Text 25] The Glories of Devotional Service 1031

liberation; vartmani—on the path; sraddha—firm faith; ratih—attraction;
bhaktih—devotion; anuk amisyati—will follow in order.

TRANSLATION

In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and
activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and
satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge one
gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation, and thereafter he is
freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion and devotional
service begin.

PURPORT

The process of advancing in Krsna consciousness and devotional service
is described here. The first point is that one must seek the association of
persons who are Krsna conscious and who engage in devotional service.
Without such association one cannot make advancement. Simply by
theoretical knowledge or study one cannot make any appreciable advance-
ment. One must give up the association of materialistic persons and seek
the association of devotees because without the association of devotees
one cannot understand the activities of the Lord. Generally, people are
convinced of the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth. Because they
do not associate with devotees, they cannot understand that the Absolute
Truth can be a person and have personal activities. This is a very difficult
subject matter, and unless one has personal understanding of the Absolute
Truth, there is no meaning to devotion. Service or devotion cannot be
offered to anything impersonal. Service must be offered to a person.
Nondevotees cannot appreciate Krsna consciousness by reading the david:
Bhdgavatam or any other Vedic literature wherein the activities of the
Lord are described; they think that they are fiction, manufactured stories,
because spiritual life is not explained to them in the proper mood. ‘To
understand the personal activities of the Lord one has to seek the associa-
tion of devotees, and by such association, when one contemplates and
tries to understand the transcendental activities of the Lord, then his path
to liberation is open, and he is freed. One who has firm faith in the
Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes fixed, and his attraction for
association with the Lord and the devotees increases. Association with
devotees means association with the Lord. ‘The devotee who makes this
association develops the consciousness for rendering service to the Lord,
and then, being situated in the transcendental position of devotional ser-
vice, he gradually becomes perfect.
