(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 October 2015, Chowpatty, India, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.69.41)

Only in Vrndavana is Krsna fully manifesting his pure transcendental nature which is based only on loving exchange and nothing else. It is not based on any sense of duty. Krsna is only purchased by pure and unalloyed love. To follow a sense of duty is the lower platform of devotional service. Vaidhi-bhakti – it is the platform where one is still materially conditioned and then one takes shelter of rules and regulations.

The higher manifestation of devotional service is devotional service based on pure love, when are contemplating, when we are hearing about these unique qualities of the residents of Vrndavana and we see how much they desire to please Krsna! Everything is done to please Krsna. This awakening in us of some desire to also please Krsna is a big change because for our whole life, we have simply been trying to please ourselves! Everything we ever did was to please ourselves. So to come to that state of pleasing Krsna, is the spirit of loving devotional service.

In the beginning, we serve according to rules and regulations and then gradually, attachment to serving Krsna will develop. In this way, serving Krsna according to rules and regulations transforms as attachment to Krsna develops. To develop attachment to serving Krsna is our aim, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (Bhagavad-gita 7.1).

Sometimes, we see devotees who do not find a service. They try this one. They try that one but they just cannot seem to get absorbed in any service; nothing captures them. This is a misfortune. Whenever we are given service, we should take that service and wholeheartedly with dedication try to develop that service as nicely as possible by making some special effort. It is not just, “Okay, this is my service.” No, “I’ll try and do it especially nice.” This is the point where attachment will develop.

But if one simply mechanically engages in prescribed duty then the service may stay dry. So this eagerness to do service especially nicely is what will make the difference in our lives. That is where attachment to Krsna and to that service begins to develop, where one starts to feel, “This is my service. It is mine!”

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