The devotee should feel that ''My counselor is somebody who wants to help because he really cares.'' He should not be a counselor just because he ''has'' to do it; rather, he should want to do it. Everybody wants to have loving relationships. That's what we are all longing for. That's the very nature of our existence to have loving relationships.
Taking Care of Devotees, Pg 63, Last Paragraph
Taking сare of someone doesn't necessarily mean that you do it because you're that person's authority. You're much more inclined to take care of somebody when there's a loving relationship. I have loving relationships with some of my godbrothers. They're not my `authority', although I respect them as my superiors. But I know that if something happened to me that they would fly across the world in a moment.
Taking Care of Devotees, Pg. 62, 2nd paragraph
The main purpose for which Srila Prabhupada established this movement is to cultivate relationships based upon loving exchanges in devotional service, as described by Srila Rupa Goswami.
Taking Care of Devotees, Pg 57, 2nd Paragraph
Inattentiveness is an offense—one of the offenses to the Holy Name. It is called pramada. Do you know what pramada means? It means madness. Bhaktivinode Thakura says that even if one avoids all the other offenses, but is still inattentive, then he cannot achieve any real success in chanting.
MKV, Vol 2- Pg 14 (Q/A Meeting With Disciples, Divnomorsk—6/10/01
Bhakti-yoga is internal. It is not just putting on a show. We can put on shows for so long, but Krishna knows what is in the heart, and He is not very impressed with shows; He is more impressed by our hearts. Therefore, we have to learn to pray genuinely and express one's insignificance before the Deity, “See? Look at this anartha. I am showing it to You. Please teach me; teach me the ways of devotional service; teach me how to become a Vaisnava. Please help me to overcome these obstacles. By my own efforts, I can never achieve this. Only by Your mercy can I possibly overcome these obstacles in spiritual life.” Then the Holy Name of the Lord will act.
MKV, Vol 2- Pg 14 (Q/A Meeting With Disciples, Divnomorsk—6/10/01
You can pray to Krishna before beginning your japa every morning. Place yourself completely dependent upon the Holy Name. Dependence means that we are helpless: "I cannot do it alone. I have no other hope." That is how we can overcome the obstacles in our devotional service.
MKV, Vol 2- Pg 14 (Q/A Meeting With Disciples, Divnomorsk—6/10/01)
Rupa Gosvami describes different types of prayers. They come under the category of vijnapti. Vijnapti is a spiritual request. So the first type of prayer is called samprartha-natmika. Samprartha-natmika is praying for help to make progress on the path of devotional service. The second is called dainyabodhika; we come and reveal our minds before the Deity. We should not think that there is something wrong in offering some prayer. Of course, it is very good to first offer the prayers of the acaryas, but a devotee can also offer prayers in his own words.
MKV, Vol 2- Pg 13 (Q/A Meeting With Disciples, Divnomorsk—6/10/01)
A devotee with fault finding tendency has to cultivate the consciousness: “How can I be proud when I am finding faults in others. What do I have to be proud of?” Pride is the opposite of a Vaisnava mentality. A Vaisnava is one who always looks for the good qualities in others. So one who is proud, should pray, “I am finding faults, and I am proud at the same time. I am very fallen. Only You can deliver me, Krishna.”
MKV, Vol 2- Pg 13 (Q/A Meeting With Disciples, Divnomorsk—6/10/01)
Faultfinding is an anartha. We can say, “Oh I want to stop finding faults,” but if we simply try to stop by our efforts, we find that we cannot stop, because the tendency remains. At least we know what to pray to Krishna for; we cannot get rid of anarthas, but Krishna can. Krishna can take these anarthas away. A devotee has to chant in the proper mood. One, who knows that he has anarthas in his heart, cannot chant in a complacent mood. When he is chanting, he is praying to Krishna, “Please remove this from my heart.” He feels very fallen: “Since I am always finding faults with others, I am a very fallen person. In such a fallen condition, I have no hope except if You help me.”
MKV, Vol 2- Pg 13 (Q/A Meeting With Disciples, Divnomorsk—6/10/01)
The faultfinding mentality is described as one of the weaknesses of the heart, hrdaya daurbalya. It is an anartha which obstructs our progress on the path of devotional service. As long as these anarthas are there in the heart, it is very difficult to make progress. The result is that when we are chanting the Holy Name of the Lord, and we are associating with devotees, it is very difficult to experience some taste in Krishna consciousness. Instead of actually relishing the mellows of the Holy Name, we oftentimes will simply look to find fault with others. Alternatively, we might think, “Look at me, look how I am relishing the Holy Name of the Lord.” In other words, we are not really absorbed in the Holy Name—we are simply thinking of how others are perceiving us. So, we need to understand the real source of this faultfinding mentality. If we want to uproot it, we have to be aware of its existence.
MKV, Vol 2- Pg 12(Q/A Meeting With Disciples, Divnomorsk—6/10/01)"