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Mahārāja Pṛthu's Going Back Home
987
mystic powers appear in his service. A devotee does not want any kind of material opulence, but such opulence appears before him automatically. He does not have to endeavor for it. Because of his devotional service, he automatically becomes  brahma-bhūta . As stated before, this is confirmed in  Bhagavad-gītā :
māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
“One who is engaged in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.” (Bg. 14.26)
Because of his regular discharge of devotional service, a devotee attains the transcendental stage of life. Since his mind is transcendentally situated, he cannot think of anything but the lotus feet of the Lord. This is the meaning of the word  saṁsmaraṇa-anupūrtyā . By constantly thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord, the devotee immediately becomes situated in  śuddha-sattva .  Śuddha-sattva  refers to that platform which is above the modes of material nature, including the mode of goodness. In the material world, the mode of goodness is considered to be representative of the highest perfection, but one has to transcend this mode and come to the stage of  śuddha-sattva , or pure goodness, where the three qualities of material nature cannot act.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura gives the following example: If one has strong digestive power, after eating he automatically lights a fire within his stomach to digest everything and does not need to take medicine to aid his digestion. Similarly, the fire of devotional service is so strong that a devotee does not need to act separately to attain perfect knowledge or detachment from material attractions. A  jñānī  may become detached from material attractions by prolonged discussions on subjects of knowledge and may in this way finally come to the  brahma-bhūta  stage, but a devotee does not have to undergo so much trouble. By virtue of his devotional service, he attains the  brahma-bhūta  stage without a doubt. The  yogīs  and  jñānīs  are always doubtful about their constitutional position; therefore they mistakenly think of becoming one with the Supreme. However, a devotee's relationship with the Supreme becomes manifest beyond all doubt, and he immediately understands that his position is that of eternal servant of the Lord. The  jñānīs  and  yogīs  may