without any help, for God does not allow the first comer to serve him. It will easily satisfy the one who desires material benefits, or even grant him the liberation, but He does not give so easily access to the devotional service offered to his Person. In fact, we only succeed in this way through the mercy of a pure devotee of the Lord, a spiritual master, the intimate servant of God.

It is written, "It is through the mercy of the spiritual master, pure devotee of the Lord, and that of God Himself, that the path of devotional service opens. There is no other way to access it."

No one can access devotional service by his own means, or even with the help of the teachings of higher authorities. Only the one blessed by a spiritual master, a pure being, a devotee of God, an intimate servant of the Supreme Lord, forever free from the defilement of material desires, will succeed.

This is why Jesus said, "No one goes to the Father except through me."

He was addressing his disciples and the apostles. He wanted them to know that they could only go to God through him, as the Lord Himself says:

"Learn from Me that the practice of yoga (of the bond that unites with God and of spiritual elevation), philosophical speculation, the fulfillment of sacrificial rites or severe austerities, the study of Vedanta or acts of charity would be able to arouse in Me the same attraction as the devotional service offered by My devotees. All these acts are propitious, but they do not attract Me to the same degree as the sublime love service of My devotees."

"The devotional service offered to My Person acts as a burning fire, capable of infinitely reducing to ashes all that is thrown into it."

This means that the devotional service offered to Krishna, God, the Supreme Person, is able to reduce all defilement to nothing, to erase all sins. Thus one who, fully conscious of God, genuinely engages in the path of pure devotional service, necessarily becomes purified. Pure devotional service, accomplished in the consciousness of God, is the greatest source of light. And its light shines with the fiery glow of a forest fire, which soon reduces to ashes all the vile serpents that are material desires.

The living being, (the soul incarnated in a human, animal, vegetable body) belongs to the internal energy of the Lord, and so it is also identical, but never does it equal or surpasses. God and other beings all have their own individuality. Spiritual beings distinct from God can also, with the help of material energy, exert a certain creative