Necessary to Strictly Follow Bhakti Path?

Sometimes when neophyte devotees see persons who claim to follow the path of Krishna consciousess but who do not to follow it strictly they may wonder how important it is to strictly follow this path. To answer this question lets's see what Lord Krishna and Srila Prabhupada have to say. First of all here's what Krishna says:

yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya
vartate kāma-kārataḥ
na sa siddhim avāpnoti
na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim

"He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination." --Bhagavad-gita 16.23

In reference to this verse Srila Prabhupada writes:

"One who does not strictly follow the terms of the Vedic injunctions never attains success in life or happiness. And what to speak of going home, back to Godhead."

So those who do not strictly follow the path of bhakti are not qualified to go back to Godhead. In the following quote from Srila Prabhupada's purport to Bhagavad-gita 9.14 we see that those who do strictly follow the bhakti path are sure to go back to Godhead:

"All these rules and regulations are offered by the great acaryas for those who are actually interested in getting admission into the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the transcendental world. The mahatmas, great souls, strictly observe all these rules and regulations, and therefore they are sure to achieve the desired result."

So the conclusion is that if you want true happiness in this life and if you want to attain the spiritual world at the time of death, you must strictly follow the rules and regulations of the bhakti yoga system. There are sixty-four basic items of bhakti to be followed. Of these the first ten given below (as listed in Chapter Six of the Nectar of Devotion) are the most important:

(1) accepting the shelter of the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master,

(2) becoming initiated by the spiritual master and learning how to discharge devotional service from him,

(3) obeying the orders of the spiritual master with faith and devotion,

(4) following in the footsteps of great acaryas (teachers) under the direction of the spiritual master,

(5) inquiring from the spiritual master how to advance in Krishna consciousness,

(6) being prepared to give up anything material for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Krishna (this means that when we are engaged in the devotional service of Krishna, we must be prepared to give up something which we may not like to give up, and also we have to accept something which we may not like to accept),

(7) residing in a sacred place of pilgrimage like Dvaraka or Vrindavan (this includes making your home as good as Vrindavan by making Krishna the center of your home),

(8) accepting only what is necessary, or dealing with the material world only as far as necessary,

(9) observing the fasting day on Ekadasi and

(10) worshiping sacred trees like the banyan tree (this includes worshiping the sacred tulasi tree).

Srila Prabhupada says:

"These ten items are preliminary necessities for beginning the discharge of devotional service in regulative principles. In the beginning, if a neophyte devotee observes the above-mentioned ten principles, sure he will quickly make good advancement in Krishna consciousness."

Anyone who wants to become Krishna conscious without following these injuctions is living in a great hallucination.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Devotees Ecstatic in Prabhupada's Association

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: Why Is the Soul Called Immovable?

Respected Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Thank you for your most inspiring messages on the Net.
My question is: In Bhagavad-gita 2.24, why is the soul called immovable?

Your servant,
Mohan dasa

Answer: It Remains Situated in One Place

Krishna calls the soul immovable because it always remains in the same place in your body. For example, in a heart transplant when the old heart is removed and a new one is put in, the soul remains in same place switching its seat from the old heart to the new heart. Therefore it is immovable.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari