Text 23] Pṛthu Mahārāja's Meeting with the Four Kumāras
915
accept the objectives of materialistic persons, namely money and sense gratification. Therefore it is stated:  bhakti-parasyānubhavam viraktir anyathā syāt . To advance in devotional service one should be uninterested in the materialistic way of life. That which is the subject matter of satisfaction for the devotees is of no interest to the nondevotees.
Simple negation, or giving up the company of materialistic persons, will not do. We must have engagements. Sometimes it is found that a person interested in spiritual advancement gives up the company of material society and goes to a secluded place as recommended for the  yogīs  especially, but that will also not help a person in spiritual advancement, for in many instances such  yogīs  also fall down. As far as  jñānīs  are concerned, generally they fall down without taking shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. The impersonalists or the voidists can simply avoid the positive material association; they cannot remain fixed in transcendence without being engaged in devotional service. The beginning of devotional service is to hear about the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is recommended in this verse:  vinā harer guṇa-pīyūṣa-pānāt . One must drink the nectar of the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and this means that one must be always engaged in hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord. It is the prime method for advancing in spiritual life. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu also recommends this in the  Caitanya-caritāmṛta . If one wants to make advancement in spiritual life, by great fortune he may meet a bona fide spiritual master and from him learn about Kṛṣṇa. By serving both the spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa he gets the seed of devotional service ( bhakti-latā-bīja ), and if he sows the seed within his heart and waters it by hearing and chanting, it grows into a luxuriant  bhakti-latā  or  bhakti  creeper. The creeper is so strong that it penetrates the covering of the universe and reaches the spiritual world and continues to grow on and on until it reaches and takes shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. An ordinary creeper also grows on and on until it takes a solid shelter on a roof; then it very steadily grows and produces the required fruit. The real cause of the growing of such fruit, which is here called nectar, is hearing and chanting the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The purport is that one cannot live outside the society of devotees; one must live in the association of devotees, where there is constant chanting and hearing of the glories of the Lord. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is started for this purpose, and there are hundreds of ISKCON centers to give opportunity to all people to hear and chant and to accept the spiritual master. By not associating with persons who are materially interested, one can make solid advancement in going back home, back to Godhead.