1. To associate with devotees
2. To chant the holy name of the Lord Sri Krishna (Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna
Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare)
3. To hear Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya Caritamrita
4. To live in a holy place such as Mathura or Vrindavana
5. To serve the Deity with great devotion
The activities of devotional service (bhakti) are listed as follows.
1. Hearing
2. Chanting
3. Remembering
4. Worshipping
5. Praying
6. Serving
7. Engaging as a servitor of the Lord
8. Establishing a friendly relationship with the Lord
9. Dancing before the Deity
10. Offering everything to the Lord
11. Singing
12. Informing
13. Offering obeisances
14. Standing up to show respect to the devotees
15. When a devotee goes, following him/her up to the door.
16. Entering into the temple of the Lord
17. Circumambulating the temple
18. Reading prayers
19. Vibrating hymns
20. Performing sankirtana, or congregatonal chanting of Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra
(Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare.)
21. Smelling the incense and flowers offered to the Deity
22. Accepting prasadam (food that has first been offered to Lord Krishna)
23. Seeing arati ( the ceremonial performance of recieving the Deity form
of the Lord with offerings of incense, ghee lamp, water in conch, fine
hankerchief, flower, Camara, fan (in season).
24. Seeing the Deity
25. Offering to the Lord His own palatable foodstuffs (bhoga to become
prasadam)
26. Meditating
27. Offering water to the Tulsi tree
28. Offering respect to the Vaishnavas, or advanced devotees
29. Living in Mathura or Vrindavana
30. Understanding Srimad Bhagavatam
31. Endeavering for Krishna to one's utmost capacity
32. Expecting the mercy of Lord Sri Krishna
33. Performing the ceremonal functions of Krishna bhakti with other
devotees
34. Surrendering in all respects
35. Observing various ceremonial functions
*To these thirty five items another four are to be added:
1. Marking the body with sandalwood paste to show that one is a Vaishnava
2. Painting the body with the holy names of the Lord
3. Accepting flowers and garlands that have been offered to the Deity and
spiritual master and putting them on one"s body
4. Accepting caranamrita, or the water from the baths of the Deities which
is offered to guests
*Adding these four items to the above thirty five, we have a thirty nine
items for devotional service. Out of these, the most important
intems are:
1. To associate with devotees
2. To chant the holy name of the Lord Sri Krishna (Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare)
3. To hear Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya Caritamrita
4. To live in a holy place such as Mathura or Vrindavana
5. To serve the Deity with great devotion
*These last five are especially mentioned by
Srila Rupa Gosvami in his book Bhaktirasamrita
Sindhu.