One must render service to a devotee to get free of sins, revive one’s original Krishna consciousness and be trained in how to love Krishna One must render service to a Vaisnava in order to get freed from sinful reactions, revive one’s original Krishna consciousness and be trained in how to love Krishna. This is the result of mahatma-seva. Of course, if one engages in the service of a pure devotee, the reactions of one’s sinful life are vanquished automatically. Devotional service is necessary not to drive away an insignificant stock of sins, but to awaken our dormant love for Krishna. As fog is vanquished at the first glimpse of sunlight, one’s sinful reactions are automatically vanquished as soon as one begins serving a pure devotee; no separate endeavor is required.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 6.1.16 purport