The authentic path in bhakti is subtle
Question: How do you balance living an authentic life with the advice and opinions given by devotees who are mentors or almost gurus. Sometimes you may feel you have to neglect their advice and do what you think is right. On the other hand, you’re unsure if you’re just being whimsical.
Answer: When we want to reach a goal, we need advice from others. But sometimes we have seen that when taking such advice, we don’t reach our goal. As one example, in the past in Germany sometimes older devotees advised about marriage partners. Now, our divorce rate is greater than even that of the general society because of this. They thought: “it’s an older devotee, I have to follow.” We respect all devotees, all of them. However, advice is best taken from like-minded devotees, as Rupa Gosvami recommends. They will understand your situation and they will be able to give you the guidance that is appropriate for you. Also, you can see that there are some sadhus who may not understand all your activities and everything you have to do in your service, but they understand other aspects, like chanting, for example.
However, that does not mean you should pick something from here and something from there as you please. If you simply follow your own mind, you often have a fool as a guru. Some advice is required to get you to another level. Like-minded devotees will also not be wishy-washy. They will tell you where there is room for improvement.
In the end, bhakti is something you need to balance, and this is very fine and subtle. You can know you are on the right path when you immediately experience a light feeling – even if it means you have to surrender very heavily. There is the voice of the Lord in the heart. By this, you immediately recognize truth from untruth, even if you have to surrender to the truth you may not like.
Form a lecture by Sacinandana Swami at Goloka-dhama, February 22, 2024.
Srila Prabhupada: Freedom is the main pivot in devotional service
Every living being is anxious for full freedom because that is his transcendental nature. And this freedom is obtained only through the transcendental service of the Lord. Illusioned by the external energy, everyone thinks that he is free, but actually he is bound up by the laws of nature. A conditioned soul cannot freely move from one place to another even on this earth, and what to speak of moving from one planet to another. But a full-fledged free soul like Narada, always engaged in chanting the Lord’s glory, is free to move not only on earth but also in any part of the universe, as well as in any part of the spiritual sky. We can just imagine the extent and unlimitedness of his freedom, which is as good as that of the Supreme Lord. There is no reason or obligation for his traveling, and no one can stop him from his free movement. Similarly, the transcendental system of devotional service is also free. It may or may not develop in a particular person even after he undergoes all the detailed formulas. Similarly, the association of the devotee is also free. One may be fortunate to have it, or one may not have it even after thousands of endeavors. Therefore, in all spheres of devotional service, freedom is the main pivot. Without freedom there is no execution of devotional service. The freedom surrendered to the Lord does not mean that the devotee becomes dependent in every respect. To surrender unto the Lord through the transparent medium of the spiritual master is to attain complete freedom of life..
From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.6.37