Text 23) = Prthu Maharaja’s Meeting with the Four Kumaras 913
One should take shelter of a pure devotee, who has nothing to do with this
material world but is simply engaged in devotional service. By serving him
only, one can transcend the qualitative material condition. In this verse it
is recommended (yogesvara-upasanaya) that one serve the lotus feet of the
topmost yogt, or the devotee. To serve the topmost devotee means to hear
from him about the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To
hear the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead from the mouth of
a pure devotee is to acquire a pious life. In Bhagavad-gita it is also said
that without being pious one cannot engage in devotional service.
yesam tv anta-gatam papam jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta bhajante mam drdha-vratah (Bg. 7.28)

To become fixed in devotional service one has to become completely
cleansed from the contamination of the material modes of nature. For
work in devotional service the first item is adau gurvasrayam: one should
accept a bona fide spiritual master, and from the bona fide spiritual master
(sad-c'i:erma-precha) inquire about his transcendental occupational duties
(sadnu-marga-anugamanam) and follow in the footsteps of great saintly
persons, devotees. These are the instructions given in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu
by Ripa Gosvami.

The conclusion is that to increase attachment for the Supreme Person-
ality of Godhead one has to accept a bona fide spiritual master and learn
from him the methods of devotional service and hear from him about the
transcendental message and glorification of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. In this way one has to increase his conviction about devotional
service. Then it will be very easy to increase attachment for the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.

TEXT 23
RiP TARTSTT AT
Tae =z
fafreeen oftay sata
fre etree 11231
arthendriyarama-sagosthy-atrsnaya
. tat-sammatanam aparigrahena ca
vivikta-rucya paritosa atmani
vina harer guna-piyusa-panat
