"Random acts of kindness" sounds nice, but why just randomly?
Devotional service on the other hand is continuous acts of kindness, eternally stemming from a transcendental relationship with Krishna. A devotee wants to see that Krishna happy and acts on His behalf. By chanting Hare Krishna and following the bhakti program, one can enter into this ever expanding service mood. In fact, one will be always looking for some service to do.
People may be surprised by this, but in sastra whenever the Lord appears before a devotee to give them some benediction, they don't ask for a long vacation or a big house or to marry that handsome guy next door or any other material designation. They only ask to be engaged in His loving service. They want service to Krishna 24/7. Service is the love language between devotees and Krishna.
So people want to know what is self realization, what is spiritual life? The answer is simple:
"The whole process of spiritual culture is aimed at changing the heart of the living being in the matter of his eternal relation with the Supreme Lord as subordinate servant, which is his eternal constitutional position. So with the progress of devotional service, the reaction of change in the heart is exhibited by gradual detachment from the sense of material enjoyment by a false sense of lording it over the world and an increase in the attitude of rendering loving service to the Lord." (SB 2.3.24p)
In a spiritually healthy condition, the soul loves to serve God. And serving God overflows to serving all living entities. It is all inclusive, universal love. In other words, kindness towards others no longer becomes a random thing, but a natural extension of that love. For example, after taking the last cup of mung beans out of the can, you refill it for the next person, so that the Lord's service is unimpeded. Or after using the hair brush for brushing Nitai's wild mane (He's is, after all, a transcendental madman), you not only put the brush back in its original place, but you make sure to position the handle in such a way that the other pujari can grab a hold of it more easily. Devotional service is done with increasing care and attention to details, rather than doing it just to get it over with.
Krishna says that "That is the way of the spiritual and godly life, after attaining which a man is not bewildered. If one is thus situated even at the hour of death, one can enter into the kingdom of God." (Bhagavad gita As It Is, verse 2.
People may be surprised by this, but in sastra whenever the Lord appears before a devotee to give them some benediction, they don't ask for a long vacation or a big house or to marry that handsome guy next door or any other material designation. They only ask to be engaged in His loving service. They want service to Krishna 24/7. Service is the love language between devotees and Krishna.
72)
"The whole process of spiritual culture is aimed at changing the heart of the living being in the matter of his eternal relation with the Supreme Lord as subordinate servant, which is his eternal constitutional position. So with the progress of devotional service, the reaction of change in the heart is exhibited by gradual detachment from the sense of material enjoyment by a false sense of lording it over the world and an increase in the attitude of rendering loving service to the Lord." (SB 2.3.24p)
In a spiritually healthy condition, the soul loves to serve God. And serving God overflows to serving all living entities. It is all inclusive, universal love. In other words, kindness towards others no longer becomes a random thing, but a natural extension of that love. For example, after taking the last cup of mung beans out of the can, you refill it for the next person, so that the Lord's service is unimpeded. Or after using the hair brush for brushing Nitai's wild mane (He's is, after all, a transcendental madman), you not only put the brush back in its original place, but you make sure to position the handle in such a way that the other pujari can grab a hold of it more easily. Devotional service is done with increasing care and attention to details, rather than doing it just to get it over with.
Krishna says that "That is the way of the spiritual and godly life, after attaining which a man is not bewildered. If one is thus situated even at the hour of death, one can enter into the kingdom of God." (Bhagavad gita As It Is, verse 2.
