Within Pushti Marg, the bond between the soul and Krishna is understood as arising entirely from divine grace, or *pushti*. This grace is not earned by ritual performance or personal merit; it is Krishna’s own spontaneous bestowal that draws the devotee into relationship and enables spiritual progress. The devotee is thus seen as one whom Krishna has chosen to nourish and uplift, and salvation is attributed solely to this gracious initiative. On this foundation, the devotee’s path is less about strict adherence to external prescriptions and more about responding to a freely given, inward call of love.

That grace-based relationship unfolds as an intimate, personal connection rather than a distant or formal one. Krishna is approached as a loving child, master, friend, or beloved, and is treated as a member of the household rather than as a remote cosmic ruler. The tradition especially cherishes sweet, affectionate modes of devotion—such as parental love and friendship—where emotional closeness and familiarity replace fear or mere duty. The devotee’s inner orientation is marked by unconditional surrender, offering body, mind, wealth, and actions to Krishna without calculation of reward, and resting in complete dependence upon him.

This interior bond finds its concrete expression in *sevā*, loving service to Krishna as present in the sacred image. Daily acts—offering food, adorning and caring for the deity, and organizing one’s home life around his presence—are understood as direct service to a living, personal Lord. Rather than renouncing the world, the devotee sacralizes it by turning ordinary activities into continuous worship, so that the home itself becomes a space of divine companionship. Through such service, the devotee experiences Krishna as directly accessible, not mediated by elaborate hierarchies, and comes to taste the bliss of his nearness.

Underlying this devotional vision is the understanding that the soul is profoundly related to Krishna, while still engaging him as Lord and beloved. The relationship is not merely temporary or utilitarian; it is viewed as an enduring, even eternal, connection that persists beyond a single lifetime. As grace awakens love and surrender, the devotee comes to live in a state of intimate reliance, delighting in Krishna’s beauty and play and allowing every aspect of life to be shaped by that loving bond.