2. "Any activity that is not performed out of pure love is not pure bhakti."

 



Question:
When we act out of a sense of duty, is it bhakti?

Answer:
Feelings of duty, debt and so forth are functions of the mind. They are not the characteristics or constitutional nature of the soul. A sense of obligation operates on the level of the mind, intelligence and false ego, whereas bhakti functions on the level of the soul. Any activity that is not performed out of pure love is not pure bhakti. Acts that are performed with divine affection are alone pure bhakti. Duty is but a regulation. The characteristic nature of the soul is bhakti, and the characteristic nature of the mind is a sense of duty. Acting according to the characteristic nature of the soul is the only way to secure our real welfare. 

- by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda





Translated by the Rays of The Harmonist team
from Śrīla Prabhupādera Upadeśāmṛta


Rays of The Harmonist On-line, Year 1 & 14, Issue 3, "Who Is a True Disciple?", is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License to ensure that it is always freely available. You may redistribute this article if you include this license and attribute it to Rays of The Harmonist.




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