Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 19.175
Pure Service Requires Freedom From Selfish Desire
“If one is infected with the desire for material enjoyment or material liberation, he cannot rise to the platform of pure loving service unto the Lord, even though he may superficially render devotional service according to the routine regulative principles.
What the purport teaches
- The desire to enjoy the results of good work, or to escape material entanglement, prevents one from attaining the transcendental mellows of devotional service.
- One must not desire material profit when rendering devotional service.
- Even following all sixty-four regulative principles cannot bring pure devotional service if the heart remains contaminated by these desires.
Try this today
Before serving today, examine your motive and set aside one expectation of personal gain.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking material profit or escape through my devotional service?
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.