Sri Isopanisad Mantra 7 Purport:
“Devotional service to the Lord consists essentially of nine transcendental activities:
- Hearing about the Lord,
- Glorifying the Lord,
- Remembering the Lord,
- Serving the lotus feet of the Lord,
- Worshiping the Lord,
- Offering prayers to the Lord,
- Serving the Lord,
- Enjoying friendly association with the Lord, and
- Surrendering everything unto the Lord.
These nine principles of devotional service—taken all together or one by one—help a devotee remain constantly in touch with God. In this way, at the end of life it is easy for the devotee to remember the Lord.
By adopting only one of these nine principles, the following renowned devotees of the Lord were able to achieve the highest perfection:
(1) By hearing of the Lord, Maharaja Pariksit, the hero of Srimad-Bhagavatam, attained the desired result.
(2) Just by glorifying the Lord, Sukadeva Gosvami, the speaker of Srimad-Bhagavatam, attained his perfection.
(3) By praying to the Lord, Akrura attained the desired result.
(4) By remembering the Lord, Prahlada Maharaja attained the desired result.
(5) By worshiping the Lord, Prthu Maharaja attained perfection.
(6) By serving the lotus feet of the Lord, the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, attained perfection.
(7) By rendering personal service to the Lord, Hanuman attained the desired result.
(8) Through his friendship with the Lord, Arjuna attained the desired result.
(9) By surrendering everything he had to the Lord, Maharaja Bali attained the desired result.”