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Title
Bhagavata Sevarpanam
A Glimpse of the Relationship Between a Disciple and the Spiritual Master in the Tradition of Bhagavata Culture
Description
Bhagavata Sevarpanam means an offering of service unto a Bhagavata. The Vedic literatures explain that there are two kinds of Bhagavatas, the book Bhagavata (Srimad-Bhagavatam) and the person Bhagavata (a pure devotee of God). They are both representatives of Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The Srimad- Bhagavatam, the ripened fruit of the tree of all Vedic knowledge, states in verse 1.2.18:
naṣṭa-prayeṣv abhadresu
nityam bhāgavata-sevayā
bhagavaty uttama-śloke
bhaktir bhavati naisthiki
By regular hearing of the Srimad-Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, Who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.
Rendering service to the person Bhagavata, or the pure servant of God is described throughout the Vedic literatures as being more effective and more pleasing to the Lord than rendering service to the Supreme Lord directly. God is so merciful upon His pure servant that He presents His beloved servant as more powerful than Himself. In the Adi Purana the Supreme Lord has Himself stated, “Those who are my direct devotees are actually not my devotees, but those who are the devotees of my servants are factually my devotees.”
The person Bhagavata will always come in the line of a genuine disciplic succession from the Lord. It is through this disciplic succession that the divine principle is transmitted to the humble spiritual aspirant. Sripada Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja, by rendering his sincere and loving service to his spiritual master Srila Prabhupada, who comes through the spiritual lineage of the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya, is a perfect example of Bhagavata Sevarpanam.
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“If you are sincere and very serious about understanding the meaning of life then the Lord will arrange to send someone so that you can get that knowledge.”
– Dr. T. D. Singh, Scientist & Saint