348
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta
[Madhya-līlā, Ch. 19]
PURPORT
There are different types of material perfection known as  siddhi-vraja , brahminical qualifications, yogic trance and merging into the Supreme. All these are certainly very attractive for a mundane person, but their brilliance exists only as long as one does not take to devotional service. Devotional service can control the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the supreme controller of all universal affairs. The five  rasas  (mellows) in the transcendental world are practiced by the inhabitants of Goloka Vṛndāvana in neutrality, servitorship, friendship, paternal affection and conjugal love. All these please the Lord so much that He is controlled by the devotees. For instance, mother Yaśodā was so advanced in devotional service that Kṛṣṇa agreed to be controlled by her stick. In other words, the five principal mellows are so great and glorious that they are able to control the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the material world, however, the so-called  siddhis , or perfections, manifest their brightness only as long as one is not interested in devotional service. In other words, the perfection of the  karmīs ,  jñānīs ,  yogīs  and others remains attractive only as long as one does not come to the point of devotional service, which is so great and significant that it can control the supreme controller, Kṛṣṇa.
TEXT 166
‘ अक्षत्किं हेते इम् ‘श्रेमा’ উৎপন্ন । অতএব অক্ষত্কির কহিয়ে ‘লক্ষণ’ ॥ ১৬৬ ॥
‘ śuddha-bhakti ’  haite haya ‘premā’ utpanna ataeva śuddha-bhaktira kahiye ‘lakṣaṇa’
SYNONYMS
śuddha-bhakti —pure devotional service without material contaminations;  haite —from;  haya —is;  premā —love of the Supreme Personality of Godhead;  utpanna —produced;  ataeva —therefore;  śuddha-bhaktira —of pure devotional service;  kahiye —let me explain;  lakṣaṇa —the symptoms.
TRANSLATION
“When one is situated in pure devotional service, he develops love of Godhead; therefore let me describe some of the symptoms of pure devotional service.
PURPORT
In  Bhagavad-gītā  (18.55) it is said:  bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ . One cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead in truth unless he takes to devotional service.