Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service 7
Krsna Consciousness is All-Auspicious

Srila Ripa Gosvami has given a definition of auspiciousness. He
says that actual auspiciousness means welfare activities for all the
people of the world. At the present moment groups of people are
engaged in welfare activities in terms of society, community or
nation. There is even an attempt in the form of the United Nations
for world-help activity. But due to the shortcomings of limited
national activities, such a general mass welfare program for the whole
world is not practically possible. The Krsna consciousness movement,
however, is so nice that it can render the highest benefit to the entire
human race. Everyone can be attracted by this movement, and every-
one can feel the result. Therefore, Rupa Gosvami and other learned
scholars agree that a broad propaganda program for the Krsna con-
sciousness movement of devotional service all over the world is the
highest humanitarian welfare activity.

How the Krsna consciousness movement can attract the attention
of the whole world and how each and every man can feel pleasure in
this Krsna consciousness is stated in the Padma Purana as follows: “A
person who is engaged in devotional service in full Krsna conscious-
ness is to be understood to be doing the best service to the whole
world and to be pleasing everyone in the world. In addition to
human society, he is pleasing even the trees and animals because they
also become attracted by such a movement.” A practical example of
this was shown by Lord Caitanya when He was traveling through the
forests of Jharikhanda in central India for spreading His sankirtana
movement. The tigers, the elephants, the deer and all other wild ani-
mals joined Him and were participating, in their own ways, by
dancing and chanting Hare Krsna.

Furthermore, a person engaged in Krsna consciousness, acting
in devotional service, can develop all the good qualities that are
generally found in the demigods. It is said by Sukadeva Gosvami in
the Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, 18th Chapter, 12th verse,
“My dear King, persons who have unflinching faith in Krsna and
are without any duplicity can develop all the good qualities of the
demigods. On account of a devotee’s high grade of Krsna conscious-
