# Defining Suddha-Bhakti The Goswamis of Vrindavana were deputed with the task of documenting the philosphy, practice and perfection of *bhakti*. To this end, Rupa Goswami wrote an entire treatise to summarise the subject matter, and entitled the book ‘Bhakti-rasamrita Sindhu,’ which literally means ‘The nectarean ocean of devotional service.’ The entire book is based upon a very famous verse which clearly defines what pure devotional service is: *anyabhilasita-sunyam* \ *jnana-karmady-anavrtam*\ *anukulyena krsnanu-* \ *silanam bhaktir uttama* *“When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Krishna favourably, as Krishna desires.”* (BrS 1.1.11) This verse has been analysed by the *acaryas* in a variety of ways in order to give us a clear understanding and application for our own lives. There are six main qualities described in this verse - three of them are considered *svarupa-laksana*, or primary (essential) qualities, while the other three are considered *tatastha-laksana*, or secondary (marginal) qualities. The *svarupa-laksana* define the inherent nature of *bhakti*. The *tatastha-laksana* are those characteristics which are often observed in pure devotional service but are not an inherent part of. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://bhagavata.keshavaswami.com/canto-11/s.u.m/s-sages-teachings-1-6/yadus-travel-to-prabhasa/defining-suddha-bhakti.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.