1.

In your own words, explain the definition of pure devotional service with
reference to the svarupa and tatasthalakshana, Prabhupada's comments,
examples and specific Sanskrit words. (Understanding)

Answer

The definition of pure devotional service is given by Srila Rupa Goswami in Nectar
of Devotion (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu) 1.1.11

anyabhilasita-sunyam
jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama

Translation
“When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material
desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive actions. The
devotee must constantly serve Krsna favorably, as Krsna desires.”

In pure devotional service one has no desire for personal enjoyment, one just wants
to serve Krishna constantly. This is beautifully explained by Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu in Siksastakam Text 4,
“O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful
women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless
devotional service, birth after birth.”

Pure devotional service has two characteristics:

1. Svarupa-Laksanam (Primary Characteristics) and
2. Tatastha-Laksanam (Secondary Characteristics).

1) Svarupa-Laksanam — Primary Characteristics

Pure devotional service has three primary characteristics (Svarupa-Laksanam):
1. It is for Krsna
2. Devotion to Krishna is an active engagement 3. It is executed with favourable
intent.

1. Pure devotional Service is for Krsna

The first and the most important characteristic of pure devotional service is that it is
for Krsna and not for anyone else. Now when we say Krishna then it also includes:
– Krishna’s plenary parts and parcels like Baladeva, Sankarsana, Vasudeva,
Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha etc.
– His differentiated parts and parcels which means the living entities.
His multifarious energies – the material and spiritual worlds

However, it does not mean that the pure devotional can be for anything and
everything because Krishna is anything. The correct understanding is that we can
love and serve Krishna directly or love and serve those things and persons
who are explicitly connected to Krishna. For example, we can love and serve
Krishna’s expansions, His pure devotees, His places of pastimes, His paraphernalia.
2. Anusilanam — Devotional Service is an Active Engagement

Pure devotion is not passive but it is an active engagement. When we love someone
then we try to do anything to please that person. Similarly, if we love Krishna then we
will put in our best efforts to please Krishna. Anusilanam has two aspects:

1. Pravrtti or positive actions: Doing activities which are favourable to Krishna

consciousness.
2. Nivrtti or negative actions: Avoiding those activities which are unfavourable
to Krishna consciousness.

To know the positive and negative activities, we should take guidance from our
spiritual master who is coming in guru parampara, disciplic succession. These
activities should be performed with our body, mind and words. For example, we
should avoid breaking four regulative principles like meat eating, gambling,
intoxication and illicit sex. But we should do activities which are favourable to Krishna
consciousness like chanting the names of Krishna, deity worship, reading Srimad
Bhagavatam.

3. Anukulyena — Favourable Intention

While doing devotional service, it is also important that our intent should be to please
Krishna. Sometimes demons like Kamsa, Ravana give pleasure to Krishna by giving
Krishna an opportunity to fight and protect His devotees. But we cannot say that
the demons are engaged in pure devotional service because the demon’s
intention is not to please Krishna but to give pain to Krishna and pain to Krishna’s
devotees.

On the other hand, some activities may apparently appear that it is displeasing to
Krishna but it will fall in the category of pure devotional service if the intent is pure.
For example, mother Yashoda punishing Krishna may appear displeasing to
Krishna, but it is actually pure devotional service because mother Yashoda’s
intention is to always love and care for Krishna.

2) Tatastha-Laksanam — Secondary Characteristics

The two secondary characteristics, Tatastha-Laksanam, of pure devotional service

are:

1. anyabhilasita-sunyam — pure devotional service is free from all ulterior

motives
A pure devotee engages in serving Krishna only to please Krishna and guru. He
does not want anything in return. Sometimes some people may visit temple, bow
down to the deity, give donation but they may have hidden motives. For
example, they may think that if they come to temple and give donation then in return
Krishna will grant them benediction and give them lots of wealth. This is not pure
devotional service. Pure devotional service is free of all ulterior motives, the only
motive should be to please Krishna.
2. jnana-karmady anavrttam — pure devotional service is not covered by
philosophical or fruitive pursuits.

Philosophical speculation:

If philosophical speculation is taking one to voidism or impersonalism then it is

dangerous because it takes one away from Krishna. So, Rupa Goswami is saying
that pure devotional service should not be covered by philosophical speculation. But
if philosophical speculation is taking one to Krishna then it is acceptable.
Srila Prabhupada explains, “The ultimate end of philosophical speculation, then,
must be Kṛṣṇa, with the understanding that Kṛṣṇa is everything, the cause of
all causes, and that one should therefore surrender unto Him. If this ultimate
goal is reached, then philosophical advancement is favorable, but if the conclusion of
philosophical speculation is voidism or impersonalism, that is not bhakti.” Nectar of
Devotion, Introduction.

Fruitive pursuits:
Fruitive pursuits may cover our devotional service to Krishna, so we should be
cautious. There are many ritualistic or fruitive activities described in the Vedas and if
one becomes attracted to these fruitive activities without understanding Krishna then
these activities are unfavourable to Krishna Consciousness. One may get caught up
in fruitive activities and stop paying proper attention to pure devotional activities like
hearing and chanting.

However, it does not mean that a devotee should not at all engage in ritualistic
activities. Sometimes a devotee may perform some ritualistic activities out of
social convention. Such activities do no cover devotional service. For example,
Lord Chaitanya offered pinda when his father died.

But there are some activities that may cover devotional service. So, one should be
very cautious about those activities. For example, putting faith in astrology. Astrology
is a Vedic science, and it can serve some functional purpose. But if one gets too
much caught up in astrology then he may start putting more faith in destiny
then in bhakti. Srila Prabhupada explains, “Actually, Kṛṣṇa consciousness can
be based simply on hearing, chanting, remembering, etc. Described in the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are nine different processes, besides which everything done is
unfavorable to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”
Srila Rupa Goswami has beautifully explained what constitutes pure devotional
service. With this understanding we should try our best to engage in pure devotional
service to Krishna.
2. Explain in your own words, how pure devotional service has the power to
nullify all four kinds of sinful reactions, with reference to Prabhupada's
comments, appropriate analogies and other relevant sastric references.
(Understanding)

Answer

There are three main causes of our suffering:

1. papam(sin),
2. bijam(desires) and
3. avidya(ignorance).

Srila Rupa Goswami explains in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu (Nectar of Devotion) that
we suffer because of the sins which we have committed not only in this life but also
in previous lives. Let us explore the causes of our sufferings and most importantly
how to get relief from all our sufferings. Srila Rupa Goswami explains about this in
his book Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu (Nectar of Devotion).

Three causes of suffering

The three causes of our suffering are:
1. Papam: We suffer because of our sins.
2. Bijam: We suffer because of our material desires. This is the secondary
cause of our suffering.
3. Avidya: Our material desires are because of our ignorance. We fail to
understand that we are in reality spiritual beings, and our eternal identity is
that we are eternal servants of Krishna. Ignorance is the root cause of our
suffering.

Four kinds of sinful reactions

Padma Purana explains that sinful activities causes four kinds of sinful reactions:

1. The effect which is not yet fructified (aprarabdha)

2. The effect which is lying as seed (kutam)
3. The effect which is already mature (prarabdha)
4. The effect which is almost mature (karma bijam)

And because of these sinful reactions we have to suffer a lot in this material world.
However, if we take shelter of Krishna and engage in pure devotional service then
these sinful reactions immediately get vanquished.

Let us see how devotional service destroys each of the sinful reactions: For
example, Mrugrari was such a cruel hunter that he would half kill animals and enjoy
seeing them suffer and die. For this ghastly act he was supposed to suffer terribly in
future. But once he took devotional service to Lord Krishna, he completely got
purified and got freedom from all future sufferings.
1) Devotional service destroys unmanifest sinful reactions (aprarabdha-
papam)

In Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Krishna says to Uddhava, “My dear Uddhava,

devotional service unto Me is just like a blazing fire, which can burn into ashes
unlimited fuel supplied to it.” SB. 11.14.19. Srila Prabhupada explains, “The purport
is that as the blazing fire can burn any amount of fuel to ashes, so devotional service
to the Lord in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can burn up all the fuel of sinful activities.” NOD
purport.

So, if we take shelter of Krishna then the Supreme Lord guarantees that he will
completely destroy all our unmanifest sinful reactions (aprarabdha-papam). It
means that whatever sins for which we were supposed to suffer gets destroyed.So,
in future we will not suffer for those sins which we committed in the past.

2) Devotional service destroys manifest sinful reactions (prarabdha-papam)

Our present suffering is because of our past sins. If someone is born in the family of
beggars or in a criminal family or in a family where many legal issues are going on or
if someone is born as blind, deaf or dumb or suffers from other diseases by birth
then it is because of their past sins.

However, devotion to Krishna is so purifying that a person who is suffering because

of past sins can get relief from all the sufferings. Everyone is qualified to practice
devotion to Krishna. Even someone born in the family of dog eaters can take to
Krishna Consciousness. And Krishna as a loving father is always ready to free all of
us from all kinds of sufferings.

In Srimad Bhagavatam, Devahuti glorifies Lord Kapiladeva by saying, “My dear Lord,
there are nine different kinds of devotional service, beginning with hearing and
chanting. Anyone who hears about Your pastimes, who chants about Your glories,
who offers You obeisances, who thinks of You and, in this way, executes any of the
nine kinds of devotional service – even if he is born in a family of dog-eaters [the
lowest grade of mankind] – becomes immediately qualified to perform sacrifices.” SB
3.33.6.

Lord Krishna is so merciful that he forgives us of our past mistakes and purifies us if
we take his shelter. However, it does not mean that we should start taking advantage
of Lord’s benevolence and keep on committing sins thinking that Krishna will anyway
purify us. A pure devotee of the lord is always careful not to commit any sins.

3) Devotional service destroys Material Desires (bijam)

Getting relief from sins is not enough. It is important that we get freedom from our
material desires. Because as long as we have material desires, we will commit sins
and so we will suffer. In Srimad Bhagavatam, Parikshit Maharaj says that elephants
may enter into a water body to take bath. The elephant may thoroughly clean his
body but as soon as he comes out of the water, he takes dust from the shore and
puts it on his body.
Similarly, there are people who atone for their sins but as soon there is an
opportunity to commit sins, they indulge into it. And because of this they again have
to suffer. So, it is important that sinful desires or sinful proclivity should be completely
uprooted.

We can get completely purified of our sinful desires when we take shelter of Krishna.
Vedic rituals, austerity, giving charity may temporarily save us from sinful reactions
but will not free us from sinful proclivities. For example, Ajamila was doing his
brahminical duties very nicely but since his sinful desires were not burnt completely
so he fell down when he saw a prostitute. But later just by chanting the name
“Narayan”, he was saved from Yamaduttas. And after that Ajamila practiced
devotional life and got purified of his sinful proclivities.

Pure devotional service not just nullify the sinful desires, but it fills our heart with a
desire to serve Krishna. Desire to serve Krishna is the antidote of material desire.
Once we start experiencing bliss in serving Krishna, we give up all our material
desires. When our sinful proclivity is gone, we do not commit any sins and so we do
not suffer anymore.

4) Devotional service destroys Ignorance

Srila Rupa Goswami explains that among all the causes of suffering, ignorance is the
root cause of all our sufferings. Because of ignorance we identify ourselves with our
material body, mind and senses. And so we try to gratify our body, mind and senses
in this world. The more we gratify our material senses, more we get contaminated.
We fail to identify that we are spirt souls, parts and parcels of Krishna.

So, instead of cultivating spiritual desires, we cultivate material desires. And because
of worldly desires, we keep on committing sins and we suffer. However, when we
start practicing devotion to Krishna, we get enlightened. Our true spiritual identity is
revealed to us. We start understanding that we are spiritual beings, parts and parcel
of Krishna.

Padma Purana explains that “Pure devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the
highest enlightenment, and when such enlightenment is there, it is just like a blazing
forest fire, killing all the inauspicious snakes of desire.” Just like when there is forest
fire all the snakes of the forest get killed, similarly devotion to Krishna is so strong
that it burns the snake of ignorance.

We see that when Srila Prabhupada went to west then the hippies were indulging in
so many abominable activities. But once they started practicing devotion to Krishna
under the guidance of Srila Prabhupada their ignorance were destroyed. Once they
got the true spiritual knowledge they gave up all their sinful habits and become first
class devotees of Krishna and perfected their lives.

Conclusion
Pure devotion to Krishna removes all the causes of suffering. So, devotional service
to Krishna is the only way by which we can free ourselves from all the sins.
And eventually of all sufferings both present and future. And then we can lead a
blissful Krishna Conscious life.