Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.18.12

[Distorted]

Prabhupāda:

yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṅais tatra samāsate surāḥ [SB 5.18.12]

[All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord's external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?]

Anyone who has got unalloyed bhakti, devotion... Akiñcanā means without any material desire. Never take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness for fulfilling some material desire. That is not pure devotion. That is adulterated. That is also devotion, but it is adulterated. Pure devotion means without any material desire. We serve Kṛṣṅa not for any benefit, material or spiritual. That is pure devotion.

If we think that by executing devotional service our material condition will be improved, that will be, undoubtedly, but that is not our desire. Neither we should think that by executing devotional service we shall be elevated to the spiritual world. That is also desire. We should be satisfied in whatever position we are placed by the Lord.

Simply our ambition should be to serve Him. Never mind whether I am in America or I am in India or Vṛndāvana, or hell or heaven—doesn't matter. Kṛṣṅa can be always with us. If we chant Hare Kṛṣṅa, then Kṛṣṅa is with you. Wherever you go, Kṛṣṅa is with you. That is wanted. We shall not forget for a single moment Kṛṣṅa. This is called akiñcanā-bhakti. Unadulterated. Pure.

So anyone who has developed this unadulterated devotion, automatically he has all the good qualifications of the demigods. People are being trained for nice qualities—to become honest, to become moral, to become educated, to become gentle, polite, and so many things. Education is given to the children just to acquire good qualities. But if anyone has simply developed this unalloyed devotion, then all these good qualities will automatically manifest.

You haven't got to endeavor separately for becoming honest, moral or faithful. As soon as we become a Kṛṣṅa conscious person, all these qualities will develop. By one stroke we kill so many birds. This is the secret of success. So we should try to become unalloyed devotee. And the process is very simple: to chant sixteen rounds Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra and to observe the four restrictive principles. That's all.

So that is not difficult. So far sixteen rounds is concerned, it takes only two hours. So if you have got fifty members in this temple, two in a batch[?], you sit down and chant Hare Kṛṣṅa. One hour. That makes eight round complete. And similarly you can find out another hour.

So we should be very serious and sincere. Utsāhād. This line of Kṛṣṅa consciousness depends on enthusiasm, patience. We should be very much enthusiastic. You are already enthusiastic in chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa; it will automatically become. So never be loathsome, lethargetic. Whenever you feel lethargetic, chant Hare Kṛṣṅa, and you will feel energetic. So utsāhād, dhairyāt [Upadeśāmṛta 3], patiently.

[There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles [such as śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ smaraṅam [SB 7.5.23]—hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṅa], (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.]

And it is not for us only; for everyone. The state is enacting so many statutes, laws, for making the citizen good. But if the state takes this principle, to convert all citizens into Kṛṣṅa consciousness, there will be no necessity of enacting so many statutes, that "You don't steal" and "Don't this" or "Don't this." They will automatically become manifest.

So chant Hare Kṛṣṅa. [end]