(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 28 December 2013, Mayapur, India, Srimad Bhagavatam 5.10.24)
One small anecdote comes to mind about Srila Prabhupada. It was late in the evening and Srila Prabhupada sat down to do translation work, at eleven o’ clock at night. So he invited a devotee, a brahmacāri to come and sit with him.
He said, “Come and sit with me while I’m translating”.
He said, “Srila Prabhupada, it’s very late now. I have to go to bed. I’m very tired, so if I can be excused, I would appreciate it.”
And Prabhupada said, “But I’m not going to sleep, I’m not going to sleep. Why do you have to sleep?”
He said, “You are a pure devotee”.
Then Prabhupada said, “Why are you not a pure devotee?”
So this should be our meditation. This should be our constant meditation. Why I am not a pure devotee? What is in the way? And how long am I going to take? Slow and steady wins the race… very slow (laughing). I mean if you calculate the average lifetime and how many years we have left, and how much have we already achieved so far, then at this pace, are we really gonna make it? Then we are going to go a little bit of the way and we need a lot of mercy to make up for the rest. That is risky, to rely that much on mercy.
Both factors are there ultimately, in deciding whether this life will be successful or not. We should put a little more on the side of endeavour because devotional service is transcendental. It is part of the hladini-shakti, the pleasure potency. It gives pleasure to Krsna. Therefore devotional service never goes unnoticed. So, therefore, in the Krsna book, it is mentioned that Krsna is known by the name of Acutya or one who never fails to notice the smallest service rendered, even the smallest service rendered. Krsna notices and he appreciates.