Different categories of devotional service (Srimad Bhagavatam #40)

In the previous chapters, Lord Kapila already described the creation and structure of the material world and how the soul becomes entrapped in it, as well as the process of devotional service by which the soul can become free. Just as material life starts when the soul's consciousness becomes focused on the material world, liberation comes when our consciousness is transferred back to Krishna. This original, transcendental consciousness of the soul is what Srila Prabhupada defines as Krishna Consciousness. That's what we have to reattain somehow or another. Full Krishna Consciousness is however not something we attain from one moment to another. In some cases, it may be so, due to some causeless mercy, but in general, it is something we develop gradually by following the process of sadhana-bhakti. This means that between the contaminated state when we are fully immersed in material life, and the fully liberated state when our spiritual consciousness is fully restored, there are many intermediate stages where we are trying to practice devotional service while still acting under the three modes of material nature. Although devotional service is transcendental, it can be executed under the material modes. Just like the light of the sun when passed through a blue, red, or yellow glass assumes these different colors, devotional service when executed by a person conditioned by the three material modes may be expressed through these three modes, and thus the practical actions of the devotee may show qualities that are not exactly transcendental. For us to be able to become free from these contaminations, the first step is to understand them. That's the next step in the detailed explanations given by Lord Kapila. He then proceeds to describe other practical details of the practice of devotional service. Get full access to Mysteries of the Vedas (Caitanya Chandra Dasa) at www.ccdas.net/subscribe