300 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 5, Ch. 8

the spiritual platform. Due to his foolishness, he became attached to an
insignificant deer and thus fell down and had to accept the body of a
deer. This is significant for every devotee. If we misuse our position and
think that we are fully engaged in devotional service and can do
whatever we like, we have to suffer like Bharata Maharaja and be con-
demned to accept the type of body that impairs our devotional service.
Only the human form is able to execute devotional service, but if we
voluntarily give this up for sense gratification, we certainly have to be
punished. This punishment is not exactly like that endured by an ordi-
nary materialistic person. By the grace of the Supreme Lord, a devotee is
punished in such a way that his eagerness to attain the lotus feet of Lord
Vasudeva is increased. By his intense desire, he returns home in the next
lifetime. Devotional service is very completely described here:
tad-anusravana-manana-sankirtanaradhananusmaranabhiyogena. The
constant hearing and chanting of the glories of the Lord is recommended
in Bhagavad-gita: satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha-vratah.
Those who have taken to Krsina consciousness should be very careful that
not a single moment is wasted and that not a single moment is spent
without chanting and remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead
and His activities. By His own actions and by the actions of His devotees,
Krsna teaches us how to become cautious in devotional service. Through
the medium of Bharata Maharaja, Krsna teaches us that we must be
careful in the discharge of devotional service. If we want to keep our
minds completely fixed without deviation, we must engage them in devo-
tional service full time. As far as the members of the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness are concerned, they have sacrificed
everything to push on this Krsna consciousness movement. Yet they must
take a lesson from the life of Bharata Maharaja to be very cautious and to
see that not a single moment is wasted in frivolous talk, sleep or
voracious eating. Eating is not prohibited, but if we eat voraciously we
shall certainly sleep more than required. Sense gratification ensues, and
we may be degraded to a lower life form. In that way our spiritual
progress may be checked at least for the time being. The best course is to
take the advice of Srila Rapa Gosvami: avyartha-kdlatvam. We should
see that every moment of our lives is utilized for the rendering of devo-
tional service and nothing else. This is the secure position for one
wanting to return home, back to Godhead.
