Service to the Lord IOI

up to the platform of love of Godhead, and thus he is freed from the clutches
of the material energy. This is explained in the Srimad Bhagwatam, Eleventh
Canto, Twentieth Chapter, where the Lord says: “For one who becomes
attracted by the topics of My Activities out of his own accord—being neither
lured nor repelled by material activities—the path of devotional service, lead-
ing to the perfection of love of God, becomes possible.”

It is not possible, however, to achieve such a stage of perfection without
being favored by a pure devotee, or a Mahatma, a great soul. Without the
mercy of a great soul no one can even be liberated from the material clutches,
what to speak of rising to the platform of love of Godhead? This is confirmed
in the Srimad Bhagwatam, Fifth Canto, Eleventh Chapter, spoken in connection
with the meeting of the King Rohugana of the Sind province in Siberia with
King Bharata. The King expressed surprise at seeing Bharata’s great stage of
spiritual perfection in life.

Bharata replied: “My dear Rohugana, no one can attain the perfected
stage of devotional service without being favored by a great soul, or pure
devotee. No one can attain such perfectional stages simply by following the
regulative principles of Scriptures, nor by acceptance of the renounced order
of life, nor by prosecuting the prescribed duties of householder life, nor by
becoming a great student of spiritual science, nor by accepting severe austerity
and penances performed for realization.”

Similarly, in the same Bhagwatam, Seventh Canto, Fifth Chapter, in con-
nection with the conversation of Prahlad Maharaj with his father, Hiranya-
kasipu, the following statement appears: “When the atheist father Hiranya-
kasipu inquired from his son where he got such an attitude of devotional
service, the boy replied: “So long as one is not favored by the dust of the feet
of pure devotees, then he cannot even touch the path of devotional service,
which is the solution of all the varieties of problems of material life.””

Lord Chaitanya said to Sanatan Goswami that all the Scriptures stress
association with pure devotees of Godhead. The opportunity to associate
with a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord is the beginning of one’s complete
perfection. This statement is also confirmed in the Srimad Bhagwatam, First
Canto, Eighteenth Chapter. It is said there that the facility and benediction
achieved by the association of a pure devotee cannot be compared with
anything: neither elevation to the heavenly kingdom, nor liberation from this
material energy.

Lord Krishna, also, while giving instruction to Arjuna, in the Srimad
Bhagavad Gita, confirmed this as the most confidential instruction, in the
