:: Chapter 12 :: Devotional Service


Text 16

anapeksah sucir daksa
udasino gata-vyathah
sarvarambha-parityagi
yo mad-bhaktah sa me priyah

Synonyms

anapeksah--neutral; sucih--pure; daksah--expert; udasinah--free from care; gata-vyathah--freed from all distress; sarva-arambha--of all endeavors; parityagi--renouncer; yah--anyone who; mat-bhaktah--My devotee; sah--he; me--to Me; priyah--very dear.

Translation

My devotee who is not dependent on the ordinary course of activities, who is pure, expert, without cares, free from all pains, and not striving for some result, is very dear to Me.

Purport

Money may be offered to a devotee, but he should not struggle to acquire it. If automatically, by the grace of the Supreme, money comes to him, he is not agitated. Naturally a devotee takes a bath at least twice in a day and rises early in the morning for devotional service. Thus he is naturally clean both inwardly and outwardly. A devotee is always expert because he fully knows the essence of all activities of life and he is convinced of the authoritative scriptures. A devotee never takes the part of a particular party; therefore he is carefree. He is never pained, because he is free from all designations; he knows that his body is a designation, so if there are some bodily pains, he is free. The pure devotee does not endeavor for anything which is against the principles of devotional service. For example, constructing a big building requires great energy, and a devotee does not take to such business if it does not benefit him by advancing his devotional service. He may construct a temple for the Lord, and for that he may take all kinds of anxiety, but he does not construct a big house for his personal relations.

Text 17

yo na hrsyati na dvesti
na socati na kanksati
subhasubha-parityagi
bhaktiman yah sa me priyah

Synonyms

yah--one who; na--never; hrsyati--takes pleasure; na--never; dvesti--grieves; na--never; socati--laments; na--never; kanksati--desires; subha--of the auspicious; asubha--and the inauspicious; parityagi--renouncer; bhakti-man--devotee; yah--one who; sah--he is; me--to Me; priyah--dear.

Translation

One who neither rejoices nor grieves, who neither laments nor desires, and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things--such a devotee is very dear to Me.

Purport

A pure devotee is neither happy nor distressed over material gain and loss, nor is he very much anxious to get a son or disciple, nor is he distressed by not getting them. If he loses anything which is very dear to him, he does not lament. Similarly, if he does not get what he desires, he is not distressed. He is transcendental in the face of all kinds of auspicious, inauspicious and sinful activities. He is prepared to accept all kinds of risks for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. Nothing is an impediment in the discharge of his devotional service. Such a devotee is very dear to Krisna.

Text 18-19

samah satrau ca mitre ca
tatha manapamanayoh
sitosna-sukha-duhkhesu
samah sanga-vivarjitah

tulya-ninda-stutir mauni
santusto yena kenacit
aniketah sthira-matir
bhaktiman me priyo narah

Synonyms

samah--equal; satrau--to an enemy; ca--also; mitre--to a friend; ca--also; tatha--so; mana--in honor; apamanayoh--and dishonor; sita--in cold; usna--heat; sukha--happiness; duhkhes. u--and distress; samah--equipoised; sanga-vivarjitah--free from all association; tulya--equal; ninda--in defamation; stutih--and repute; mauni--silent; santustah--satisfied; yena kenacit--with anything; aniketah--having no residence; sthira--fixed; matih--determination; bhakti-man--engaged in devotion; me--to Me; priyah--dear; narah--a man.

Translation

One who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equipoised in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who is always free from contaminating association, always silent and satisfied with anything, who doesn't care for any residence, who is fixed in knowledge and who is engaged in devotional service--such a person is very dear to Me.

Purport

A devotee is always free from all bad association. Sometimes one is praised and sometimes one is defamed; that is the nature of human society. But a devotee is always transcendental to artificial fame and infamy, distress or happiness. He is very patient. He does not speak of anything but the topics about Krisna; therefore he is called silent. Silent does not mean that one should not speak; silent means that one should not speak nonsense. One should speak only of essentials, and the most essential speech for the devotee is to speak for the sake of the Supreme Lord. A devotee is happy in all conditions; sometimes he may get very palatable foodstuffs, sometimes not, but he is satisfied. Nor does he care for any residential facility. He may sometimes live underneath a tree, and he may sometimes live in a very palatial building; he is attracted to neither. He is called fixed because he is fixed in his determination and knowledge. We may find some repetition in the descriptions of the qualifications of a devotee, but this is just to emphasize the fact that a devotee must acquire all these qualifications. Without good qualifications, one cannot be a pure devotee. Harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-gunah: one who is not a devotee has no good qualification. One who wants to be recognized as a devotee should develop the good qualifications. Of course he does not extraneously endeavor to acquire these qualifications, but engagement in Krisna consciousness and devotional service automatically helps him develop them.