112 Teachings of Lord Chaitanya

sense of smell to accept the fragrance of the flowers offered to Krishna. He
engaged his tongue in tasting the tulsi leaves offered to the Lotus Feet of
Krishna, his legs in going into the temple of Krishna, and he engaged his head
in offering obeisances unto the deity of Krishna. All his desires and ambitions
were engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. Therefore, he is the leader
in discharging all kinds of devotional service in different ways.

Anyone who engages in the devotional service of the Lord in full Krishna
Consciousness becomes freed of all debts to the sages and demigods and fore-
fathers, to whom we are generally indebted. In the Srimad Bhagwatam this
is confirmed: “Anyone who fully engages himself in the service of the Lord,
without discharging any other duty, O King, is no longer indebted or servant
to the demigods, to the sages, to other living entities, to his relatives, to any
man, or to the forefathers.” The purport is that every man, just after his birth,
becomes at once indebted to all the above personalities, and one is expected
to discharge many kinds of ritualistic functions because of this indebtedness.
But for a person who is fully surrendered unto Krishna, there is no obligation.
In spite of not discharging such obligations, he is free from all debt to such
persons.

It should be carefully noted, however, that when a person gives up all
other duties and simply takes to the transcendental service of Krishna, he has
no desire, and he is not subjected to, or apt to be performing, sinful activities.
If, however, he performs any sinful activities—not wilfully, but by chance—
then Krishna gives him all protection. He does not require to purify himself
by any other method. This is confirmed in the Srimad Bhagwatam, Eleventh
Canto, Fifth Chapter: “A devotee who is fully engaged in the transcendental
loving service of the Lord is protected by the Supreme Person. But in case such
a devotee unintentionally commits some sinful activity, or may be obliged
to act in some sinful activity under certain circumstances, God gives him all
protection, being situated within his heart.”

The processes of speculative knowledge and renunciation are not practically
the chief items for acquiring a higher standard of devotional service. One
doesnot have to take to the principles of nonviolence and sense control, although
there are rules and regulations for acquiring these qualities in other processes.
Without being engaged in the practice of such processes, a devotee develops
such high qualities simply by discharging devotional service to the Lord.
In Srimad Bhagwatam, Eleventh Canto, the Lord says that for those who are
actually engaged in the devotional service of the Lord there is no necessity
for cultivating speculative knowledge or renunciation.
