KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.7.19:
- Unless one is inclined to be a devotee of the Lord, he cannot enter into the intricacies of devotional service.
- The preliminary qualification for entering into the devotional service of the Lord is that one become a willing cooperator. (adau Shraddah)
- One should voluntarily cooperate with persons who are already engaged in the transcendental devotional service of the Lord. (Sadhu sanga)
- By cooperating with such persons, the prospective candidate will gradually learn the techniques of devotional service, and with the progress of such learning one becomes proportionately free from the contamination of material association. (Anartha nivritti)
- Such a purificatory process will establish the prospective candidate in firm faith and gradually elevate him to the stage of transcendental taste for such devotional service. (Ruchi)
- Thus he acquires a genuine attachment for the devotional service of the Lord, and his conviction carries him on to the point of ecstasy, (Bhava) just prior to the stage of transcendental love. (Prema)
- Devotional service may be divided into two sections, namely preliminary knowledge of the nature of devotional service – (Sambhandha); Secondary – knowledge of its execution. (Abhideya)
- There is a natural affinity of the living entity for the loving service of the Lord. This affinity becomes artificially covered by the influence of material association, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam helps one very genuinely remove that artificial covering.
- Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam acts like the lamp of transcendental knowledge. These two sections of transcendental knowledge in devotional service become revealed to a person who is a soul surrendered unto Vāsudeva;
- It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.19), such a great soul, fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of Vāsudeva, is very, very rare.
SB 2.7.19 TRANSLATION:
O Nārada, you were taught about the science of God and His transcendental loving service by the Personality of Godhead in His incarnation of Haṁsāvatāra. He was very much pleased with you, due to your intense proportion of devotional service. He also explained unto you, lucidly, the full science of devotional service, which is especially understandable by persons who are souls surrendered unto Lord Vāsudeva, the Personality of Godhead.
Haṁsāvatāra – is one of the lila avatars. There are 22 of them mentioned in the Laghu Bhagavatamrta by Rupa Goswamis. This is also mentioned in CC Madhya
There are infinite incarnations of the Lord.
The devotee and devotional service are two correlative terms. Unless one is inclined to be a devotee of the Lord, he cannot enter into the intricacies of devotional service. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa wanted to explain the Bhagavad-gītā, which is the science of devotional service, unto Śrī Arjuna because Arjuna was not only His friend but a great devotee as well. The whole process is that all living entities, being constitutionally parts and parcels of the supreme living being, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, have proportionately minute independence of action also.
Devotional service is all about the relationship between devotee and Krsna.Science is something that is true in all different spheres of existence. True in the past, present, future and in all places and is predictable and never fallacious. Real science is the science of Krsna. Never affected by 2 modes of material nature or material world. He is perfect and complete.. Theories are not complete and not absolute. There are 4 defects of living entity and science excludes anything to deal with spirit. The only real science is science of Krsna, completely inclusive of spiritual and material. The science of devotional service by Rupa Goswami is called a science, because people are becoming devotees in all corners of the world.
BG 4.10
According to Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.4.15–16), the science of devotional service: ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-
“In the beginning one must have a preliminary desire for self-realization. This will bring one to the stage of trying to associate with persons who are spiritually elevated. In the next stage one becomes initiated by an elevated spiritual master, and under his instruction the neophyte devotee begins the process of devotional service. By execution of devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master, one becomes free from all material attachment, attains steadiness in self-realization, and acquires a taste for hearing about the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This taste leads one further forward to attachment for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which is matured in bhāva, or the preliminary stage of transcendental love of God. Real love for God is called prema, the highest perfectional stage of life.” In the prema stage there is constant engagement in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. So, by the slow process of devotional service, under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, one can attain the highest stage, being freed from all material attachment, from the fearfulness of one’s individual spiritual personality, and from the frustrations that result in void philosophy. Then one can ultimately attain the abode of the Supreme Lord.
QUALIFICATION FOR ENTERING INTO THE DEV SERVICE
So the preliminary qualification for entering into the devotional service of the Lord is that one become a willing cooperator, and as such, one should voluntarily cooperate with persons who are already engaged in the transcendental devotional service of the Lord. (Sadhu sanga) By cooperating with such persons, the prospective candidate will gradually learn the techniques of devotional service, and with the progress of such learning one becomes proportionately free from the contamination of material association. (Anartha nivritti) Such a purificatory process will establish the prospective candidate in firm faith and gradually elevate him to the stage of transcendental taste for such devotional service. (Ruchi) Thus he acquires a genuine attachment for the devotional service of the Lord, and his conviction carries him on to the point of ecstasy, (Bhava) just prior to the stage of transcendental love.(Prema)
99.9 percent of the people are only interested in the service and not devotional service. Many people in India stay all night long for outsourcing jobs,,, the whole lifestyle and cycle maintained in India is destroyed.. This is serious because sanata dharma has been destroyed.
Such knowledge of devotional service may be divided into two sections, namely
- preliminary knowledge of the nature of devotional service – Sambhandha
- secondary knowledge of its execution. – Abhideya
Bhāgavatam is in relation with the Personality of Godhead, His beauty, fame, opulence, dignity, attraction and transcendental qualities which attract one towards Him for exchanges of love and affection. There is a natural affinity of the living entity for the loving service of the Lord. This affinity becomes artificially covered by the influence of material association, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam helps one very genuinely remove that artificial covering. Therefore it is particularly mentioned herein that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam acts like the lamp of transcendental knowledge. These two sections of transcendental knowledge in devotional service become revealed to a person who is a soul surrendered unto Vāsudeva; as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.19), such a great soul, fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of Vāsudeva, is very, very rare.