begining of Krishna consciousness
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Imported quote 15491 This process is summarized in the Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu [1.4.15-16] by Rupa Goswami: "The first thing required is faith, and from faith one associates with pure devotees, and, by such association, one develops devotional service. And when he develops devotional service, his misgivings are diminished. Then he is situated in firm conviction, and from that conviction he develops a taste and advances up to the attachment stage of life, known as the regulated principles of devotional service. And, after that stage, when he still further makes progress, it is called Bhava, or a permanent situation. Such love of God can go further and deeper and deeper, and then is called the highest stage of love of Godhead."
(More...) Imported quote 18797 This is beginning of successful life. Adau sraddha, this sraddha, or this niscayatmika buddhi, or vyavasayatmika buddhi, is the beginning of spiritual life. If one has no faith in the words of the authorities, then he has no hope. Samsayatma vinasyati. Vinasyati means he does not get any chance to enter into spiritual life. We are in the material world. We are... Vinasyatsu. We are in an atmosphere of being finished. That everyone, we know. This body... I am concerned with this body, and the body is to be finished. But the soul is not finished. Therefore our bhakti-marga... How one can make progress in bhakti-marga? If we have got faith in the words of Krsna, that Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg 18.66], if we apply our intelligence, niscayatmika, then our spiritual life begins. Adau sraddha tataḥ sadhu-sahgaḥ [Cc Madhya 23.14-15]. These are the different methods to make advance in spiritual life, especially in bhakti-yoga, devotional life.
(More...) The beginning of ecstatic love of Godhead is basically faith. There are many societies and associations of pure devotees, and if someone with just a little faith begins to associate with such societies, his advancement to pure devotional service is rapid. Although many different processes for developing love of Godhead have been explained so far, Srila Rūpa Gosvami now gives us a general description of how one can best achieve such a high position. The beginning of ecstatic love of Godhead is basically faith. There are many societies and associations of pure devotees, and if someone with just a little faith begins to associate with such societies, his advancement to pure devotional service is rapid. The influence of a pure devotee is such that if someone comes to associate with him with a little faith, he gets the chance of hearing about the Lord from authoritative scriptures like the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. Thus, by the mercy of the Lord, who is situated in everyone's heart, one gradually develops his faith in the descriptions of such authoritative scriptures. This is the first stage of association with pure devotees. In the second stage, after one becomes a little advanced and mature, he automatically offers to follow the principles of devotional service under the guidance of the pure devotee and accepts him as the spiritual master. In the next stage, under the guidance of the spiritual master, the devotee executes regulative devotional service, and, as a result of such activities, he becomes freed from all unwanted occupations. When he is freed from unwanted occupations, his faith becomes steadily fixed, and he develops a transcendental taste for devotional service, then attachment, then ecstasies, and in the last stage there is pure love of Godhead. These are the different stages of the development of pure love.
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