constantly absorb their thoughts in Me, and their life they abandon to Me. Because they have not yearned for any form of liberation or material enjoyment, I take them to Me, among My eternal companions, in My absolute kingdom.
My devotees, who wholeheartedly serve Me every second, are ready to do anything for My pleasure, and this is especially true of the fortunate, who gather for the purpose of scrutinizing nature sublime of My form, My entertainment and My attributes. Thus they glorify Me, drawing from these acts a very spiritual joy, so that they never desire to merge in Me, nor to reign as I do in My kingdom, to possess riches similar to Mine, or even to live in My company, with features like Mine. They even refuse these blessings if I offer them to them, for devotional service has fulfilled them. My pure devotees find full satisfaction in performing devotional service, so much so that they do not even desire liberation in any of these five forms; merge into Me, live on My planet, enjoy the same opulence as Me, possess the same bodily features as Me, and live in My company. Detached from such precious blessings, how much more will they be from the riches of this world, or from the liberation from the bonds of matter. He who thinks and acts in full awareness of My Person does not aspire to attain the position of a Brahma, or an Indra; nor to become master of all the planets, or of the eight supernatural powers. He does not even desire liberation.
We can judge the worth of a being as follows: he who has perfected the practice of devotional service will never again take refuge in the paths of self-interested action or philosophical speculation. Let him stick to this service, and let himself be guided by the regulatory principles given to him by spiritual masters and authorities in spiritual matters, and he becomes the most qualified of beings.
Even if someone neglects his material obligations to take direct refuge in the Divine Being, he does not thereby make himself guilty of any fault, and his position remains secure in all circumstances. Should it happen to him to fall of his devotional practice by the fact of unhealthy contacts, or to be surprised by a sudden death before having perfected his spiritual evolution, he would not be losing anything. On the contrary, one who fulfills only his duties in matter, within a given social class, without the slightest consciousness of God, does not derive any benefit from the true benefit offered by the human form. The perpetrator of self-interested acts must endlessly be reborn and die in this world, and until he has developed his affection for Vasudeva, (full emanation of Krishna), it will be impossible for him to shake off the yoke of the laws of the material nature.
The first-rate man is the one who finds his refuge in Me, in the most total abandonment, and who, renouncing any form of material occupation, lives according to My teaching. He who lives directly in the company of the pure sages can know the all spiritual power which is that of the devotional service offered to My Person. I always carry My devotees in My heart, as they always carry Me in their heart. Just as I am everything for them, I cannot forget them. The most intimate relationship unites