Question: How to develop pure love for Krsna?

Jayapataka Swami: What are we here for? Ha! The whole process of bhakti yoga is to develop pure love of Krsna! It is a gradual process. We go step by step. There are different ways explained. In one way, it is explained that there are eight steps. First step, shraddha, then satsanga, first faith, just listen. Then next step is association with devotees. Sadhu sanga. Then bhajana kriya, starting to practice the japa and different processes of bhakti yoga. Usually at this stage, one takes shelter of a guru. Maybe initiation. Then anartha nivritti, one gets rid of the unwanted habits. Then one achieves nistha which is very fixed devotional service. And then after nistha comes ruci or taste. One may have glimpses of ruci before, but at the stage of ruci one is consistently having taste. And then one becomes very attached to that transcendental bliss. So that is the level of aasakti. From there one reaches the level of ecstatic love of Krsna. That is called bhava. And then from the stage of bhava, one reaches Prema, which is pure love. That is especially by the mercy of Krsna or Lord Caitanya. That is one way it is explained, step by step. Another way is three steps. The path of rules and regulations which has two sub steps. Then there is ecstatic love of Krsna, which has four levels. And then pure love of Krsna, which has many levels. So, this whole process of bhakti yoga or Krsna consciousness is to gradually take you to pure love. But we can reach systematically up to the level of ecstatic love. But to reach pure love, we need special mercy.
06-JANUARY-2020 NEW PANIHATI DHAM, ATLANTA, USA