Text 31] Prayers by the Demigods 171

cross, and because You are very merciful to Your other devotees,
You accept this method to help them.

PURPORT

This statement reveals how the merciful dcdryas and the merciful
Supreme Personality of Godhead together help the serious devotee who
wants to return home, back to Godhead. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in His
teachings to Ripa Gosvami, said:

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasdde paya bhakti-lata-bija
(Cc. Madhya 19.151)

One can achieve the seed of bhakti-latd, devotional service, by the mercy
of guru and Krsna. The duty of the guru is to find the means, according
to the time, the circumstances and the candidate, by which one can be in-
duced to render devotional service, which Krsna accepts from a candi-
date who wants to be successful in going back home, back to Godhead.
After wandering throughout the universe, a fortunate person within this
material world seeks shelter of such a guru, or Gcdrya, who trains the
devotee in the suitable ways to render service according to the circum-
stances so that the Supreme Personality of Godhead will accept the
service. This makes it easier for the candidate to reach the ultimate
destination. The dcdrya’s duty, therefore, is to find the means by which
devotees may render service according to references from sdstra. Rapa
Gosvami, for example, in order to help subsequent devotees, published
such devotional books as Bhakti-rasdmrta-sindhu. Thus it is the duty of
the dcdrya to publish books that will help future candidates take up the
method of service and become eligible to return home, back to Godhead,
by the mercy of the Lord. In our Krsna consciousness movement, this
same path is being prescribed and followed. Thus the devotees have been
advised to refrain from four sinful activities—illicit sex, intoxication,
meat-eating and gambling—and to chant sixteen rounds a day. These are
bona fide instructions. Because in the Western countries constant chant-
ing is not possible, one should not artificially imitate Haridaésa Thakura,
but should follow this method. Krsna will accept a devotee who strictly
