# The Nine Processes *On the nine limbs of devotional service* --- ### The Nine Processes > There are nine processes of devotional service, of which, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sākhyam ātma-nivedanam. These are different nine processes. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Śravaṇam means hearing, and kīrtanam means chanting. Chanting. — [[spoken/1966/660909le.ny|Lecture on Mahā-mantra, New York, 1966]] --- ### Hearing, Chanting, Remembering > Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātmā-nivedanam. These are nine processes of devotional service, of which śravanam, hearing, is most important. Without hearing, nobody can understand the science of God. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### Hearing Develops into Chanting > Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ. Next stage is developed. That is development. If one has actually heard nicely, then he will speak nicely. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ smaraṇaṁ. Then consciousness will automatically develop, because when you speak or you hear, unless your mind is concentrated, your consciousness is right, you cannot rightly hear or speak. — [[spoken/1969/690510r1.col|Room Conversation, Columbus, 1969]] --- ### Activity Begins > Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam. And then the development, "How I shall serve Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is so loving. Kṛṣṇa is so great," that automatically comes. Not silent, but activity. Pāda-sevanam means that activity begins immediately. — [[spoken/1969/690510r1.col|Room Conversation, Columbus, 1969]] --- ### One Item Sufficient > So out of the nine... If you can execute all the nine, it is very good. But it is not possible. So even if you can execute one item, you become perfect. It is so nice. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### Parīkṣit Mahārāja's Example > Śrī viṣṇu śravane parīkṣit. Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he simply executed the function of hearing, he got perfection. Similarly, abhavad vaiyāsakī kīrtane. Vaiyāsakī means Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he simply glorified the Lord. Prahlādaḥ smarane. Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was simply meditating. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### Vandanam—Offering Prayers > Vandanam, offering prayer. We also offer prayer. The other religious sect, just like the Christians, they offer prayer; the Muhammadans, they offer prayer. So prayer, offering prayer, is also one of the item of bhakti. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### All Together > Chanting, hearing, meditating, offering prayers, arcanam, worshiping the Deity in the temple, all of them are together devotional service. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### Last Item Is Surrender > In this way, last item is sarvātma-snapanaṁ. Sarvātma..., ātma-samarpaṇam, sarvātma-samarpaṇam. Bali Mahārāja, just like: giving, giving, giving, giving, giving, giving. Then, when Vamanadeva asked, "Now, Bali Mahārāja, you have lost everything. Still I have got another leg, another foot, to place." "Yes. There is one thing. It is my head. Come on." — [[spoken/1969/690510r1.col|Room Conversation, Columbus, 1969]] --- ### Highest Perfectional Life > There are many examples. Simply by following one principle of this devotional service, they got the highest perfectional life, liberation, back to home, back to Godhead. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on the nine processes* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]