SLOKA OF THE WEEK:

Nārada Bhakti Sūtra 5
yat prāpya na kiñcid vāñchati na śocati na dvesti na ramate notsāhī bhavati

yat — which; prāpya — having attained; na kiñcit — nothing; vāñchati — hankers for; na śocati — does not lament; na dvesti — does not hate; na ramate — does not rejoice; na — not; utsāhī — materially enthusiastic; bhavati — becomes.

TRANSLATION

A person engaged in such pure devotional service neither desires anything for sense gratification, nor laments for any loss, nor hates anything, nor enjoys anything on his personal account, nor becomes very enthusiastic in material activity.

PURPORT (excerpts)

According to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, there are six impediments to the discharge of devotional service, and also six activities favorable to progress in devotional service.

The first impediment is atyāhāra, overeating or accumulating more wealth than we need. The next impediment Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī mentions is prayāsa, endeavoring very hard for material things. The next impediment to devotional service is prajalpa, talking of mundane subject matter. Nor is a devotee very strict in following ritualistic rules and regulations mentioned in the Vedas. Becoming enamored of these rituals is the next impediment, called niyamāgraha. Finally, a devotee should not be greedy (laulyam), nor should he mix with ordinary materialistic men (jana-sańga).

These are six negatives, or "do-nots," for the devotee; therefore one who wants to attain the perfectional stage of love of Godhead refrains from these things. Similarly, there are six positive items for advancing in devotional service.

First, while one should not be enthusiastic to attain material achievements, one should be very enthusiastic to attain the perfectional stage of devotional service. This enthusiasm is called utsāha. The next item favorable for devotional service is niścaya, confidence. The devotee should patiently follow the rules and regulations of devotional service so that the day will come when he will achieve, all of a sudden, all the perfection of devotional service. He should not lament for any loss or any reverse in his advancement in spiritual life. This patience (dhairya) is the third positive item for advancing in devotional service.

The last two items are sanga-tyāga, giving up the association of nondevotees, and sato-vrtti, following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These practices greatly help the devotee remain fixed on the path of devotional service and avoid the tendency to enjoy temporary, material things. Thus the activities of a devotee remain always pure and without any contamination of the material world.