110 Teachings of Lord Chaitanya

Lord and His devotees. 19. One should avoid ordinary topics of novels and
fiction, but there is no injunction that one should avoid hearing ordinary
news. 20. One should not give any trouble to any living creature, including
a small bug.

The first ten items are affirmative, and the second ten are prohibitive.
In the Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu complied by Sri Rupa Goswami, it is said that
one should be very liberal in behavior and should avoid any undesirable
behavior. Out of the twenty regulations mentioned above, the most important
are to accept the shelter of a bona fide Spiritual Master, to be initiated by him,
and to serve him.

The process of devotional service can be analyzed as follows: 1. Hearing,
2. Chanting, 3. Remembering, 4. Worshipping, 5. Praying, 6. Serving, 7.
Engaging as a servitor, 8. Being friendly, 9. Offering everything, 10. Dancing
before the deity, 11. Singing, 12. Informing, 13. Offering obeisances, 14.
Standing up to show respect to the devotees, 15. When a devotee goes, fol-
lowing him up to the door, 16. Entering into the temple of the Lord, 17.
Circumambulating the temple, 18. Reading prayers, 19. Vibrating hymns,
20. Performing Samkirtan, or congregational chanting, 21. Smelling the incense
and the flowers offered to the deity, 22. Accepting the Prasadam (food offered
to Krishna), 23. Seeing Aritrik or ceremonial performance of receiving the
Lord, 24. Seeing the deity, 25. Offering to the Lord His own palatable food-
stuff, 26. Meditating, 27. Offering water to the tulsi tree, 28. Offering respect
to the Vaishnavas, or advanced devotees, 29. Living in Mathura or Vrindaban,
30. Understanding Srimad Bhagwatam, 31. Trying for Krishna to one’s utmost,
32. Expecting the mercy of Krishna, 33. Performing the ceremonial functions
of Krishna with devotees, 34. Surrendering in all respects, 35. Observing
different ceremonial functions.

To these thirty-five items another four are to be added: 1. Marking the
body with sandalwood pulp to show that he is a Vaishnava, 2. Painting the
body with the Holy Names of the Lord, 3. Covering the body with the rem-
nants of the cover of the deity, 4. Accepting Charanamrita, or the water washed
of the Lord. Adding these four items to the above thirty-five, we have thirty-
nine items for devotional service. Out of them, 1. To associate with devotees,
2. To chant the Holy Name of the Lord, 3. To hear Srimad Bhagwatam, 4.
To live in a holy place such as Mathura or Vrindaban, 5. With great devotion,
to serve the deity—these five items are very important. They are especially

mentioned by Rupa Goswami in his book Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu.
The thirty-nine items above, added with these five items, become forty-
