Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.1.16 · one of the 108 chosen verses
Mukti· LiberationServe Devotees to Awaken Love for Kṛṣṇa
“My dear King, if a sinful person engages in the service of a bona fide devotee of the Lord and thus learns how to dedicate his life unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he can be completely purified. One cannot be purified merely by undergoing austerity, penance, brahmacarya and the other methods of atonement I have previously described.”
What the purport teaches
- By serving a bona fide devotee, one learns to dedicate one’s life to Kṛṣṇa and can become completely purified. Austerity, penance and other methods of atonement alone cannot bring this purification.
- A pure devotee is fully engaged in loving service, knowing Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Serving such a Vaiṣṇava revives our original Kṛṣṇa consciousness and trains us to love Kṛṣṇa.
- The purpose of devotional service is to awaken dormant love for Kṛṣṇa, not merely to remove sins. A dedicated devotee wants to remember and serve Him wherever placed, rather than seek heaven or escape hell.
Try this today
Offer one small, practical act of help to a bona fide devotee in their service to Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
How could serving a bona fide devotee help me seek love for Kṛṣṇa rather than only relief from difficulty?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.