Now I shall speak about the characteristics of devotional service, by which one can attain the shelter of Krishna and His loving transcendental service. A human being’s activities should be centered only on devotional service to Lord Krishna. That is the verdict of all Vedic literatures, and all saintly people have firmly concluded this.
Devotional service to Krishna is the chief function of the living entity. There are different methods for the liberation of the conditioned soul—karma, jnana, yoga and bhakti—but they are all dependent on bhakti. Without devotional service, all other methods for spiritual self-realization are weak and insignificant. Unless one comes to the devotional service of Lord Krishna, jnana and yoga cannot give the desired results. Speculative knowledge alone, without devotional service, is not able to give liberation. On the other hand, even without knowledge one can obtain liberation if one engages in the Lord’s devotional service.
Sri Sri Gaura Nityananda in Ekachakra, India
Devotional service conquers the darkness of illusion
The living entity is bound around the neck by the chain of maya because he has forgotten that he is eternally a servant of Krishna. If the conditioned soul engages in the service of the Lord and simultaneously carries out the orders of his spiritual master and serves him, he can get out of the clutches of maya and become eligible for shelter at Krishna’s lotus feet.
Krishna is compared to sunshine, and maya is compared to darkness. Wherever there is sunshine, there cannot be darkness. As soon as one takes to Krishna consciousness, the darkness of illusion (the influence of the maya) will immediately vanish. One is immediately freed from the clutches of maya if he seriously and sincerely says, “My dear Lord Krishna, although I have forgotten You for so many long years in the material world, today I am surrendering unto You. I am Your sincere and serious servant. Please engage me in Your service.”
Srila Rupa Goswami and Srila Sanatan Goswami
Transcendental loving devotional service
Due to bad association, the conditioned living entity desires material happiness, liberation or merging into the impersonal aspect of the Lord, or he engages in mystic yoga for material power. If such a person becomes intelligent, he takes to Krishna consciousness by engaging in intense devotional service. If those who desire material enjoyment or merging into the existence of the Absolute Truth engage in transcendental loving service, they will immediately attain shelter at Krishna’s lotus feet, although they did not ask for it.
Krishna is very merciful. He says, “If one engages in My transcendental loving service but at the same time wants the opulence of material enjoyment, he is very, very foolish. Indeed, he is just like a person who gives up ambrosia to drink poison.”
When someone engages in devotional service for the satisfaction of the senses and instead acquires a taste for serving Krishna, he gives up his material desires and willingly offers himself as an eternal servant of Krishna.
Devotional service without hesitation
Without hesitation, one should take exclusive shelter of Lord Krishna with full confidence, giving up bad association and even neglecting the regulative principles of the four varnas and four ashrams. That is to say, one should abandon all material attachments. Lord Krishna is very kind to His devotees. He is always very grateful and magnanimous, and He possesses all abilities. A learned man does not give up Krishna to worship anyone else.
Whenever an experienced person develops real knowledge of Krishna and His transcendental qualities, he naturally gives up all other engagements and renders service to the Lord.
This is an excerpt from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s instructions to Srila Sanatan Goswami in the twenty-second chapter of Madhya-lila in Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita by Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami. It should be noted that Kaviraj Goswami cites a verse from Srimad Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavad-gita, or another principle scripture to confirm every one of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s statements. Those verses have been excluded from this presentation.