Life4krishna

CHAPTER ONE Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Third Canto, twenty-ninth chapter, verses 12 and 13, Śrīla Kapiladeva, while instructing His mother, has given the following characteristics of pure devotional service: “My dear mother, those who are My pure devotees, and who have no desire for material benefit or philosophical speculation, have their minds so much engaged in My service that they are never interested in asking Me for anything – except to be engaged in that service. They do not even beg to live in My abode with Me.” There are five kinds of liberation, namely, to become one with the Lord, to live with the Supreme Lord on the same planet, to have the same features as the Lord, to enjoy the same opulences as the Lord and to live as a companion of the Lord. A devotee, what to speak of rejecting material sense gratification, does not even want any of the five kinds of liberation. He is satisfied simply by discharging loving service to the Lord. ...

### Essence of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto 3, Chapter 1, Texts 1–5 (Questions by Vidura) These verses explain the greatness of pure devotees, the importance of spiritual association, and the value of sincerely inquiring about the Supreme Lord. Vidura was a great devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa who renounced his prosperous home and went on pilgrimage. Although the house of the Pāṇḍavas was extremely fortunate because Lord Kṛṣṇa personally visited it and treated it like His own home, Vidura used the opportunity created by family disturbances to seek higher spiritual knowledge from Maitreya Ṛṣi. This teaches us that a genuine devotee does not become unnecessarily disturbed by worldly difficulties but uses every situation as an opportunity to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Lord Kṛṣṇa's affection for the Pāṇḍavas also reveals that He is attracted not by material wealth or external opulence but by pure love and devotion. He freely visited the Pāṇḍavas' home because of their loving relationship wi...

Approaching Kṛṣṇa, the All-pervading Truth kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya  devakī-nandanāya ca  nanda-gopa-kumārāya  govindāya namo namaḥ Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devakī, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of Vṛndāvana, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.21 The Lord, being thus unapproachable by any material assets, out of unbounded and causeless mercy descends on the earth as He is in order to show His special mercy upon His unalloyed devotees and to diminish the upsurges of the demoniac persons. Queen Kuntī specifically adores the incarnation, or descent, of Lord Kṛṣṇa above all other incarnations because in this particular incarnation He is more approachable. In the Rāma incarnation He remained a king’s son from His very childhood, but in the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, although He was the son of a king, He at once left the shelter of His real father and mo...

CHAPTER 26 Wonderful Kṛṣṇa Without understanding the intricacies of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and without knowing His uncommon spiritual opulences, the innocent cowherd boys and men of Vṛndāvana began to discuss His wonderful activities, which surpass the activities of all men. One of them said, “My dear friends, considering His wonderful activities, how is it possible that such an uncommon boy would come and live with us in Vṛndāvana? It is really not possible. Just imagine! He is now only seven years old! How is it possible for Him to lift Govardhana Hill in one hand and hold it up just as the king of elephants holds a lotus flower? To lift a lotus flower is a most insignificant thing for an elephant, and similarly Kṛṣṇa lifted Govardhana Hill without exertion. When He was simply a small baby and could not even see properly, He killed a great demon, Pūtanā. While sucking her breast, He also sucked out her life air. Kṛṣṇa killed the Pūtanā demon exactly as eternal tim...