Seeing the Spiritual Form of the Lord (Srimad Bhagavatam #38)

In the previous two chapters Kapila described the constitution of the universe, the nature of the soul, and the entanglement in the material world. Now, He describes the process of devotional service.

Dec 05, 2024

In the previous two chapters, Lord Kapila described the constitution of the universe, the nature of the soul, and the entanglement in the illusory material world. He then concluded that devotional service is the supreme process to become free from this conditioning. Now, in chapters 28 and 29, Lord Kapila will explain the process of devotional service in more detail.

The first step in order to become fixed in devotional service is to fix the mind. Once the mind is fixed, we can meditate in the personal form of the Lord. This meditation is the essence of the process of devotional service. Without meditating in the form of the Lord, we become stuck in a quasi-impersonal platform, where we may accept intellectually the idea of devotional service, but we are not really capable of seeing Him as a person.

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Seeing the Spiritual Form of the Lord (Chapter 3.28)

Lord Kapila explained the Sankhya philosophy in Satya-yuga when the dharma was the process of silent meditation on Paramatma. However, is a mistake to understand the Sankhya philosophy described by Him as a separate process. Just like Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita, he describes the process that leads to pure devotional service to the Lord.

Technically, there is a difference between the external practices of the process of Karma-yoga, Jñāna-yoga, Sankhya, etc. but these differences are only superficial, since ultimately these are variations of the same process, just externally performed differently according to the tendencies of the practitioner.

See what Krishna tells us in the Bhagavad-Gita, for example:

"Only the ignorant speak of devotional service [karma-yoga] as being different from the analytical study of the material world [Sāṅkhya]. Those who are actually learned say that he who applies himself well to one of these paths achieves the results of both. One who knows that the position reached by means of analytical study can also be attained by devotional service, and who therefore sees analytical study and devotional service to be on the same level, sees things as they are." (Bg 5.4-5)

As Prabhupada explains, each stage of the process of astanga-yoga has an equivalent to the process of bhakti-yoga. When we examine the teachings of Lord Kapila under this prism, we can see how He offers practical insights that can help us to improve our spiritual practice.

Although Lord Kapila spoke to His mother in Satya-yuga, he describes a universal process. While the external performance may change slightly over the ages (a sage in Satya-yuga would meditate on Paramatma, while we meditate on the deity, for example), the core of the process is the same for all ages, and when the words are taken in the proper context, we can see the knowledge he describes also directly applies to us.

The Srimad Bhagavatam is a scripture composed especially to give spiritual vision to the inhabitants of Kali-yuga, it would be funny if it would describe a process useful only in Satya-yuga.

Meditation on the Lord

"The Personality of Godhead said: My dear mother, O daughter of the King, now I shall explain to you the system of yoga, the object of which is to concentrate the mind. By practicing this system one can become joyful and progressively advance towards the path of the Absolute Truth." (SB 3.28.1)

Often we think that Mayavadis are just a sect in India, but in reality, impersonalism is the default modus operandi of the souls in the material world. We are here exactly because our propensity of service to the Lord became somehow covered, and the essence of this covering is our failure to see the Lord as a person, who has desires, individuality, feelings, and so on.

In this chapter, Lord Kapila describes the process of meditating in the personal form of the Lord through the process of astanga-yoga, composed of the stages of Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi. Although practicing the process of astanga-yoga is very dificult in Kali-yuga, the stages of the process, as well as the goal are also applicable to us. As Prabhupada explains in his purport to verse 3.28.11:

"For every item in the yoga system there is a parallel activity in bhakti-yoga, but the practice of bhakti-yoga is easier for this age. What was introduced by Lord Caitanya is not a new interpretation. Bhakti-yoga is a feasible process that begins with chanting and hearing. Bhakti-yoga and other yogas have as their ultimate goal the same Personality of Godhead, but one is practical, and the others are difficult. One has to purify his physiological condition by concentration and by restraint of the senses; then he can fix his mind upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is called samādhi."

In one sense, the process of self-realization is the same in all ages: we need to learn to fix our mind in meditation on the Supreme Lord. What changes are just a few of the practical details.

Yama and Niyama

In verses two to four, Lord Kapila describes Yama and Niyama, the preliminary principles for the yoga process, including what to do, and what to avoid. These points are valid for all processes of self-realization. They give a solid basis from which to develop our practice. All of them are important, and many of the problems we face in our spiritual path come from failing to develop one or more of them.

"One should execute his prescribed duties to the best of his ability and avoid performing duties not allotted to him. One should be satisfied with as much gain as he achieves by the grace of the Lord, and one should worship the lotus feet of a spiritual master. One should cease performing conventional religious practices and should be attracted to those which lead to salvation. One should eat very frugally and should always remain secluded so that he can achieve the highest perfection of life. One should practice nonviolence and truthfulness, should avoid thieving and be satisfied with possessing as much as he needs for his maintenance. He should abstain from sex life, perform austerity, be clean, study the Vedas and worship the supreme form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (SB 3.28.2-4)

The first principle is sva-dharmācaraṇaṁ, executing one's prescribed duties. This is a topic explained in detail in the Bhagavad-Gita. The natural division of society into four classes is naturally present in all societies, the problem is that most don't understand the duties connected with each function. The essence of the varnasrama system is that people may be trained to properly perform their duties. This starts with basic qualities such as honesty, tolerance, being averse to fault-finding, etc., and progresses into more specific qualifications according to one's social functions and occupation. On the other side, one should avoid performing duties that are against his nature and thus not allotted to him. A Brahmana should not fight, a Ksatriya should not try to be artificially non-violent, a Vaishya should not be artificially renounced, and so on.

Apart from these material duties, there is also the supreme duty, which is to serve the Lord. As long as one is in a material platform, one should serve the Lord while simultaneously performing his material duties, but when one becomes completely free from identification with the body, his duty becomes to just serve the Lord, although he may continue performing his material duties to give example to others. This is also well explained in the Bhagavad-Gita.

The next principle is santoṣa. One should be satisfied with what comes automatically by the grace of the Lord. Every one of us has a certain quota already allotted to us according to our previous activities. Instead of wasting our human lives trying to obtain more material facilities than what is allotted to us, we are advised to just accept whatever results come through the performance of our duties and honest work, by the grace of the Lord, and instead use our time for self-realization. It's said that at the end of our lives, we don't have to answer for what others do, but only for what we personally do. Other people may sensor or mock us, but we should just do what is right and not be disturbed. They will answer for their actions, and we will answer for ours.

The most important principle from the first verse, however, is ātmavic-caraṇārcanam, we should find a genuine spiritual master and surrender to him, following the process of serving and inquiring about spiritual topics. This process of approaching a spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession is the basic pre-requisite for spiritual realization. Although we have access to all the correct conclusions of the scriptures in the books of Srila Prabhupada, still we should find a spiritual master who can help us to properly understand his instructions, as he explains in his books. Without such guidance, it is easy to misunderstand.

Coming to the second verse, the next principle is grāmya-dharma-nivṛttiś, to stop the performance of mundane religious practices that have the goal of achieving material prosperity. There are many activities on this level prescribed in the karma-kanda section of the Vedas, as well as many traditional customs followed by different social groups, but they are not favorable for developing devotional service. They sometimes can work as a first step for people coming from gross materialism, but their benefit is very limited. The root of these religious performances is materialism, and when people see that there is another way to achieve things they want, they tend to abandon such religious performances and become again regular materialists. We can see that this type of religious activity is rejected right at the beginning of Srimad Bhagavatam. Instead, one should concentrate on the practice of devotional service and practices that make us free from material entanglement. For someone already engaged in these higher activities, to go back to mundane religious practices is a fall down.

To be stable in our spiritual practice we need to ascend to the mode of goodness. From passion and ignorance is very dificult to understand what spiritual practice is, and what to say about being successful in it. To assist us in that, two principles that are very useful are mita-medhyādanam and vivikta-kṣema-sevanam.

Mita-medhyādanam means eating frugally and only pure food. At the beginning of our spiritual practice, eating a lot of prasadam is favorable, because it helps us to lose the taste for contaminated foods. However, as we advance, it becomes progressively more important to also reduce our eating to just what is needed for maintaining the body. Eating too much increases the influence of passion and ignorance, making us lethargic, diseased, and incapable of controlling our senses. On the other hand, eating little makes us active and healthy. As Prabhupada explains, the general rule is that we should eat half of what we would normally eat, and add a quarter of water, leaving the other quarter of the stomach empty. This requires a good dose of self-control, but that's exactly the purpose of human life. The other principle, vivikta-kṣema-sevanam means to live in a secluded, peaceful place, where our spiritual practice will not be disturbed. For devotees, this means to live with other devotees who are serious in their spiritual practice. That's the main reason Prabhupada emphasized the development of spiritual communities.

Another essential part of our spiritual realization is to be able to see all living entities as parts and parcels of the Lord. The Lord lives in every heart as Paramatma, and thus every living being is worthy of respect. Without practicing ahiṁsā, our spiritual practice will remain just an external show. The practice of non-violence is explained in more detail later in the teachings of Lord Kapila, as well as in the 11th canto.

When advised by Śukrācārya to break his word, Bali Maharaja argued "How can I behave like an ordinary cheater, especially toward a brāhmaṇa?" then he said: "There is nothing more sinful than untruthfulness. Because of this, mother earth once said, "I can bear any heavy thing except a person who is a liar." (SB 8.20.4)

In Kali-yuga, three of the pillars of religious life (cleanliness, austerity and mercy) have already been destroyed. In this age, we are not very clean (especially internally, in terms of our thoughts and desires), we can't perform serious austerities like people from previous ages, and we are not very merciful. Although people suffer all over the world for the lack of Krishna Consciousness, we are not very inclined to sacrifice our own comfort in order to help them. The only thing that sustains dharma in Kali-yuga is truthfulness. Because there is still some degree of truthfulness, people can still approach saintly persons and inquire about spiritual knowledge. When this truthfulness, the last pillar is broken, all is lost. Therefore, Lord Kapila prescribes satyam, truthfulness, as another essential principle for anyone interested in advancing in spiritual life.

Another principle is asteyam. It is translated as "to refrain from theft", but Prabhupada calls our attention to the broader sense of it. Asteyam doesn't mean just not being a thief in an ordinary sense, but avoiding becoming a thief by accumulating more than one needs or not spending one's money for the worship of the Lord. Everything belongs to the Lord because everything is made out of His energy. If we take it and claim it to be our property, that's theft. Instead, we should accept the principle that everything belongs to Krishna and use whatever properties we find under our care in the service of the Lord. A pure devotee may accept any amount of material resources for the service of the Lord, but he will avoid accepting more than necessary for his personal maintenance. This is the principle of īśāvāsyam idaḿ sarvaṁ discussed in the first verse of the Śrī Īśopaniṣad.

The last four principles are interconnected. One should practice brahmacaryam, which means to practice celibacy. As Prabhupada explains, it can be practiced by either completely avoiding sex life or by restricting it to sex inside the marriage according to regulations. Illicit sex life is the sinful principle that destroys cleanliness, both internal and external, therefore this is an important principle for one desiring to be serious in the spiritual practice. Cleanliness is also essential when one is engaged in worshiping the deity.

Without controlling one's senses, it's also very dificult to study and understand the scriptures. As Prabhupada mentions, "practicing yoga without reading the standard literatures is simply a waste of time." Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura classifies the three stages of spiritual advancement as sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana. The first stage, sambandha, is based on having a proper understanding. Based on this, one can properly practice the process (abhidheya) and attain the ultimate goal (prayojana).

Asana and Prāṇāyāma

The ultimate goal in all processes of yoga is to focus the mind on the Supreme Lord. The Lord is both inside and outside. There is no place in this world where the Lord is not present. Still, because we are absorbed in the external manifestation, we can't see Him.

In order to be able to withdraw our attention from matter and fix it into the form of the Lord, the first step is to focus the mind. In the process of astanga-yoga, this is done through the processes of asana and pranayama, described by Lord Kapila in verses five to eleven:

"One must observe silence, acquire steadiness by practicing different yogic postures, control the breathing of the vital air, withdraw the senses from sense objects and thus concentrate the mind on the heart. Fixing the vital air and the mind in one of the six circles of vital air circulation within the body, thus concentrating one’s mind on the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is called samādhi, or samādhāna, of the mind. By these processes, or any other true process, one must control the contaminated, unbridled mind, which is always attracted by material enjoyment, and thus fix himself in thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

After controlling one’s mind and sitting postures, one should spread a seat in a secluded and sanctified place, sit there in an easy posture, keeping the body erect, and practice breath control. The yogī should clear the passage of vital air by breathing in the following manner: first he should inhale very deeply, then hold the breath in, and finally exhale. Or, reversing the process, the yogi can first exhale, then hold the breath outside, and finally inhale. This is done so that the mind may become steady and free from external disturbances.

The yogīs who practice such breathing exercises are very soon freed from all mental disturbances, just as gold, when put into fire and fanned with air, becomes free from all impurities.

By practicing the process of prāṇāyāma, one can eradicate the contamination of his physiological condition, and by concentrating the mind one can become free from all sinful activities. By restraining the senses one can free himself from material association, and by meditating on the Supreme Personality of Godhead one can become free from the three modes of material attachment." (SB 3.28.5-11)

Asana consists of bodily exercises and sitting postures, which help one to ascend from a gross material platform to a more subtle platform, calming the mind and helping to develop concentration, which are prerequisites for meditation. The asanas are thus a preparation, just like a runner may warm up and execute other routines as a preparation for his training. In other words, asanas means to use the material body to perform activities that can elevate one’s consciousness.

More advanced than bodily postures is the process of prāṇāyāma, which consists of breathing exercises: inhaling, exhaling, and holding the breath. It’s a more subtle form of the process of employing the gross body in actions that help to elevate one’s consciousness. The prāṇāyāma process is also summarily explained in the Bhagavad-Gita (4.29): "Still others, who are inclined to the process of breath restraint to remain in trance, practice by offering the movement of the outgoing breath into the incoming, and the incoming breath into the outgoing, and thus at last remain in trance, stopping all breathing. Others, curtailing the eating process, offer the outgoing breath into itself as a sacrifice."

As Prabhupada explains, for every item in the yoga system there is a parallel activity in bhakti-yoga. The process of performing asanas has similarities with the process of karma-yoga described in the Bhagavad-Gita, which also involves using the body to perform activities that can elevate our consciousness. By performing different services and executing our daily activities with a spirit of devotion to Krishna, we can easily fix our minds in the Lord.

The process of prāṇāyāma, in turn, can be connected with the process of silently chanting the holy names, japa, which offers a similar process for focusing the mind. As Prabhupada explains in his purports, nowhere in the scriptures it is mentioned that one should focus his mind on the void. The process of astanga-yoga is based on focusing our mind in the form of the Lord, which will be described in the next verses. Because it's dificult for a materialistic person to meditate on the transcendental form of the Lord immediately, one starts by focusing his mind on the movements of the asana poses, then on the movements of the air while doing the prāṇāyāma exercises, and then finally on the form of the Lord. At this stage, neophyte yogis may meditate on the universal form, while more advanced yogis meditate on the form of Paramatma inside the heart.

Similarly, while performing different services, like washing pots, cleaning the floors, or cutting vegetables for Krishna, we may just focus on the activity itself, but this process helps us to quickly connect with the Lord. In the same way, when chanting, we may not directly see the form of the Lord, but we focus our attention on the sound vibration of His holy names, which are non-different from Him.

We can see that these processes follow a similar logic to asanas and prāṇāyāma, but they are much more effective. Asanas and prāṇāyāma are just preparatory processes, while serving and chanting are processes that put us immediately in contact with the Lord. We may not immediately feel the presence of the Lord while chanting due to intention and other factors, but this doesn't mean the Lord is not there.

Lord Kapila explains that "By these processes, or any other true process, one must control the contaminated, unbridled mind, which is always attracted by material enjoyment, and thus fix himself in thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead", reinforcing that asana and pranayama are just tools to achieve the goal of fixing one's mind in meditation in the Lord. In Satya-yuga it was very natural for people to fix their minds in meditation by this process, but in Kali-yuga it is dificult for us to do so. However, we can achieve the same result more easily by the simple process of hearing, chanting, and doing some practical service to the Lord by using our bodies and minds. The process of sankirtana is especially effective, because by chanting and dancing we simultaneously engage all our senses.

As Prabhupada explains, "Bhakti-yoga is a feasible process that begins with chanting and hearing. Bhakti-yoga and other yogas have as their ultimate goal the same Personality of Godhead, but one is practical, and the others are difficult." He also says that "The real yogī is the devotee because his mind is always concentrated on the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the topmost yoga system."

Seeing the Lord

Advanced yogis are able to see the form of the Lord inside the heart. The process is to meditate on each part of the Lord's form, visualizing each detail, without however losing track of the form as a whole. This process of meditation is described in detail by Lord Kapila, and it is extremely useful for us because it teaches us the process of meditating in the form of the deity. For an astanga-yogi, the object of meditation is the form of the Lord inside the heart, but for a bhakti-yogi, the Lord appears personally in a visible form, as the deity. Again, we can see that the process is similar, but in bhakti-yoga, it's much easier and more effective. A yogi has to practice for many years asana and prāṇāyāma before being able to even start the process of actual meditation. A devotee however can see the personal form of the Lord from the first day, although the proper process of concentration as described in the following verses may take a little more time to develop.

Apart from receiving the darshan of the deity, a devotee can personally serve and worship the deity. Deity worship is essential because it counteracts the natural tendency of the conditioned soul to impersonalism. This false conception is deeply rooted in our consciousness, and the process of seeing the Lord in the form of the deity, deeply meditating in each detail of His personal form, developing a personal relationship with Him, serving Him, chanting His glories, remembering His pastimes, etc. is the best way of counteracting this. Without this meditation on the form of the Lord, we risk of falling into some kind of semi-impersonalism, where we study the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness and chant the holy names, but are still not capable of really seeing the Lord as a person.

"When the mind is perfectly purified by this practice of yoga, one should concentrate on the tip of the nose with half-closed eyes and see the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead has a cheerful, lotuslike countenance with ruddy eyes like the interior of a lotus, and a swarthy body like the petals of a blue lotus. He bears a conch, discus and mace in three of His hands. His loins are covered by a shining cloth, yellowish like the filaments of a lotus. On His breast He bears the mark of Śrīvatsa, a curl of white hair. The brilliant Kaustubha gem is suspended from His neck.

He also wears around His neck a garland of attractive sylvan flowers, and a swarm of bees, intoxicated by its delicious fragrance, hums about the garland. He is further superbly adorned with a pearl necklace, a crown and pairs of armlets, bracelets and anklets. His loins and hips encircled by a girdle, He stands on the lotus of His devotee’s heart. He is most charming to look at, and His serene aspect gladdens the eyes and souls of the devotees who behold Him." (SB 3.28.12-16)

In the second canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, it is described how after serving the Lord for the first half of his life, Lord Brahma had the opportunity of receiving the personal darshan of the Lord. Lord Brahma is certainly the most qualified of all mortal beings, being the creator of the universe and the son of Lord Vishnu. He is the oldest of all living beings in the universe, and the original preceptor of Vedic knowledge. On top of that, He is the one who had direct experience, being able to personally see the Lord, as well as his eternal abode, just like we can see each other. Brahma then recorded his account of this meeting in the Brahma Sanhita, where he described:

"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs.

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids. I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, round whose neck is swinging a garland of flowers beautified with the moon-locket, whose two hands are adorned with the flute and jeweled ornaments, who always revels in pastimes of love, whose graceful threefold-bending form of Śyāmasundara is eternally manifest. I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses in Himself, the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane. (BS 5.29-32)

Considering that the most qualified being in the universe, who had first-hand experience gives us such a description, is simply ludicrous that some mental speculators, who have imperfect senses, and imperfect intelligence, who are propense to be illusioned, to commit mistakes and to cheat, and who have no experience outside of this small planet where we live may claim that the absolute truth is anything different. As Prabhupada argues, this is simply due to their poor fund of knowledge.

The Lord not only has an eternal, blissful form, but has unlimited qualities, opulences, associates and pastimes. Although this Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, never leaves His Supreme abode, He is simultaneously present everywhere in the spiritual and material creations by his unlimited expansions.

As Lord Brahma explains: "The light of one candle being communicated to other candles, although it burns separately in them, is the same in its quality. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda who exhibits Himself equally in the same mobile manner in His various manifestations." (BS 5.46)

A candle can be used to light many other candles, and each of the other candles will exhibit the same illumination, although the first candle is still the original. Similarly, the Lord is the same in all of His transcendental forms, but at the same time, his form as Govinda in Vrindavana is the original and Supreme absolute truth. A devotee may worship any form he is attracted to, and the Lord is prepared to reciprocate in the very same form the devotee is attached to. After attaining the service of the Lord in any kind of relationship, the devotee becomes fully satisfied. Even the simple vision of the form of the Lord is sufficient to make one completely lose the taste for anything material.

As Prabhupada explains in his purport: "The word darśanīyatamam, which is used in this verse, means that the Lord is so beautiful that the devotee-yogī does not wish to see anything else. His desire to see beautiful objects is completely satisfied by the sight of the Lord. In the material world we want to see beauty, but the desire is never satisfied. Because of material contamination, all the propensities we feel in the material world are ever unsatisfied. But when our desires to see, hear, touch, etc., are dovetailed for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are on the level of the topmost perfection."

The glories and pastimes of the Lord

"The Lord is eternally very beautiful, and He is worshipable by all the inhabitants of every planet. He is ever youthful and always eager to bestow His blessing upon His devotees. The glory of the Lord is always worth singing, for His glories enhance the glories of His devotees. One should therefore meditate upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead and upon His devotees. One should meditate on the eternal form of the Lord until the mind becomes fixed. Thus always merged in devotional service, the yogī visualizes the Lord standing, moving, lying down or sitting within him, for the pastimes of the Supreme Lord are always beautiful and attractive." (SB 3.28.17-19)

In the Brahma Sanhita, Lord Brahma prays: "I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Śyāmasundara, Kṛṣṇa Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love." (BS 5.38)

Prabhupada explains that when a devotee develops pure love for the Lord, and has his eyes smeared with the balm of transcendental loving exchanges, he always sees the Lord within his heart. Just like a yogi can see the Lord as Paramatma anywhere he goes, by just practicing meditation, the pure devotee can see the Lord anywhere. This level may not be attained very quickly, but this is the supreme goal for all of us. This process of hearing, chanting, serving, and meditating on the form of the deity should continue until our mind becomes fully concentrated on the Lord.

As Prabhupada explains, the same purpose fulfilled by the yogi by successfully meditating on the form of the Lord inside the heart is served when a devotee visits the temple and worships the deity.

To worship doesn't mean to just perform arati. Worship means to fix our attention on the Lord, which may be done by serving, chanting, hearing, or simply meditating in the form of the deity. The form of the Lord may be manifested in clay, wood, stone, jewels, or metal. The Lord can be also manifested in the form of a painting, in a temporary drawing on sand, or simply contemplated inside one's mind. There are certain peculiarities in the process of worship of different forms (a form made out of metal may be bathed, while a painting not, for example), but all these forms are of the same value.

There is also no difference between serving the Lord in the temple, or meditating on the form of the Lord because the form of the Lord is the same whether He appears within the mind or in some concrete element. However, it's easier to see the form of the Lord in the temple, especially at the beginning of our devotional life, therefore this process should not be neglected. We should not fall into the same trap as some impersonalists, saying that the Lord is everywhere, but at the same time negating his presence in the temple. Even Lord Caitanya Himself was daily visiting the temple of Jagannatha Puri to see the Lord.

Another point is that the Lord and His pure devotees share the same spiritual quality and in this sense are non-different. In the same way, we become purified by chanting the name of the Lord, we also become purified by chanting the name of His pure devotees, as well as remembering their activities, and so on.

As Prabhupada explains: "The beauty of the Lord is that the devotees who are connected with His activities are also glorified. Arjuna, Prahlāda, Janaka Mahārāja, Bali Mahārāja and many other devotees were not even in the renounced order of life, but were householders. Some of them, such as Prahlāda Mahārāja and Bali Mahārāja, were born of demoniac families. Prahlāda Mahārāja’s father was a demon, and Bali Mahārāja was the grandson of Prahlāda Mahārāja, but still, they have become famous because of their association with the Lord. Anyone who is eternally associated with the Lord is glorified with the Lord."

Seeing the Spiritual Form of the Lord (Srimad Bhagavatam #38)

In the previous two chapters Kapila described the constitution of the universe, the nature of the soul, and the entanglement in the material world. Now, He describes the process of devotional service.

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