Vyasadev
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Cato 7
As related in this chapter, Prahlāda Mahārāja, following the order of Lord Brahmā, pacified the Lord when the Lord was extremely angry after having killed Hiraṇyakaśipu.
After Hiraṇyakaśipu was killed, the Lord continued to be very angry, and the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā, could not pacify Him. Even mother Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, the constant companion of Nārāyaṇa, could not dare come before Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva. Then Lord Brahmā asked Prahlāda Mahārāja to go forward and pacify the Lord's anger. Prahlāda Mahārāja, being confident of the affection of his master, Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva, was not afraid at all. He very gravely appeared before the Lord's lotus feet and offered Him respectful obeisances. Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva, being very much affectionate toward Prahlāda Mahārāja, put His hand on Prahlāda's head, and because of being personally touched by the Lord, Prahlāda Mahārāja immediately achieved brahma-jñāna, spiritual knowledge. Thus he offered his prayers to the Lord in full spiritual knowledge and full devotional ecstasy. The instructions given by Prahlāda Mahārāja in the form of his prayers are as follows.
Prahlāda said, "I am not proud of being able to offer prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I simply take shelter of the mercy of the Lord, for without devotion one cannot appease Him. One cannot please the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply by dint of high parentage or great opulence, learning, austerity, penance or mystic power. Indeed, these are never pleasing to the Supreme Lord, for nothing can please Him but pure devotional service. Even if a nondevotee is a brāhmaṇa qualified with the twelve brahminical symptoms, he cannot be very dear to the Lord, whereas if a person born in a family of dog-eaters is a devotee, the Lord can accept his prayers. The Lord does not need anyone's prayers, but if a devotee offers his prayers to the Lord, the devotee benefits greatly. Ignorant persons born in low families, therefore, can sincerely offer heartfelt prayers to the Lord, and the Lord will accept them. As soon as one offers his prayers to the Lord, he is immediately situated on the Brahman platform.
Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva appeared for the benefit of all human society, not only for Prahlāda's personal benefit. The fierce form of Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva may appear most awful to a nondevotee, but to the devotee the Lord is always affectionate as He is in other forms. Conditioned life in the material world is actually extremely fearful; indeed, a devotee is not afraid of anything else. Fear of material existence is due to false ego. Therefore the ultimate goal of life for every living entity is to attain the position of being servant of the servant of the Lord. The miserable condition of the living entities in the material world can be remedied only by the mercy of the Lord. Although there are so-called material protectors like Lord Brahmā and the other demigods, or even one's own father, they are unable to do anything if one is neglected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, one who has fully taken shelter of the Lord's lotus feet can be saved from the onslaught of material nature. Therefore every living entity should be unattracted by material so-called happiness and should take shelter of the Lord by all means. That is the mission of human life. To be attracted by sense gratification is simply foolish. Whether one is a devotee of the Lord or is a nondevotee does not depend upon one's birth in a high or low family. Even Lord Brahmā and the goddess of fortune cannot achieve the full favor of the Lord, whereas a devotee can very easily attain such devotional service. The Lord's mercy is bestowed equally upon everyone, regardless of whether one is high or low. Because Prahlāda Mahārāja was blessed by Nārada Muni, Prahlāda became a great devotee. The Lord always saves the devotee from impersonalists and voidists. The Lord is present in everyone's heart as the Supersoul to give the living being protection and all benefits. Thus the Lord acts sometimes as the killer and sometimes as the protector. One should not accuse the Lord for any discrepancies. It is His plan that we see varieties of life within this material world. All of them are ultimately His mercy.
Although the entire cosmic manifestation is nondifferent, the material world is nonetheless different from the spiritual world. Only by the mercy of the Supreme Lord can one understand how the wonderful material nature acts. For example, although Lord Brahmā appeared from the lotus seat that had grown from the abdomen of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, he could not understand what to do after his appearance. He was attacked by two demons, Madhu and Kaiṭabha, who took away Vedic knowledge, but the Lord killed them and entrusted to Lord Brahmā the Vedic knowledge. Thus the Lord appears in every millennium in the societies of demigods, human beings, animals, saints and aquatics. All such incarnations are meant to protect the devotees and kill the demons, but this killing and protecting does not reflect any sense of partiality on the part of the Supreme Lord. The conditioned soul is always attracted by the external energy. Therefore he is subjected to lust and greed, and he suffers under the conditions of material nature. The Lord's causeless mercy toward His devotee is the only means by which to get out of material existence. Anyone engaged in glorifying the Lord's activities is always unafraid of this material world, whereas one who cannot glorify the Lord in that way is subjected to all lamentation.
Those interested in silently worshiping the Lord in solitary places may be eligible for liberation themselves, but a pure devotee is always aggrieved to see others suffering. Therefore, not caring for his own liberation, he always engages in preaching by glorifying the Lord. Prahlāda Mahārāja, therefore, had tried to deliver his class friends by preaching and had never remained silent. Although being silent, observing austerities and penances, learning the Vedic literature, undergoing ritualistic ceremonies, living in a solitary place and performing japa and transcendental meditation are approved means of liberation, they are meant for nondevotees or for cheaters who want to live at the expense of others. A pure devotee, however, being freed from all such deceptive activities, is able to see the Lord face to face.
The atomic theory of the composition of the cosmic manifestation is not factual. The Lord is the cause of everything, and therefore He is the cause of this creation. One should therefore always engage in devotional service by offering respectful obeisances to the Lord, offering prayers, working for the Lord, worshiping the Lord in the temple, always remembering the Lord and always hearing about His transcendental activities. Without these six kinds of activity, one cannot attain to devotional service.
Prahlāda Mahārāja thus offered his prayers to the Supreme Lord, begging His mercy at every step. Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva was pacified by Prahlāda Mahārāja's prayers and wanted to give him benedictions by which Prahlāda could procure all kinds of material facilities. Prahlāda Mahārāja, however, was not misled by material facilities. Rather, he wanted to remain always a servant of the servant of the Lord.
Chapter 9
Prahlâda Propitiates Lord Nrisimhadeva with Prayers
7.9.1
saḿrambhaḿ sudurāsadam
(1) Nârada Muni said [to Yudhishthhira again]: 'All the Suras thus represented by Brahmâ and S'iva dared not to come forward because He, boiling with anger, was most difficult to approach.
7.9.2
adṛṣṭāśruta-pūrvatvāt
(2) The Goddess of Fortune on the request of the gods being confronted, could, after seeing Him so huge and wonderful the way one had never seen or heard before, not come closer either as she was most frightened herself.
The Lord has unlimited forms and bodily features (advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam [Bs 5.33]). These are all situated in Vaikuṇṭha, yet Lakṣmīdevī, the goddess of fortune, being inspired by līlā-śakti, could not appreciate this unprecedented form of the Lord. In this regard, Śrīla Madhvācārya recites the following verses from the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa:
adṛṣṭāśruta-pūrvatvād
nṛsiḿhaḿ śańkiteva śrīr
prahrāde caiva vātsalya-
prahrādaḿ preṣayat tadā
ekatraikasya vātsalyaḿ
viśeṣād darśayed dhariḥ
avarasyāpi mohāya
krameṇaivāpi vatsalaḥ
In other words, for the common men the form of the Lord as Nṛsiḿhadeva is certainly unseen and wonderful, but for a devotee like Prahlāda Mahārāja such a fearsome form of the Lord is not at all extraordinary. By the grace of the Lord, a devotee can very easily understand how the Lord can appear in any form He likes. Therefore the devotee is never afraid of such a form. Because of special favor bestowed upon Prahlāda Mahārāja, he remained silent and unafraid, even though all the demigods, including even Lakṣmīdevī, were afraid of Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva. Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati (Bhāg. 6.17.28). Not only is a pure devotee of Nārāyaṇa like Prahlāda Mahārāja unafraid of any dangerous condition of material life, but also if the Lord appears to mitigate the fear of a devotee, the devotee maintains his status of fearlessness in all circumstances.7.9.3
brahmāvasthitam antike
tāta praśamayopehi
(3) Prahlâda brought close to Lord Brahmâ was asked: 'My dear son, could you please go near the Lord and propitiate Him for He is very angry because of what your father has done.'
7.9.4
tatheti śanakai rājan
mahā-bhāgavato 'rbhakaḥ
nanāma vidhṛtāñjaliḥ
(4) 'So be it' he said and slowly, o King, got the great devotee, although he was only a small boy, step by step near Him and prostrated he himself offering prayers with folded hands.
7.9.5
(5) With him, such a little boy, fallen at His lotusfeet was the godhead, greatly moved, merciful and with the raising of His lotus hand which He placed on his head, dispelled He the fear from all minds about the snake of time [to its four physical necessities of âhâra, nidrâ, bhaya and maithuna; eating, sleeping, fearing or defending and mating].
7.9.6
sapady abhivyakta-parātma-darśanaḥ
(6) He because of that touch being cleansed from all impurity, manifested, in association with the Supersoul or the reality of His lotusfeet, from a heart overcome and captured in bliss the symptoms of ecstasy all over his body, with tears welling in his eyes.
7.9.7
astauṣīd dharim ekāgra-
(7) With his mind one-pointed in great concentration and with an of love faltering voice, began he in the full dedication of his heart and mind to offer prayers unto the Lord.
The word susamāhitaḥ means "very attentive" or "fully fixed." The ability to fix the mind in this way is a result of yoga-siddhi, mystic perfection. As it is stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.13.1), dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaḿ yoginaḥ. One attains yogic perfection when he is freed from all material diversions and his mind is fixed upon the lotus feet of the Lord. This is called samādhi or trance. Prahlāda Mahārāja attained that stage beyond the senses. Because he was engaged in service, he felt transcendentally situated, and naturally his mind and attention became saturated in transcendence. In that condition, he began to offer his prayers as follows.
7.9.8
sattvaikatāna-gatayo vacasāḿ pravāhaiḥ
(8) S'rî Prahlâda said: 'All the Sura's headed by Brahmâ, all the saints as well as the perfect ones of spiritual living, one-pointed in the purpose were in their streams of words as yet not able to please You, however qualified they are; how can it be that He, this Lord, with mine would be pleased while I am but of an asura birth?
7.9.9
(9) I think that riches, a good birth, a nice body, penance, vedic knowledge, prowess, energy, influence, strength, diligence, intelligence, and mystical power will not satisfy at all; like the Supreme Lord with Gajendra [the elephant], is the Personality of Transcendence pleased by bhakti.
7.9.10
pādāravinda-vimukhāt śvapacaḿ variṣṭham
10) A learned one with the twelve characteristics [as mentioned, see also*] who doesn't care about the lotus feet of Him from whose navel sprouted the lotus, I consider not as blessed as a man of low birth who is of surrender to the Ultimate, because he with his mind, words and everything he does, purifies his wealth, life and family, while that is not so with the one whose thought is based on false prestige.
Here is a statement by Prahlāda Mahārāja, one of the twelve authorities, regarding the distinction between a devotee and a brāhmaṇa expert in karma-kāṇḍa, or Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. There are four varṇas and four āśramas, which divide human society, but the central principle is to become a first-class pure devotee. It is said in the Hari-bhakti — sudhodaya:
bhagavad-bhakti-hīnasya
aprāṇasyaiva dehasya
"If one is born in a high family like that of a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya but is not a devotee of the Lord, all his good qualifications as a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya are null and void. Indeed, they are considered decorations of a dead body."In this verse Prahlāda Mahārāja speaks of the vipras, the learned brāhmaṇas. The learned brāhmaṇa is considered best among the divisions of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra, but a devotee born in a low caṇḍāla family is better than such brāhmaṇas, not to speak of the kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and others. A devotee is better than anyone, for he is in the transcendental position on the Brahman platform.
māḿ ca yo vyabhicāreṇa
"One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman." (Bg. 14.26) The twelve qualities of a first-class brāhmaṇa, as stated in the book called Sanat-sujāta, are as follows:
jñānaḿ ca satyaḿ ca damaḥ śrutaḿ ca
hy amātsaryaḿ hrīs titikṣānasūyā
The European and American devotees in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are sometimes accepted as brāhmaṇas, but the so-called caste brāhmaṇas are very much envious of them. In answer to such envy, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that one who has been born in a brāhmaṇa family but is falsely proud of his prestigious position cannot even purify himself, not to speak of his family, whereas if a caṇḍāla, a lowborn person, is a devotee and has fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord, he can purify his entire family. We have had actual experience of how Americans and Europeans, because of their full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, have purified their whole families, so much so that a mother of a devotee, at the time of her death, inquired about Kṛṣṇa with her last breath. Therefore it is theoretically true and has been practically proven that a devotee can give the best service to his family, his community, his society and his nation. The foolish accuse a devotee of following the principle of escapism, but actually the fact is that a devotee is the right person to elevate his family. A devotee engages everything in the service of the Lord, and therefore he is always exalted.7.9.11
mānaḿ janād aviduṣaḥ karuṇo vṛṇīte
(11) Whatever a person in his ignorance offers is kindly accepted by the Supreme Lord, and that offering is for certain, with Him always being happy within, not His personal desire; that worship indeed serves the interest of the one devoted, just like the reflection in a mirror is there to the glory of one's own face.
In bhakti-yoga it is recommended that a devotee follow nine principles; śravaṇaḿ kīrtanaḿ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaḿ pāda-sevanam/ arcanam. vandanaḿ dāsyaḿ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam [SB 7.5.23]. This service of glorifying the Lord by hearing, chanting and so on is not, of course, meant for the benefit of the Lord; this devotional service is recommended for the benefit of the devotee. The Lord is always glorious, whether the devotee glorifies Him or not, but if the devotee engages in glorifying the Lord, the devotee himself automatically becomes glorious. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaḿ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. By glorifying the Lord constantly, the living entity becomes purified in the core of his heart, and thus he can understand that he does not belong to the material world but is a spirit soul whose actual activity is to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that he may become free from the material clutches. Thus the blazing fire of material existence is immediately extinguished (bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam). A foolish person is amazed that Kṛṣṇa orders, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaḿ śaraṇaḿ vraja: [Bg. 18.66] "Abandon all varieties of religious activities and just surrender unto Me." Some foolish scholars even say that this is too much to demand. But this demand is not for the benefit of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; rather, it is for the benefit of human society. If human beings individually and collectively surrender everything to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all of human society will benefit. One who does not dedicate everything to the Supreme Lord is described in this verse as aviduṣa, a rascal. In Bhagavad-gītā (7.15), the Lord Himself speaks in the same way:
na māḿ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
prapadyante narādhamāḥ
māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
āsuraḿ bhāvamāśritāḥ
"Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me." Because of ignorance and misfortune, the atheists and the narādhamas, the lowest of men, do not surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore although the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, is full in Himself, He appears in different yugas to demand the surrender of the conditioned souls so that they will benefit by becoming free from the material clutches. In conclusion, the more we engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and render service unto the Lord, the more we benefit. Kṛṣṇa does not need service from any of us.7.9.12
nīco 'jayā guṇa-visargam anupraviṣṭaḥ
(12) It is for this reason that I must not consider myself unfit; in full surrender to the Lord shall I to the best of my ability and insight aim at His glory, however lowborn I am; because with one's ignorantly having entered this material world is describing and singing that glory the way for a person to find purification [see also B.G. 18: 55].
7.9.13
vikrīḍitaḿ bhagavato rucirāvatāraiḥ
(13) I am certain that, unlike us [Asuras], all these followers, like Brahmâ and his lot, are faithful and godfearing to the principle of You who are always situated in goodness o Lord, but it is said that it is for the better and good of Your protection and provision, and for the happiness of the soul that You manifested the incarnations of Your lordship in this material world.
7.9.14
lokāś ca nirvṛtim itāḥ pratiyanti sarve
(14) Therefore give up Your anger about the Asura that You killed today, even the saints are happy when a scorpion or snake is killed; the truth is that all the worlds have found the pleasure and that all, wishing to commemorate You, are awaiting this form of You to allay their fears.
7.9.15
jihvārka-netra-bhrukuṭī-rabhasogra-daḿṣṭrāt
(15) I myself am not afraid, o Invincible One, of Your fearsome mouth, tongue, flashing eyes and frowning face, Your strong ferocious teeth or garland of intestines and bloody manes, Your pointed ears, Your roar that even scares the elephants or the nails that pierced the enemy.
Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva's fierce appearance was certainly most dangerous for the nondevotees, but for Prahlāda Mahārāja such a fearful appearance was not at all disturbing. The lion is very fearsome for other animals, but its cubs are not at all afraid of the lion. The water of the sea is certainly dreadful for all living entities on the land, but within the sea even the small fish is unafraid. Why? Because the small fish has taken shelter of the big ocean. It is said that although great elephants are taken away by the flooding waters of the river, the small fish swim opposite the current. Therefore although the Lord sometimes assumes a fierce appearance to kill the duṣkṛtīs, the devotees worship Him. Keśava dhṛta-nara-hari-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare. The devotee always takes pleasure in worshiping the Lord and glorifying the Lord in any form, either pleasing or fierce.
7.9.16
saḿsāra-cakra-kadanād grasatāḿ praṇītaḥ
(16) I do fear, o Merciful Father of Care, that intolerable, ugly repetition of birth and death, the fact that one is thrown into the miserable condition of living among predator-people, that one is bound to the actions and reactions of karma, o Insurmountable One; when will I, with You being pleased with me at the soles of Your feet, the refuge in this ocean of matter, be called back to You?
7.9.17
śokāgninā sakala-yoniṣu dahyamānaḥ
(17) Because of one's pleasing or not so pleasing birth being separated from You and being fused with the world, is one, in whatever body one resides, burnt by the fire of lamentation and suffers one just as well by the remedies against it in mistaking the body for the real self; I, o Greatest Being, am wandering; please initiate me into the service of You in yoga.
Prahlāda Mahārāja aspired to engage in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord. After the death of his father, who was materially very opulent, Prahlāda would have inherited his father's property, which extended throughout the world, but Prahlāda Mahārāja was not inclined to accept such material opulence, for whether one is in the heavenly or hellish planets or is a rich or a poor man's son, material conditions are everywhere. Therefore no condition of life is at all pleasing. If one wants the uncontaminated pleasure of blissful life, he must engage himself in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Material opulence may be somewhat pleasing for the time being, but to come to that temporary pleasing condition one must work extremely hard. When a poor man is rich he may be better situated, but to come to that position he had to accept many miseries. The fact is that in material life, whether one is miserable or happy, both conditions are miserable. If one actually wants happy, blissful life, one must become Kṛṣṇa conscious and constantly engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. That is the real remedy. The entire world is under the illusion that people will be happy by advancing in materialistic measures to counteract the miseries of conditional life, but this attempt will never be successful. Humanity must be trained to engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. That is the purpose of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. There can be no happiness in changing one's material conditions, for everywhere there is trouble and misery.
7.9.18
añjas titarmy anugṛṇan guṇa-vipramukto
(18) That way will I, from constantly hearing the narrations about Your exploits as the well-wisher and Supreme Godhead, o Nrisimha, as handed down in succession, easily cross over and be free from the modes, and will I, in wisdom and association with the liberated, be liberated from all the misery in the full absorption of Your lotusfeet.
A devotee's life and duty are very well explained herein. As soon as a devotee can chant the holy name and glories of the Supreme Lord, he certainly comes to the liberated position. Attachment for glorifying the Lord by hearing and chanting the holy name and activities of the Lord (śravaṇaḿ kīrtanaḿ viṣṇoḥ [SB 7.5.23]) certainly brings one to the position where material contamination is absent. One should chant the bona fide songs received from the disciplic succession. In Bhagavad-gītā it is said that the chanting is powerful when one follows the disciplic succession (evaḿ paramparā-prāptam imaḿ rājarṣayo viduḥ [Bg. 4.2]). Manufacturing many ways of chanting will never be effective. However, chanting the song or the narration left by the previous ācāryas (mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ) is extremely effective, and this process is very easy. Therefore in this verse Prahlāda Mahārāja uses the word añjaḥ ("easily"). Accepting the thoughts of exalted authorities through disciplic succession is certainly much easier than the method of mental speculation, by which one tries to invent some means to understand the Absolute Truth. The best process is to accept the instructions of the previous ācāryas and follow them. Then God realization and self-realization become extremely easy. By following this easy method, one is liberated from the contamination of the material modes of nature, and thus one can certainly cross the ocean of nescience, in which there are many miserable conditions. By following in the footsteps of the great ācāryas, one associates with the haḿsas or paramahaḿsas, those who are completely freed from material contamination. Indeed, by following the instructions of the ācāryas one is always freed from all material contamination, and thus one's life becomes successful, for one reaches the goal of life. This material world is miserable, regardless of one's standard of life. Of this there is no doubt. Attempts to mitigate the miseries of material existence by material methods will never be successful. One must take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness to become really happy; otherwise happiness is impossible. One might say that becoming advanced in spiritual life also involves tapasya, voluntary acceptance of some inconvenience. However, such inconvenience is not as dangerous as material attempts to mitigate all miseries.
7.9.19
tāvad vibho tanu-bhṛtāḿ tvad-upekṣitānām
(19) Of a little child in this world not being the shelter of parentage, o Nrisimha, neither of a patient being the medicine, nor of a person drowning in the ocean being the boat, nor of a person suffering being the redeemer, constitute all the things which in this world are cherished by the ones locked up in a physical body but the appearance of a remedy, o Almighty One, in which they are bereft of You.
7.9.20
(20) Whatever the circumstance, for whatever reason, whatever the time, whatever the obligation or relation, by whomever or unto whomever, whatever way or of whatever nature, certain is that each of these matters is but a different form of the same Supreme; in other words: in nature is there because of all kinds of changes the separateness of a certain form of existence, but whatever form it may concern, it is always a manifestation of the energy of Your Lordship.
7.9.21
chandomayaḿ yad ajayārpita-ṣoḍaśāraḿ
(21) The illusory of matter is a creation of the mind [which is experienced as a fixation] that produces endless wanton actions; actions that are conditioned by the Time that stirs the three modes of nature. And then are the person, to the approbation of God with what is arranged in the Vedas [in the karma-kânda section], less victoriously offered the sixteen spokes [of the senses of action and perception, the elements and the mind] of the wheel of rebirth, o Unborn One. Whoever, bereft of the best that You are, would single-handed be able to overcome this [see also B.G. 9: 25]?
7.9.22
cakre visṛṣṭam ajayeśvara ṣoḍaśāre
(22) You are indeed that one element of Time, to which one in one's intelligence, through Your personal energy, eternally is delivered; present as a form of material energy which in all effects and causes is subjected to Your cyclic control, am I at a loss, o Lord and Master, and am I crushed under the wheel with the sixteen spokes; please help me to get out of it, o Mightiest, for I am of full surrender.
7.9.23
(23) I witnessed o Almighty One, how in that respect all the higher placed leaders of state in their desire for lifespan, opulence and glory, all by our father with his sarcastic laughs in the blink of an eye were baffled, nevertheless was he by You completely vanquished.
7.9.24
(24) Therefore, knowing where all the sensegratification of all that longevity, opulence and fineness of all the ones embodied, from Brahmâ down to the smallest ant, leads to, have I no want for being subjected by You who art so powerful as the Master of Time; please kindly lead me to the association of your faithful servants.
By studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, every intelligent man can get experience like that of Prahlāda Mahārāja through the historical incidents mentioned in this great literature of spiritual knowledge. By following in the footsteps of Prahlāda Mahārāja, one should gain thorough experience that all material opulence is perishable at every moment. Even this body, for which we try to acquire so many sensual pleasures, may perish at any time. The soul, however, is eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre: [Bg. 2.20] the soul is never vanquished, even when the body is destroyed. An intelligent man, therefore, should care for the happiness of the spirit soul, not of the body. Even if one receives a body with a long duration of life, like those of Lord Brahmā and the other great demigods, it will also be destroyed, and therefore an intelligent man should be concerned with the imperishable spirit soul.
To save oneself, one must take shelter of a pure devotee. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore says, chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā. If one wants to save himself from material nature's onslaughts, which arise because of the material body, one must become Kṛṣṇa conscious and try to fully understand Kṛṣṇa. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9), janma karma ca me divyam evaḿ yo vetti tattvataḥ. One should understand Kṛṣṇa in truth, and this one can do only by serving a pure devotee. Thus Prahlāda Mahārāja prays that Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva place him in touch with a pure devotee and servant instead of awarding him material opulence. Every intelligent man within this material world must follow Prahlāda Mahārāja. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. Prahlāda Mahārāja did not want to enjoy the estate left by his father; rather, he wanted to become a servant of the servant of the Lord. The illusory human civilization that perpetually endeavors for happiness through material advancement is rejected by Prahlāda Mahārāja and those who strictly follow in his footsteps.
There are different types of material opulence, known technically as bhukti, mukti and siddhi. Bhukti refers to being situated in a very good position, like a position with the demigods in the higher planetary systems, where one can enjoy material sense gratification to the greatest extent. Mukti refers to being disgusted with material advancement and thus desiring to become one with the Supreme. Siddhi refers to executing a severe type of meditation, like that of the yogīs, to attain eight kinds of perfection (aṇimā, laghimā, mahimā, etc.). All who desire some material advancement through bhukti, mukti or siddhi are punishable in due course of time, and they return to material activities. Prahlāda Mahārāja rejected them all; he simply wanted to engage as an apprentice under the guidance of a pure devotee.
7.9.25
kutrāśiṣaḥ śruti-sukhā mṛgatṛṣṇi-rūpāḥ
nirvidyate na tu jano yad apīti vidvān
(25) In what respect is one blessed with happiness in being controlled [by desires]? What to this body, which is host to so many illnesses, is the meaning of the happiness that is just like a mirage in the desert? Even though the common man has never enough, do nevertheless the ones of learning try to put out that fire of desire with small drops of honey, do they try to control that which is only controlled with the greatest difficulty.
7.9.26
(26) What is now my position? How can I surpass the fact of being born in the darkness of a body of passion, from a family far removed fom the enlightened state? The lotushand of Your causeless mercy that You offered me on my head as a token of grace, wouldn't even be there for Lord Brahmâ, for Lord S'iva or even for the Goddess of Fortune!
Prahlāda Mahārāja was surprised at the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, for although Prahlāda was born in a demoniac family and although the Lord had never before placed His lotus hand on the head of Brahmā, Śiva or the goddess of fortune, His constant companion, Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva kindly placed His hand on the head of Prahlāda. This is the meaning of causeless mercy. The causeless mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead may be bestowed upon anyone, regardless of his position in this material world. Everyone is eligible to worship the Supreme Lord, irrespective of his material position. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (14.26):
māḿ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa
"One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman." Anyone who engages in continuous devotional service to the Lord is situated in the spiritual world and has nothing to do with the material qualities (sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa).
Because Prahlāda Mahārāja was situated on the spiritual platform, he had nothing to do with his body, which had been born of the modes of passion and ignorance. The symptoms of passion and ignorance are described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.19) as lust and hankering (tadā rajas tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye). Prahlāda Mahārāja, being a great devotee, thought the body born of his father to be born of passion and ignorance, but because Prahlāda was fully engaged in the service of the Lord, his body did not belong to the material world. The pure Vaiṣṇava's body is spiritualized even in this life. For example, when iron is put into a fire it becomes red-hot and is no longer iron but fire. Similarly, the so-called material bodies of devotees who fully engage in the devotional service of the Lord, being constantly in the fire of spiritual life, have nothing to do with matter, but are spiritualized.
Śrīla Madhvācārya remarks that the goddess of fortune, the mother of the universe, could not get mercy similar to that which was offered to Prahlāda Mahārāja, for although the goddess of fortune is always a constant companion of the Supreme Lord, the Lord is more inclined to His devotees. In other words, devotional service is so great that when it is offered even by those born in low families, the Lord accepts it as being more valuable than the service offered by the goddess of fortune. Lord Brahmā, King Indra and the other demigods living in the upper planetary systems are situated in a different spirit of consciousness, and therefore they are sometimes troubled by demons, but a devotee, even if situated in the lower planets, enjoys life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness under any circumstances. parataḥ svataḥ karmataḥ: as he acts himself, as he is instructed by others or as he performs his material activities, he enjoys life in every respect. In this regard, Madhvācārya quotes the following verses, which are mentioned in the Brahma-tarka:
śrī-brahma-brāhmīvīndrādi-
7.9.27
jantor yathātma-suhṛdo jagatas tathāpi
saḿsevayā surataror iva te prasādaḥ
sevānurūpam udayo na parāvaratvam
(27) In this can there factually with Your Lordship as the friend of the whole world be no distinction between higher and lower living beings, but nevertheless is there of You, depending on the service, just like with a desire tree yielding whatever wanted, the manifestation of the benediction reserved for the devotion, whether or not one is of a higher or lower level [see also 2.3: 10 and B G. 4: 33, 9: 25].
7.9.28
evaḿ janaḿ nipatitaḿ prabhavāhi-kūpe
(28) The common man who in his material existence fell into a blind well full of snakes, runs after the objects of his desire; I who as a person because of bad association also fell into that condition was by the sura sage [Nârada], o Supreme Lord, taken in confidence; how can I ever give up on the service of Your pure devotee?
7.9.29
mat-prāṇa-rakṣaṇam ananta pitur vadhaś ca
(29) Saving my life o Unlimited One, with You having saved me from being killed by my father, do I consider the words of Your servant, that what the rishi said, as true because You proved them to be true unto him who bad-minded with the sword in his hands said to me: 'Let that controller other than me save you from me now severing your head.'
7.9.30
sṛṣṭvā guṇa-vyatikaraḿ nija-māyayedaḿ
nāneva tair avasitas tad anupraviṣṭaḥ
(30) 'This universe all around is the One of You alone; because of You where there in the beginning and in the end as well as in between separately those You created through the three modes that manifest Your external potency, those, the many of all the diversity who owe their experience to You who entered there [see also B.G 9: 4].
As stated in the Brahma-saḿhitā (5.35):
eko 'py asau racayituḿ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiḿ
"I worship the Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who, by one of His plenary portions, enters the existence of every universe and every atomic particle and thus unlimitedly manifests His infinite energy all over the material creation." To create this cosmic manifestation, Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, expands His external energy and thus enters everything in the universe, including the atomic particles. In this way He exists in the entire cosmic manifestation. Therefore the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in maintaining His devotees are transcendental, not material. He exists in everything as the cause and effect, yet He is separate, existing beyond this cosmic manifestation. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.4):
mayā tatam idaḿ sarvaḿ
na cāhaḿ teṣv avasthitaḥ
The entire cosmic manifestation is but an expansion of the Lord's energy; everything rests in Him, yet He exists separately, beyond creation, maintenance and annihilation. The varieties of creation are performed by His external energy. Because the energy and energetic are one, everything is one (sarvaḿ khalv idaḿ brahma). Therefore without Kṛṣṇa, the Parabrahman, nothing can exist. The difference between the material and spiritual worlds is that His external energy is manifested in the material world whereas His spiritual energy exists in the spiritual world. Both energies, however, belong to the Supreme Lord, and therefore in a higher sense there is no exhibition of material energy because everything is spiritual energy. The energy in which the Lord's all-pervasiveness is not realized is called material. Otherwise, everything is spiritual. Therefore Prahlāda prays, ekas tvam eva jagad etam: "You are everything.7.9.31
(31) You either being the cause or effect of this entirety, o My Lord, remain Yourself separate from the matter that is the illusory potency of You, and of which we know that it manifests itself as the substance from which we have creation, annihilation and maintenance; and of that there is the factually meaningless idea of having a different self or, stated differently, that the earthly existence and the subtle of it, compares to what one has with a tree and a seed [from which it all sprouts on the one hand and is the result of Your manifestation in it on the other hand].
In Bhagavad-gītā (7.10) the Lord says:
bījaḿ māḿ sarva-bhūtānāḿ
"O son of Pṛthā, know that I am the original seed of all existences." In the Vedic literature it is said, īśāvāsyam idaḿ sarvam, yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante and sarvaḿ khalv idaḿ brahma. All this Vedic information indicates that there is only one God and that there is nothing else but Him. The Māyāvādī philosophers explain this in their own way, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead asserts the truth that He is everything and yet is separate from everything. This is the philosophy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, which is called acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. Everything is one, the Supreme Lord, yet everything is separate from the Lord. This is the understanding of oneness and difference.
The example given in this regard — vasukālavad asti-tarvoḥ — is very easy to understand. Everything exists in time, yet there are different phases of the time factor — present, past and future. Present, past and future are one. Every day we can experience the time factor as morning, noon and evening, and although morning is different from noon, which is different from evening, all of them taken together are one. The time factor is the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the Lord is separate from the time factor. Everything is created, maintained and annihilated by time, but the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, has no beginning and no end. He is nityaḥ śāśvataḥ — eternal, permanent. Everything passes through time's phases of present, past and future, yet the Lord is always the same. Thus there is undoubtedly a difference between the Lord and the cosmic manifestation, but actually they are not different. Accepting them to be different is called avidyā, ignorance.
True oneness, however, is not equivalent to the conception of the Māyāvādīs. The true understanding is that the differences are manifested by the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The seed is manifested as a tree, which displays varieties in its trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has therefore sung, keśava tuyā jagata vicitra: "My dear Lord, Your creation is full of varieties." The varieties are one and at the same time different. This is the philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. The conclusion given in Brahma-saḿhitā [Bs. 5.1] is this:
īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
"Kṛṣṇa, known as Govinda, is the supreme controller. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin, for He is the prime cause of all causes." Because the Lord is the supreme cause, everything is one with Him, but when we consider varieties, we find that one thing is different from another.We may conclude, therefore, that there is no difference between one thing and another, yet in varieties there are differences. In this regard, Madhvācārya gives an example concerning a tree and a tree in fire. Both trees are the same, but they look different because of the time factor. The time factor is under the control of the Supreme Lord, and therefore the Supreme Lord is different from time. An advanced devotee consequently does not distinguish between happiness and distress. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.8):
tat te 'nukampāḿ susamīkṣamāṇo
When a devotee is in a condition of so-called distress, he considers it a gift or blessing from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When a devotee is always thus situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in any condition of life, he is described as mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk, a perfect candidate for returning home, back to Godhead. The word dāya-bhāk means "inheritance." A son inherits the property of his father. Similarly, when the devotee is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, undisturbed by dualities, he is sure that he will return home, back to Godhead, just as one inherits his father's property.
7.9.32
(32) To this creation of You [my father e.g. who upon annihilation has been] thrown back into the self of Your causal ocean, You seem to do nothing and to be asleep as You within Yourself experience the blissful personal in having closed Your eyes in the yoga; but it is not a material slumber of darkness or the modes that You are into, considering the fact that You, by a manifestation of Yourself [this Nrisimha-form], have curbed that kind of sleeping in maintaining the transcendence.
As explained very clearly in the Brahma-saḿhitā (5.47):
yaḥ kāraṇārṇava-jale bhajati sma yoga-
"I worship the primeval Lord Govinda, who lies down in the Causal Ocean in His plenary portion as Mahā-Viṣṇu, with all the universes generating from the pores of hair on His transcendental body, and who accepts the mystic slumber of eternity." The ādi-puruṣa, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead — Kṛṣṇa, Govinda — expands Himself as Mahā-Viṣṇu. After the annihilation of this cosmic manifestation, He keeps Himself in transcendental bliss. The word yoga-nidrām is used in reference to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should understand that this nidrā, or sleep, is not like our nidrā in the mode of ignorance. The Lord is always situated in transcendence. He is sac-cid-ānanda — eternally in bliss — and thus He is not disturbed by sleep like ordinary human beings. It should be understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is in transcendental bliss in all stages. Śrīla Madhvācārya concisely states that the Lord is turya-sthitaḥ, always situated in transcendence. In transcendence there is no such thing as jāgaraṇa-nidrā-susupti — wakefulness, sleep and deep sleep.
The practice of yoga is similar to the yoga-nidrā of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Yogīs are advised to keep their eyes half closed, but this state is not at all one of sleep, although imitation yogīs, especially in the modern age, manifest their so-called yoga by sleeping. In the śāstra, yoga is described as dhyānāvasthita, a state of full meditation, but this is meditation upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā: the mind should always be situated at the lotus feet of the Lord. Yoga practice does not mean sleeping. The mind should always be actively fixed at the lotus feet of the Lord. Then one's practice of yoga will be successful.
7.9.33
(33) From Your slumber on the bed of Ananta in the causal waters having awakened, appeared the great lotus of all the worlds from Your navel like a bananatree does from its seed and that cosmic body of Yours, this universe agitated by the time-factor, demonstrates the way that You [in the form and divinities of the modes] act upon the matter.
The three different forms of Mahā-Viṣṇu — namely Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who are the origin of creation and maintenance — are gradually being described. From Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is generated, and from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu gradually expands. Thus Mahā-Viṣṇu is the original cause of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu comes the lotus flower from which Lord Brahmā is manifested. Thus the original cause of everything is Viṣṇu, and consequently the cosmic manifestation is not different from Viṣṇu. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (10.8), wherein Kṛṣṇa says, ahaḿ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaḿ pravartate: "I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me." Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is an expansion of Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who is an expansion of Sańkarṣaṇa. In this way, Kṛṣṇa is ultimately the cause of all causes (sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam [Bs. 5.1]). The conclusion is that both the material world and spiritual world are considered to be the body of the Supreme Lord. We can understand that the material body is caused by the spiritual body and is therefore an expansion of the spiritual body. Thus when one takes up spiritual activities, one's entire material body is spiritualized. Similarly, in this material world, when the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement expands, the entire material world becomes spiritualized. As long as we do not realize this, we live in the material world, but when we are fully Kṛṣṇa conscious we live not in the material world but in the spiritual world.
7.9.34
tat-sambhavaḥ kavir ato 'nyad apaśyamānas
(34) The one of knowledge [Brahmâ] generated from that lotus could not see anyone else because Your Lordship, as the seed, had expanded into himself; he dove into the water not understanding for a hundred demigod years how a seed once fructified o my Lord still can be perceived [see 3.8].
7.9.35
(35) He, born from nothing but himself, was greatly astonished to find himself upon that lotus. In due course of time through severe austerities purified he then found You, o Controller, very subtly, like an aroma in the earth, spread out through the sentient being obsessed with so many desires.
Here the statement of self-realization ahaḿ brahmāsmi, which is interpreted by the Māyāvāda philosophy to mean "I am the Supreme Lord," is explained. The Supreme Lord is the original seed of everything (janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. ahaḿ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaḿ pravartate [Bg. 10.8]). Thus the Supreme Lord extends everywhere, even throughout our bodies, because our bodies are made of material energy, which is the Lord's separated energy. One should realize that since the Supreme Lord spreads throughout one's body and since the individual soul is a part of the Supreme Lord, everything is Brahman (sarvaḿ khalv idaḿ brahma). This realization was achieved by Lord Brahmā after he was purified, and it is possible for everyone. When one is completely in knowledge of ahaḿ brahmāsmi, he thinks, "I am part of the Supreme Lord, my body is made of His material energy, and therefore I have no separate existence. Yet although the Supreme Lord is spread everywhere, He is different from me." This is the philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. An example given in this regard is that of the aroma within the earth. In the earth there are aromas and colors, but one cannot see them. Actually we find that when flowers grow from the earth, they appear with different colors and aromas, which they have certainly gathered from the earth, although in the earth we cannot see them. Similarly, the Supreme Lord, by His different energies, spreads throughout one's body and soul, although we cannot see Him. An intelligent man, however, can see the Supreme Lord existing everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham: the Lord is within the universe and within the atom by His different energies. This is the real vision of the Supreme Lord for the intelligent man. Brahmā, the first created being, became the most intelligent person by his tapasya, austerity, and thus he came to this realization. We must therefore take all knowledge from Brahmā, who became perfect by his tapasya.
7.9.36
nāsādya-karṇa-nayanābharaṇāyudhāḍhyam
māyāmayaḿ sad-upalakṣita-sanniveśaḿ
(36) This way seeing the Greater Person with His thousands of faces, feet, heads, hands and thighs, noses, ears and eyes, and endowed with all kinds of ornaments and weapons, who together, appearing in different signs, all gave evidence of His potency, achieved Lord Brahmâ transcendental bliss.
Lord Brahmā, being completely pure, could see the original form of the Lord as Viṣṇu, having many thousands of faces and forms. This process is called self-realization. Genuine self-realization consists not of perceiving the impersonal effulgence of the Lord, but seeing face to face the transcendental form of the Lord. As distinctly mentioned here, Lord Brahmā saw the Supreme Lord as mahā-puruṣa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Arjuna also saw Kṛṣṇa in this same way. Therefore he told the Lord, paraḿ brahma paraḿ dhāma pavitraḿ paramaḿ bhavān puruṣaḿ śāśvataḿ divyam: [Bg. 10.12] "You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person." The Lord is parama-puruṣa, the supreme form. puruṣaḿ śāśvatam: He is everlastingly the supreme enjoyer. It is not that the impersonal Brahman assumes a form; on the contrary, the impersonal Brahman effulgence is an emanation from the supreme form of the Lord. Upon being purified, Brahmā could see the supreme form of the Lord. The impersonal Brahman cannot have heads, noses, ears, hands and legs. This is not possible, for these are attributes of the Lord's form.
The word māyāmayam means "spiritual knowledge." This is explained by Madhvācārya. Māyāmayaḿ jñāna-svarūpam. The word māyāmayam, describing the Lord's form, should not be taken to mean illusion. Rather, the Lord's form is factual, and seeing this form is the result of perfect knowledge. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā: bahūnāḿ janmanām ante jñānavān māḿ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. The word jñānavān refers to one who is perfectly in knowledge. Such a person can see the Personality of Godhead, and therefore he surrenders unto the Lord. The Lord's being symptomized by a face, nose, ears and so on is eternal. Without such a form, no one can be blissful. The Lord, however, is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, as stated in the śāstra (īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs. 5.1]). When one is in perfect transcendental bliss, he can see the Lord's supreme form (vigraha). In this regard, Śrīla Madhvācārya says:
gandhākhyā devatā yadvat
Lord Brahmā saw that as aromas and colors spread throughout the earth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead pervades the cosmic manifestation in a subtle form.
7.9.37
(37) For his sake verily accepting the head of a horse in an incarnation, You killed two very powerful demons representing the passion and the ignorance named Madhu and Kaitabha who opposed the Veda, and delivered the s'ruti [the four Vedas] for which one honors Your most dear form [of Hayagrîva] as the pure of transcendental goodness [see also 5.18: 18 and B.G. 4: 7].
7.9.38
(38) This way according the yuga in question appearing in different incarnations as a human being, a saint, a god or an aquatic, You protect all the worlds, sometimes in defense of the dharma killing the world its troublemakers, o Supreme Personality; in Kali-yuga You are covered [channa] and therefore are You, being one and the same person, called Triyuga [from being visible in the tree other yugas, see also Canto 11.5: 32].
7.9.39
naitan manas tava kathāsu vikuṇṭha-nātha
(39) For sure is the mind that is not set to Your transcendental topics, in its far being removed from the Lord of Vaikunthha, polluted, dishonest and hard to control because of the sins it sympathizes with; filled with desires and lusts is it of highs and lows, fears and distress because of the urges; how can I with such a mind poor and fallen understand Your Supreme Purpose?
7.9.40
jihvaikato 'cyuta vikarṣati māvitṛptā
śiśno 'nyatas tvag-udaraḿ śravaṇaḿ kutaścit
(40) The tongue pulls me this way, o Infallible One, and the genitals unsatisfied pull me that way, so do the skin, the belly and the ear go for this and goes the nose for that hither and do the eyes go thither; the so very busy active senses bring one down like a householder is brought down by co-wives.
The human form of life is meant for God realization, but this process, which begins with śravaṇaḿ kīrtanaḿ viṣṇoḥ [SB 7.5.23] — hearing and chanting of the holy name of the Lord — is disturbed as long as our senses are materially attracted. Therefore devotional service means purifying the senses. In the conditioned state our senses are covered by material sense gratification, and as long as one is not trained in purifying the senses, one cannot become a devotee. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, therefore, we advise from the very beginning that one restrict the activities of the senses, especially the tongue, which is described by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura as most greedy and unconquerable. To stop this attraction of the tongue, one is authoritatively advised not to accept meat or similar uneatable things nor to allow the tongue to hanker to drink or smoke. Even the drinking of tea and coffee is not permitted. Similarly, the genitals must be restricted from illicit sex. Without such restraint of the senses, one cannot make advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The only method of controlling the senses is to chant and hear the holy name of the Lord; otherwise, one will always be disturbed, as a householder with more than one wife would be disturbed by them for sense gratification.
7.9.41
(41) This way because of one's karma being fallen into the Vaitaranî river [at the door of death] do I alas, one after the other birth eating all kinds of foodstuff, suffer an ever increasing fear in seeing how the living being, caught in his own body and entangled in the association with other bodies, is of enmity and friendship; o You, who art at the other side, save me from this danger because we today here are all a bunch of fools.
Prahlāda Mahārāja, a pure Vaiṣṇava, prays to the Lord not only for himself but for all other suffering living entities. There are two classes of Vaiṣṇavas — the bhajanānandīs and goṣṭhy-ānandīs. The bhajanānandīs worship the Lord only for their own personal benefit, but the goṣṭhy-ānandīs try to elevate all others to Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that they may be saved. Fools who cannot perceive repeated birth and death and the other miseries of materialistic life cannot be sure of what will happen to them in their next birth. Indeed, these foolish, materially contaminated rascals have manufactured an irresponsible way of life that does not consider the next life. They do not know that according to one's own activities, one receives a body selected from 8,400,000 species. These rascals have been described in Bhagavad-gītā as duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ. Nondevotees, those who are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, must engage in sinful activities, and therefore they are mūḍhas — fools and rascals. They are such fools that they do not know what will happen to them in their next life. Although they see varieties of living creatures eating abominable things — pigs eating stool, crocodiles eating all kinds of flesh, and so on — they do not realize that they themselves, because of their practice of eating all kinds of nonsense in this life, will be destined to eat the most abominable things in their next life. A Vaiṣṇava is always afraid of such an abominable life, and to free himself from such horrible conditions, he engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord. The Lord is compassionate to them, and therefore He appears for their benefit.
yadā yadā hi dharmasya
tadātmānaḿ sṛjāmy aham
"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bhārata, and a predominant rise of irreligion — at that time I descend Myself." (Bg. 4.7) The Lord is always ready to help the fallen souls, but because they are fools and rascals, they do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and abide by the instructions of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is personally the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, He comes as a devotee to preach the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa.7.9.42
(42) What indeed would be the difficulty of Your great compassion unto friendly people like us, who are always so eager to serve in this o Master of All, o Supreme Lord, to see to it that we materialistic fools are delivered from the cause of the time and again making, keeping and losing it, o Friend of the Needy?
Here the words priya janān anusevatāḿ naḥ indicate that the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is very favorable to devotees who act according to the instructions of His own pure devotee. In other words, one must become the servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord. If one wants to become the servant of the Lord directly, this is not as fruitful as engaging in the service of the Lord's servant. This is the direction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who shows us the way to become gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ. One should not be proud of becoming directly the servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Rather, one must seek a pure devotee, a servant of the Lord, and engage oneself in the service of such a servant. The more one becomes the servant of the servant, the more one becomes perfect in devotional service. This is also the injunction of Bhagavad-gītā: evaḿ paramparā-prāptam imaḿ rājarṣayo viduḥ [Bg. 4.2]. One can understand the science of the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply by the paramparā system. In this regard, Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, tāńdera caraṇa sevi bhakta-sane vāsa: "Let me serve the lotus feet of the devotees of the Lord, and let me live with devotees." Janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa. Following Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, one should aspire to be a servant of the Lord's servant, life after life. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura also sings, tumi ta' ṭhākura, tomāra kukura, baliyā jānaha more: "O my Lord, O Vaiṣṇava, please consider me your dog." One must become the dog of a Vaiṣṇava, a pure devotee, for a pure devotee can deliver Kṛṣṇa without difficulty. Kṛṣṇa se tomāra, kṛṣṇa dite pāra. Kṛṣṇa is the property of His pure devotee, and if we take shelter of a pure devotee, he can deliver Kṛṣṇa very easily. Prahlāda wants to engage in the service of a devotee, and therefore he prays to Kṛṣṇa, "My dear Lord, kindly give me the shelter of Your very dear devotee so that I may engage in his service and You may then be pleased." Mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā (Bhāg. 11.19.21). The Lord says, "Engaging in the service of My devotee is better than trying to engage in My devotional service."
Another significant point in this verse is that by devotional service Prahlāda Mahārāja does not want to benefit alone. Rather, he prays to the Lord that all of us fallen souls in this material world may, by the grace of the Lord, engage in the service of His servant and thus be delivered. The grace of the Lord is not at all difficult for the Lord to bestow, and thus Prahlāda Mahārāja wants to save the whole world by spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness
7.9.43
(43) Most surely am I, o Supreme One, from being absorbed in the broadcasting of Your sweet ocean of glories, free from worries about the hard to cross Vaitaranî that is this world; I rather lament, despite of them being fools, over the ones missing the liberation who, for the good of their senses, plan for illusory forms of happiness and duty [see also 6.17: 28].
7.9.44
maunaḿ caranti vijane na parārtha-niṣṭhāḥ
(44) Generally, o Godhead, do the saints ambitious for their own salvation, in silence wander in remote places, not very much interested to live for the good of others; but I do not, like they do, want to leave aside the others falling short, I do not want to return back to Godhead alone, I would like to see others, caught in the vicious circle, better to find this shelter of You.
This is the decision of the Vaiṣṇava, the pure devotee of the Lord. For himself he has no problems, even if he has to stay in this material world, because his only business is to remain in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Kṛṣṇa conscious person can go even to hell and still be happy. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said, naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraṇyāḥ: "O best of the great personalities, I am not at all afraid of material existence." The pure devotee is never unhappy in any condition of life. This is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.17.28):
nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve
svargāpavarga-narakeṣv
"Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord."For a devotee, being situated in the heavenly planets and being in the hellish planets are equal, for a devotee lives neither in heaven nor in hell but with Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world. The secret of success for the devotee is not understood by the karmīs and jñānīs. Karmīs therefore try to be happy by material adjustment, and jñānīs want to be happy by becoming one with the Supreme. The devotee has no such interest. He is not interested in so-called meditation in the Himalayas or the forest. Rather, his interest is in the busiest part of the world, where he teaches people Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement was started for this purpose. We do not teach one to meditate in a secluded place just so that one may show that he has become very much advanced and may be proud of his so-called transcendental meditation, although he engages in all sorts of foolish materialistic activity. A Vaiṣṇava like Prahlāda Mahārāja is not interested in such a bluff of spiritual advancement. Rather, he is interested in enlightening people in Kṛṣṇa consciousness because that is the only way for them to become happy. Prahlāda Mahārāja says clearly, nānyaḿ tvad asya śaraṇaḿ bhramato'nupaśye: "I know that without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without taking shelter of Your lotus feet, one cannot be happy." One wanders within the universe, life after life, but by the grace of a devotee, a servant of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, one can get the clue to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and then not only become happy in this world but also return home, back to Godhead. That is the real target in life. The members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are not at all interested in so-called meditation in the Himalayas or the forest, where one will only make a show of meditation, nor are they interested in opening many schools for yoga and meditation in the cities. Rather, every member of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is interested in going door to door to try to convince people about the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, the teachings of Lord Caitanya. That is the purpose of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. The members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must be fully convinced that without Kṛṣṇa one cannot be happy. Thus the Kṛṣṇa conscious person avoids all kinds of pseudo spiritualists, transcendentalists, meditators, monists, philosophers and philanthropists.
7.9.45
yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaḿ hi tucchaḿ
kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham
(45) To be concerned with sexual matters indeed is something as trivial as the itch relieved by rubbing one's hands; the ones who this way fall short find, suffering all kinds of misery, the different feelings of sorrow never ended in it, but if one learns from it, recognizing it to be a figment, is one a sober person able to bear the itch [see also B.G. 7: 14].
7.9.46
vārtā bhavanty uta na vātra tu dāmbhikānām
(46) Silence, vows, vedic knowledge, austerity, study, dutifulness, explaining the scripture, living alone, prayer and absorption, belong to the path of liberation, but often are these matters [these ten methods of becoming emancipated] with them who do not control their senses the main source of income, o my Lord, and can safely be said that it in this respect is nothing but hypocrisy [see also 6.1: 16].As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.1.15):
kecit kevalayā bhaktyā
"Only a rare person who has adopted complete, unalloyed devotional service to Kṛṣṇa can uproot the weeds of sinful actions with no possibility that they will revive. He can do this simply by discharging devotional service, just as the sun can immediately dissipate fog by its rays." The real purpose of human life is to attain liberation from material entanglement. Such liberation may be achieved by many methods (tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena ca damena ca [SB 6.1.13]), but all of them more or less depend on tapasya, austerity, which begins with celibacy. Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that those who are vāsudeva-parāyaṇa, who have fully surrendered to the lotus feet of Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, automatically achieve the results of mauna (silence), vrata (vows) and other such methods simply by discharging devotional service. In other words, these methods are not so powerful. If one takes to devotional service, all of them are very easily performed.
Mauna, for example, does not mean that one should just stop speaking. The tongue is meant for speaking, although sometimes, to make a big show, a person remains silent. There are many who observe silence some day in a week. Vaiṣṇavas, however, do not observe such silence. Silence means not speaking foolishly. Speakers at assemblies, conferences and meetings generally speak foolishly like toads. This is described by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī as vāco vegam. One who wants to say something can show himself to be a big orator, but rather than go on speaking nonsense, better to remain silent. This method of silence, therefore, is recommended for persons very attached to speaking nonsense. One who is not a devotee must speak nonsensically because he does not have the power to speak about the glories of Kṛṣṇa. Thus whatever he says is influenced by the illusory energy and is compared to the croaking of a frog. One who speaks about the glories of the Lord, however, has no need to be silent. Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ: [Cc. adi 17.31] one should go on chanting the glories of the Lord twenty-four hours a day. There is no question of becoming mauna, or silent.
The ten processes for liberation or improvement on the path of liberation are not meant for the devotees. Kevalayā bhaktyā: if one simply engages in devotional service to the Lord, all ten methods of liberation are automatically observed. Prahlāda Mahārāja's proposal is that such processes may be recommended for the ajitendriya, those who cannot conquer their senses. Devotees, however, have already conquered their senses. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaḿ tat-paratvena nirmalam: [Cc. Madhya 19.170] a devotee is already freed from material contamination.
7.9.47
bījāńkurāv iva na cānyad arūpakasya
(47) About the two of the true and the untrue of You, who Yourself are without a form and outside of whom nothing else is to be found, speak the Vedas in terms of the seed and the sprout; these two, who are like wood and the fire in it, are to the eyes of those who are connected with You, thanks to Your unification of consciousness, clearly to recognize [in the sprititual renunciating and the concrete of materially being of service], and in another way this is not possible.
7.9.48
(48) You are the air, the fire, the earth, the sky and the water, the sense objects, the life force, the senses, the mind, the consciousness and all divinity belonging to it; You are all of that, the only nature of the modes as well as the One beyond it all, o my Lord; whatever that is manifested or is expressed in the mind and by words is no one but You.
7.9.49
(49) Nor all the modes of nature, nor their predominating deities; nor the complete of the cosmic intelligence, the false ego, the gross and subtle elements, the senses and their objects; nor those who are so mindful together with all the godly and the mortals who all have a beginning and an end, o Lord glorified by all the saints, is truly capable of covering all that is Yours, and thus do the purest consider the end of their studies [and the begin of their devotional service, see also B.G. 2: 52].'
7.9.50
karma smṛtiś caraṇayoḥ śravaṇaḿ kathāyām
saḿsevayā tvayi vineti ṣaḍ-ańgayā kiḿ
(50) 'Therefore unto You, o Best of the Worshipable, do I offer my obeisances with prayers and perform I worship, do I work for You, do I remember You, attend to Your refuge and do I always listen to the talks about You; how can without revering You in all these six forms a person [really] enjoy the bhakti reserved for the best of transcendence [the paramahamsas, compare 7.5: 23-24]?'
7.9.51
etāvad varṇita-guṇo
prahrādaḿ praṇataḿ prīto
(51) S'rî Nârada said: 'Thus far I described the transcendental qualities of the bhakta in his bhakti. The Lord above the modes who was pleased and in control of the anger, next addressed him who surrendered himself at His feet.
7.9.52
varaḿ vṛṇīṣvābhimataḿ
(52) The Supreme Lord said: 'Prahlâda my sweet boy, all good fortune to you, I am pleased with you, o best of the Asuras, just ask for any blessing from Me, for I am for each and everyone the fulfillment of all desires.
7.9.53
(53) Live a long life! Not pleasing Me, rarely seeking My presence, not having seen Me, is it the fate of the living being time and again to lament over himself.
7.9.54
(54) Indeed, be eager to please Me, because all the sober ones may therefrom in all respects, as well-cultured people, desire the best that life has to offer, o fortunate one, for I am the Master of all Benedictions.'
The words dhīrāḥ sarva-bhāvena do not mean "in whichever way you like." Bhāva is the preliminary condition of love of Godhead.
athāsaktis tato bhāvas
tataḥ premābhyudañcati
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.4.16)The bhāva stage is the final division before one reaches love of Godhead. The word sarva-bhāva means that one can love the Supreme Personality of Godhead in different transcendental modes of mellows, beginning with dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya. In the śānta stage, one is on the border of loving service to the Lord. Pure love of Godhead begins from dāsya and develops to sakhya, vātsalya and then mādhurya. Still, in any of these five mellows one can render loving service to the Supreme Lord. Since our main business is to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one can render service from any of the above-mentioned platforms of love.
7.9.55
evaḿ pralobhyamāno 'pi
varair loka-pralobhanaiḥ
ekāntitvād bhagavati
naicchat tān asurottamaḥ
(55) S'rî Nârada said: 'Even though he thus was allured by worldly benedictions, did the best of the Asuras not want any of the things he was invited to ask for, because he was only interested in being surrendered to the Supreme Lord [see also: S'ikshâshthaka verse four].'
* : The qualifications of the brahmin are in the Sanat-sujâta described as follows:
jñânam ca satyam ca damah s'rutam ca
hy amâtsaryam hrîs titikshânasûyâ
yajñas ca dânam ca dhritih s'amas ca
mahâ-vratâ dvâdas'a brâhmanasya
'Spiritual knowledge, truthfulness, loyalty to the scripture, non-enviousness, forbearance, of sacrifice, of charity, equal minded, and living to the great vow [of yama that next to the truthfull mentioned entails the four of celibacy, nonviolence, nonpossesiveness and non-stealing] are the twelve qualities of the brahmin.' See also 5.5: 24 and B.G. 18: 42.
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