1410
Śrīnad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 29]
goal of self-interest is Vāsudeva.  Saṁṣrti , or material existence, begins with the illusioned bodily conception of life, and on the basis of this conception there ensues a series of unwanted things ( anarthas ). These unwanted things are actually mental desires for various types of sense gratification. In this way one accepts different types of bodies within this material world. One first has to control the mind so that the desires of the mind can be purified. This process is described in the  Nārada-pañcarātra  as  sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam . Unless one purifies his mind, there is no question of getting free from the material condition. As stated in  Śrīnad-Bhāgavatam :
anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām
“The material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyāsadeva compiled this Vedic literature, which is in relation to the Supreme Truth.” ( Bhāg.  1.7.6)  Anarthas , unwanted things, come down from one bodily life to another. To get out of this entanglement, one has to take to the devotional service of Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The word  guru  is significant in this connection. The word  guru  may be translated as “heavy,” or “the supreme.” In other words, the  guru  is the spiritual master. Śrīla Rṣabhadeva advised his sons:  gurur na sa syāt . . . na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum . “One should not take up the post of spiritual master unless is able to lead his disciple from the cycle of birth and death.” ( Bhāg.  5.5.18) Material existence is actually a chain of action and reaction brought about by different types of fruitive activities. This is the cause of birth and death. One can stop this process only by engaging oneself in the service of Vāsudeva.
Bhakti  refers to those activities performed in the service of Lord Vāsudeva. Because Lord Vāsudeva is the Supreme, one should engage himself in His service, not in the service of the demigods. Devotional service begins from the neophyte stage—the stage of observing the rules and regulations—and extends to the point of spontaneous loving service to the Lord. The purpose of all stages is to satisfy Lord Vāsudeva. When one is perfectly advanced in the devotional service of Vāsudeva, he becomes completely detached from the service of the body, that is, his designated