150 The Nectar of Devotion

taneous execution of devotional service. To be more clear, by exe-
cuting the regulative principles of devotional service, one can fully
appreciate the transcendental beauty of the Lord. In any case, such
exalted positions are only possible by the extraordinary mercy of the
Lord upon the devotee.

Association with Pure Devotees

Although many different processes for developing love of Godhead
have been explained so far, Srila Ripa Gosvami now gives us a general
description of how one can best achieve such a high position. The
beginning of ecstatic love of Godhead is basically faith. There are
many societies and associations of pure devotees, and if someone
with just a little faith begins to associate with such societies, his ad-
vancement to pure devotional service is rapid.

The influence of a pure devotee is such that if someone comes to
associate with him with a little faith, he gets the chance of hearing
about the Lord from authoritative scriptures like the Bhagavad-gita
and Srimad-Bhagavatam. Thus, by the mercy of the Lord, who is
situated in everyone’s heart, one gradually develops his faith in the
descriptions of such authoritative scriptures. This is the first stage of
association with pure devotees. In the second stage, after one be-
comes a little advanced and mature, he automatically offers to follow
the principles of devotional service under the guidance of the pure
devotee and accepts him as the spiritual master. In the next stage,
under the guidance of the spiritual master, the devotee executes regu-
lative devotional service, and, as a result of such activities, he becomes
freed from all unwanted occupations. When he is freed from unwant-
ed occupations, his faith becomes steadily fixed, and he develops a
transcendental taste for devotional service, then attachment, then ec-
stasies, and in the last stage there is pure love of Godhead. These are
the different stages of the development of pure love.

Only the most fortunate persons can achieve such success in life.
Those who are simply academic students of the Vedic scriptures can-
not appreciate how such a development takes place. In the Narayana
