Texts 39-40] The Glories of Devotional Service 1053

promoted to heavenly planets or to become happy in this world with
wealth, children, cattle, home or anything in relationship with the body. I
take him to the other side of birth and death.

PURPORT

Unflinching devotional service, as described in these two verses, means
engaging oneself in full Krsna consciousness or devotional service, accept-
ing the Supreme Lord as all in all. Since the Supreme Lord is all-inclusive,
if anyone worships Him with unflinching faith, he has automatically
achieved all other opulences and performed all other duties. The Lord
promises herein that He takes His devotee to the other side of birth and
death. Lord Caitanya, therefore, recommended that one who aspires to go
beyond birth and death should have no material possessions. This means
that one should not try to be happy in this world or to be promoted to the
heavenly world, nor should he try for material wealth, children, houses or
cattle.

How liberation is imperceptibly achieved by a pure devotee and what the
symptoms are have been explained. For the conditioned soul there are two
statuses of living. One status is in this present life, and the other is our
preparation for the next life. If 1am in the mode of goodness, then | may
be preparing for promotion to the higher planets, if | am in the mode of
passion then | shall remain here in a society where activity is very promi-
nent, and if | am in the mode of ignorance | may be degraded to animal
life or a lower grade of human life. But for a devotee there is no concern
for this life or the next life because in any life he does not desire elevation
in material prosperity or a high-grade or low-grade life. He prays to the
Lord, “My dear Lord, it does not matter where | am born, but let me be
born, even as an ant, in the house of a devotee.” A pure devotee does not
pray to the Lord for liberation from this material bondage. Actually, the
pure devotee never thinks that he is fit for liberation. Considering his past
life and his mischievous activities, he thinks that he is fit to be sent to the
lowest region of hell. If in this life | am trying to become a devotee, this
does not mean that in my many past lives | was one hundred percent pious.
That is not possible. A devotee, therefore, is always conscious of his real
position. Only by his full surrender to the Lord, by the Lord’s grace, are
his sufferings made shorter. As stated in Bhagavad-gitd, “Surrender unto
Me, and I will give you protection from all kinds of sinful reaction.” That
is His mercy. But this does not mean that one who has surrendered to the
lotus feet of the Lord has committed no misdeeds in his past life. A devotee
always prays, “For my misdeeds, may | be born again and again, but my
