SB 3.25.25

सतां प्रसङ्गान्मम वीर्यसंविदो भवन्ति हृत्कर्णरसायनाः कथाः ।
तज्जोषणादाश्वपवर्गवर्त्मनि श्रद्धा रतिर्भक्तिरनुक्रमिष्यति ॥२५॥

satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido
bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ
taj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmani
śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati

satāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsatam

among elevated devotees; by great devotees; by the devotees; civilized gentlemen; devotees; good; of all devotees; of devotees; of great saintly persons; of persons who prefer the impersonal feature of the Lord; of pure devotees; of saintly persons; of the devotees; of the devotees of the Lord; of the great devotees; of the great sages; of the most respectable; of the pious; of the saintly persons; of the transcendentalists; of the truthful; of the Vaiṣṇavas; of the virtuous; of those who are spiritually fixed; of those who are to exist eternally; to the saintly.—of pure devotees; prasaṅgātplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigprasaṅgāt

because of bad association or increased association with material desires; because of their association; bu the intimate association; by intimate association; by the intimate association; from the heart; from the topics; through the association.—through the association; mamaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmama

by me; by Me personally; false conception; for me; for myself; from me; it is mine; me; mind; mine ("everything in relationship with this body is mine"); Mine; my (my land, my country, my family, my community, my religion); my; of Me; of Mine; of My; that; to Me; toward me; unto me; with me.—My; vīryaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvīrya

of his valor; of valor or prowess; potency; power; prowess; seed; strength; the power; the supreme power; wonderful activities.—wonderful activities; saṁvidaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsamvidah

by discussion of.—by discussion of; bhavantiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhavanti

abide; all become possible; appear; are; are existing; are generated; arise; become; become possible; can become; exist; flourish; grow; there are; they become.—become; hṛtplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bighṛt

heart; in the heart; of the heart; the heart; to the heart; whose hearts; with the heart; within the heart.—to the heart; karṇaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkarṇa

and to the ears; ear; ears; Karṇa; of the ear; on the ears; the ear; the ears; through the ears; to the ear.—to the ear; rasaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigrasa

and mellows; and of mellows; humor; in mellows; juice; mellow; mellows; of mellow; of mellows; of the mellow; of the mellows; of the nectar; of the transcendental mellow; of transcendental mellows; such a mellow; taste; the juice; the juices; the mellow; the mellows; the mellows of love; these transcendental mellows; transcendental mellow; transcendental mellows; with humors.-ayanāḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigayanah

the body of an ordinary living being is fully dependent on the material elements.—pleasing; kathāḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkathah

messages or instructions; narrations; narratives; stories; talks; the stories; the topics; topics; words.—the stories; tatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtat

establishment of the statement tat tvam asi.—of that; joṣaṇātplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigjoṣaṇāt

by cultivation; from proper cultivation.—by cultivation; āśuplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigasu

for the protection of one's life; life air; life airs; life breath; of the life force; the life air; vital force; whose breath.—quickly; apavargaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigapavarga

cessation of bodily existence; ending; in liberation; of liberation; of transcendental loving service; on the path of liberation; the path of liberation.—of liberation; vartmaniplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvartmani

on the path; on the path of.—on the path; śraddhāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsraddha

by devotion; by faith; faith; faith in goodness, not in passion and ignorance; firm faith; firm faith, or disinterest in material affairs and interest in spiritual advancement; respect; with faith; Śraddhā.—firm faith; ratiḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigratiḥ

a sexual relationship; attachment; attachment for sense gratification; attachment with love and affection; attracting; attraction; attraction or ecstatic devotional service; being attracted to; intimate relation; love; the attraction.—attraction; bhaktiḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhaktiḥ

devotion; devotional service; devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; engagement in devotional service; feelings of devotional service; love; love and devotion; loving service; the devotional service; the nine kinds of devotional service, such as śravaṇa, kīrtana and smaraṇa; transcendental loving service; who possesses devotional service.—devotion; anukramiṣyatiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biganukramiṣyati

will follow in order; will follow one after another.—will follow in order. ¶

In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion and devotional service begin. ¶

The process of advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotional service is described here. The first point is that one must seek the association of persons who are Kṛṣṇa conscious and who engage in devotional service. Without such association one cannot make advancement. Simply by theoretical knowledge or study one cannot make any appreciable advancement. One must give up the association of materialistic persons and seek the association of devotees because without the association of devotees one cannot understand the activities of the Lord. Generally, people are convinced of the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth. Because they do not associate with devotees, they cannot understand that the Absolute Truth can be a person and have personal activities. This is a very difficult subject matter, and unless one has personal understanding of the Absolute Truth, there is no meaning to devotion. Service or devotion cannot be offered to anything impersonal. Service must be offered to a person. Nondevotees cannot appreciate Kṛṣṇa consciousness by reading the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or any other Vedic literature wherein the activities of the Lord are described; they think that these activities are fictional, manufactured stories because spiritual life is not explained to them in the proper mood. To understand the personal activities of the Lord, one has to seek the association of devotees, and by such association, when one contemplates and tries to understand the transcendental activities of the Lord, the path to liberation is open, and he is freed. One who has firm faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes fixed, and his attraction for association with the Lord and the devotees increases. Association with devotees means association with the Lord. The devotee who makes this association develops the consciousness for rendering service to the Lord, and then, being situated in the transcendental position of devotional service, he gradually becomes perfect. ¶