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EDITORIAL  The Principles Of Suddha-Bhakti BY SRILA BHAKTIVINODA THAKURA EDITORIAL, Apr 2 (VNN) — Excerpt from Sri Bhakti Tattva Viveka by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Most respectable Vaisnavas! Our sole objective is to relish and propagate the nectar of suddha-bhakti unto Lord Hari. Therefore, our foremost duty is to understand the true nature for suddha bhakti. This understanding will benefit us in two ways. First, knowing the true nature of suddha-bhakti will dispel our ignorance concerning the topic of bhakti and thus make our human life successful by allowing us to relish the nectar derived form engaging in suddha-bhakti in its pure form. Secondly, it will enable us to protect ourselves form the polluted and mixed concepts which currently exist in the name of suddha-bhakti. Unfortunately, in present day society in the name of suddha-bhakti various types of mixed devotion such as karma-misra (mixed with fruitive action), jnana-misra (mixed with speculative knowledge and yoga-misra (mixed with various types of yoga processes) as well as various polluted and imaginary concepts are spreading everywhere like germs of a plague. People in general consider these polluted and mixed conceptions to be bhakti, respect them as such and thus remain deprived of suddha-bhakti. These polluted and mixed concepts are our greatest enemies. Some people say there is no value in bhakti, that God is an imaginary sentiment only, that man has merely created the image of God in his imagination, and that bhakti is just a diseased state of consciousness which cannot benefit us in any way. These types of people, though opposed to bhakti, cannot do much harm to us because we can easily recognise them and avoid them. But those who propagate that bhagavad-bhakti is the highest dharma yet behave against the principles of suddha-bhakti and also instruct others against the principles of suddha-bhakti can be especially harmful to us. In the name of bhakti they instruct us against the actual principles of bhakti and ultimately lead us onto a path which is totally opposed to bhagavad-bhakti. Therefore, with great endeavour our previous acaryas have defined the svarupa or intrinsic nature of bhakti and have repeatedly cautioned us to keep ourselves away from polluted and mixed concepts. We shall deliberate on their instructions in sequence. They have compiled numerous literatures to establish the svarupa of bhakti, and amongst them Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu is the most beneficial. In defining the general characteristics of suddha-bhakti, Srila Rupa Goswami has written there (verse 1.1.11): anyabhilasita sunyam jnana-karmady anavrtam anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama "The cultivation of activities which are meant exclusively for the pleasure of Sri Krsna, or in other words the uninterrupted flow of service to Sri Krsna, performed through all endeavors of the body, mind, and speech, and through the expression of various spiritual sentiments ( bhavas), which is not covered by jnana (knowledge aimed at impersonal liberation) and karma (reward-seeking activity), and which is devoid of all desires other than the aspiration to bring happiness to Sri Krsna, is called uttama-bhakti, pure devotional service." Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
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