Bhakti Ratnavali - or A Necklace of Devotional Gems
Compiled by Vishnu Puri
An anthology of about four hundred verses selected by a medieval ascetic named Vishnu Puri, from the Srimad Bhagavata. In these verses we get a clear outline of the doctrine of Bhakti, both in its theory and practice, as conceived by the great devotional text, the Bhagavata.
The important thing is how much less you think of the body, of yourself as matter -- as dead, dull, insentient matter; how much more you think of yourself as shining immortal being. The more you think of yourself as spirit, the more eager you will be to be absolutely free from matter, body and senses. This is the intense desire to be free.
-Swami Vivekananda