Some repeatedly claim that the devotee should not aspire to personally serve Krsna in a particular Rasa because Krsna being self satisfied and being served by His Nitya Parikaras "do not need our service".
Srila Prabhupada explains that this statement is not valid.
"The Lord is full in Himself; He does not require our service, but if we render service unto Him in love and devotion, such action enriches our very existence." (Srila Prabhupada, Los Angeles, 16 February, 1970)
Aspire to get his/her original constitutional form is not for personal enjoyment, but with this constitutional form the devotee can serve Radha Krsna perfectly.
In the eighteenth chapter of Nectar of Devotion Srila Prabhupada explains:
"When someone is sufficiently anxious to obtain success in devotional service, it is called Samutkantha. This means complete anxiety. In fact, this anxiety is the price to get success in Krsna consciousness.
In the Skanda Purana there is a statement regarding submission to the lotus feet of the Lord. There is said that those who are sober devotees can offer their submission to Krsna in the following three ways:
1) Samprathanatmika - offering prayers with much feeling.
2) Dainyavodhika - submitting humbly.
3) Lalasamayi - desiring some stage of perfection.
Wish some stage of perfection in spiritual life is not sense gratification. When a person understands something about the constitutional relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he understands what is his original position and wants to be reinstated in that position, either as a friend, or as a servant, or as a father (or mother) or as a conjugal lover of Krsna.
This is called Lalasamayi, or feel very intense desire to achieve our natural position."
A devotee is Akama (free from material desires) but wants to serve Sri Sri Radha Krsna and he intensely wishes (Lalasamayi) achieve his original constitutional relationship not for personal enjoyment but to serve fully Sri Sri Radha Syamasundara.
In fact, intensely desire to achieve our position as servants in a specific Rasa is not sensory gratification, is a proof of submission.
This intense desire begins when Lobha awakens (and this may occur in the early stages of sadhu sanga, bhajana kriya, etc) and reaches perfection in Svarupa Siddhi in Bhava.
Another claim presented Siksastakam 4:
"I only want Your causeless devotional service birth after birth."
Some take this statement to mean that we should not aspire to serve Krsna in the spiritual world. But here birth after birth means until reaching the perfection of devotional service.
Another valid argument is that we can remain in this material world and participate in spreading the Sankirtana movement of Mahaprabhu in this lifetime being a Jīvan-mukta.
"It is possible to engage in transcendental loving service to the Lord and become jīvan-mukta, a liberated soul, even while in the material body." (CC Adi 2.91-92)
However, once achieved perfection, in the next birth being born in the womb of a Gopi in another universe, the devotee engages in eternally serving Sri Sri Radha Krsna in the spiritual world.
Once reaching the spiritual world, Siddhas come to this material world just accompanying Krsna or with a very special mission. In general Gurus are Sadhana Siddhas.
Supposedly, Iskcon should be a society of Gosthyanandi Raganuga Bhaktas.
The problem is when some just want the part of Gosthyanandi and do not want the part of Raganuga.
Or otherwise, some just want the part of Raganuga and do not want the part of Gosthyanandi.
But attention, Gosthyanandi do not simply refers to externally hearing, chanting and following the other Angas of Bhakti. Gosthyanandi means daily go out and spread profusely the Holy Name and Srila Prabhupada's books.
Prabhupada's Iskcon and Bhaktisiddhanta's Gaudiya Matha were and are successful in the external spread of Mahaprabhu's movement and showed how to do it for the other Gaudiya Vaishnavas. But Iskcon and GM can not neglect the internal practice of the process.
seva Sadhaka Rupena Siddha Rupena catra hi ...
“What's wrong with desiring Krishna's and his friend's association? That is the characteristic of the Braja relationships. Even though the purest devotees might say other things, not wanting Krishna's association easily border on impersonalism for us western fallen souls. Not wanting personal relationship might sound like a good 'spiritual' idea in the mood of santa rasa, but for a fallen soul it is easily an excuse for a lack of taste for personal relationship with Krishna. A deep hole we should be very careful to not fall into.”
In the following quote, Sripada Namanandi Aindra Das Prabhu warns about the danger of neglecting the deepening of internal conceptualization of Krishna’s service, which can result in the practitioner “a devotional vacuum” that will take to fill it with subtle and gross mundane Rasas . Or in other words, “chewing the chewed”:
“It’s not enough simply to know the denial that “I’m not “this” [illusory material] body.”
There comes a certain point, an individual seriously inquisitive inevitably asks, “If I’m not “this” body, which body then am I?”
More than the idea of being an indescribable “eternal servant of Krishna” and being a spiritual entity, as well as psycho-physical tabernacle currently acquired, could theoretically be quite entrenched in the brain, just the realization that “I am not “this” body” without cultivating a more internal spiritual concept tends to give the “I” an internal spiritual dissatisfaction “formless” (nirakara) vulnerable to a corporeal nostalgic selfishness that “something is better than nothing” and the individual return to the subtle or gross mundane Rasas.” (Sripada Aindra Dasa Prabhuji)
"The duty of all devotees is to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness everywhere all over the world, because all living entities without Kṛṣṇa consciousness are suffering the pangs of material existence. To preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the best welfare activity. Indeed, it is described by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as para-upakāra, work for the true benefit of others." (SB 7.7.53)
"A Kṛṣṇa conscious person should free himself from the clutches of māyā, and he should also be compassionate to all others suffering in those clutches. The activities of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are meant not only for oneself but for others also. This is the perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness." (SB 6,2,36-37)
"There are two kinds of devotees of the Lord. One is called goṣṭhyānandī, which means those who are preachers and have many followers for preaching the glories of the Lord and who live among those many, many followers just to organize missionary activities. Other devotees are ātmānandī (bhajanānandī), or self-satisfied, and do not take the risk of preaching work." (SB 3.24.34)
http://www.wsnl.net/hist/WSNnew.htm
Both, external and internal. Not only external and not only internal.
CC Antya 4.102 — “Some behave very well but do not preach the cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whereas others preach but do not behave properly.
CC Antya 4.103 — “You simultaneously perform both duties in relation to the holy name by your personal behavior and by your preaching. Therefore you are the spiritual master of the entire world, for you are the most advanced devotee in the world.”
