & Smelling the Incense Sticks & Flowers to the Deities – Rules! READ HERE!)