Question: On page 32 of Isopanisad Mantra 3, Srila Prabhupada talks about the word atma-sambhavita. Do devotees who have approached Krishna Consciousness with materialistic desires (for fame and recognition), and therefore fall from this path eventually, also have the same destination as the asuras?
Answer by Romapada Swami: Devotional service is very powerful and purifying. Therefore it is recommended that whether one is desireless or full of desires, one should perform tivra-bhakti (intense devotional service), which can burn up all impurities. (Cf. Bhag. 2.3.10) Initially many people who begin Krishna consciousness come with some material motivation (Bg 7.14) but they are quickly purified of such desires. Krishna personally instructs them from within and from without through the spiritual master and scriptures to relieve them of all such material contamination.
However, care should be taken that one should not hold on to such desires steadfastly and nourish and cultivate such desires even after having repeatedly heard and understood the messages of pure devotional service. This is the tenth offense to the Holy Name. It is because of continuing to cultivate such desires, that one eventually falls away from the path. Nevertheless, Krishna never forgets any service done to Him, even casually. Even if such persons fall away, as stated in the purport they are given a chance to take birth in good families or personally corrected by Krishna.
The risk is however there, that on account of maintaining such material attachments and conceptions, one may seriously offend an exalted Vaishnava and by so doing his devotional creeper is destroyed, even though whatever service has been performed is to that person’s eternal credit. And therefore we ought to very carefully correct such materialistic mentality.
