There are different stages of devotional service – when all unwanted things are finished, at that time, nistha, firm faith

httpv://youtu.be/YLjFlFFrsPo
video: Srila Prabhupada ~ *Bhajan music*

Prabhupada, Los Angeles, August 21, 1972: […] The more you eat, your hunger is satisfied. You feel strength, you feel satisfaction. Similarly, the more you advance in Krishna consciousness, you feel comfortable, released from the material discomforts. In this way, nasta-prayesu. Gradual process.

So nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya [SB 1.2.18]. Not all cleansed, but praya, say, seventy-five (%) cleansed. At that time, you become fixed-up in devotional service, naisthiki. There are different stages of devotional service. That I have explained several times. First of all, sraddha, sadhu-sanga, bhajana-kriya, anartha-nivrttih syat. When anartha-nivrttih syat, all unwanted things are finished, at that time, nistha, firm faith.

So bhagavaty uttama-sloke bhaktir bhavati naisthiki. So, so long there are dirty things, our faith and devotion in Krishna is not very fixed up, sometimes we deviate, we go away. But then nasta-prayesu, when seventy-five percent of the dirty things are cleansed, then our faith in God becomes fixed up. Bhagavaty uttama-sloke.

Uttama, uttama means udgata-tama. This material world is tama, ignorance, darkness. And Krishna is beyond this material world; therefore He is called para. Para means transcendental. So uttama-sloka. So when we offer our prayers to Krishna, they are not ordinary words. Therefore those who are not liberated soul, they cannot offer prayers actually.

We have to repeat the prayers offered by liberated soul, not by ordinary man. Because he is not yet uttama, he is not yet in the transcendental platform. Therefore we don’t allow songs which are not sung by liberated souls like Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Narottama dasa Thakura. They are liberated souls. We don’t allow any literature which is not given by liberated soul. Literatures, they are always following Vedic principles.

Vedas, the original transcendental literature, and any literature which is produced under the guidance of Vedic literature, that is also nice. That is perfect. Therefore whenever we write something, we give immediately Vedic evidence. We give some Sanskrit verse. This means that we are not manufacturing ourself. Full Lecture