Text 16]
Divinity and Divine Service
105
Godhead. This is because all activities of the Supreme Lord (His  līlā ) are transcendental to the modes of the material energy. They are all-attractive spiritual activities, and therefore constant association with the spiritual activities of the Supreme Lord gradually spiritualizes the conditioned soul and ultimately severs the knot of material bondage.
Liberation from material bondage is, therefore, a by-product of devotional service. Attainment of spiritual knowledge is not sufficient to insure liberation. Such knowledge must be overcoated with devotional service so that ultimately the devotional service alone predominates. Then liberation is made possible. Even the reactionary work of the fruitive workers can lead one to liberation when it is overcoated with devotional service.  Karma  overcoated with devotional service is called  karma-yoga . Similarly, empirical knowledge overcoated with devotional service is called  jñāna-yoga . But pure  bhakti-yoga  is independent of such  karma  and  jñāna  because it alone can not only endow one with liberation from the conditional life but can also award one with the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
Therefore, any sensible man who is above the average man with a poor fund of knowledge must constantly remember the Personality of Godhead by hearing about Him, by glorifying Him, by remembering Him and by worshiping Him always, without cessation. That is the perfect way of devotional service. The Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana who were authorized by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to preach the  bhakti  cult, rigidly followed this rule and made immense literatures of transcendental science for our benefit. They have chalked out ways for all classes of men in terms of the different castes and orders of life in pursuance of the teachings of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and similar other authoritative scriptures.
TEXT 16
शुश्रूषोः श्रद्धानस्य वासुदेवकथारुचिः । स्यान्महत्सेवया विप्राः पुण्यतीर्थनिवेवणात् ॥१६॥
śuśrūṣoḥ śraddadhānasya vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ puṇya-tīrtha-niṣevaṇāt
śuśrūṣoḥ—one who is engaged in hearing; śraddadhānasya—with care and attention; vāsudeva—in respect to Vāsudeva; kathā—message; ruciḥ—affinity; syāt—is made possible; mahat-sevayā—by service rendered to pure