anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ

jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

 when first class devotional service develops, one must be devoid

of all material desires. Knowledge obtained by monistic
philosophy and fruitive actions. The devotee must constantly
serve Krishna favourably as Krishna desires.

In pure devotional service, when has no desire for personal

enjoyment. One just wants to serve Krishna conscious gently. It is
beautifully explained by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in verse
number 4 of Shiksha Ashtakam. Na Janam, na Janam na
Sundaram Kavita, Baba Jagdish kaam aayega Mama janmojanmi
maneshwari bhavita bhakti ahetuk khetwani. I have no desire to
accumulate wealth, nor beautiful women, nor I want number of
followers. I only want your cost less devotional service birth
after birth.

Pure devotional service has 2 characteristics Swaroopa,

lakshanam. Which is primary characteristics and taste
lakshanam which is secondary characteristics?

Pure devotional service has. 3 Swaroopa lakshanam.

It is for Krishna.

Devotion to Krishna is an active engagement.

It is executed with favourable intent.

1. Pure devotional services for Krishna. The first and the most
important characteristics of pure devotional services that it
is for Krishna and not anyone else. Now when we say
Krishna then it also includes Krishna’s plenary parts and
 passes like Baldev, Sankarshan, Vasudev, Aniruddha,
Pradyumna, Rama, Narasimha, ACC. His differentiated
parts and parcels, which means the living entities. His
multifarious energy is the material and the spiritual worlds.
However, it does not mean that the pure devotional service
can be anything and everything, because Krishna is
anything. The correct understanding is that we can love
Krishna and Sai Krishna directly, or love and serve those
things and persons who are explicitly connected to Krishna.
For example, we can love and serve Krishna’s expansions,
his pure devotees. His pastimes. His places of past times and
his paraphernalia.
2. Anu seelam. Devotional services and active engagement.
Pure devotion is not passive but an active engagement.
When we love someone, we try to do anything to please that
person. Similarly if we love Krishna then we put in our best
efforts to please Krishna. Anu Selenium has got 2 aspects.
Pravritti or positive action doing activities that are
favourable to Krishna consciousness and nivritti or
negative activities. Avoiding those activities which are
unfavourable to Krishna consciousness.
To know the positive and negative activities. We should
take guidance of our spiritual master who is coming in
Guru Parampara disciples succession. These activities
should be performed with our body, mind and words. For
example, we should avoid breaking the 4 regulative
principles. But we should do activities which are favourable
to Krishna consciousness like chanting, deity worship and
reading stream and bhagavatham.
3. Anukool Hain. Favourable intention. While doing
devotional service that is also important that our. Intent
should be to please Krishna. Sometimes demons like comsa
 ravanagi pleasure to Krishna by giving Krishna an
opportunity to fight and protect his devotees. But we cannot
say. The demons are engaged in pure devotional service
because the demons intention is not to please Krishna but
to give pain to Krishna and his devotees. On the other hand,
some activities may apparently appear that it is displeasing
to Krishna, but which will fall under the category of pure
devotional service if the intention is pure for example.
Mother Yashoda punishing Krishna. Mera Pyar displeasing
to Krishna. But it is actually pure devotional service
because mother Yashoda’s intention is to always love and
take care of Krishna.

2. Tatasth lakshanam or secondary characteristics.

The 2 secondary characteristics of pure devotional service are.

1. Any Abhilash chetanashunya? Pure devotional service is

free from all ulterior motives of pure devotee engages in 7
Krishna only to praise please Krishna and Guru. He does
not want anything in return. Sometimes some people may
visit temple board down to the data given donation but they
have hidden motives. For example, they think that if they
come to the temple and give donation then in return
Krishna will grant them benediction and give them lots of
wealth. This is not your devotional service. Bihar devotional
services free from all Alterio motive. The only motive
should be to please Krishna,
2. Gaana Karmadi and Amrutham. Pure devotional service is
not covered by philosophical or fruitive pursues.
Philosophical speculation is taking one to voice or
impersonalised then it is dangerous because it takes one
away from Krishna. So Rupa Goswami is saying that pure
devotional service should not be covered by philosophical
speculation. But if this speculation is taking one to Krishna
then it is acceptable. Srila Prabhupada explains the
ultimate end of philosophical speculation then must be
Krishna, with the understanding that Krishna is everything,
the cause of all causes, and that one should therefore
surrender. And to him this is the ultimate goal.
Fruit of pursuits.
It may cover our devotional service to Krishna, so we
should be cautious. There are many ritualistic or fruitive
activities described in the Vedas and if one becomes
attracted. To these fruitive activities without understanding
Krishna, then they are favourable, unfavourable to Krishna
consciousness. We might stop paying proper attention to
pure devotional activities like hearing and chanting.
Sometimes a devotee may offer. Or perform some realistic
activity out of social conventions. Such activities do not
cover devotional service. For example, Lord Chaitanya
offered Pinder when his father died. But there are some
activities that make our devotional service, so one should
be careful. For example, putting faith in astrology.
Astrology is a Vedic science at it conserve some functional
purpose. But if one gets too much caught in astrology, he
may be putting more faith in destiny than bhakti. Srila
Prabhupada says that Krishna consciousness can be. Based
simply by hearing, chanting and remembering as described
in the srimanth bhagavatham, the 9 different processes
beside which everything done is unfavourable to Krishna
consciousness.