Preface xl
such as Persian and Arabian. They very scrutinizingly studied all the
Vedic scriptures in order to establish the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu
on the authorized principles of Vedic knowledge. The present Krsna
consciousness movement is also based on the authority of Srila Rupa
Gosvami Prabhupada. We are therefore generally known as ripdanugas,
or followers in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada. It is
only for our guidance that Srila Ripa Gosvami prepared his book
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, which is now presented in the form of The
Nectar of Devotion. Persons engaged in the Krsna consciousness
movement may take advantage of this great literature and be very
solidly situated in Krsna consciousness.

Bhakti means devotional service. Every service has some attractive
feature which drives the servitor progressively on and on. Every one
of us within this world is perpetually engaged in some sort of service,
and the impetus for such service is the pleasure we derive from it.
Driven by affection for his wife and children, a family man works
day and night. A philanthropist works in the same way for love of
the greater family, and a nationalist for the cause of his country
and countrymen. That force which drives the philanthropist, the
householder and the nationalist is called rasa, or a kind of mellow
(relationship) whose taste is very sweet. Bhakti-rasa is a mellow
different from the ordinary rasa enjoyed by mundane workers.
Mundane workers labor very hard day and night in order to relish
a certain kind of rasa which is understood as sense gratification.
The relish or taste of the mundane rasa does not long endure, and
therefore mundane workers are always apt to change their position
of enjoyment. A businessman is not satisfied by working the whole
week; therefore, wanting a change for the weekend, he goes to a place
where he tries to forget his business activities. Then, after the weekend
is spent in forgetfulness, he again changes his position and resumes his
actual business activities. Material engagment means accepting a
particular status for some time and then changing it. This position
of changing back and forth is technically known as bhoga-tydga, which
means a position of alternating sense enjoyment and renunciation. A
living entity cannot steadily remain either in sense enjoyment or in
renunciation. Change is going on perpetually, and we cannot be happy
