Text 15] The History of the Life of Ajamila 25

“My dear Uddhava, devotional service in relationship with Me is like a
blazing fire that can burn to ashes all the fuel of sinful activities supplied
to it.” How devotional service vanquishes the reactions of sinful life is
explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.33.6) in a verse spoken during
Lord Kapiladeva’s instructions to His mother, Devahiti. Devahiti said:

yan-namadheya-sravananukirtanad
yat-prahvandd yat-smarandd api kvacit
$vado "pi sadyah savanaya kalpate
kutah punas te bhagavan nu darsanat

““My dear Lord, if even a person born in a family of dog-eaters hears and
repeats the chanting of Your glories, offers respects to You and remem-
bers You, he is immediately greater than a brdhmana and is therefore
eligible to perform sacrifices. Therefore, what is to be said of one who
has seen You directly?”

In the Padma Purana there is a statement that persons whose hearts
are always attached to the devotional service of Lord Visnu are im-
mediately released from all the reactions of sinful life. These reactions
generally exist in four phases. Some of them are ready to produce results
immediately, some are in the form of seeds, some are unmanifested, and
some are current. All such reactions are immediately nullified by devo-
tional service. When devotional service is present in one’s heart, desires
to perform sinful activities have no place there. Sinful life is due to ig-
norance, which means forgetfulness of one’s constitutional position as an
eternal servant of God, but when one is fully Krsna conscious he realizes
that he is God’s eternal servant.

In this regard, Srila Jiva Gosvami comments that bhakti may be
divided into two divisions: (1) santatd, devotional service that continues
incessantly with faith and love, and (2) kadacitki, devotional service
that does not continue incessantly but is sometimes awakened. Inces-
santly flowing devotional service (santatd) may also be divided into two
categories: (1) service performed with slight attachment and
(2) spontaneous devotional service. Intermittent devotional service
(kddécitki) may be divided into three categories: (1) régabhdasamayi,
devotional service in which one is almost attached, (2) ragabhasa-
Stinya-svaripa-bhita, devotional service in which there is no spon-
taneous love but one likes the constitutional position of serving, and
