100 The Nectar of Devotion

devotional service in self-surrender are two difficult processes. There-
fore such relationships with the Lord can very rarely be seen. Only
for the advanced devotees are these two processes easily executed.
The purport is that it is very rare to see surrender which is mixed
with sincere ecstatic devotion. One must give himself completely to
the will of the Lord.

In the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, AOth verse, 11th
Chapter, Lord Krsna tells Uddhava: “My dear friend, if someone
offers Me the best thing in his possession, or anything which is very
pleasing to him, he will be eternally benefitted.”

In the Narada-pajicaratra there is a statement of how one can act
in all spheres of life for the satisfaction of the Lord. It is stated there
that a person who is actually in devotional service must be engaged
in all kinds of activities, those prescribed in the revealed scriptures
and also those which are accepted for livelihood. In other words, a
devotee should engage himself not only in the prescribed duties of
devotional service which are mentioned in the revealed scriptures, but
he should also perform the duties of his practical life in Krsna con-
sciousness. For example, a devotee who has a great establishment, or
factory, may offer the fruits of such a material possession for the ser-
vice of the Lord.

In the Hari-bhakti-vilasa there is the following statement about
self-surrender: ‘“‘My dear Lord, a person who has surrendered himself
unto You, and who is in firm conviction that he is Yours, and ac-
tually acts in that way by his body, mind and words, can actually
relish transcendental bliss.”

In the Nrsimha Purana, Lord Nrsimhadeva says: “Anyone who
prays unto Me and takes shelter from Me becomes My ward, and I
protect him always from all sorts of calamities.”

Serving Trees such as the Tulasi
In the Skanda Purana there is a statement eulogizing the tulasi tree

as follows: “Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the tulasi
tree, which can immediately vanquish volumes of sinful activities.
