CC Madhya 22.62
’śraddhā’-śabde—viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya
kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya
”Śraddhā is confident, firm faith that by rendering transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. Such faith is favorable to the discharge of devotional service.
PURPORT
Firm faith and confidence are called śraddhā. When one engages in the Lord’s devotional service, he is to be understood to have performed all his responsibilities in the material world. He has satisfied his forefathers, ordinary living entities, and demigods and is free from all responsibility. Such a person does not need to meet his responsibilities separately. It is automatically done. Fruitive activity (karma) is meant to satisfy the senses of the conditioned soul. However, when one awakens to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he does not have to work separately for pious activity. The best achievement of all fruitive activity is detachment from material life, and this detachment is spontaneously enjoyed by the devotee firmly engaged in the Lord’s service.
The growth of bhakti essentially means how much we grow in our sraddha. In the nine-fold stages of devotional service, the first stage is sraddha. But actually, sraddha is foundational to all the nine-stages of bhakti.
How does one develop sraddha? By hearing glories of Krishna.
How does one gain affinity for hearing? By serving the great souls.
SB 1.2.16 states,
śuśrūṣoḥ śraddadhānasya
vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ
syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ
puṇya-tīrtha-niṣevaṇāt
“O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vāsudeva.”
This verse talks about sraddha and sadhu-sanga.
Before sraddha arises, satam-kripa has to arise. Before sraddha, the brief sadhu-sanga acts as a starter for getting faith. And when that faith is developed, one himself or herself goes to take the association of devotees. The previous association was not his choice, he just got it mercifully. But, when sraddha arises, he takes the association of devotees by himself.
Satam-kripa –> Mahat-seva –> sraddha –> sadhu-sanga
In the above verse CC Madhya 22.62, Prabhupada defines sraddha as firm faith and confidence, and he repeats the same in the purport also. In SB 1.2.16, Prabhupada defines sraddadhanasya as “care and attention”.
The initial faith gives rise to sadhu-sanga, or inspires sadhu-sanga, whereas nishtha, or firm faith inspires ruci, or taste and attachment (asakti).
In SB 3.25.25,
satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido
bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ
taj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmani
śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati
SVCT describes sraddha to mean asakti, rati as bhava, and bhakti as prema. Prabhupada says sraddha to be firm faith, similar to nishtha.
Our sraddha should not only inspire us to take association of devotees, that is also very important. But also, our sraddha (nishtha) should be such that it should bring us closer to Krishna and develop taste for the process. Ruci also means taste for a particular process of devotional service. That is a realized effect of association of devotees.
When initial sraddha awakens, one may still not have the faith that only by the pleasure of guru and Krishna, one will attain everything. But obviously, the attraction for obtaining devotee association and practicing devotional service is there.
Firm faith is – I don’t need a post to become a pure devotee, I don’t need recognition to become a pure devotee, I don’t need wealth to become a devotee, but simply by following the orders of guru, I can attain perfection in my life. One of the last things before attaining nishtha is taranga-rangini – desire for honor and prestige. When that goes away, pure devotion awakens.
