Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 21
Varṣa-devatā Worship in Jambūdvīpa: Hayagrīva/Hayaśīrṣa, Nṛsiṁha, Kāmadeva (Pradyumna), Matsya, Kūrma, and Varāha
या तस्य ते पादसरोरुहार्हणं निकामयेत्साखिलकामलम्पटा । तदेव रासीप्सितमीप्सितोऽर्चितो यद्भग्नयाच्ञा भगवन् प्रतप्यते ॥ २१ ॥
yā tasya te pāda-saroruhārhaṇaṁ nikāmayet sākhila-kāma-lampaṭā tad eva rāsīpsitam īpsito ’rcito yad-bhagna-yācñā bhagavan pratapyate
O Bhagavan! Ang babaeng sumasamba sa Iyong mga paang-loto sa dalisay na pag-ibig na walang hinihinging kapalit, ang lahat ng kanyang hangarin ay kusang natutupad. Ngunit kung sasamba siya sa Iyong mga paa para sa isang tiyak na layunin, mabilis Mo rin itong ibinibigay; subalit sa huli, nababasag ang kanyang paghingi at siya’y nagdadalamhati. Kaya hindi dapat sambahin ang Iyong mga paang-loto para sa pakinabang na materyal.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī describes pure devotional service as anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. One should not worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead to fulfill some material desire for success in fruitive activities or mental speculation. To serve the lotus feet of the Lord means to serve Him exactly as He desires. The neophyte devotee is therefore ordered to worship the Lord strictly according to the regulative principles given by the spiritual master and the śāstras. By executing devotional service in that way, he gradually becomes attached to Kṛṣṇa, and when his original dormant love for the Lord becomes manifest, he spontaneously serves the Lord without any motive. This condition is the perfect stage of one’s relationship with the Lord. The Lord then looks after the comfort and security of His devotee without being asked. Kṛṣṇa promises in Bhagavad-gītā (9.22) :
FAQs
This verse warns that when worship is driven by craving for worldly gains, the same desired object can become a source of misery—especially when the devotee’s demands are frustrated.
Because approaching the Lord as a means to fulfill demands keeps the heart bound to expectation; when the Lord does not grant those requests, the person suffers from disappointed begging rather than tasting pure devotion.
Pray primarily for devotion and inner purification rather than outcomes; treat results as the Lord’s mercy, and let worship be an offering—not a transaction.