Answer
If you are rendering services under the direction of an authority, and executing them to the best of your capacity with the understanding that your immediate authority should be pleased, then that service becomes transcendental.
Sometimes, you might not feel any emotion while doing service; you feel empty, but you are still supposed to do it. So, you do it as a matter of duty. That means at least sadhana is there—the understanding that your duties must be performed.
Devotees, however, should generally act in the mode of goodness (sattva-guna). They should think, 'This will please Krishna, this will please Prabhupada; let me try my best.' When your calculation is based entirely on giving pleasure to Guru and Krishna, that service becomes transcendental. To enhance that pleasure, you naturally feel, 'Let me do this a little better. Let me try harder, achieve something, and offer it.' Those are the feelings behind transcendental service.
Acting purely as a matter of duty happens sometimes. But true devotees go all the way; they don’t just stop at duty. It could be a midnight service—the temple commander might wake someone up and say, 'Hey, there’s an emergency, please come.' A devotee is always ready. He will never say, 'Prabhu, I need six hours of sleep, otherwise my health will suffer.' During festivals, there are often emergencies. Devotees know they must go to any extent for the pleasure of Guru and Krishna. They don't even bother about their own health, because ultimately, Guru and Krishna will take care of it. That is the ideal mood.
Because we are in the beginning stages, we may not always have that intense enthusiasm. At those times, we should at least perform service as a matter of duty—thinking, 'Let me just complete this.' For example, late-night chanting isn't easy when you are feeling incredibly sleepy. You might not be feeling that high transcendental pleasure in that moment, but you think, 'Whatever happens, let me at least complete my 16 rounds.' That commitment is very important.
