The most important thing in spiritual life is the association of devotees.

Without association, one cannot come to Krishna consciousness.
Without association, one cannot stay in Krishna consciousness.
Without association, one cannot stay happily in Krishna consciousness.
And without association, one cannot perfect one’s Krishna consciousness.

Whosoever devotees have achieved the heights of perfection in their spiritual life, it is only because of the association of other devotees.

Krishna’s association is limited in one sense. He may choose to give His darshan, or He may withdraw Himself from someone due to their wrong mindset. But is it the same when it comes to the association of devotees?

Actually, devotees are said to be more merciful than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Their association is easily accessible, far more than Krishna’s personal association.

Darshan of Devotees vs. Darshan of Krishna

Narada Muni received the association of the Bhaktivedantas for a span of mere four months. Yet, in those four months, he grasped whatever was needed for him to perfect his life. After that, he did not get further association. But he took deep inspiration from the association he had received, and based on that, he practiced and perfected his Krishna consciousness.

He even had darshan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but after a split second, that darshan vanished.

The reason is explained by Śrī Nārada Muni himself. The Lord told him:

hantāsmin janmani bhavān
mā māṁ draṣṭum ihārhati
avipakva-kaṣāyāṇāṁ
durdarśo ‘haṁ kuyoginām
O Nārada [the Lord spoke], I regret that during this lifetime you will not be able to see Me anymore. Those who are incomplete in service and who are not completely free from all material taints can hardly see Me. (SB 1.6.21)

Narada Muni got the association of the Bhaktivedantas for just four months, yet that was enough for him to perfect his life. His darshan of the devotees was not dependent on his prior karma. His darshan of the devotees was not dependent on his purity or impurity. And furthermore, the devotees didn’t mention that he needed to be pure to have their association.

The Bhaktivedantas simply blessed him. And although Nārada Muni is said to have had some initial qualifications, those qualifications simply helped him to take the mercy of devotees seriously in his life.

Krishna Himself describes the power of darsana of devotees:

na hy am-mayāni tīrthāni
na devā mṛc-chilā-mayāḥ
te punanty uru-kālena
darśanād eva sādhavaḥ
No one can deny that there are holy places with sacred rivers, or that the demigods appear in deity forms made of earth and stone. But these purify the soul only after a long time, whereas saintly persons purify just by being seen. SB 10.48.31

Service to Devotees vs. Service to the Supreme Lord

Service to devotees is independent of qualifications. If we wish to serve prasad to the devotees, or drive them, or lift their luggage, it can be done easily. Serving the Deities requires prior qualification of obtaining the sacred thread. Then only can we fan, offer bhoga, dress and serve the Deities.

Even a short service rendered to devotees becomes a permanent asset that can magnify our devotional life.

Lord Himself tells to Narada,
sat-sevayādīrghayāpi
jātā mayi dṛḍhā matiḥ
hitvāvadyam imaṁ lokaṁ
gantā maj-janatām asi
By serving the devotees for even a short time, your intelligence became firmly fixed in me. When you give up this body of low birth, you will become my associate. (SB 1.6.23)

On the other hand, one may serve Krishna for a long time, but there is no guarantee He will give us His darshan. Why? Because pure devotional service (śuddha-bhakti) is sudurlabhā – very, very rare.

Krishna gives it only when we have fully crossed all the previous stages of spiritual development. And secondly, even if we have done everything, Krishna rarely gives it. (Bhakti rasamrita sindhu)

Hearing from Devotees vs. Hearing from Krishna

Arjuna heard the Bhagavad-gītā directly from Krishna, and came out of his delusion. Before coming to Krishna consciousness, many of us may also have read the Bhagavad-gītā, but it didn’t affect us much. But hearing from devotees affected us to the highest degree.

We may not have the personal association of devotees all the time, but does that really matter? We may not get a chance to personally serve our spiritual master – does that matter?

Śrīla Prabhupāda writes that the topmost favor of the spiritual master can be received not by any other part of the body, but through the ears. And this hearing from devotees is now always available, through social media, books, and recordings – and, of course, by coming in the physical association of devotees.

We may hear from Krishna, but we need devotees to explain what Krishna is actually telling us. Krishna may speak something profound, but unless it is unpacked by the devotees, we may not understand it.

Therefore, Krishna Himself says:
mat-cittā mad-gata-prāṇā

bodhayantaḥ parasparam

kathayantaś ca māṁ nityaṁ

tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca


It is by mutual discussions among devotees, and by hearing from devotees, that one finds satisfaction and enlightenment.

In association, it becomes very easy to develop the aspiration to love and serve Krishna.

We must give up any reluctance that prevents us from taking association. An intelligent person doesn’t lose any opportunity to serve the devotees and attain the perfection of his human life very easily.