Teachings to Rupa Goswami
29
one should not take part in gambling. These are the restrictions for devotional service, and if one does not follow these principles strictly then there may be a severe disturbance in the discharge of devotional service.
Another disturbing element is to aspire after material name and fame by discharging devotional service. If one is not particularly careful, then by the process of watering the plant of devotional service, other unnecessary plants, as described above, may grow, and that may hamper the progress of devotional service. The idea is that, by the watering process, these unnecessary plants grow very luxuriantly and the gardener does not see the impediments offered to the main plant of devotional service. It is the duty of the neophyte devotee to cut out all the unnecessary plants grown by the watering process. In other words, if one is careful against the growth of unnecessary plants, then the main plant grows luxuriantly and reaches the ultimate goal, the planet known as Goloka Vrindaban. To reach the ultimate goal, the Goloka Vrindaban planet, is the real result of devotional service, the real fruit grown of the plant of devotional service. When the living entity engaged in such devotional service relishes that fruit of love of Godhead, then he forgets all other ritualistic activities, religiousness for improvements in economic conditions, satisfaction of the senses, and the desire to become one with the Supreme Lord by merging into His effulgence.
There are many phases of spiritual knowledge and transcendental bliss, such as performance of the ritualistic sacrifices recommended in the Vedas, the execution of austerities and pious duties, and the practice of mystic Yoga. They have their different respective results to be enjoyed by the performer, but all these results may appear to be very glittering only so long as one is not elevated to the transcendental loving service of the Lord. There is a nice comparison in this connection: that a person bitten by a serpent remains unconscious so long as there is no smelling of the particular type of medicine recommended. As soon as the bitten person smells that particular type of medicine, however, he at once becomes conscious, and no longer can he remain unconscious by the poisonous effects.
Love of Godhead can be awakened from the dormant position by executing pure devotional service. And what is that devotional service? What are its symptoms? These were all described by Lord Chaitanya to Rupa Goswami:
In the matter of pure devotional service, there cannot be any other desire than to become advanced in Krishna Consciousness. In Krishna Consciousness there is no scope for worshipping any demigods, or any other Form of Krishna, or to indulge in speculative empiric philosophy, or to be engaged in