२०१.
The Nectar of Devotion
sonality of Godhead. Negation of material existence is only one of the subjects of the  Upaniṣads . The next subject concerns becoming situated in the impersonal realization. And then, after penetrating through the impersonal  Brahman , when one comes to the platform of associating with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one reaches the ultimate goal in studying the  Upaniṣads .
Those who are situated on the platform of  śānta-rasa  get their impetus for advancement in devotional service by smelling the  tulasī  offered at the lotus feet of the Lord, by hearing the sound of His conchshell, by seeing a sanctified place in some mountain or hill, by observing a forest like the ones in Vṛndāvana, by going to a place of pilgrimage, by visiting the course of the Ganges River, by being victorious over the dictations of bodily demands (i.e., eating, sleeping, mating and defending), by understanding the devastation of eternal time, and by constantly associating with devotees engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. All these different items are favorable in elevating saintly persons situated in  śānta-rasa  to the advanced stage of devotional service.
In the Third Canto, 15th Chapter, 43rd verse of  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  there is a statement by the four saintly persons known as  Catuḥsana , headed by Sanaka-kumāra. They went to visit the Lord of Vaikuṇṭhaloka in the spiritual sky, and when they bowed down before the Lord, the aroma of the  tulasī , mixed with saffron, entered their nostrils and immediately attracted their minds. Although these four saintly persons were always absorbed in the thought of impersonal  Brahman , from association with the Lord and from smelling the  tulasī  leaves, the hairs on their bodies immediately stood up. This shows that even a person who is situated in  Brahman  realization, if he is put into association with devotees in pure devotional service, will immediately become attracted to the personal feature of the Lord.
There are certain symptoms of great sages who are situated in  śānta-rasa  devotional service, and these symptoms are exhibited as follows: they concentrate their eyesight on the tip of the nose, and they behave just like an  avadhūta .  Avadhūta  means a highly elevated mystic who does not care for any social, religious or Vedic conven-