SB 3.7.20 - Qualification of getting a chance to serve a pure devotee

[Bhagavat-Sangi-Sangasya]

SB 3.7.20 - Qualification of getting a chance to serve a pure devotee

duräpä hy alpa-tapasaù

sevä vaikuëöha-vartmasu

yatropagéyate nityaà

deva-devo janärdanaù

-Srimad Bhagavatam 3.7.20

TRANSLATION

 Persons whose austerity is meager can hardly obtain the service of the pure devotees who are progressing on the path back to the kingdom of Godhead, the Vaikuëöhas. Pure devotees engage one hundred percent in glorifying the Supreme Lord, who is the Lord of the demigods and the controller of all living entities.

This verse is speaking about the qualification of getting a chance to serve a pure devotee. That qualification is - tapasaù  or austerities. This means we should be ready to accept some inconveniences for the sake of serving devotees. In a practical scenario, we may need to spend some money on accommodating some devotees in our home or we may like to give them some gifts or we may like to offer them Krishna Prasad. All these services require some physical as well as financial resources. But if someone is ready to offer these supports, if not financial then at least physical, then that person will get the chance to serve devotees.

Now, one may ask a question – why should we serve the devotees? A straight forward answer is – Because Krishna will be more pleased when we are serving His devotees than we are serving Him directly, as stated by Krishna Himself in Srimad Bhagavatam.

Lesson: Don’t get worried while undergoing some inconveniences for serving devotees as it is ultimately going to please Krishna.