Text 23} — Prthu Maharaja’s Meeting with the Four Kumaras 915
accept the objectives of materialistic persons, namely money and sense
gratification. Therefore it is stated: bhakti—parasyanubhavam viraktir
anyatha syat. To advance in devotional service one should be uninterested
in the materialistic way of life. That which is the subject matter of satis-
faction for the devotees is of no interest to the nondevotees.

Simple negation, or giving up the company of materialistic persons, will
not do. We must have engagements. Sometimes it is found that a person
interested in spiritual advancement gives up the company of material
society and goes to a secluded place as recommended for the yogis es-
pecially, but that will also not help a person in spiritual advancement, for
in many instances such yogis also fall down. As far as janis
are concerned, generally they fall down without taking shelter of the lotus
feet of the Lord. The impersonalists or the voidists can simply avoid the
positive material association; they cannot remain fixed in transcendence
without being engaged in devotjonal service. The beginning of devotional
service is to hear about the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
That is recommended in this verse: vina harer guna-piyusa-panat. One must
drink the nectar of the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
and this means that one must be always engaged in hearing and chanting
the glories of the Lord. [t is the prime method for advancing in spiritual
life. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu also recommends this in the Caitanya-
caritamrta. If one wants to make advancement in spiritual life, by great
fortune he may meet a bona fide spiritual master and from him learn about
Krsna. By serving both the spiritual master and Krsna he gets the seed of
devotional service (bhakti-lata-bija), and if he sows the seed within his heart
and waters it by hearing and chanting, it grows into a luxuriant bhakti-lata
or bhakti creeper. The creeper is so strong that it penetrates the covering
of the universe and reaches the spiritual world and continues to grow on
and on until it reaches and takes shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna. An
ordinary creeper also grows on and on until it takes a solid shelter on a
roof; then it very steadily grows and produces the required fruit. The real
cause of the growing of such fruit, which is here called nectar, is hearing
and chanting the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The
purport is that one cannot live outside the society of devotees; one must
live in the association of devotees, where there is constant chanting and
hearing of the glories of the Lord. The Krsna consciousness movement is
started for this purpose, and there are hundreds of ISKCON centers to
give opportunity to all people to hear and chant and to accept the spiritual
master. By not associating with persons who are materially interested, one
can make solid advancement in going back home, back to Godhead.
