34 The Nectar of Devotion

Krsna, we must be prepared to give up something which we may not
like to give up, and also we have to accept something which we may
not like to accept.), 7) residing in a sacred place of pilgrimage like
Dvaraka or Vrndavana, 8) dealing with the material world only as
far as necessary, 9) observing the fasting day on Ekddasi, and 10)
worshiping sacred trees like the banyan tree and others.

These ten items are preliminary necessities for beginning the
discharge of devotional service in regulative principles. In the be-
ginning, if a neophyte devotee observes the above-mentioned ten
principles, surely he will quickly make good advancement in Krsna
consciousness.

The next set of instructions is listed as follows: 1) One should
rigidly give up the company of nondevotees. 2) One should not in-
struct a person who is not desirous of accepting devotional service.
3) One should not be very enthusiastic about constructing costly
temples or monasteries. 4) One should not try to read too many
books, nor should one develop the idea of earning his livelihood by
lecturing on or by professionally reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam or the
Bhagavad-gita. 5) One should not be neglectful in ordinary dealings.
6) One should not be under the spell of lamentation in loss or tribula-
tion in gain. 7) One should not disrespect the demigods. 8) One should
not give unnecessary trouble to any living entity. 9) One should
carefully avoid the various offenses in chanting the holy name of the
Lord, or in worshiping the Deity in the temple. 10) One should be
very intolerant towards the blasphemy of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Krsna, or His devotees.

Without following the above-mentioned ten principles, one cannot
properly elevate himself to the platform of sédhana-bhakti, or devo-
tional service in practice. Altogether, Srila Rupa Gosvami mentions
twenty items, and all of them are very important. Out of the twenty,
the first three—namely, accepting the shelter of a bona fide spiritual
master, taking initiation from him and serving him with respect and
reverence—are the most important.

The next important items are as follows: 1) One should decorate
the body with tilaka, which is the sign of the Vaisnavas. (The idea is
that as soon as a person sees these marks on the body of the Vaisnava,
