Developing pure devotional service (Srimad Bhagavatam #41)

For a Vaishnava, the process is not so much about stopping material activities, but in developing activities in Krishna Consciousness and becoming absorbed in meditation of Krishna.

Dec 28, 2024

Impersonalists generally believe that to become free from material contamination one should renounce all material activities and connections. However, we can see that Lord Kapila offers a different path. These instructions apply both to neophytes and pure devotees. Arjuna is certainly a pure devotee, and the Lord gave him similar instructions in the Bhagavad-Gita.

For a Vaishnava, the process is not so much about stopping material activities, but in developing activities in Krishna Consciousness. Once one becomes absorbed in transcendental activities, one automatically stops with all unwanted engagements. As Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-Gita, everyone acquires a certain nature according to the influence of the material modes, and is very dificult to go against it. Arjuna was a Ksatriya, and his nature was to fight for the just cause. At the beginning of the Bhagavad-Gita, Arjuna wanted to abandon the battlefield and become a mendicant, but Krishna didn't agree with that, arguing that he would not be able to go against his nature for long. One can suppress his nature for some time, but it doesn't work very well in the long run. A more productive process is to just use these natural propensities to work in Krishna Consciousness. That's the main message from the Bhagavad-Gita, and we can see that Lord Kapila also recommends it.

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:. Practical devotional activities (3.29)

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"A devotee must execute his prescribed duties, which are glorious, without material profit. Without excessive violence, one should regularly perform one’s devotional activities. The devotee should regularly see My statues in the temple, touch My lotus feet and offer worshipable paraphernalia and prayer. He should see in the spirit of renunciation, from the mode of goodness, and see every living entity as spiritual. The pure devotee should execute devotional service by giving the greatest respect to the spiritual master and the ācāryas. He should be compassionate to the poor and make friendship with persons who are his equals, but all his activities should be executed under regulation and with control of the senses. A devotee should always try to hear about spiritual matters and should always utilize his time in chanting the holy name of the Lord. His behavior should always be straightforward and simple, and although he is not envious but friendly to everyone, he should avoid the company of persons who are not spiritually advanced. (SB 3.29.15-18)

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:. Prescribed duties

When Kapila speaks about a devotee executing his prescribed duties, He is speaking about acting according to one's social position in the Varnasrama system. Prabhupada reinforces it in the purport. This would be more natural for devotees living in the past, in societies that were following the Varnasrama system, but we can also practice it nowadays by just identifying our natural tendencies according to the four classes, and practicing the duties connected with the class we have a natural tendency for. This can be better understood with the help of the spiritual master. One may thus focus on one of these main activities:

a) Studying, teaching, and being engaged in religious ceremonies as well as offering services in areas connected with knowledge.

b) Working with administration, maintenance of others, organization, and protection.

c) Being engaged in economic activities for producing wealth, as well as agriculture or cow protection.

d) Working in assisting some qualified person and receiving a salary or maintenance for such honest endeavor.

When we think in terms of duties, Varnasrama is quite natural, because all honest endeavors we may think about can be related to one of the classes, and they can all be connected with our service to Krishna. All of them can also be practiced regardless of whether other people in society are following Varnasrama or not, with a spirit of detachment. Varnasrama is a quite natural system when we focus on learning and executing our duties inside of the system, practicing it as obedience to the will of the Lord and as an offering to Him. That's how we can advance in devotional service by practicing our natural occupations and at the same time be a positive influence for society.

As Prabhupada explains:

"A brāhmaṇa can serve the Lord by using his intelligence, and the kṣatriya can serve the Supreme Lord by using his military arts, just as Arjuna served Kṛṣṇa. Arjuna was a warrior; he had no time to study Vedānta or other highly intellectual books. The damsels in Vrajadhāma were girls born of the vaiśya class, and they engaged in protecting cows and producing agriculture. Kṛṣṇa’s foster father, Nanda Mahārāja, and his associates were all vaiśyas. They were not at all educated, but they could serve Kṛṣṇa by loving Him and by offering everything to Him. Similarly, there are many instances in which caṇḍālas, or those lower than śūdras, have served Kṛṣṇa."
"Everyone’s prescribed duty is glorious if it is performed in the devotional service of the Lord, without desire for profit. Such loving service must be performed without reason, without impediment, and spontaneously. Kṛṣṇa is lovable, and one has to serve Him in whatever capacity one can. That is pure devotional service."

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:. Nonviolence and temple worship

The next factor recommended by Lord Kapila is "nātihiṁsreṇa", without excessive violence. Some violence may be necessary, since a Ksatriya may have to fight, a Vaishya has to kill many plants to produce food, and so on, but one should be attentive to minimize such unavoidable violence to a minimum, maintaining the general principle of non-violence. No one can live without killing, since the material world works under the principle that one living entity is the food for another. To continue living we always have to eat someone. Therefore, the principle of offering our food to Krishna, eating only His prasāda, food offered in sacrifice is essential. Eating anything that is not offered to Krishna implicates us in the reactions of killing and prolongs our stay in the material world. Although much less severe than killing animals, killing vegetables is also sinful. The only solution for eating without getting involved in the reactions of such killing is eating only food offered to Krishna, as He explains in the Bhagavad-Gita.

Apart from performing one's occupation as an offering to the Lord, temple worship is also essential. Temple worship is recommended to both the neophyte and the advanced devotee. The main difference is not the activity, but the mentality and the quality of worship. A neophyte worships as a matter of duty or routine, and he sees the deity in the temple as a representation of the Lord. An advanced devotee however sees the deity as the Lord Himself, and this opens the doors to establishing a real relationship with the Lord in love. Again, what changes as we advance is our mentality and not so much the external activity.

In verse 16, Prabhupada translated the words mad-dhiṣṇya-darśana as "see My statues in the temple" but this should not be overthought. The word dhiṣṇya is used in the sense of intellect, worship, realm, form, etc. It appears Prabhupada translated it as "statue" in the sense of form or deity, there is no conspiracy theory here.

In any case, the purpose of temple worship is to increase our Krishna Consciousness. It's possible to become Krishna conscious in one second, but for most of us, that's a process that takes some time. Verse 16 brings the expression sattvenāsaṅgamena, which is the combination of the words sattvena (by the mode of goodness) and asaṅgamena (with detachment). In his purport, Prabhupada brings up the hidden meaning of sattvena as being synonymous with dhairyeṇa, or patience. We should not only act in the mode of goodness and with a detached mentality, but we should also practice our devotional service with great patience. Even if we can't obtain the desired result as fast as we would desire, and even if there are impediments that may appear unsurmountable, we should continue. As Prabhupada mentions, we should have the confidence that Krishna will accept us because we are engaged in devotional service. As long as we continue executing devotional service according to the rules and regulations, our success is assured.

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:. Relationship with others

Another essential part of the teachings Lord Kapila gives us in this chapter is about relationship with others. This is a part that requires some thinking, because it includes different principles that have to be balanced. This topic is also discussed in the 2nd chapter of he 11th canto, in the instructions given by the Yogendras to Maharaja Nimi, but from a different perspective.

The first principle is that we should see all living entities as connected with the Lord, as His parts and parcels, seeing the spirit and not the bodily covering. Krishna explains this mentality in the Bhagavad-Gita when He mentions that a sage sees a learned Brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater with the same vision. This is a general instruction, it doesn't apply just to pure devotees. As long as we see other living entities as the body and not the soul, it means we are still in the bodily concept of life. As Prabhupada mentions, one who cannot see everyone as part and parcel of Krishna should be considered a neophyte.

In this way, the neophyte sees others in the bodily platform, and this makes him friendly to some and inimical to others solely based on their bodily characteristics. A pure devotee on the other hand sees everyone as a pure soul, and thus gives his full respect to everyone, without at all discriminating one living entity from another. This makes his behavior appear to be incomprehensible to others. Between the two extremes there is the practical vision of the intermediate devotee, who internally sees everyone as souls, but externally relates to them in different ways according to practical considerations. That's the vision Lord Kapila emphasizes in his teachings. As Prabhupada mentions, although a devotee sees a tiger as part and parcel of the Lord, it does not mean we should go embrace him.

This practical view explained by Lord Kapila is based on discriminating between three classes. The classification given in the 11th canto is a little different but follows the same logic.

a) The spiritual master as well as other ācāryas and sadhus.

b) Innocent people who don't know about Krishna Consciousness.

c) Like-minded devotees.

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It's very dificult to advance in spiritual life without the guidance of the spiritual master. The original spiritual master is Krishna Himself, who is present in our hearts as Paramatma, always trying to guide us back to Him. Because we can't directly hear Him due to our material contaminations, He also appears to us on the outside, by empowering a pure devotee to speak to us on His behalf. The spiritual master inside and the spiritual master outside thus cooperate to bring us back home. The spiritual master comes from a succession of acaryas, and all the previous links of the succession must be respected, as well as other advanced devotees who are present on the planet. There is just one initiating spiritual master, but one may get in contact with many instructing spiritual masters during his life. Prabhupada himself is the main instructing spiritual master for us since we are learning from his books. To get the most benefit, however, we should study these books under the initiating spiritual master or other advanced devotees who can explain the meaning to us.

Srila Prabhupada quotes a verse in a number of his purports that gives us a set of guidelines in the relationship with the spiritual master, other devotees, as well as sacred places, and the holy names. This verse is quoted by different acaryas and the original source is attributed to the Padma Purana:

arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhir
viṣṇor vā vaiṣṇsnavānāṁ kali-mala-mathane pāda-tīrthe ’mbu-buddhiḥ
śrī-viṣṇor nāmni mantre sakala-kaluṣa-he śabda-sāmānya-buddhir
viṣṇau sarveśvareśe tad-itara-sama-dhīr yasya vā nārakī saḥ

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The verse mentions:

a) arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr: One should not consider the deity in the temple to be made of stone or wood.

b) guruṣu nara-matir: One should not consider the guru to be an ordinary human being. On the opposite, the guru should be seen as the direct representative of Krishna.

c) vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhir: No one should consider a Vaiṣṇava, an advanced devotee, to belong to a particular caste or sect based on birth. Sometimes women as well as devotees prevenient from certain groups are discriminated against based on their birth. This is an offense. To this, the verse adds: viṣṇor vā vaiṣṇsnavānāṁ kali-mala-mathane. Just like Lord Vishnu Himself, Vaishnavas destroy the dirt of Kali-yuga, and are always pure, regardless of their birth. Vaishnavas are all part of the Acyuta-gotra, the family of Krishna, which is the most elevated lineage.

d) pāda-tīrthe ’mbu-buddhiḥ: One should not consider water from the Ganges, as well as water that washed the feet of a pure devotee to be ordinary water.

e) śrī-viṣṇor nāmni śabda-sāmānya-buddhir: One should not consider the Holy Name as ordinary sound. The verse adds: mantre sakala-kaluṣa-he, this transcendental sound vibration is the destroyer of all impurities.

f) The verse then concludes that any of these considerations is nārakī, hellish.

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Prabhupada mentions that "All these expansions of Kṛṣṇa in the material world are simply demonstrations of the Lord’s mercy and willingness to give facility to His devotees who are engaged in His devotional service within the material world."

The next consideration is how to act toward ordinary innocent persons. A devotee should be compassionate to the poor. Materialists consider poor someone who has no money, but a devotee considers poor a person who lacks Krishna Consciousness. When a devotee sees a poor soul, be it in the body of a rich man or of a pauper, he shows him compassion and tries to elevate him to the process of Krishna Consciousness. As Prabhupada mentions, that is one of the duties of a devotee. When Krishna says in the Bhagavad-Gita to abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Him, the practical meaning for us is to adopt this process of spreading Krishna Consciousness, according to the instructions of the spiritual master and other advanced devotees.

The third consideration is to establish friendship with like-minded devotees, who share a similar interest in spiritual life, and a similar mood and understanding. We should talk about Krishna and discuss different points in the philosophy in the company of such devotees, so we can elevate each other in spiritual understanding. Prabhupada explains that "In Bhagavad-gītā there is reference to bodhayantaḥ parasparam, “discussing among themselves.” Generally pure devotees utilize their valuable time in chanting and discussing various activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa or Lord Caitanya amongst themselves. There are innumerable books, such as the Purāṇas, Mahābhārata, Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, and Upaniṣads, which contain countless subjects for discussion among two devotees or more."

However, this establishment of relationships should be balanced by another recommendation: we should avoid materialistic people, as well as devotees who are not situated in a correct philosophical understanding, don't show proper behavior, or are not serious in their spiritual practice.

As Prabhupada explains: "Friendship should be cemented between persons with mutual interests and understanding. Such persons are said to be sva jāti, “of the same caste.” The devotee should avoid a person whose character is not fixed in the standard understanding; even though he may be a Vaiṣṇava, or a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, if his character is not correctly representative, then he should be avoided. One should steadily control the senses and the mind and strictly follow the rules and regulations, and he should make friendship with persons of the same standard."

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Talking about Krishna is always good, but close friendships with people of dubious character may not be the best idea. A serious devotee is supposed to develop all good qualities as a result of his practice. If one worships the Lord but is not developing the expected good qualities, it means he is still in the neophyte stage. Similarly, a devotee may try to share Krishna Consciousness with all sorts of materialistic people, but this doesn't mean he should participate in their activities. We should try to gradually help them to remember their original position, but at the same time avoid association that may jeopardize our spiritual practice.

Everyone is part and parcel of Krishna and everyone has an eternal relationship with Him, but most of the souls living in this material world have their original consciousness still covered. In this way, although we should see all persons as souls and offer them proper respect, still we should become friends and associate intimately with people who are advanced in Krishna Consciousness because that's what is going to help us develop our own practice. Lord Kapila emphasizes this with the words ārya-saṅgena, which Prabhupada translates as keeping the association of saintly persons. On the opposite side, Lord Caitanya warns: asat-saṅga-tyāga, "one should avoid persons who are attached to the temporary".

An important point however is that this avoidance must be without enviousness. We should always be friendly to everyone, abiding by the general principle of seeing everyone as part and parcel of the Lord, dear to Him and thus worthy of respect, while simultaneously observing the principle of keeping intimate association with like-minded devotees. These two principles are not contradictory, and learning to properly reconcile them is a very important art.

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Learning to find and accept good association brings us to the next principle enunciated by Lord Kapila: we should always try to hear about spiritual matters and should always utilize our time in chanting the holy name of the Lord. Pure devotees are capable of practicing and advancing on their own, but in the neophyte or even intermediate level, advanced spiritual practice can be performed successfully only in good association, which includes both respectful interactions with advanced devotees (from whom we can hear and learn) and friendly dealings with like-minded people.

The final principle is ārjavena: our behavior should be always straightforward and simple. We should be honest in our dealings with others. Sometimes preachers may have to get involved with different material schemes to perform their service, but they do this under superior instructions. This is not something that should be imitated. In normal circumstances, we should always act without diplomacy.

This simplicity walks hand in hand with another important quality, which is humility. As Prabhupada explains: "A devotee should not be proud of his acquisitions. The symptoms of a devotee are meekness and humility. Although spiritually very advanced, he will always remain meek and humble, as Kavirāja Gosvāmī and all the other Vaishnavas have taught us by personal example. Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught that one should be humbler than the grass on the street and more tolerant than the tree. One should not be proud or falsely puffed up. In this way, one will surely advance in spiritual life."

Humility however is different from low self-esteem, which is just another false identification sprouting from the false ego. Sometimes we think we are the most important person in the world, and sometimes the lowest. Both extremes come from the false ego and are equally illusory. Real humility means to identify with our real identity as servants of Krishna, not superior nor inferior to anyone else. Humility also implies fulfilling our duties and spreading Krishna's mission using the empowerment given by Him. As Prabhupada defines it, "Humility means acting boldly for Krishna" (memories, Bhakta Dasa). Real humility includes strong determination and devotion to Krishna, as we can observe in Srila Prabhupada's personal example.

Prabhupada summarizes these different principles in his purport to verse 18:

"One can understand the reality of spiritual life by following strict regulative principles and by controlling the senses. To have control it is necessary that one be nonviolent and truthful, refrain from stealing, abstain from sex life and possess only that which is absolutely necessary for keeping the body and soul together. One should not eat more than necessary, he should not collect more paraphernalia than necessary, he should not talk unnecessarily with common men, and he should not follow the rules and regulations without purpose. He should follow the rules and regulations so that he may actually make advancement. There are eighteen qualifications mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā, among which is simplicity. One should be without pride, one should not demand unnecessary respect from others, and one should be nonviolent (amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā). One should be very tolerant and simple, one should accept the spiritual master, and one should control the senses. These are mentioned here and in Bhagavad-gītā as well. One should hear from authentic sources how to advance in spiritual life; such instructions should be taken from the ācārya and should be assimilated."

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:. Catching the Supersoul

What is the result of developing all the attributes mentioned in the previous verses?

"When one is fully qualified with all these transcendental attributes and his consciousness is thus completely purified, he is immediately attracted simply by hearing My name or hearing of My transcendental quality. As the chariot of air carries an aroma from its source and immediately catches the sense of smell, similarly, one who constantly engages in devotional service, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, can catch the Supreme Soul, who is equally present everywhere." (SB 3.29.19-20)

The soul is eternally connected with Krishna in a bond of love. What prevents us from exerting this natural characteristic is just our material coverings. Just like the light of a lamp can be obscured by a cloth covering it, or the color can be changed if it has to pass through a colored glass, the original propensity of the soul of love for Krishna is covered and perverted by contact with matter ad expressed in abnormal ways. By following the devotional process, according to the rules and regulations, these contaminations are removed and our original transcendental qualities manifest.

In this material world, everyone looks for happiness in their own way. Some look for happiness in living a natural life, others in indulging in consumerism, or even in the degradation of drugs and promiscuous relationships. This desire for happiness is natural because happiness is the natural condition of the soul. However, because we look for it in the wrong places, we are frustrated. Krishna is everywhere as the Supersoul, but as long as our consciousness is covered by all sorts of material coverings, we are not aware of Him, just like someone who has his nose blocked will not be able to feel the smell of a flower, even if very close to him.

Similarly, Krishna is present everywhere as Paramatma, but we are not able to notice Him because our spiritual senses are covered. By the process of Krishna Consciousness, we can unblock ourselves and again come to Him.

Prabhupada gives a beautiful analogy in his purport: "As a breeze carrying a pleasant fragrance from a garden of flowers at once captures the organ of smell, so one’s consciousness, saturated with devotion, can at once capture the transcendental existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who, in His Paramātmā feature, is present everywhere, even in the heart of every living being."

The way Prabhupada phrases the ideas in the translation of the verse also calls our attention to another detail: Krishna is the enjoyer and we are enjoyed by Him. We are eternally bound to Krishna in a bound of love, and therefore when Krishna feels happy, we automatically feel happy, just like a parent becomes automatically happy when the child is happy due to the bond between them. We are like the air, and Krishna is like the sense of smell. As the air carries the aroma of a flower, we should similarly saturate ourselves with devotional sentiments, and bring them to Krishna, who can relish them. The crucial difference between a true Vaishnava and a Sahajiya is that a Sahajiya wants to enjoy Krishna, while a true devotee wants to give pleasure to Krishna through his offerings. The Sahajiya is still lost in the false concept of being the center, still acting under the false ego, while the devotee is reviving his original consciousness of submission to the desires of the Lord.

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:. How a devotee should deal with others

"I am present in every living entity as the Supersoul. If someone neglects or disregards that Supersoul everywhere and engages himself in the worship of the Deity in the temple, that is simply imitation. One who worships the Deity of Godhead in the temples but does not know that the Supreme Lord, as Paramātmā, is situated in every living entity’s heart, must be in ignorance and is compared to one who offers oblations into ashes.
One who offers Me respect but is envious of the bodies of others and is, therefore, a separatist never attains peace of mind, because of his inimical behavior towards other living entities. My dear mother, even if he worships with proper rituals and paraphernalia, a person who is ignorant of My presence in all living entities never pleases Me by the worship of My Deities in the temple.
Performing his prescribed duties, one should worship the Deity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead until one realizes My presence in his own heart and in the hearts of other living entities as well.
As the blazing fire of death, I cause great fear to whoever makes the least discrimination between himself and other living entities because of a differential outlook. Therefore, through charitable gifts and attention, as well as through friendly behavior and by viewing all to be alike, one should propitiate Me, who abide in all creatures as their very Self." (SB 3.29.21-27)

Mayavadis sometimes protest that since God is everywhere, what is the need to go to the temple? Vaishnavas counter this by arguing that if God is everywhere, why not in the temple? Although the Lord is everywhere, we can't easily perceive Him, therefore He very kindly offers us the opportunity of seeing and serving His personal form in the temple.

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However, another mistake is to see the Lord only in the temple and fail to see the Supersoul everywhere, inside the heart of every living entity. When we develop this mentality, we disregard and commit violence to others, which Lord Kapila condemns. As He mentions, "One who offers Me respect but is envious of the bodies of others and is therefore a separatist never attains peace of mind, because of his inimical behavior towards other living entities."

A devotee who worships the deity while disregarding other living entities and other devotees is called a separatist because he is acting against the desires of the Lord. Although we are allowed to act inimically toward others due to our free will, the Lord is not satisfied by this behavior. One can't satisfy a person by flattering him while mistreating his children. Even if he worships the deities very well, the Lord is not satisfied with His service. Lord Kapila compares this worship by a person who is inimical toward other living entities with someone offering oblations of ghee into ashes. A person can derive benefits by executing fire sacrifices and other ceremonies, but ghee offered into ashes will not award results.

Lord Kapila also mentions that one who maintains this inimical mentality never attains peace of mind. He goes further by stating "As the blazing fire of death, I cause great fear to whoever makes the least discrimination between himself and other living entities because of a differential outlook." This doesn't mean the Lord is personally punishing them, like believed in Christianity, but it hints at the fact that this mentality keeps us in the material platform, which means we will have all kinds of anxieties, starting from fear of death. In this way, we remain engulfed in material suffering because of this envious mentality, and the Lord approves that because material suffering is the system material energy uses to correct our mistaken mentality.

Our path to spiritual progress passes thus through not only worshiping the Lord but also learning to properly respect all living entities. Everyone should be treated with consideration and care, according to their respective positions and mentalities, as well as our relationship with them. A sannyasi may be offered reverences, while a child may be patted for example. A dog may be given a piece of food, and so on. This is encapsulated in SB 4.11.13, where Svāyambhuva Manu mentions: "The Lord is very satisfied with His devotee when the devotee greets other people with tolerance, mercy, friendship and equality."

Prabhupada also explains this point in his purport: "In purified consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one sees the presence of Kṛṣṇa everywhere. Therefore if one only engages in Deity worship in the temple and does not consider other living entities, then he is in the lowest grade of devotional service. One who worships the Deity in the temple and does not show respect to others is a devotee on the material platform, in the lowest stage of devotional service."

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Together with the instruction of not committing violence against others, there is also the instruction of offering them mercy. Real mercy means to connect them with the Lord, bringing them somehow in contact with Krishna Consciousness. For this, we can distribute books, organize public programs, broadcast Krishna Consciousness over the internet, and so on. When we speak about temple worship, the most natural way is to give them prasadam.

When we install a deity, be it in a temple or in our houses, this means to invite the Lord to be personally present there. Inviting the Lord does not necessarily mean performing a certain ceremony: as soon as we worship the deity and perform a kirtan, the deity can be considered installed. Once the Lord is invited to live in our place, we should serve Him by offering food, flowers, etc. The prasadam should then be given to other people, so they can receive the mercy of the deity. If we install a deity in our homes and just eat all the prasadam ourselves, this is not as satisfying to the Lord.

As Prabhupada mentions in his purport: "As such, temple worship necessarily includes distribution of prasāda. It is not that one should create a temple in his private apartment or private room, offer something to the Lord, and then eat. Of course, that is better than simply cooking foodstuffs and eating without understanding one’s relationship with the Supreme Lord; people who act in this manner are just like animals. But the devotee who wants to elevate himself to a higher level of understanding must know that the Lord is present in every living entity, and, as stated in the previous verse, one should be compassionate to other living entities. A devotee should worship the Supreme Lord, be friendly to persons who are on the same level, and be compassionate to the ignorant. One should exhibit his compassion for ignorant living entities by distributing prasāda. Distribution of prasāda to the ignorant masses of people is essential for persons who make offerings to the Personality of Godhead."

When one is lost in passion and ignorance, one often sees Krishna Consciousness as some kind of ritualistic religion that needs to be imposed on people, much like some Christians and Muslims. Without understanding what Krishna Consciousness really is, he acquires some faith in certain rituals and external symbols and thinks he is doing good by imposing these stereotyped views on others. With this mentality, he may try to practice Krishna consciousness by worshiping the deity and following other spiritual practices while committing verbal or physical violence towards others. However, as Lord Kapila mentions, that is simply an imitation. Progressing through this stage demands taking out the colored glasses by progressing out of the modes of passion and ignorance, which passes through acquiring and realizing transcendental knowledge in association with enlightened devotees. Real preaching work means to elevate people to the platform of Krishna Consciousness, and not just convert them from a certain material designation to another.

Prabhupada concludes his purports in this section by criticizing the concept of Daridra Narayana, which was widely propagated by Gandhi as part of his social movement and is still popular in India. In this concept, one embraces the Mayavada idea of accepting everyone as Narayana, and claims that poor people are the Daridra Narayana, or "poor Narayana". One thus puts himself in a superior position, by giving charity to the so-called poor-Gods, who are thus seen as dependent on one's gifts. Prabhupada protests against this concept in many of his purports, arguing that Narayana can't ever become poor, since He is the husband of the Goddess of fortune. Poor people are just conditioned souls who misused their independence and are now reaping the results of their actions. They should be helped, but not by claiming they are Narayana.

Developing pure devotional service (Srimad Bhagavatam #41)

For a Vaishnava, the process is not so much about stopping material activities, but in developing activities in Krishna Consciousness and becoming absorbed in meditation of Krishna.

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