Hare Krsna,
Any proper definition of bhakti always mentions two aspects – accepting anything that is favorable to bhakti and rejecting everything unfavorable to bhakti. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā. Ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ. prātikūlyasya varjanam.
Even the vows that we take during initiation have these two aspects – chanting at least sixteen good rounds of Hare Krsna mahamantra (anukulyasya sankalpa). Following the four regulative principles (the don’ts) – These are rejecting things that are unfavorable to cultivation of devotional service.
“Devotional service means to prosecute Kṛṣṇa conscious activities which are favorable to the transcendental pleasure of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, and any activities which are not favorable to the transcendental favor of the Lord cannot be accepted as devotional service. For example, great demons like Rāvaṇa, Kaṁsa and Hiraṇyakaśipu were always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, but they were thinking of Him as their enemy. This sort of thinking cannot be accepted as bhakti or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (Nectar of Devotion)
The impersonalists sometimes misunderstand devotional service in such a way that they divide Kṛṣṇa from His paraphernalia and pastimes. For example, the Bhagavad-gītā is spoken on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and the impersonalists say that although Kṛṣṇa is of interest, the battlefield of Kurukṣetra isn’t. They claim that Kuruksetra does not exist physically; it refers to a place within us where there is constant battle between good and evil. Another example is to think of Krsna as impersonal and formless. Sometimes ignorant people foolishly think bhakti is serving Krsna alone without serving his associates and paraphernalia. If we look deeply within and around us, we will see many things that are done in the name of Krsna bhakti but in actuality they are not.
Therefore Srila Rupa Goswami, in his definition of pure bhakti, mentions that pure devotional service (or Krsna consciousness) must be devoid of all material desires and philosophical speculations. Any desire except for the service of the Lord is called material desire. And philosophical speculation refers to the sort of speculation which ultimately arrives at a conclusion of voidism or impersonalism. These conclusions are unfavorable to Krsna consciousness.
In Nectar of Instruction, Srila Rupa Goswami lists six favorable and six unfavorable principles of Krsna consciousness.
“There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles [such as śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam – hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa], (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.” (Nectar of Instruction 3)
“One’s devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) over-endeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements.” (Nectar of Instruction 2)
The attraction of the gopīs for Kṛṣṇa and the affection of the members of the Yadu dynasty are both accepted as spontaneous, or rāgānugā. The attraction of Kaṁsa to Kṛṣṇa in fear and the attraction of Śiśupāla in envy are not accepted as devotional service, however, because their attitudes are not favorable. Devotional service should be executed only in a favorable frame of mind.
Actually, what is favorable and unfavorable to devotional service is a deep topic and needs lots of reflection. Something that may look favorable is actually not favorable. Fasting on Ekadashi is favorable; fasting for political reasons is unfavorable. Worshiping demigods is unfavorable; worshipping demigods as agents of the Supreme Lord is favorable. Many forms of so-called renunciation are also not favorable to Krishna conscious devotional service. Running Krsna’s temple to propagate bhakti is favorable; running Krsna’s temple as a commercial establishment is unfavorable. There are so many nuances to this topic. Whenever we have doubt on what constitutes favorable vs. unfavorable bhakti, the safest course is to take the guidance of guru, sadhu and sastras.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 