Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 22.109
Guided Practice Leads to Spontaneous Loving Service
“Those who have not attained the platform of spontaneous attachment in devotional service render devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master according to the regulative principles mentioned in the revealed scriptures. According to the revealed scriptures, this kind of devotional service is called vaidhī bhakti.
What the purport teaches
- Those who have not attained spontaneous attachment follow the regulative principles of revealed scriptures under a bona fide spiritual master. This is called vaidhī bhakti and begins with hearing from the spiritual master.
- Hearing, chanting, remembering and Deity worship are essential primary activities performed under the spiritual master’s directions. Service must be offered out of love, without material purposes or even a desire to merge into the Absolute Truth.
- By following the rules and regulations of devotional service, one can gradually reach spontaneous loving service. This process awakens the dormant love for Kṛṣṇa already present in everyone’s heart.
Try this today
Before your devotional practice today, pause to set aside any wish for material reward and offer the service out of love.
Ask yourself
Am I approaching devotional service out of love, or am I seeking something else through it?
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.