Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Ādi 3.18
Loving Service Matters More Than Liberation
“These liberations are sārṣṭi [achieving opulences equal to those of the Lord], sārūpya [having a form the same as the Lord’s], sāmīpya [living as a personal associate of the Lord] and sālokya [living on a Vaikuṇṭha planet]. Devotees never accept sāyujya, however, since that is oneness with Brahman.
What the purport teaches
- Sārṣṭi means attaining opulences equal to the Lord’s, and sārūpya means having a form like His. Sāmīpya means living as His personal associate, and sālokya means living on a Vaikuṇṭha planet.
- Devotees following scriptural ritualistic principles can attain these liberations. Yet they are satisfied only in rendering transcendental loving service to the Lord.
- Devotees never accept sāyujya, or merging into the Brahman effulgence. This is the aspiration of impersonalists, not of devotees.
Try this today
Offer one small service to the Lord today without asking for any personal reward.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking a benefit from devotion, or satisfaction in serving the Lord?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.