Answer
It depends on the devotee.
For example, Dhruva Maharaja attained the darśana of the Lord through meditation in six months. On the other hand, Valmiki took many thousands of years before attaining perfection.
Different people progress at different rates according to their sincerity, their previous advancement, and the Lord's reciprocation with them.
Therefore, we should never compare ourselves with others. Every devotee's journey in bhakti is unique.
We do not know from which stage another person is beginning. Someone may be starting devotional service in this life, while another may be continuing from where he left off in previous lives. Since we are not aware of these technical details, comparing the number of days, months, or years spent in devotional service is meaningless.
That is why patience is required.
Sometimes the process is explained through the example of seeds.
If you sow grass seeds, they may sprout within a week. But if you plant bamboo, nothing may appear above the ground for several years.
Yet once bamboo begins to grow, it can shoot up rapidly to great heights.
Why does bamboo take so long?
Because before growing upward, it develops a deep and strong foundation beneath the ground. If a bamboo plant is eventually to rise fifty feet high, it first has to establish strong roots.
Similarly, in devotional life, a strong foundation may need to be built before visible results appear.
Once that foundation is established, spiritual growth can become very rapid.
Every seed has its own nature.
Different fruit trees may be planted in the same soil, receive the same water, sunlight, and air, yet they produce different fruits with different tastes, sizes, and qualities.
Even on the same mango tree, some fruits ripen earlier and some later.
Likewise, there are many subtle factors and technical details involved in the process of bhakti.
Therefore, one should proceed carefully and steadily in devotional service.
For this reason, Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly emphasized that in all important matters a devotee should consult the spiritual master. The spiritual master is the manifested mercy of the Lord, and by taking proper guidance from experienced authorities, one's path of spiritual progress becomes assured.
