Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Twenty-nine
SB3.29.15
TEXT 15
nisevitenanimittena
sva-dharmena mahiyasa
kriya-yogena sastena
natihimsrena nityasah
SYNONYMS
nisevitena—executed; animittena—without attachment to the result; sva-dharmena—by one’s prescribed duties; mahiyasa—glorious; kriya-yogena—by devotional activities; sastena—auspicious; na—without; atihimsrena—excessive violence; nityasah—regularly.
TRANSLATION
A devotee must execute his prescribed duties, which are glorious, without material profit. Without excessive violence, one should regularly perform one’s devotional activities.
PURPORT
One has to execute his prescribed duties according to his social position as a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya or sudra. The prescribed duties of the four classes of men in human society are also described in Bhagavad-gita. The activities of brahmanas are to control the senses and to become simple, clean, learned devotees. The ksatriyas have the spirit for ruling, they are not afraid on the battlefield, and they are charitable. The vaisyas, or the mercantile class of men, trade in commodities, protect cows and develop agricultural produce. The sudras, or laborer class, serve the higher classes because they themselves are not very intelligent.
From every position, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, sva-karmana tam abhyarcya: one can serve the Supreme Lord by performing one’s prescribed duty. It is not that only the brahmanas can serve the Supreme Lord and not the sudras. Anyone can serve the Supreme Lord by performing his prescribed duties under the direction of a spiritual master, or representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one should think that his prescribed duties are inferior. A brahmana can serve the Lord by using his intelligence, and the ksatriya can serve the Supreme Lord by using his military arts, just as Arjuna served Krsna. Arjuna was a warrior; he had no time to study Vedanta or other highly intellectual books. The damsels in Vrajadhama were girls born of the vaisya class, and they engaged in protecting cows and producing agriculture. Krsna’s foster father, Nanda Maharaja, and his associates were all vaisyas. They were not at all educated, but they could serve Krsna by loving Him and by offering everything to Him. Similarly, there are many instances in which candalas, or those lower than sudras, have served Krsna. Also, the sage Vidura was considered a sudra because his mother happened to be sudra. There are no distinctions, for it is declared by the Lord in Bhagavad-gita that anyone engaged specifically in devotional service is elevated to the transcendental position without a doubt. Everyone’s prescribed duty is glorious if it is performed in devotional service of the Lord, without desire for profit. Such loving service must be performed without reason, without impediment, and spontaneously. Krsna is lovable, and one has to serve Him in whatever capacity one can. That is pure devotional service.
Another significant phrase in this verse is natihimsrena (“with minimum violence or sacrifice of life”). Even if a devotee has to commit violence, it should not be done beyond what is necessary. Sometimes the question is put before us: “You ask us not to eat meat, but you are eating vegetables. Do you think that is not violence?” The answer is that eating vegetables is violence, and vegetarians are also committing violence against other living entities because vegetables also have life. Nondevotees are killing cows, goats and so many other animals for eating purposes, and a devotee, who is vegetarian, is also killing. But here, significantly, it is stated that every living entity has to live by killing another entity; that is the law of nature. Jivo jivasya jivanam: one living entity is the life for another living entity. But for a human being, that violence should be committed only as much as necessary.
A human being is not to eat anything which is not offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yajna-sistasinah santah: one becomes freed from all sinful reactions by eating foodstuffs which are offered to Yajna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A devotee therefore eats only prasada, or foodstuffs offered to the Supreme Lord, and Krsna says that when a devotee offers Him foodstuffs from the vegetable kingdom, with devotion, He eats that. A devotee is to offer to Krsna foodstuffs prepared from vegetables. If the Supreme Lord wanted foodstuffs prepared from animal food, the devotee could offer this, but He does not order to do that.
We have to commit violence; that is a natural law. We should not, however, commit violence extravagantly, but only as much as ordered by the Lord. Arjuna engaged in the art of killing, and although killing is, of course, violence, he killed the enemy simply on Krsna’s order. In the same way, if we commit violence as it is necessary, by the order of the Lord, that is called natihimsa. We cannot avoid violence, for we are put into a conditional life in which we have to commit violence, but we should not commit more violence than necessary or than ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. SB3.29.16 TEXT 16 mad-dhisnya-darsana-sparsa- puja-stuty-abhivandanaih bhutesu mad-bhavanaya sattvenasangamena ca SYNONYMS mat—My; dhisnya—statue; darsana—seeing; sparsa—touching; puja—worshiping; stuti—praying to; abhivandanaih—by offering obeisances; bhutesu—in all living entities; mat—of Me; bhavanaya—with thought; sattvena—by the mode of goodness; asangamena—with detachment; ca—and. TRANSLATION The devotee should regularly see My statues in the temple, touch My lotus feet and offer worshipable paraphernalia and prayer. He should see in the spirit of renunciation, from the mode of goodness, and see every living entity as spiritual. PURPORT Temple worship is one of the duties of a devotee. It is especially recommended for neophytes, but those who are advanced should not refrain from temple worship. There is a distinction in the manner a neophyte and an advanced devotee appreciate the Lord’s presence in the temple. A neophyte considers the arca-vigraha (the statue of the Lord) to be different from the original Personality of Godhead; he considers it a representation of the Supreme Lord in the form of a Deity. But an advanced devotee accepts the Deity in the temple as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He does not see any difference between the original form of the Lord and the statue, or arca form of the Lord, in the temple. This is the vision of a devotee whose devotional service is in the highest stage of bhava, or love of Godhead, whereas a neophyte’s worship in the temple is a matter of routine duty. Temple Deity worship is one of the functions of a devotee. He goes regularly to see the Deity nicely decorated, and with veneration and respect he touches the lotus feet of the Lord and presents offerings of worship, such as fruits, flowers and prayers. At the same time, to advance in devotional service, a devotee should see other living entities as spiritual sparks, parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord. A devotee is to offer respect to every entity that has a relationship with the Lord. Because every living entity originally has a relationship with the Lord as part and parcel, a devotee should try to see all living entities on the same equal level of spiritual existence. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, a pandita, one who is learned, sees equally a very learned brahmana, a sudra, a hog, a dog and a cow. He does not see the body, which is only an outward dress. He does not see the dress of a brahmana, or that of a cow or of a hog. He sees the spiritual spark, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. If a devotee does not see every living entity as part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, he is considered prakrta-bhakta, a materialistic devotee. He is not completely situated on the spiritual platform; rather, he is in the lowest stage of devotion. He does, however, show all respect to the Deity. Although a devotee sees all living entities on the level of spiritual existence, he is not interested in associating with everyone. Simply because a tiger is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord does not mean that we embrace him because of his spiritual relationship with the Supreme Lord. We must associate only with persons who have developed Krsna consciousness. We should befriend and offer special respect to persons who are developed in Krsna consciousness. Other living entities are undoubtedly part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, but because their consciousness is still covered and not developed in Krsna consciousness, we should renounce their association. It is said by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura that even if one is a Vaisnava, if he is not of good character his company should be avoided, although he may be offered the respect of a Vaisnava. Anyone who accepts Visnu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is accepted as a Vaisnava, but a Vaisnava is expected to develop all the good qualities of the demigods. The exact meaning of the word sattvena is given by Sridhara Svami as being synonymous with dhairyena, or patience. One must perform devotional service with great patience. One should not give up the execution of devotional service because one or two attempts have not been successful. One must continue. Sri Rupa Gosvami also confirms that one should be very enthusiastic and execute devotional service with patience and confidence. Patience is necessary for developing the confidence that “Krsna will certainly accept me because I am engaging in devotional service.” One has only to execute service according to the rules and regulations to insure success. SB3.29.17 TEXT 17 mahatam bahu-manena dinanam anukampaya maitrya caivatma-tulyesu yamena niyamena ca SYNONYMS mahatam—to the great souls; bahu-manena—with great respect; dinanam—to the poor; anukampaya—with compassion; maitrya—with friendship; ca—also; eva—certainly; atma-tulyesu—to persons who are equals; yamena—with control of the senses; niyamena—with regulation; ca—and. TRANSLATION The pure devotee should execute devotional service by giving the greatest respect to the spiritual master and the acaryas. He should be compassionate to the poor and make friendship with persons who are his equals, but all his activities should be executed under regulation and with control of the senses. PURPORT In Bhagavad-gita, Thirteenth Chapter, it is clearly stated that one should execute devotional service and advance on the path of spiritual knowledge by accepting the acarya. Acaryopasanam: one should worship an acarya, a spiritual master who knows things as they are. The spiritual master must be in the disciplic succession from Krsna. The predecessors of the spiritual master are his spiritual master, his grand spiritual master, his great-grand spiritual master and so on, who form the disciplic succession of acaryas. It is recommended herewith that all the acaryas be given the highest respect. It is stated, gurusu nara-matih. Gurusu means “unto the acaryas,” and nara-matih means “thinking like a common man.” To think of the Vaisnavas, the devotees, as belonging to a particular caste or community, to think of the acaryas as ordinary men or to think of the Deity in the temple as being made of stone, wood or metal, is condemned. Niyamena: one should offer the greatest respect to the acaryas according to the standard regulations. A devotee should also be compassionate to the poor. This does not refer to those who are poverty-stricken materially. According to devotional vision, a man is poor if he is not in Krsna consciousness. A man may be very rich materially, but if he is not Krsna conscious, he is considered poor. On the other hand, many acaryas, such as Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami, used to live beneath trees every night. Superficially it appeared that they were poverty-stricken, but from their writings we can understand that in spiritual life they were the richest personalities. A devotee shows compassion to those poor souls who are wanting in spiritual knowledge by enlightening them in order to elevate them to Krsna consciousness. That is one of the duties of a devotee. He should also make friendship with persons who are on an equal level with himself or who have the same understanding that he does. For a devotee, there is no point in making friendships with ordinary persons; he should make friendship with other devotees so that by discussing among themselves, they may elevate one another on the path of spiritual understanding. This is called ista-gosthi. In Bhagavad-gita there is reference to bodhayantah parasparam, “discussing among themselves.” Generally pure devotees utilize their valuable time in chanting and discussing various activities of Lord Krsna or Lord Caitanya amongst themselves. There are innumerable books, such as the puranas, Mahabharata, Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita and Upanisads, which contain countless subjects for discussion among two devotees or more. Friendship should be cemented between persons with mutual interests and understanding. Such persons are said to be sva jati, “of the same caste.” The devotee should avoid a person whose character is not fixed in the standard understanding; even though he may be a Vaisnava, or a devotee of Krsna, if his character is not correctly representative, then he should be avoided. One should steadily control the senses and the mind and strictly follow the rules and regulations, and he should make friendship with persons of the same standard. SB3.29.18 TEXT 18 adhyatmikanusravanan nama-sankirtanac ca me arjavenarya-sangena nirahankriyaya tatha SYNONYMS adhyatmika—spiritual matters; anusravanat—from hearing; nama-sankirtanat—from chanting the holy name; ca—and; me—My; arjavena—with straightforward behavior; arya-sangena—with association of saintly persons; nirahankriyaya—without false ego; tatha—thus. TRANSLATION A devotee should always try to hear about spiritual matters and should always utilize his time in chanting the holy name of the Lord. His behavior should always be straightforward and simple, and although he is not envious but friendly to everyone, he should avoid the company of persons who are not spiritually advanced. PURPORT In order to advance in spiritual understanding, one has to hear from authentic sources about spiritual knowledge. One can understand the reality of spiritual life by following strict regulative principles and by controlling the senses. To have control it is necessary that one be nonviolent and truthful, refrain from stealing, abstain from sex life and possess only that which is absolutely necessary for keeping the body and soul together. One should not eat more than necessary, he should not collect more paraphernalia than necessary, he should not talk unnecessarily with common men, and he should not follow the rules and regulations without purpose. He should follow the rules and regulations so that he may actually make advancement. There are eighteen qualifications mentioned in Bhagavad-gita, among which is simplicity. One should be without pride; one should not demand unnecessary respect from others, and one should be nonviolent. Amanitvam adambhitvam ahimsa. One should be very tolerant and simple, one should accept the spiritual master, and one should control the senses. These are mentioned here and in Bhagavad-gita as well. One should hear from authentic sources how to advance in spiritual life; such instructions should be taken from the acarya and should be assimilated. It is especially mentioned here, nama-sankirtanac ca: one should chant the holy names of the Lord—Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—either individually or with others. Lord Caitanya has given special stress to chanting of these holy names of the Lord as the basic principle of spiritual advancement. Another word used here is arjavena, meaning “without diplomacy.” A devotee should not make plans out of self-interest. Of course, preachers sometimes have to make some plan to execute the mission of the Lord under proper guidance, but regarding personal self-interest, a devotee should always be without diplomacy, and he should avoid the company of persons who are not advancing in spiritual life. Another word is arya. Aryans are persons who are advancing in knowledge of Krsna consciousness as well as in material prosperity. The difference between the Aryan and non-Aryan, the sura and asura, is in their standards of spiritual advancement. Association with persons who are not spiritually advanced is forbidden. Lord Caitanya advised, asat-sanga-tyaga: one should avoid persons who are attached to the temporary. Asat is one who is too materially attached, who is not a devotee of the Lord and who is too attached to women or enjoyable material things. Such a person, according to Vaisnava philosophy, is a persona non grata. A devotee should not be proud of his acquisitions. The symptoms of a devotee are meekness and humility. Although spiritually very advanced, he will always remain meek and humble, as Kaviraja Gosvami and all the other Vaisnavas have taught us by personal example. Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught that one should be humbler than the grass on the street and more tolerant than the tree. One should not be proud or falsely puffed up. In this way one will surely advance in spiritual life. SB3.29.19 TEXT 19 mad-dharmano gunair etaih parisamsuddha asayah purusasyanjasabhyeti sruta-matra-gunam hi mam SYNONYMS mat-dharmanah—of My devotee; gunaih—with the attributes; etaih—these; parisamsuddhah—completely purified; asayah—consciousness; purusasya—of a person; anjasa—instantly; abhyeti—approaches; sruta—by hearing; matra—simply; gunam—quality; hi—certainly; mam—Me. TRANSLATION When one is fully qualified with all these transcendental attributes and his consciousness is thus completely purified, he is immediately attracted simply by hearing My name or hearing of My transcendental quality. PURPORT In the beginning of this instruction, the Lord explained to His mother that mad-guna-sruti-matrena, simply by hearing of the name, quality, form, etc., of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is immediately attracted. A person becomes fully qualified with all transcendental qualities by following the rules and regulations, as recommended in different scriptures. We have developed certain unnecessary qualities by material association, and by following the above process we become free from that contamination. To develop transcendental qualities, as explained in the previous verse, one must become free from these contaminated qualities. SB3.29.20 TEXT 20 yatha vata-ratho ghranam avrnkte gandha asayat evam yoga-ratam ceta atmanam avikari yat SYNONYMS yatha—as; vata—of air; rathah—the chariot; ghranam—sense of smell; avrnkte—catches; gandhah—aroma; asayat—from the source; evam—similarly; yoga-ratam—engaged in devotional service; cetah—consciousness; atmanam—the Supreme Soul; avikari—unchanging; yat—which. TRANSLATION As the chariot of air carries an aroma from its source and immediately catches the sense of smell, similarly, one who constantly engages in devotional service, in Krsna consciousness, can catch the Supreme Soul, who is equally present everywhere. PURPORT As a breeze carrying a pleasant fragrance from a garden of flowers at once captures the organ of smell, so one’s consciousness, saturated with devotion, can at once capture the transcendental existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who, in His Paramatma feature, is present everywhere, even in the heart of every living being. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is ksetra jna, present within this body, but He is also simultaneously present in every other body. Since the individual soul is present only in a particular body, he is altered when another individual soul does not cooperate with him. The Supersoul, however, is equally present everywhere. Individual souls may disagree, but the Supersoul, being equally present in every body, is called unchanging, or avikari. The individual soul, when fully saturated with Krsna consciousness, can understand the presence of the Supersoul. It is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita that (bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]) a person saturated with devotional service in full Krsna consciousness can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, either as Supersoul or as the Supreme Person. SB3.29.21 TEXT 21 aham sarvesu bhutesu bhutatmavasthitah sada tam avajnaya mam martyah kurute ’rca-vidambanam SYNONYMS aham—I; sarvesu—in all; bhutesu—living entities; bhuta-atma—the Supersoul in all beings; avasthitah—situated; sada—always; tam—that Supersoul; avajnaya—disregarding; mam—Me; martyah—a mortal man; kurute—performs; arca—of worship of the Deity; vidambanam—imitation. TRANSLATION I am present in every living entity as the Supersoul. If someone neglects or disregards that Supersoul everywhere and engages himself in the worship of the Deity in the temple, that is simply imitation. PURPORT In purified consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, one sees the presence of Krsna everywhere. If, therefore, one only engages in Deity worship in the temple and does not consider other living entities, then he is in the lowest grade of devotional service. One who worships the Deity in the temple and does not show respect to others is a devotee on the material platform, in the lowest stage of devotional service. A devotee should try to understand everything in relationship with Krsna and try to serve everything in that spirit. To serve everything means to engage everything in the service of Krsna. If a person is innocent and does not know his relationship with Krsna, an advanced devotee should try to engage him in the service of Krsna. One who is advanced in Krsna consciousness can engage not only the living being but everything in the service of Krsna. SB3.29.22 TEXT 22 yo mam sarvesu bhutesu santam atmanam isvaram hitvarcam bhajate maudhyad bhasmany eva juhoti sah SYNONYMS yah—one who; mam—Me; sarvesu—in all; bhutesu—living entities; santam—being present; atmanam—the Paramatma; isvaram—the Supreme Lord; hitva—disregarding; arcam—the Deity; bhajate—worships; maudhyat—because of ignorance; bhasmani—into ashes; eva—only; juhoti—offers oblations; sah—he. TRANSLATION One who worships the Deity of Godhead in the temples but does not know that the Supreme Lord, as Paramatma, is situated in every living entity’s heart, must be in ignorance and is compared to one who offers oblations into ashes. PURPORT It is stated clearly herein that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His plenary expansion of Supersoul, is present in all living entities. The living entities have 8,400,000 different kinds of bodies, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is living in every body both as the individual soul and as the Supersoul. Since the individual soul is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, in that sense the Lord is living in every body, and, as Supersoul, the Lord is also present as a witness. In both cases the presence of God in every living entity is essential. Therefore persons who profess to belong to some religious sect but who do not feel the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in every living entity, and everywhere else, are in the mode of ignorance. If, without this preliminary knowledge of the Lord’s omnipresence, one simply attaches himself to the rituals in a temple, church or mosque, it is as if he were offering butter into ashes rather than into the fire. One offers sacrifices by pouring clarified butter into a fire and chanting Vedic mantras, but even if there are Vedic mantras and all conditions are favorable, if the clarified butter is poured on ashes, then such a sacrifice will be useless. In other words, a devotee should not ignore any living entity. The devotee must know that in every living entity, however insignificant he may be, even in an ant, God is present, and therefore every living entity should be kindly treated and should not be subjected to any violence. In modern civilized society, slaughterhouses are regularly maintained and supported by a certain type of religious principle. But without knowledge of the presence of God in every living entity, any so-called advancement of human civilization, either spiritual or material, is to be understood as being in the mode of ignorance. SB3.29.23 TEXT 23 dvisatah para-kaye mam manino bhinna-darsinah bhutesu baddha-vairasya na manah santim rcchati SYNONYMS dvisatah—of one who is envious; para-kaye—towards the body of another; mam—unto Me; maninah—offering respect; bhinna-darsinah—of a separatist; bhutesu—towards living entities; baddha-vairasya—of one who is inimical; na—not; manah—the mind; santim—peace; rcchati—attains. TRANSLATION One who offers Me respect but is envious of the bodies of others and is therefore a separatist never attains peace of mind, because of his inimical behavior towards other living entities. PURPORT In this verse, two phrases, bhutesu baddha-vairasya (“inimical towards others”) and dvisatah para-kaye (“envious of another’s body”), are significant. One who is envious of or inimical towards others never experiences any happiness. A devotee’s vision, therefore, must be perfect. He should ignore bodily distinctions and should see only the presence of the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, and the Lord Himself in His plenary expansion as Supersoul. That is the vision of a pure devotee. The bodily expression of a particular type of living entity is always ignored by the devotee. It is expressed herein that the Lord is always eager to deliver the conditioned souls, who have been encaged within material bodies. Devotees are expected to carry the message or desire of the Lord to such conditioned souls and enlighten them with Krsna consciousness. Thus they may be elevated to transcendental, spiritual life, and the mission of their lives will be successful. Of course this is not possible for living entities who are lower than human beings, but in human society it is feasible that all living entities can be enlightened with Krsna consciousness. Even living entities who are lower than human can be raised to Krsna consciousness by other methods. For example, Sivananda Sena, a great devotee of Lord Caitanya, delivered a dog by feeding him prasada. Distribution of prasada, or remnants of foodstuffs offered to the Lord, even to the ignorant masses of people and to animals, gives such living entities the chance for elevation to Krsna consciousness. Factually it happened that the same dog, when met by Lord Caitanya at Puri, was liberated from the material condition. It is especially mentioned here that a devotee must be free from all violence (jivahimsa). Lord Caitanya has recommended that a devotee not commit violence to any living entity. Sometimes the question is raised that since vegetables also have life and devotees take vegetable foodstuffs, isn’t that violence? Firstly, however, taking some leaves, twigs or fruit from a tree or plant does not kill the plant. Besides that, jivahimsa means that since every living entity has to pass through a particular type of body according to his past karma, although every living entity is eternal, he should not be disturbed in his gradual evolution. A devotee has to execute the principles of devotional service exactly as they are, and he must know that however insignificant a living entity may be, the Lord is present within him. A devotee must realize this universal presence of the Lord. SB3.29.24 TEXT 24 aham uccavacair dravyaih kriyayotpannayanaghe naiva tusye ’rcito ’rcayam bhuta-gramavamaninah SYNONYMS aham—I; ucca-avacaih—with various; dravyaih—paraphernalia; kriyaya—by religious rituals; utpannaya—accomplished; anaghe—O sinless mother; na—not; eva—certainly; tusye—am pleased; arcitah—worshiped; arcayam—in the Deity form; bhuta-grama—to other living entities; avamaninah—with those who are disrespectful. TRANSLATION My dear Mother, even if he worships with proper rituals and paraphernalia, a person who is ignorant of My presence in all living entities never pleases Me by the worship of My Deities in the temple. PURPORT There are sixty-four different prescriptions for worship of the Deity in the temple. There are many items offered to the Deity, some valuable and some less valuable. It is prescribed in Bhagavad-gita: “If a devotee offers Me a small flower, a leaf, some water or a little fruit, I will accept it.” The real purpose is to exhibit one’s loving devotion to the Lord; the offerings themselves are secondary. If one has not developed loving devotion to the Lord and simply offers many kinds of foodstuffs, fruits and flowers without real devotion, the offering will not be accepted by the Lord. We cannot bribe the Personality of Godhead. He is so great that our bribery has no value. Nor has He any scarcity; since He is full in Himself, what can we offer Him? Everything is produced by Him. We simply offer to show our love and gratitude to the Lord. This gratitude and love for God is exhibited by a pure devotee, who knows that the Lord lives in every living entity. As such, temple worship necessarily includes distribution of prasada. It is not that one should create a temple in his private apartment or private room, offer something to the Lord, and then eat. Of course, that is better than simply cooking foodstuffs and eating without understanding one’s relationship with the Supreme Lord; people who act in this manner are just like animals. But the devotee who wants to elevate himself to the higher level of understanding must know that the Lord is present in every living entity, and, as stated in the previous verse, one should be compassionate to other living entities. A devotee should worship the Supreme Lord, be friendly to persons who are on the same level and be compassionate to the ignorant. One should exhibit his compassion for ignorant living entities by distributing prasada. Distribution of prasada to the ignorant masses of people is essential for persons who make offerings to the Personality of Godhead. Real love and devotion is accepted by the Lord. Many valuable foodstuffs may be presented to a person, but if the person is not hungry, all such offerings are useless for him. Similarly, we may offer many valuable items to the Deity, but if we have no real sense of devotion and no real sense of the Lord’s presence everywhere, then we are lacking in devotional service; in such a state of ignorance, we cannot offer anything acceptable to the Lord. SB3.29.25 TEXT 25 arcadav arcayet tavad isvaram mam sva-karma-krt yavan na veda sva-hrdi sarva-bhutesv avasthitam SYNONYMS arca-adau—beginning with worship of the Deity; arcayet—one should worship; tavat—so long; isvaram—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mam—Me; sva—his own; karma—prescribed duties; krt—performing; yavat—as long as; na—not; veda—he realizes; sva-hrdi—in his own heart; sarva-bhutesu—in all living entities; avasthitam—situated. TRANSLATION Performing his prescribed duties, one should worship the Deity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead until one realizes My presence in his own heart and in the hearts of other living entities as well. PURPORT Worship of the Deity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is prescribed herewith even for persons who are simply discharging their prescribed duties. There are prescribed duties for the different social classes of men—the brahmanas, the vaisyas, the ksatriyas and the sudras—and for the different asramas—brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. One should worship the Deity of the Lord until one appreciates the presence of the Lord in every living entity. In other words, one should not be satisfied simply by discharging his duties properly; he must realize his relationship and the relationship of all other living entities with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If he does not understand this, then even though he discharges his prescribed duties properly, it is to be understood that he is simply laboring without profit. The word sva-karma-krt in this verse is very significant. Sva-karma-krt is one who engages in discharging his prescribed duties. It is not that one who has become a devotee of the Lord or who engages in devotional service should give up his prescribed duties. No one should be lazy under the plea of devotional service. One has to execute devotional service according to his prescribed duties. Sva-karma-krt means that one should discharge the duties prescribed for him without neglect.