Narada Bhakti Sutras

Narada Bhakti Sutras

Possibly this is greatest book defining what is Bhakthi written by Narada who was the greatest among Bhakthas of Lord Narayana.

1.Atha tho Bakthim vyakyasyama

Now I will explain in detail what is meant by devotion to God(Bhakthi)[1].

2.Saa tasmin Parama prema roopa

Devotion to God is personification of intense(highest) love towards Him.

3.Amrutha swaroopa cha

It also is deathless or as sweet as nectar (or it also confers deathlessness to one)

4.Yallabhathva puman siddho bhavathi, amrutho bhavathi, truptho bhavathi

One who gets it becomes perfect, immortal and contended.

5.Yath prapya kinchid vanchadhi , na sochathi, na dweshati, na ramathe na uthsahi bhavathi

One who gets it desires not, worries not, hates not , enjoys not, and does not get excited.
.

6.Yat gnathwa matho bhavathi, sthabhdho bhavathi, athmaramo bhavathi.

One who attains it becomes intoxicated (be in stupor), still and drunk with self(soul)

7.Saa na kamaya mana , nirodha roopathwad

It is not desire generating as it is by nature a form of renunciation.
.

8.Nirodasthu loka veda vyapara nyasa

Giving away the social and Vedic customs including religious activities is termed as a form of this renunciation.

9.Tasmin ananyatha that, virodhi shoothaaseena tha cha.

To be one with Him and complete indifference in things which are contrary to him is termed as a form of renunciation.

10.Anyasrayanaan tyage ananyatha.

To sacrifice dependence on any thing but Him is exclusiveness(that which does not have any other thing but Him)

11.Loke vedeshu thatha anukoolasaranam that, virodhi shoothassenatha.

In ordinary life and in Vedic percepts, to do that which is beneficial to Him is exclusiveness(that which does not have any other thing but Him)

12.Bhavathu nischaya dartyathurthvam sasthra rakshanam.

After attaining this state rock stable firmness in Vedic injunctions follow,

13.Anyadha padithya sankhaya

If you do not do this , there is a doubt of a possibility of degradation.

14.Lokopi thava deva kinthu bhojanani vyaparasthva sareera daranavathi

Obey the ways of the world till you attain renunciation, do activities like eating which should continue till the body exists.

15.Tal lakshanathi vachyanthe nana madha bedanath.

The differing definitions of Bhakthi (:devotion") as viewed by many are listed.

16.Poojadhishwa anuraga ithi Parasara rya.

Intense desire to Worship Him with loving affection , is "devotion" according to Sage Parasara.

17.Kadhadhi shweethi Garga

Intense desire to hear his stories is "devotion" according to Sage Garga.

18.Athma rathya virodhe nethi Sandilya

"Devotion" should be done without conflict to the happiness of the soul, according to sage Sandilya.

19.Naradasthu thadarpithagi, lacharatha that, vismarane parama vyakulathethi.

But according to sage Narada, "devotion" is doing all duties on behalf of Him, and become extremely sad even if you happen to forget Him for a second.

20.Asthy evam evam

This "devotion" is like each of the above views.

21.Yada vraja gopikanam.

This can be best illustrated by the "devotion" of the Gopis of Gokula.

22.Thathrapi tha mahatmyam jnana vismruthya bhavaatha.

In this case at no stage His greatness is ever forgotten.

23.Thad viheenam Jaranam iva

For any "devotion" forgetting His greatness is like an illicit love affair.

24,Nasthyeva tasmin that sukha sukhi twam.

All actions done as a result of this "devotion"(love) is to offer and enhance His pleasure
or

All actions of this "devotion" are meant for pleasing Him only.

25.Saa thu karma jnana yogebhyo apyadhigathara.

This "devotion" is far greater than the path of action (karma), the path of knowledge (gyana), and the path of disciplined contemplation (yoga).
.

26.Phala roopathwad.

Because this "devotion" is like the fruit attained by any of these methods..

27.Iswarasyapyabhi mana dweshitwath dainya priyathwacha

Because God also does not like pride and likes humility, "devotion" as a method is better than Karma yoga and Gnana yoga

28.Tasya gnana meva Sadana mithyeke

Some believe that knowledge alone is the path of attainment.

29.Anyonyasryathwa mithyanye

Some others believe that Knowledge and devotion are interdependent on each other

30.Swayam phala roopathethi Brahma kumara

The son of Brahma (sage Narada) believes that "devotion" is its own result

31.Rajagruha Bhojanaadhishu tadaiva drushtatwad

It is just like glancing at a palace or being informed of sumptuous food .

32. Naa thena Raja paridosha kshudha shanthirva

Glancing at the palace does not make the king happy nor hearing of sumptuous food remove his hunger

.Similarly knowing about "devotion", does not help you at all. You should have "devotion".

33. Tasmad saiva grahya mumukshubhi

So all those who want to get out of the chain of births and rebirths should only practice "devotion"

34.Tasya sadhanani gayanthy acharya

The learned ones therefore sing about the results of "devotion"

35.Thathu Vishaya tyagath, Sanga thyagath chcha

This "devotion " reaches completion only when sacrifice is made of pleasurable things and mundane social contacts.

36.Avyavruthabha janath

It reaches completion by forever ceaseless chanting

37.Lokebhi Bhagawath guna sravana keerthanad

It also reaches completion by hearing always or singing about the qualities of God.

38.Mukhythasthu Mahad krapayaiva Bhagawat krupa leasad Vaa

But most importantly it reaches completion only by the grace of Great learned people and by the divine grace.

39. Mahad sangasthu durlabhe , agamyo amogascha

The company or the grace of great learned people is difficult to get and is not easily attained and never goes waste.

40.Labhyadhobhi that krupayaiva

The company of great learned people is got only through the grace of God.

41.Tasmim thajjane bhedha bhavath

There is no difference whatsoever between God and his people(devotees)

42.Thadeva sadyatham Thadeva sadyatham

So search for the company of great learned people, for that can be accomplished by that method only

43. Dussanga sarvathaiva thyajya

Also forever avoid the company of bad people.

44.Kama , Krodha, moha , smrithibramsa , buddhi nasa, sarva nasa karanathwaad.

Because such a company(of bad people) leads to passion, anger, dullness, memory loss loss of wisdom and thus leads to utter ruin.

45. Tharangayidha abhi me sangath samudrayanthi

These (passion, anger etc) though they initially appear in bad company as small waves gather momentum and become like sea.

46.Kastharathi kastharathi Mayam? Ya, sangam sthyajathi yo mahanubhavam sevathe , nirmalo bhavathi.

Who can cross? Who can cross the veil of illusion?

He who is devoid of any worldly attachment serves wise people and does not have a feeling of "mine" can only cross the veil of illusion.

47.Yo viviktha sthanam sevathe, Yo loka bandham unmolayathi, nistraigunyo bhavathi, yoga kshemam tyajathi.

He who lives in a holy place in seclusion, he who cuts of the fetters of worldly attachment, he who goes beyond all characterizations and he who forsakes pleasure as well as yoga only can only cross the veil of illusion.

[Seclusion -- in seclusion from bad association. Renounces requirements and comfort -- becomes utterly dependent on the Lord for everything, not aspiring for them independently )

48.Ya karma phalam tyajathi, karmani sanyasyathi, thado nirdwando bhavathi.

He who sacrifices the result of actions, He who detaches himself from actions and he who sacrifices the two opposites like heat-cold, pleasure-suffering, recognition-insult etc. can only cross the veil of illusion..

49.Vedanabhi sannyasyathi, kevalam vichinna anuragam labhade

He who forsakes even Vedas and reaches the limitless love of "devotion" can only cross the veil of illusion.

50.Sa tharathi, sa tharathi sa lokaam stharayathi

He crosses, He only crosses, and he helps other people also to cross.. the veil of Maya.

51.Anirvachaneeyam prema swaroopam

This extreme love of "devotion" is indefinable

52. Mooka swadanavath

It is (extreme love) like a dumb one tasting , for he does not tell what he feels.

53.Prakasathe kwapi pathre.

Extremely rarely some people are able to explain what they feel.

54.Guna rahitham, kamanaa rahitham, prathi kshana vardhamana, avichinnam, sookshma tharam, anubhava roopam.

This love of "devotion" is without any properties, without any desire, increases every second, micro of micros and it can be described only by really experiencing it.

55. Thad prapya thadevaavalokayathi, thadeva srunothi, thadeva bhashayathi, thadeva chinthayadhi.

One who possesses this love of "devotion", is able to only see Him everywhere, is able to only hear of Him always, is able to only talk about Him always and always thinks about iHim .

56.Gowni thridha guna bheda arthadhi bhedathwa.

The "devotion" is of three types depending on the type of people viz.Sathwa (pure hearted), Rajasa(warrior in outlook) and Tamasa(debased)

57.Utharasmathu , utharasmath poorva, poorvaasrayeya bhavathi.

Each of the above three categories are better than that coming next , in other words, Sathvika Bhakthi is better than Rajasic which is better than thamasic,

Bhagavad-gItA 7.16: the inquisitive and the man of wisdom, one who is desirous of wealth and one who suffers.

58.Anyasmath saulabhyam bhakthou

This path of "devotion" is the easiest among the paths to attain God.

59.Pramana antharsyam apekshatwath swayam pramanathwath.

This path of "devotion" is its own proof and does not need any other proof.

60.Santhi roopaath, paramananda roopascha

It is personification of peace and ultimate happiness.

61.Lokhanau chintha na karya nivedhi, tha athma loka vedatwad.

One who practices "devotion" should not get worried about worldly affairs, for he has given away all his actions to God.

62.Na thada siddhou , loka vivahoro heya , kinthu phala thyagas that sadanam karya meva

Upon attaining the goal, a devotee should not keep away from worldly actions but perform them without bothering about the result.

63. Sthreethana nasthika vairi charithram na sravaneeyam

Do not hear stories, gossip or news about women, atheist and enemies.

64.Abhimana Dambadhikam tyagyam

Sacrifice egoism and self praise

65.Thadrpidago laachara san kala krodhabhi manadhikam tasminneva karaneeyam

If after offering all actions to god, if feelings of anger, pride and passion come again, they also should be offered to Him.

66.Tri roopa bhanga poorvakam nithya dasa, nithya kanthapa janathmakam va premaiva karyam, premaiva karyam,

Breaking the three distinctions pointed out, one should always serve Him like a servant or wife with unblemished love and definitely with unblemished love.

67.Bhaktha ekandino mukhya

Those devotes only are great who keep Him as their one and only one aim.

68.Kantavarodha romanchasrubhi parasparam labhamana , bhavayanthi kulani prithweem.

These devotees with tear filled eyes, with stuttering voice, and hair standing out discuss always about Him and are a gift to the their clan and to the world.

69.Theerthi kurvanthi, theerthani sukarmi kuvanthi, karmani sachasthri kurvanthi

These devotees make sacred waters more sacred , actions into good actions and holy scriptures more holy.

70.Than maya

For they are filled with God.

71.Modanthe pitharo ,nruthyanthi devatha sanadha cheyam bhoorbhavathi.

Because of them the manes rejoice, gods dance and world gets a good leader

72.Nasthi theshu jathi vidhya roopa kula dhana kriyadhi bedha

Within them there is no difference by caste, by knowledge, by looks, by birth, , by wealth or by actions.

73.Yadasthadeeya

For all of them are His.

74.Vadho naa avalambham

These devotees should not enter into arguments.

75.Bahulya avakasada niyathathwacha

With differing opinions expressed nothing can be concluded in these arguments

76.Bhakthi sasthrani mananeeyani thadudbodha sukarmanyapi karaneeyani.

They should always read or hear about "devotion" and they should engage themselves in acts to increase such "devotion".

77.Sukha dukhe icha labhadhi tyakthe kale, pratheekshyamane kshanartham api vyardhanam na neyam.

They should await the time when happiness, sorrow, desire and profit can be completely forsaken, and keep on thinking about him every second with love.

78.Ahimsa Sathya sowcha, daya asthhikyadhi charithryani parpalaneeyani

They should observe strictly non-violence, truth. Cleanliness, compassion and faith.

79.Sarvada sarve bhavena nischindhidair bhagawaneva bhajaneeya

Always and under all circumstances. Without diverting their mind to other thoughts, they should pray God.

80.Sa keerthayamana seegram eva avirbhavathi anubhavayathi cha bhakthan.

Being sung in such a way by the devotees, He appears before them and makes them realize.

81.Trisathyasya bhakthireva gareeyasi , bhakthireva gareeyasi.

To the one who is truthful to Him in mind, body and words Devotion is the greatest path , It is the greatest.

82.Guna mahathmyasakthi. Roopasakthi, poojasakthi, smaranasakthi, dasyasakthi., sakhyasakthi, kanthasakthi, vatsalya sakthya athma nivedanasakthithanmayadhasakthi, paramavirahasakthi, roopa ekathabhya ekatha satha bhavathi.

Though "devotion" is one quality it is expressed in eleven different ways depending on the individual soul viz

1.longing to hear about His greatness,

2, Longing to see His great form,

3.Longing to worship Him always

4. Longing to always remember Him

5. Longing to forever serve Him as a slave

6. Longing to be His most intimate friend

7. Longing to be his consort

8.Longing to be affectionate to Him like a parent.

9.Longing to sacrifice our soul to Him.

10. Longing to become Himself and

11, Suffering his absence even for a second like a lover.

83.Ithyevam vadanthi jana jalpa nirbhaya eka matha , kumara Vyasa, shukha, Sandilya, Garga, Vishnu, Koundinya, Sesho uddhavarunee bhali, hanumath vibeeshanadha yo Bhakthacharya

Very great devotees like Vyasa, Shukha, Sandilya, , Garga, Vishnu, Koundinya, Sesha, Udhawa, aaruni, Bali , Hanuman and Vibeeshana tell in unanimity without bothering about different opinions expressed that the path of "devotion" is the greatest.

84.Idham Narada proktham Shiva anusasanam Viswaseethi sradhathe sa preshtam labhadha ithi.

One who with utmost faith and belief understands the above exposition of Narada would attain God, would definitely attain God.

OM THAT SATH

[1] Bhakthi is a Sanskrit word which cannot be explained by one English word. But for sake of clarity I will be using "devotion" instead of the word Bhakthi. By which I mean a devotion of a very special kind.

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Nārada Bhakti Sūtra,

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Nārada Bhakti Sūtra,

Introduction

In 1967, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda translated and wrote purports for thirteen of the eighty-four aphorisms (Śrīla Prabhupāda called them "codes") of the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra. In 1989, at their annual meeting, the Governing Body Commission of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) suggested that I complete the book. I was pleased to accept the assignment, especially because of my involvement with Śrīla Prabhupāda's initial writing of the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra.

I was part of the small group of seekers who joined Śrīla Prabhupāda in the latter part of 1966 at his storefront temple at 26 Second Avenue, in New York City. At one point we began passing around a Gita Press edition of Nārada's Philosophy of Love-Nārada-bhakti-sūtra. Some of us were attracted to the nectar and simplicity of the aphorisms. In those days it wasn't unusual for us naive followers to pick up all sorts of translations of Sanskrit Indian books. We tended to think that anything Hindu was salutary and within Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It wasn't long before Śrīla Prabhupāda made it clear to us that we had to discriminate. Many books, we learned, were the works of Māyāvādīs, a brand of atheists in the guise of svāmīs, gurus, and scholars. It was hard to break our attachments to some of these books, but we always did so once Śrīla Prabhupāda explained that a particular book or guru was not bona fide.

But when I showed Śrīla Prabhupāda the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra and told him I liked it, he encouraged me and said he might translate it.

In our edition of the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra was a beautiful color illustration of Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. They looked young, about eight years old, and stood gracefully by the edge of the Yamunā River with a cow behind Them. I took the illustration to a photography shop and had a dozen color copies made. With Śrīla Prabhupāda's approval, I gave a photo to each of his initiated disciples. It became like an ISKCON membership photo and was used by devotees on their personal altars.

When Śrīla Prabhupāda left our New York home early in 1967 and went to San Francisco, I wrote him to ask if he would translate the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra. Here is Śrīla Prabhupāda's reply, dated February 10, 1967:

Yes, please send me immediately one copy of Bhakti Sutra (with original Sanskrit text). I shall immediately begin the commentary.

At first Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation of the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra went quickly. He sent tapes of his dictation in the mail, and I transcribed them along with the tapes he sent for his major work, Teachings of Lord Caitanya. From the beginning it was understood that Nārada-bhakti-sūtra was a kind of "extra" for Śrīla Prabhupāda. But it had its own charm, and Prabhupāda approached it in his own inimitable way. I was surprised, on receiving the translation for the first aphorism, to see how Śrīla Prabhupāda translated the word bhakti. The edition he was using translated bhakti as "devotion" or "Divine Love." But Śrīla Prabhupāda translated bhakti as "devotional service." Even by this one phrase he indicated that bhakti was active and personal. He would not tolerate any hint that bhakti was a state of impersonal "Love."

It was significant that Śrīla Prabhupāda began his first purport with a reference to Bhagavad-gītā, the foremost scripture for teaching bhakti-yoga. The Nārada-bhakti-sūtra, or any other treatise on devotion to God, should be supported by Lord Kṛṣṇa's direct teachings in Bhagavad-gītā. By their nature, sūtras require explanation. As Lord Caitanya explained while discussing the Vedānta-sūtra, the aphorisms have a direct meaning, but their brevity allows devious commentators to distort the meaning through misinterpretation. How safe we were when reading the Bhaktivedanta purports to the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra, and how dangerous it is to read these aphorisms when interpreted by those who lack pure devotion to the Supreme Person!

As with his other works, Śrīla Prabhupāda's purports to the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra were completely in line with the teachings of the param-parā, or disciplic succession, and at the same time full of his own realizations.

One particular statement that attracted me was his reference to enthusiasm in bhakti. Commenting on Sūtra 5, Śrīla Prabhupāda compared enthusiasm to a powerful engine that has to be used properly. He wrote, "If one, however, becomes disappointed in his enthusiasm for serving the Supreme Lord, that disappointment must also be rejected." As a neophyte devotee, I was well aware of the danger of depression, which we sometimes refer to in ISKCON as being "fried." But just as a serious practitioner restrains his tongue and other senses, so one should not indulge in too much depression or disappointment. It was comforting to hear this from Śrīla Prabhupāda and to gain conviction that it is within our control-we are not helpless before unlimited waves of depression.

One simply has to follow the rules and regulations patiently "so that the day will come when he will achieve, all of a sudden, all the perfection of devotional service."

I have to admit that I acquired a personal attachment for Śrīla Prabhupāda's Nārada-bhakti-sūtra as I happily watched its progress. I noticed that some of the same material Śrīla Prabhupāda was putting into Teachings of Lord Caitanya also appeared in the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra, but I didn't think anything was wrong in that. Yet at some point Śrīla Prabhupāda began to think that perhaps Nārada-bhakti-sūtra was a bit redundant, at least while he was also working on Teachings of Lord Caitanya. I might have suspected this when he wrote in his purport to Sūtra 12, "There are many authoritative books of spiritual knowledge, but all of them are more or less supplements to the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Even the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra is a summary of the Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore the beginning of devotional service is to hear these two important transcendental books of knowledge."

Then, in March of 1967, while Śrīla Prabhupāda was still residing in San Francisco, he wrote me this letter:

Please accept my blessings. I have seen the typed copies of Narada Bhakti Sutras as well as Teachings of Lord Caitanya. Both of them are nicely made. I think let us finish first Teachings of Lord Caitanya and then we may take again Narada Bhakti Sutras. The subject matter discussed with Narada Sutras is already there in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya.

I have sent you matter for the second part of the Teachings and please go on sending me a copy of your typewritten matter. I shall be glad to hear from you.

And so Śrīla Prabhupāda's work on the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra stopped, and it was never resumed. It was a personal choice by the author, who wanted to concentrate on Teachings of Lord Caitanya. But we should not see it as a rejection of the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra. Śrīla Prabhupāda intended to "take again Narada Bhakti Sutras." And so more than twenty years later we are taking up the work again, on the authority of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Whatever we have written to complete the work we have done as Śrīla Prabhupāda's student, using his commentated translations of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Bhagavad-gītā, and the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and his summary studies of the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (The Nectar of Devotion) and the Bhāgavatam's Tenth Canto (Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead).

There is a particular charm to the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra in its brevity, universality, and emphasis on total surrender to Lord Kṛṣṇa. The aphorisms are strong and can be easily remembered and confidently quoted in devotional discussions and preaching. Śrīla Prabhupāda refers to the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra several times in his writings, as in this statement from Teachings of Lord Caitanya (p. 53-4): "In the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra it is said that one who is very serious about developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness has his desire to understand Kṛṣṇa fulfilled very soon by the grace of the Lord."

The major importance of the present publication is that another of Śrīla Prabhupāda's literary works is now available in book form for his growing reading audience. The GBC's request to Gopiparāṇadhana Prabhu and me to complete the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra is their mercy upon us. We pray that we have not deviated from Śrīla Prabhupāda's intentions and that this edition of the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra will bring pleasure and enlightenment to the hearts of everyone who reads it.

Satsvarūpa dāsa Goswami

Editor's note: Citations from Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Teachings of Lord Caitanya are from "The Great Classics of India" editions (1985). Citations from The Nectar of Devotion are from the 1982 edition.


Chapter 1: The Value of Devotion

NBS 1: Now, therefore, I will try to explain the process of devotional service.

NBS 2: Devotional service manifests as the most elevated, pure love for God.

NBS 3: This pure love for God is eternal.

NBS 4: Upon achieving that stage of transcendental devotional service in pure love of God, a person becomes perfect, immortal, and peaceful.

NBS 5: 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.

NBS 6: One who understands perfectly the process of devotional service in love of Godhead becomes intoxicated in its discharge. Sometimes he becomes stunned in ecstasy and thus enjoys his whole self, being engaged in the service of the Supreme Self.

NBS 7: There is no question of lust in the execution of pure devotional service, because in it all material activities are renounced.

NBS 8: Such renunciation in devotional service means to give up all kinds of social customs and religious rituals governed by Vedic injunction.

NBS 9: Renunciation also means being exclusively dedicated to the Lord and indifferent to what stands in the way of His service.

NBS 10: Exclusive dedication to the Lord means giving up all shelters other than Him.

NBS 11: Indifference toward what stands in the way of devotional service means to accept only those activities of social custom and Vedic injunction that are favorable to devotional service.

NBS 12: One must continue to follow scriptural injunctions even after one is fixed up in determined certainty that devotional service is the only means for reaching the perfection of life.

NBS 13: Otherwise there is every possibility of falling down.

NBS 14: For as long as the body lasts, one should engage minimally in social and political activities and in such matters as eating.


Chapter 2: Defining Bhakti



NBS 15: Now the characteristics of devotional service will be described according to various authoritative opinions.

NBS 16: Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the son of Parāśara Muni, says that bhakti is fond attachment for worshiping the Lord in various ways.

NBS 17: Garga Muni says that bhakti is fondness for narrations about the Lord, by the Lord, and so on.

NBS 18: Śāṇḍilya says that bhakti results from one's removing all obstructions to taking pleasure in the Supreme Self.

NBS 19: Nārada, however, says that bhakti consists of offering one's every act to the Supreme Lord and feeling extreme distress in forgetting Him.

NBS 20: Bhakti is, in fact, correctly described in each of these ways.

NBS 21: The cowherd women of Vraja are an example of pure bhakti.

NBS 22: Even in the case of the gopīs, one cannot criticize them for forgetting the Lord's greatness.

NBS 23: On the other hand, displays of devotion without knowledge of God's greatness are no better than the affairs of illicit lovers.

NBS 24: In such false devotion one does not find pleasure exclusively in the Lord's pleasure.
NBS 25: Pure devotional service, on the other hand, is far superior to fruitive work, philosophical speculation, and mystic meditation.

NBS 26: After all, bhakti is the fruit of all endeavor.

NBS 27: Furthermore, the Lord dislikes the proud but is pleased with the humble.

NBS 28: Some say that knowledge is the means for developing devotion.

NBS 29: Others consider bhakti and knowledge interdependent.

NBS 30: But the son of Brahmā says that bhakti is its own fruit.

NBS 31-32: This is illustrated by the examples of a royal palace, a meal, and so on. A king is not really satisfied just by seeing a palace, nor can someone placate his hunger just by looking at a meal.

NBS 33: Therefore seekers of liberation should take to devotional service alone.

Chapter 3: The Means of Achievement


NBS 34: Standard authorities have described the methods for achieving devotional service.

NBS 35: One achieves bhakti by giving up sense gratification and mundane association.

NBS 36: One achieves bhakti by worshiping the Lord ceaselessly.

NBS 37: One achieves bhakti by hearing and chanting about the Supreme Lord's special qualities, even while engaged in the ordinary activities of life in this world.

NBS 38: Primarily, however, one develops bhakti by the mercy of great souls, or by a small drop of the Lord's mercy.

NBS 39: The association of great souls is rarely obtained, difficult to understand, and infallible.

NBS 40: The association of great souls can be attained — but only by the Lord's mercy.

NBS 41: [One can attain bhakti either by the association of the Lord's pure devotees or directly by the Lord's mercy because] the Lord and His pure devotees are nondifferent.

NBS 42: Strive, strive only for the association of pure devotees.

NBS 43: One should give up all kinds of degrading association.

NBS 44: Material association is the cause of lust, anger, confusion, forgetfulness, loss of intelligence, and total calamity.

NBS 45: Rising like waves from material association, these bad effects mass into a great ocean of misery.

NBS 46: Who can cross beyond illusion? One who abandons material association, serves the sages, and becomes selfless.

NBS 47: [Who can cross beyond illusion?] That person who stays in a secluded place, cuts off at the root his attachment to mundane society, becomes free from the influence of the three modes of nature, and gives up hankering for material gain and security.

NBS 48: [Who can cross beyond illusion?] That person who renounces material duties and their profits, thus transcending duality.

NBS 49: That person who renounces even the Vedas obtains exclusive and uninterrupted attraction for God.

NBS 50: Such a person, indeed, is delivered, and he also delivers the rest of the world.

Chapter 4: Pure and Mixed Devotion


NBS 51: The true nature of pure love of God is beyond description.

NBS 52: [Trying to describe the experience of pure love of God] is like a mute's effort to describe what he tastes.

NBS 53: Nonetheless, from time to time pure love of God is revealed to those who are qualified.

NBS 54: Pure love of God manifests as the most subtle consciousness, devoid of material qualities and material desires, increasing at every moment, and never interrupted.

NBS 55: Having obtained pure love of God, one looks only at the Lord, hears only about Him, speaks only of Him, and thinks only of Him.

NBS 56: Secondary devotional service is of three kinds, according to which of the three material modes predominates, or according to which material motivation — distress and so on — brings one to bhakti.

NBS 57: Each earlier stage should be considered better than the one following it.

NBS 58: Success is easier to attain by devotional service than by any other process.

NBS 59: The reason devotional service is the easiest of all spiritual processes is that it does not depend on any other authority for its validity, being itself the standard of authority.

NBS 60: Furthermore, bhakti is the embodiment of peace and supreme ecstasy.

NBS 61: After consigning to the Lord all one's mundane and Vedic duties, one no longer need worry about worldly loss.

NBS 62: Even after one has achieved devotional service, one should not abandon one's responsibilities in this world but should rather continue surrendering the results of one's work to the Lord. And while still trying to reach the stage of pure devotion, one must certainly continue executing prescribed duties.

NBS 63: One should not find entertainment in news of women, money, and atheists.

NBS 64: One should put aside false pride, hypocrisy, and other vices.

NBS 65: Offering all one's activities to the Lord, one should feel desire, anger, and pride only with regard to Him.

NBS 66: After breaking through the aforementioned coverings of the three modes of nature, one should act only in pure love of God, remaining perpetually in the mood of a servant serving his master, or a lover serving her beloved.

NBS 67: Among the Lord's devotees, the greatest are those who are dedicated to Him solely as His intimate servants.

NBS 68: Conversing among one another with throats choked, hair standing on end, and tears flowing, the Lord's intimate servants purify their own followers and the whole world.

NBS 69: Their association makes holy places holy, works auspicious, and the scriptures authoritative.

NBS 70: The intimate servants of the Supreme Lord are fully absorbed in loving Him.

NBS 71: Thus the pure devotees' forefathers become joyful, the demigods dance, and the world feels protected by good masters.

NBS 72: There are no distinctions among such pure devotees in terms of social class, education, bodily beauty, family status, wealth, occupation, and so on.

NBS 73: Pure devotees are not distinguished by externals like social class, for they belong to the Lord.

Chapter 5: Attaining Perfection


NBS 74: One should not indulge in argumentative debate.

NBS 75: Such argumentation leads to excessive entanglements and is never decisive.

NBS 76: One should respect the revealed scriptures of devotional service and discharge the duties they prescribe.

NBS 77: Patiently enduring till the time when one can put aside material happiness, distress, desire, and false gain, one should not waste even a fraction of a second.

NBS 78: One should cultivate such good qualities as nonviolence, truthfulness, cleanliness, compassion, and faith.

NBS 79: Those who are free of doubts should constantly worship the Supreme Lord with all their hearts.

NBS 80: When He is glorified, the Lord swiftly reveals Himself to His devotees and allows them to know Him as He is.

NBS 81: Devotional service is the most precious possession of a person who honestly uses his mind, body, and words.

NBS 82: Although devotional service is one, it becomes manifested in eleven forms of attachment: attachment to the Lord's glorious qualities, to His beauty, to worshiping Him, to remembering Him, to serving Him, to reciprocating with Him as a friend, to caring for Him as a parent, to dealing with Him as a lover, to surrendering one's whole self to Him, to being absorbed in thought of Him, and to experiencing separation from Him. This last is the supreme attachment.

NBS 83: Thus say the founding authorities of devotional service: the Kumāras, Vyāsa, Śuka, Śāṇḍilya, Garga, Viṣṇu, Kauṇḍilya, Śeṣa, Uddhava, Aruṇi, Bali, Hanumān, Vibhīṣaṇa, and others — speaking without fear of worldly gossip and sharing among themselves one and the same opinion.

NBS 84: Anyone who trusts these instructions spoken by Nārada and is convinced by them will be blessed with devotion and attain the most dear Lord. Yes, he will attain the most dear Lord.