Verse Text
keṣāṁcit kvacid aṅgānāṁ yat kṣudraṁ śrūyate phalaṁ |
bahir-mukha-pravṛttyaitat kintu mukhyaṁ phalaṁ ratiḥ ||245||
Translation
In some of the verses quoted from the scriptures, material results are attributed to the aṅgas for attracting persons possessing material consciousness. However, the main result of these aṅgas is rati (bhāva).
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
The main result can be understood from the following verses.
akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṁ param
Whether one is without desire [the condition of the devotees], or is desirous of all fruitive results, or is after liberation, one should with all efforts try to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead with intense devotion (bhāva). SB 2.3.10
satyaṁ diśaty arthitam arthito nṛṇāṁ
naivārthado yat punar arthitā yataḥ
svayaṁ vidhatte bhajatām anicchatām
icchāpidhānaṁ nija-pāda-pallavam
The Supreme Personality of Godhead fulfills the material desires of a devotee who approaches Him with such motives, but He does not bestow benedictions upon the devotee that will cause him to demand more benedictions again. However, the Lord willingly gives the devotee shelter at His own lotus feet, even though such a person does not aspire for it, and that shelter satisfies all his desires. That is the Supreme Personality’s special mercy. SB 5.19.27
kāmaṁ ca dāsye na tu kāma-kāmyayā
yathottamaśloka-janāśrayā ratiḥ
Indeed, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa never desired anything for his own sense gratification. He engaged all his senses in devotional service, in various engagements related to the Lord. This is the way to increase attachment for the Lord and be completely free from all material desires. SB 9.4.20
However, for those persons with material inclinations, material results are mentioned. For the real devotees, rati is the result, because rati is produced simply by hearing about the qualities of the Lord. Even though this worship is easy, it produces results that cannot be attained by other processes. Therefore, bhāva or rati is the main result of practicing the aṅgas of bhakti. Though the result of sādhana-bhakti is bhāva, that bhava or rati also has many varieties according to which of the many forms of the aṁśī, Kṛṣṇa, the person is worshipping.
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
In these statements about devotional service, sometimes it may appear that the results have been overestimated, but actually there is no overestimation. Some devotees, as revealed scriptures give evidence, have had immediate results by such association, although this is not possible for all. For example, the Kumāras immediately became devotees simply by smelling the incense in the temple. Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura simply heard about Kṛṣṇa and then immediately gave up his beautiful girlfriend and started out for Mathurā and Vṛndāvana, where he became a perfect Vaiṣṇava. So these statements are not overestimations, nor are they stories. They are actual facts, but are true for certain devotees and do not necessarily apply to all. These descriptions, even if considered overestimations, must be taken as they are, in order to divert our attention from the fleeting material beauty to the eternal beauty of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And for a person who is already in contact with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the described results are not unusual.