8th Lecture Series contents Compiled By: Dr. G.C. Dutt, IPS FD – 424, Salt Lake City Kolkata – 700106 Supreme Lord is Subservient to his devotees Contents A. How to reach to the platform of Bhakti .

1. What is Sanatan Dharma or Bhagawat Dharma or Varnasram 1 dharma. 2. Evil Signs of Kaliyuga. (Present Age) 2 3. Mankind’s 3 Miseries in this Present Age. 3 4. Our Difference with Animal world and our short comings. 4 5. We are not Independent in the material world 5 6. Law of Karma in Kaliyuga. 6-7 7. The functioning of Three Gunas. (Chapter 14BG.) 8 8. How to overcome Stringent Laws of Karma and lower guna’s by 9-10 following basic rules & regulations of . (in the Present age of Kaliyuga) 9. Final Solution:- The Divine path of Bhakti Yoga. 10-12 10. Jnana & Karma unfit to understand Lord 13-16 B. 11. Prerequisite for benevolence & consequent subservience 17-20 of lord a. Purna Saranagati (Full Surrender to Lord). b. Surrender in the form of Ananya Bhakti 21-23 c. Service to pure devotees 24-30 C. 31-39 12. Result of Surrender, Ananya Bhakti and above all Service to pure devotees. Complete protection of Lord Krsna as stated in the Bhagwat Gita along-with Lord’S Subservience.

13. Pure transcendental love and subservience towards pure devotee 40-59 exhibited in various occasions by Supreme Lord. (Prominent devotees mentioned)

Exmp:- Bhishma, , Yudhisthir, Pandava’s, Uttara , Kuntidevi , Gopis , Sudama, Yasoda and Damodar , Udhava , Bali Maharaj, Draupadi, Gajendra, Durvasamuni, , Manavendra Puri & Lord, Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj, etc. Supreme Lord is Subservient to his devotees

A.How to reach to the platform of Bhakti Yoga. 1. What is Sanatan Dharma or Bhagawat Dharma or Varnasram dharma.

4 Principals of Religion (Canto 1 Parikshit and Kali) a) Austerity (Tapah) – Fasting, No intoxication, No Liquor, No Gambling, No Onion, No Garlic, No Tea Coffee, Wake up in Brahama Muharat. b) Cleanliness (Soucha) – No illegal Sex, Prostitution. c) Mercy (Daya) – No Meat Eating. d) Truthfulness (Satya) – Supreme Truth is to please lord.

2. 4 Defects of humans: 1. The difference between a conditioned soul and a liberated soul is that the conditioned soul has four kinds of defects. The first defect is that he must commit mistakes. 2. Another defect: to be illusioned. Illusion means to accept something which is not: māyā.

3. The third defect is the cheating propensity. Everyone has the propensity to cheat others. Although a person is fool number one, he poses himself as very intelligent. Although it is already pointed out that he is in illusion and makes mistakes, he will theorize: "I think this is this, this is this."

4. Lastly, our senses are imperfect. We are very proud of our eyes. Often, someone will challenge, "Can you show me God?" But do you have the eyes to see God? You will never see if you haven't the eyes. If immediately the room becomes dark, you cannot even see your hands.

5. 84 lakh Species on planet earth:- Humans are 4 lakhs and highest form 4 Lakh include unenvolved humans like:- Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.3.19 śva-vid- varāhost r a-kharaih sams tutah purusa h paśuh na yat-karna -pathopeto jātu nāma gadāgrajah

Men who are like dogs, hogs, camels and asses praise those men who never listen to the transcendental pastimes of Lord Śrī Krs n a , the deliverer from evils.

3. Four Yugas and Four dharmas of Various Age:- Satya (Meditation), Tretya (Sacrifice), Dwapar (Temple), Kali (Nam Sankirtan) [KaliYuga Span 4lakh 32000years]. a. 4 Varna’s – Brahman, Kshatria, Vaisya, Sudras. b. 4 Ashram – Brahmacari, Grihastha, Vanaprastha, Sanyasi c. Not all are Sudra’s and Grihamedi or Godas.

1 2. Evil Signs of Kaliyuga. (Present Age)

Sri Canakya Niti Sloka 11.4 After ten thousand years of Kali- Yuga Lord Hari abandons the earth. After five thousand years, the Ganga abandons the earth, and after twenty –five hundred years the predominating deities of the villages abandon the earth.

Symptoms of (the present evil age Kaliyuga) as per Srimad Bhagwatam Canto 12

SB 12.1.6-8 Purport: Here is a description of how authentic political authority degenerated and disintegrated throughout the world. There is a Supreme Godhead, and there are saintly, powerful men who have taken the role of government leaders and represented that Godhead on earth. With the advent of the Age of Kali, however, this transcendental system of government collapsed, and unauthorized, uncivilized men gradually took the reins of power.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.1.20 Purport: Here is a further description of how uncultured men infiltrated government administration. The so-called king named Balī is described as asattama, a most impious, uncultured man.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.1.38 tulya-kālā ime rājan mleccha-prāyāś ca bhū-bhṛtaḥ ete ’dharmānṛta-parāḥ phalgu-dās tīvra-manyavaḥ

There will be many such uncivilized kings ruling at the same time, O King Parīkṣit, and they will all be uncharitable, possessed of fierce tempers, and great devotees of irreligion and falsity.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.1.39-40 Translation: These barbarians in the guise of kings will devour the citizenry, murdering innocent women, children, cows and brāhmaṇas and coveting the wives and property of other men. They will be erratic in their moods, have little strength of character and be very short-lived. Indeed, not purified by any Vedic rituals and lacking in the practice of regulative principles, they will be completely covered by the modes of passion and ignorance.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.1.41 Translation: The citizens governed by these low-class kings will imitate the character, behavior and speech of their rulers. Harassed by their leaders and by each other, they will all suffer ruination.

2 3. Mankinds 3 Miseries in this Present Age. What is This present age (Kaliyuga) Like? Kaliyuga : 4th Yuga (4Lakh 32 Thousand Years) Satya, Treta, Dwapara Yuga, Meditation, Sacrifice, Temple Building & Nam Sankirtan

Why we suffer :- Threefold Miseries. Despite all this advancement, at every moment everyone is suffering due to at least one of the following threefold miseries. These are:

1. Miseries caused by one’s own mind and body (adhyatmika klesha): The body and the mind give rise to innumerable problems. According to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, in the year 2000, in America, 19 million youths were suffering from mental related illness; everyday 1200 youths were attempting to commit suicide and one tenth of them were successful. Thus sometimes people are driven to the point of suicide due to mental frustration. In old age, the deteriorating body gives varieties of problems. For example, once a person grows beyond 80 years, generally he can’t even sit or stand without back-pain.

2. Miseries caused by other living entities (adhibhautika klesha): Even if you have a healthy body and mind, others will not let you live in peace. Even if everything is nicely arranged in your life, some other living entity, such as your enemy, boss, colleague, relative, family member or friend, terrorists or, if no one else, then a mosquito or a virus, is sure to make our life miserable.

3. Miseries caused by nature (adhidaivika klesha): Forest Fires Floods, droughts, famines, earthquakes, hurricanes etc are devastating calamities imposed upon us through the agency of nature. A volcanic eruption at Pompeii devoured 20,000 people under a 20 ft high lava layer. The recent tsunami tidal wave disaster swallowed 3,80,000 lives in a few minutes. Even if these come only occasionally, they wreak havoc whenever they come. And moreover, we are being constantly tormented by the changes in the weather such as scorching heat, freezing cold and untimely rains.

4. Material World is “dukhalayam Asasvatam” acc to Bhagwat Gita (Miserable / Temporary) Only economic development can not make us happy. Every action has an equal & opposite reaction (Newton’s Law)

3 4. Our Difference with Animal world and our short comings.

Fuctions of animal world:- Eat sleep produce fight

Sri Chanakya Niti Sloka 17.17 Mankind has eating, sleeping fearing and mating in common with the lower animals. That in which man excels the beasts is discretionary knowledge. Hence indiscreet men who are without knowledge should be regarded as beasts.

4.b) Difference with Human beings:-

Humans have Higher intelligence & higher consciousness

In actuality the present educational system is most defective because unless one knows what happens after death, one dies like an animal. An animal does not know that he is subject to death or that he is going to have to take another body. Human life, however, should be more elevated. One should not simply be interested in the animalistic functions of eating, sleeping, defending and mating. A living entity may have an abundant supply of food for eating, or many nice buildings for sleeping, or good arrangements for sex life, or a good defense to protect him, but this does not mean that he is a human being.

A civilization which is based on these activities should be known to be animalistic. Since animals are also interested in these functions, what is the difference between human life and animal life if a human being does not go beyond them? The distinction can be made when a human being becomes inquisitive and asks, “Why have I been put into this miserable condition? Is there any remedy for it? is there perpetual eternal life? I do not want to die, nor do I want to suffer.

Sri Chanakya Niti Sloka 7.19 He who is without learning passes life as uselessly as the tail of a dog – it neither covers the rear nor offers protection from biting insects. Brhaspati concurs: That son who has not earned a reputation for valor, austerity, charity, the acquisition of wealth or learning, is but the excrement of his mother (GP 1.115.32) Brhaspati likewise condemns the unlettered: Those who are devoid of literature, music and art are but animals without horns and tail. It is the great luck of other animals that such people survive without eating grass! (NS 11)

Sri Chanakya Niti Sloka 17.1 The scholar who has acquired knowledge through studying innumerable books but has not studied in the presence of a bonafide spiritual master dose not

4 shine in an assembly of learned men just as the mother of illegitimate children is not honored in society. 5. We are not Independent in the material world We have Minute independence (Alpa swatantra)

a) False pride of Karmis. Who believe they are independent due to Mithya Ahankara/ I can do anything.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 3.9 yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya mukta-saṅgaḥ samācara

TRANSLATION Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 3. 27 prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate

TRANSLATION The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 15.7 mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati

TRANSLATION The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.

5 6. Law of Karma in Kaliyuga.

Bhagwat Gita Chapter – 3 & 5

Law of Karma in Kaliyuga entails:-

3.4 Prescribed duties to be done. 3.7 It is a controlled life prescribed by sastras 3.11/12 – Karma means money & Goods so obtained must be offered to Lord. 3.28 – Devotional activates of Consciousness and naturally senses will be checked.

3.30 – Discharge prescribed duties without claiming ownership (like bank cashier) 3.32 – Punishment for those who don’t agree to Lords ownership. 3.34 – Follow rules & regulations of Krishna Consciousness (eg. Sex only in marriage) 3.41 – Karma to be used to regulate senses. Use intelligence to engage in Krishna Consciousness.

5.11 – Actions should be directed to wards purification (Sada- Acara). Body , Mind & Intelligence is acting in Krishna Consciousness – then there is no false ego. 5.20 – In Krishna Consciousness he becomes sthir budhi neither joyful not laments. 5.29 – Lord is beneficiary of all human activates.

Sri Chanakya Niti Sloka 3.12 The goddess of fortune sita was kidnapped by Ravana for her extreme beauty. Ravana himself was destroyed for his extreme vanity. Through his excessive charity Bali Maharaja was tied up. Therefore, by all means avoid excesses.

Punya Karma Cannot overrule earler Badkarma.

Exmple:- After the bloody Kurukshetra war, Dhritarashtra asked Krsna, “I had hundred sons and all of them were killed in the war. Why?” Krsna replied, “Fifty lifetimes ago, you were a hunter. While hunting, you tried to shoot a male bird, but it flew away. In anger, you ruthlessly slaughtered the hundred baby birds that were there in the nest. The father-bird had the pain of seeing the death of his hundreds sons, you too had to bear the pain of your hundred sons dying.”

Dhritarashtra became pensive and then asked, “OK, but why did I have to wait for fifty lifetimes?” Krsna answered, “You had to accumulate punya (Pious credits) during the

6 last fifty lifetimes to be able to get a hundred sons in this one lifetime. Then you got the reaction for the papa (sin) that you have done fifty lifetimes ago.”

Lets start with a fundamental question – why do different people get different starting conditions? Some of us are born good-looking; some, mediocre-looking. Some of us are born with a phenomenal memory; some, with a below-average memory. These starting conditions often significantly shape the difficulties we face in achieving our life’s goals. If I have a below – average memory and my academic success is measured by exams that test memory, the decks are stacked against me right from the start; the match is fixed against me even before it starts.

Why do different people get different starting conditions?

Just as different students get different exams according to what is required to raise them from their present class to the next, all of us face different problems in life according to what is best suited to raise us from our present moral and spiritual level to the next.

But only full surrender to supreme Lord can take away earlier Bad karma (BRS 1.1.23, BG 18.66. )

7 7. The functioning of Three Gunas. (Chapter 14BG.)

Mode of Goodness (Satvic) A man in the mode of goodness, becomes wiser than others. Because he leads life in accordance to injunctions of scriptures, he is not so much affected by material miseries. He has a sense of advancement in material knowledge (Jnanam). He has a sense of happiness (sukham) because he is more or less free from sinful reactions. The representative type is a brahmana, who is supposed to be situated in the mode of goodness.

When a living entity is situated in goodness, he becomes conditioned to feel that he is advanced in knowledge and is better than others. The best examples are the scientist, philosopher and poet. Each is very proud of his knowledge, and because they generally improve their living conditions, they feel a sort of material ‘happiness. This sense of advanced happiness makes them bound by the goodness of material nature.

Mode of Passion (Rajsic) The mode of passion is characterized by the attraction between man and woman (sanga). Woman has attraction for man, and man has attraction for woman. When the mode of passion is increased, one develops the hankering for material enjoyment (trishna). He wants to enjoy sense gratification. For sense gratification, a man in the mode of passion wants some honor in society, or in the nation, and he wants to have a happy family, with nice children, wife and house. These are the products of the mode of passion. As long as one is hankering after these things, he has to work very hard. A man in the mode of passion may be engaged in fruitive activity; he owns as much as he can and spends for good causes. Sometimes he tries to open hospitals, give to charity institutions, etc for developing his prestige and status in society. Therefore, the whole material world is more or less in the mode of passion. Formerly, in the Vedic age, the society was considered to be in the mode of goodness.

Sri Chanakya Niti Sloka 12.21 A wicked person remain wicked even in his old age just as the indra- varuna fruit does not become sweet no matter how ripe it becomes. Mode of Ignorance (Tamsic) The mode of ignorance is just the opposite of mode of goodness. In mode of ignorance, one cannot understand what is what. A man in ignorance is very lazy (aalasya) and has no interest for spiritual life. He is not even active like the man who is controlled by the mode of passion. He sleeps more than is required (nidra). Six hours of sleep is sufficient, but a man in the mode of ignorance sleeps at least ten or twelve hours a day. Such a man always appears to be dejected and is addicted to intoxicants (pramaada) and sleeping. In the mode of ignorance whatever one does is good neither for him nor for anyone.

8 8. How to overcome Stringent Laws of Karma and lower guna’s by following basic rules & regulations of Bhakti Yoga. (in the Present age of Kaliyuga) Constant practice and detachment only way to control mind

A. Immediate Requirement – Mind & Sense Control to bring detachment, leading to Pandita Samadarsinah.

Sri Chanakya Niti Sloka 13.11 The mind attached to sense gratification leads to bondage and the mind detached from sense gratification leads to liberation. Therefore it is the mind alone that is responsible for bondage or liberation.

MIND & SENSE CONTROL 2.59 - The process of restriction from sense enjoyment by rules and regulations is something like restricting a diseased person from certain types of eatables.

Similarly, sense restriction by some spiritual process like astanga-yoga, in the matter of yama, , , , , dharana, dhyana, etc., is recommended for less intelligent persons who have no better knowledge. But one who has tasted the beauty of the Supreme Lord Krsna, in the course of his advancement in Krsna consciousness, no longer has a taste for dead, material things. Sri Chanakya Niti Sloka 4.4 As long as your body is healthy and under control – and death is distant – try to save your eternal soul through Krishna consciousness. What can be done at your final moment of life? Sri Chanakya Niti Sloka 12.12 This body is perishable, wealth is transient and death waits nearby. Therefore immediately engage yourself in dharma.

B. Dangerous lust and the wicked senses can only be controlled by used of our superior intelligence and by engaging the senses.

BG 3.37: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world.

9 How to Overcome disastrous effects of KaliYuga along with Stringent Laws of Karma and Lower Guna’s:-

Option A Karmakunda Principles:- (Punya Activities / Trivarga) Unfortunately most old Vedic rules were based on 4 purusartha’s. they are called dharma, artha, kama, moksha. Most people follow this karma kanda principle by following minimum dharma, chasing artha round the clock, then enjoy endless sense enjoyment & feel that they will get moksha as they have worked hard & offered a bit of charity now & then. These above mentioned principles mislead the common man.

Option B The Vedic dharma teaches us that the process of karmayoga, dhyan yoga and gyan yoga which are very tedious and difficult but does not teach about pure love of god. These above mentioned methods do not clean up selfish desires, ambitions, arrogance and false ego. Not only that it takes many lifetimes to understand basic question who am I? (Aham Brahmasmi) and why am I here?

9. Option C Final Solution:- The Divine path of Bhakti Yoga. [Example of Fish / we must go back to Godhead of whom we are a part.]

i. We are all part & parcel of Supreme Lord Krishna and we have same qualities as supreme Lord but quantity is very minute. ii. It is only when we want to compete with the supreme lord & want to enjoy like him that we are sent to the painful material world as we have stopped serving him and we want to enjoy without him. iii. Thus we want to enjoy and remain happy like supreme lord as we are his children. As supreme lord resides in our heart we have to turn towards him instead of concentrating on our material body and trying to enjoy in this mrityuloka (Planet of Pain & Death).

b) How to nurture the soul:- Example of Parrot & Cage Example of 2 Birds on One branch. Example of Fish. Know that we reach here after 84 lakhs species.

10 Yoga Ladder (Chap-6, B. Gita) Yoga Process Followed Ultimate Objective 5. Bhakti 9 Devotional Bhakti Yoga / Bhagwan / SPG Yoga Service. Sudho Bhakti Supreme Body and Mind in Personality of Krishna Service. Godhead. (Krishna Satchit Ananda. Consciousness) 4. Dhyana Meditation Dhyana Yoga / Super Soul. Yoga Yoga (8 fold path) / Astanga Yoga. 3. Gyan Yoga Dry Mental Impersonalist Liberation in speculation / Brahman studying. Free from Bodily Happiness.

2. Karma Prescribed Niskamakarma*/ Upper heavenly Yoga activities Budhi yoga planets Stage -2 (Prescribed Destination – activities) Brahmojyoti. Stage – 1 Demigods / Karmakanda / Heavenly planets. Fruitive Activities Sakarma Karma (Sex and Sense pleasure with Strict license) 1. Vikarma Ground Level High possibility of Gambling, Meat going to lower eating, Sex, Greed species of life. for power and position

* Note:- Like an elevator you can jump from Nishkamkarma (Karmayoga 2nd Step) to pure bhakti by Sravanam, Kirtanam and Devotional Service in Krishna Consciousness with LTS (Transcendental loving Service) toward Supreme personality of Godhead.

11 9a. Most Important is Purification of mind & wayward senses. Only way to control our guna/ quality and ensure Karma is not crating bondages is by following regulative principles thus reducing burden of earth and also Karmic reactions of material nature which are instant. With less bad Karma we get all success in this world and are assured a better life in next birth. So we need on spiritual hospital example Fords son.

9b. We must follow Sanatan Dharma which is the Science of Self Realization based on Karma & Guna’s. These karma & Guna’s are controlled by restless mind & senses when mind & senses are controlled by diverting them towards devotional service by imbibing Spiritual intelligence then purification takes place leading to protection of supreme lord from sinful reactions (18.66 Sarvadharma Past Yaga) So Spiritual Intelligence must be cultivated to Avoid.

9c. Bhakti Yoga : a. Law of Karma & 3 Guna’s can be Controlled by mind & senses. b. Mind & Senses can be only controlled by diverting senses towards, devotional service (Chapter 12 of BG.) c. To divert senses we need to understand & imbibe Spiritual Intelligence (Bg. 4,7,9,13th d. Spiritual intell guides us by process of Purification. e. Purified entity gets protection of Low from sinful sections (18.66) 9d. Essential of Bhakti Yoga:- 1. 4 Principals of Religion (Canto 1 Parikshit and Kali) a) Austerity (Tapah) – Fasting, No intoxication, No Liquor, No Gambling, No Onion, No Garlic, No Tea Coffee, Wake up in Brahma Muharat. b) Cleanliness (Soucha) – No illegal Sex, Prostitution. c) Mercy (Daya) – No Meat Eating. d) Truthfulness (Satya) – Supreme Truth is to please lord.

9e. Mahamantra Japa (Importance) 2. In the Yajur Veda, the Kali-santarana Upanisad also describes the svarüpa and glories of the mahä- in this way: 3. “Näradaji further inquired, ‘Which name of Sri Bhagavän and what is its svarüpa?’" 4. “In reply Brahmäjé said, ‘Hare krsña hare krsña krsña krsña hare hare / hare räma hare räma räma räma hare hare. This mahä-mantra, thus composed of sixteen names, can completely destroy all the sins of Kali-yuga. A superior sädhana does not appear in the entire Vedas. The mahämantra is covered by sixteen qualities, which means that it can destroy the five gross elements (panca-bhüta) and the eleven senses which cover the jiva. Then Paraàbrahma manifests before the jiva, just like the sun whose rays shine brightly when the clouds' covering is removed.’

5. Follow strategy laid down in Bhagwat Gita & Srimad Bhagwatam etc. 6. Guidance of bonafide & I disciple succession Spiritual Master 7. How to ensure our Karma dose not produce sinful negative reactions.

12 Index - 10 10. Jnana & Karma Yogis unfit to understand Lord Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.29.45 śabda-brahmaṇi duṣpāre caranta uru-vistare mantra-liṅgair vyavacchinnaṁ bhajanto na viduḥ pa ram Despite the cultivation of Vedic knowledge, which is unlimited, and the worship of different demigods by the symptoms of Vedic , demigod worship does not help one to understand the supreme powerful Personality of Godhead.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.29.46 yadā yasyānugṛhṇāti bhagavān ātma-bhāvitaḥ sa jahāti matiṁ loke vede ca pariniṣṭhitām When a person is fully engaged in devotional service, he is favored by the Lord, who bestows His causeless mercy. At such a time, the awakened devotee gives up all material activities and ritualistic performances mentioned in the Vedas.

Srimad Bhagavatam 4.31.21 na bhajati kumanisinam sa ijyam harir adhanatma-dhana-priyo rasa-jnah sruta-dhana-kula-karmanam madair ye vidadhati papam akincanesu satsu The Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes very dear to those devotees who have no material possessions but are fully happy in possessing the devotional service of the Lord. Indeed, the Lord relishes the devotional activities of such devotees. Those who are puffed up with material education, wealth, aristocracy and fruitive activity are very proud of possessing material things, and they often deride the devotees. Even if such people offer the Lord worship, the Lord never accepts them. Bhagavad-gita As It Is 4.3 sa evāyaṁ mayā te ’dya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ bhakto ’si me sakhā ceti rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend and can therefore understand the transcendental mystery of this science. Bhagavad-gita As It Is 5.12 yuktaḥ karma-phalaṁ tyaktvā śāntim āpnoti naiṣṭhikīm ayuktaḥ kāma-kāreṇa phale sakto nibadhyate The steadily devoted soul attains unadulterated peace because he offers the result of all activities to Me; whereas a person who is not in union with the Divine, who is greedy for the fruits of his labor, becomes entangled.

13 Bhagavad-gita As It Is 15.15 sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 18.55 bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad-anantaram One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, and His plenary portions cannot be understood by mental speculation nor by the nondevotees.

If anyone wants to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he has to take to pure devotional service under the guidance of a pure devotee. Otherwise, the truth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead will always be hidden.

As already stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.25), nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya: He is not revealed to everyone. No one can understand God simply by erudite scholarship or mental speculation. Only one who is actually engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotional service can understand what Kṛṣṇa is. University degrees are not helpful.

Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu ||1.1.42|| yathaikādaśe (11.14.20) — na sādhyati mām yogo na sāṅkhyaṃ dharma | na svādhyāyas tyāgo yathā bhaktir mamorjitā ||1.1.42||

Thus Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says in the Eleventh Canto “My dear Uddhava, the unalloyed devotional service rendered to Me by My devotees brings Me under their control. I cannot be thus controlled by those engaged in mystic yoga, Sāṅkhya philosophy, pious work, Vedic study, austerity or renunciation cannot thus control Me to this extent.” [11.14.20]

14 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.8.26 janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir edhamāna-madaḥ pumān naivārhaty abhidhātuṁ vai tvām akiñcana-gocaram TRANSLATION My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.14.4 śreyaḥ-sṛtiṁ bhaktim udasya te vibho kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye teṣām asau kleśala eva śiṣyate nānyad yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinā m Translation: My dear Lord, devotional service unto You is the best path for self-realization. If someone gives up that path and engages in the cultivation of speculative knowledge, he will simply undergo a troublesome process and will not achieve his desired result. As a person who beats an empty husk of wheat cannot get grain, one who simply speculates cannot achieve self-realization. His only gain is trouble. Purport:

Loving service to the Supreme Person is the natural and eternal function of every living entity. If a person renounces his own constitutional function and instead laboriously seeks so-called enlightenment through impersonal, speculative knowledge, his result is simply the trouble and bother that come from following an artificial process. A fool may beat an empty husk, not knowing that the grain has already been removed. Similarly foolish is the person who throws his mind again and again into the pursuit of knowledge without surrendering to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for it is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is the very substance and goal of knowledge, just as grain is the substance and goal of the entire agricultural effort. Vedic knowledge or, indeed, material science without the Personality of Godhead is exactly like an empty and useless husk of wheat.

One may argue that by practicing yoga or cultivating impersonal knowledge one can acquire prestige, wealth, mystic powers or even impersonal liberation. But these so- called gains are actually useless, because they do not situate the living being in his constitutional position of loving service to the Supreme Lord. Therefore such results, being superfluous to the living being’s essential nature, are impermanent. As stated in the Nṛsiṁha Purāṇa, patreṣu puṣpeṣu phaleṣu toyeṣv akrīta-labhyeṣu vadaiva satsu/ bhaktyā su-labhye puruṣe purāṇe muktyai kim arthaṁ kriyate prayatnaḥ: “Since the primeval Personality of Godhead is easily attained by offering Him such things as leaves, flowers, fruits and water, which are all found without difficulty, why does one need to endeavor for liberation separately?”

15 Although the process of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa is very simple, it is extremely difficult for stubborn conditioned souls to completely humble themselves before the Supreme Personality of Godhead and absorb themselves twenty-four hours a day in His loving service. The mood of loving service is anathema to belligerent conditioned souls determined to defy God and enjoy. When such stubborn conditioned souls attempt to bypass surrendering to God through proud attempts at philosophical speculation, austerity, and yoga, they are turned back to the material platform by the powerful laws of God and violently merged into the heaving ocean of insignificance called the material world.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 7.25 nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti loko mām ajam avyayam Translation: I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible.

16 Part B Index 11 [First Step (Saranagati) 11. Prerequisite for benevolence & consequent subservience of lord a. Surrender and Knowledge of who is the ultimate beneficiary. Bhagavad-gita As It Is 3.30 mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi sannyasyādhyātma-cetasā nirāśīr nirmamo bhūtvā yudhyasva vigata-jvaraḥ Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering all your works unto Me, with full knowledge of Me, without desires for profit, with no claims to proprietorship, and free from lethargy, fight.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 4.11 ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā. Bhagavad-gita As It Is 5.10 brahmaṇy ādhāya karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā karoti yaḥ lipyate na sa pāpena padma-patram ivāmbhasā One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus leaf is untouched by water. Bhagavad-gita As It Is 5.29 bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries. Bhagavad-gita As It Is 7.14 daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te Translation: This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.

17 Bhagavad-gita As It Is 15.5 nirmāna-mohā jita-saṅga-doṣā adhyātma-nityā vinivṛtta-kāmāḥ dvandvair vimuktāḥ sukha-duḥkha-saṁjñair gacchanty amūḍhāḥ padam avyayaṁ tat Translation: Those who are free from false prestige, illusion and false association, who understand the eternal, who are done with material lust, who are freed from the dualities of happiness and distress, and who, unbewildered, know how to surrender unto the Supreme Person attain to that eternal kingdom.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 18.66 sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ Translation: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.3.17 tasyātma-tantrasya harer adhīśituḥ parasya māyādhipater mahātmanaḥ prāyeṇa dūtā iha vai manoharāś caranti tad-rūpa-guṇa-svabhāvāḥ Translation: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is self-sufficient and fully independent. He is the master of everyone and everything, including the illusory energy. He has His form, qualities and features; and similarly His order carriers, the Vaiṣṇavas, who are very beautiful, possess bodily features, transcendental qualities and a transcendental nature almost like His. They always wander within this world with full independence.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.3.34 itthaṁ svabhartṛ-gaditaṁ bhagavan-mahitvaṁ saṁsmṛtya vismita-dhiyo yama-kiṅkarās te naivācyutāśraya-janaṁ pratiśaṅkamānā draṣṭuṁ ca bibhyati tataḥ prabhṛti sma rāja n Translation: After hearing from the mouth of their master about the extraordinary glories of the Lord and His name, fame and attributes, the Yamadūtas were struck with wonder. Since then, as soon as they see a devotee, they fear him and dare not look at him again.

18 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.16.16 sārathya-pāraṣada-sevana-sakhya-dautya- vīrāsanānugamana-stavana-praṇāmān snigdheṣu pāṇḍuṣu jagat-praṇatiṁ ca viṣṇor bhaktiṁ karoti nṛ-patiś caraṇāravinde Translation: Mahārāja Parīkṣit heard that out of His causeless mercy Lord Kṛṣṇa [Viṣṇu], who is universally obeyed, rendered all kinds of service to the malleable sons of Pāṇḍu by accepting posts ranging from chariot driver to president to messenger, friend, night watchman, etc., according to the will of the Pāṇḍavas, obeying them like a servant and offering obeisances like one younger in years. When he heard this, Mahārāja Parīkṣit became overwhelmed with devotion to the lotus feet of the Lord.

Process of Surrender is by following the 9 devotional services mentioned below:- 11a) Purna Saranagati (Full Surrender to Lord):- a. What are the nine types of devotional service?

There are nine items to be executed in devotional service. These are enumerated in the following verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.23): Prahlad’s Teaching

śravana m kīrtanam vis n oh smaran am pāda-sevanam arcanam vandanam dāsyam sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

Hearing the glories of the Lord, chanting, remembering, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering worship in the temple, offering prayers, becoming a servant of the Lord, becoming the Lord's friend, and sarvātma-nivedana, offering oneself fully at the lotus feet of the Lord — these are the nine devotional processes.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately answered that the most important item is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord — Hare Kr s n a, Hare Kr s n a, Kr s n a Kr s n a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. He then quoted the following verse from the Br han-nāradīya Purāna (38.126) to confirm His statement.

2. In the process of surrender (śaraṇāgati) there are six items. The first is 1. Humility (Dainaya) 2. Self Surrender (Atmanirdan) 3. Maintainer (Goptribhe baran) and that one should completely depend on Kṛṣṇa, and the next is that one should accept 4. everything favorable for Kṛṣṇa’s service (ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ). Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā: a symptom of first-class bhakti, devotional service, is that one accepts everything favorable for that service.

19 Another item of surrender is 5. prātikūlyasya-vivarjanam, rejecting everything unfavorable to the procedures of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sometimes the spiritual master says, “Don’t do this,” forbidding something unfavorable, and he also recommends that which is favorable: “Do this. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.” Full surrender, therefore, entails giving up unfavorable things and accepting that which is favorable (ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ prātikūlyayasya-vivarjanam).

6. Furthermore, one should believe with full faith, “Kṛṣṇa will give me protection,” (Abasya Rakshibe Krisna Biswas – palan) and one should count oneself as one of the servants of Kṛṣṇa. These are some of the items of śaraṇāgati, full surrender.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 22.100 ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ prātikūlyasya varjanam rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāso goptṛtve varaṇaṁ tathā ātma-nikṣepa-kārpaṇye ṣaḍ-vidhā śaraṇāgatiḥ " 'The six divisions of surrender are the acceptance of those things favorable to devotional service, the rejection of unfavorable things, the conviction that Kṛṣṇa will give protection, the acceptance of the Lord as one's guardian or master, full self- surrender and humility.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 22.136 śrī-viṣṇoḥ śravaṇe parīkṣid abhavad vaiyāsakiḥ kīrtane prahlādaḥ smaraṇe tad-aṅghri-bhajane lakṣmīḥ pṛthuḥ pūjane akrūras tv abhivandane kapi-patir dāsye 'tha sakhye 'rjunaḥ sarvasvātma-nivedane balir abhūt kṛṣṇāptir eṣāṁ parā

" 'Mahārāja Parīkṣit attained the highest perfection, shelter at Lord Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, simply by hearing about Lord Viṣṇu. Śukadeva Gosvāmī attained perfection simply by reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Prahlāda Mahārāja attained perfection by remembering the Lord. The goddess of fortune attained perfection by massaging the transcendental legs of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Mahārāja Pṛthu attained perfection by worshiping the Deity, and Akrūra attained perfection by offering prayers unto the Lord. Vajrāṅgajī [Hanumān] attained perfection by rendering service to Lord Rāmacandra, and Arjuna attained perfection simply by being Kṛṣṇa's friend. Bali Mahārāja attained perfection by dedicating everything to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.'

20 11 (b). Second Step (Ananya Akincan Bhakti) 11b) Surrender in the form of Ananya Bhakti

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 9.30 api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ Translation: Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination. Bhagavad-gita As It Is 10.10 teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te Translation: To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.

11b(i) The Various options offered by Lord Krsna in Chapter 12 of Bhagvat Gita:- Bhagavad-gita As It Is 12.8 mayy eva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhiṁ niveśaya nivasiṣyasi mayy eva ata ūrdhvaṁ na saṁśayaḥ Translation: Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 12.9 atha cittaṁ samādhātuṁ na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram abhyāsa-yogena tato mām icchāptuṁ dhanañ-jaya Translation: My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without deviation, then follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga. In this way develop a desire to attain Me. Bhagavad-gita As It Is 12.10 abhyāse ’py asamartho ’si mat-karma-paramo bhava mad-artham api karmāṇi kurvan siddhim avāpsyasi If you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the perfect stage. Bhagavad-gita As It Is 12.11 athaitad apy aśakto ’si kartuṁ mad-yogam āśritaḥ sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān Translation: If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness of Me, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.

21 Bhagavad-gita As It Is 12.12 śreyo hi jñānam abhyāsāj jñānād dhyānaṁ viśiṣyate dhyānāt karma-phala-tyāgas tyāgāc chāntir anantaram If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.24.53 etad rūpam anudhyeyam ātma-śuddhim abhīpsatām yad-bhakti-yogo ’bhayadaḥ sva-dharmam anutiṣṭhatām My dear Lord, those who desire to purify their existence must always engage in meditation upon Your lotus feet, as described above. Those who are serious about executing their occupational duties and who want freedom from fear must take to this process of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu ||1.1.37|| dvitīyā, yathā pañcama-skandhe (5.6.18) — rājān patīr gurur alaṃ bhavatāṃ yadūnāṃ daivaṃ priyaḥ kula-patiḥ kva ca kiṅkaro vaḥ | astv evam aṅga bhajatāṃ bhagavān mukundo muktiṃ dadāti karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam ||1.1.37||

The second type of rarity is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Sukadeva Gosvami: “My dear King, the Supreme Person, Mukunda, is actually the maintainer of all the members of the Pāṇḍava and Yadu dynasties. He is your spiritual master, worshipable Deity, friend, and the director of your activities. To say nothing of this, He sometimes serves your family as a messenger or servant. This means He worked just as ordinary servants do. Those engaged in getting the Lord's favor attain liberation from the Lord very easily, but He does not very easily, but He does not give bhava-bhakti at all times. SB 5.6.18.

Ananya Bhakti Path:- (Outlined by Rupa Goswami)

1. Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.1.11) anyābhilāsi tā-śūnyam jñāna-karmādy-anāvrt am ānukūlyena krs n ā nu- śīlanam bhaktir uttamā "'When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Krs n a favorably, as Krs n a desires.'

2. Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.1.12) sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam hrs ī kena hrs ī keśa- sevanam bhaktir ucyate

"'Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all

22 material designations, and one's senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.' Bhagavad-gita As It Is -9.34 – man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru mam evaisyasi yuktuaivam atmanam mat-parayanah Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisance’s to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.

Siksha astakam sloka No 4 Na dhanam na janam na sundarim Kavitam va jagad – isa kamaye Mama janmani janmanisvare Bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 22.99 śaraṇāgatera, akiñcanera--eka-i lakṣaṇa tāra madhye praveśaye 'ātma-samarpaṇa' TRANSLATION "There are two kinds of devotees-those who are fully satiated and free from all material desires and those who are fully surrendered to the lotus feet of the Lord. Their qualities are one and the same, but those who are fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet are qualified with another transcendental quality-ātma-samarpaṇa, full surrender without reservation.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 22.113 smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur vismartavyo na jātucit sarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ TRANSLATION " 'Kṛṣṇa is the origin of Lord Viṣṇu. He should always be remembered and never forgotten at any time. All the rules and prohibitions mentioned in the śāstras should be the servants of these two principles.'

23 11(c) (Step No. Three) 11c) Service to pure devotees:

Srimad Bhagavatam 5.12.12 rahuganaitat tapasa na yati na cejyaya nirvapanad grhad va na cchandasa naiva jalagni-suryair vina mahat-pada-rajo-'bhisekam TRANSLATION My dear King Rahugana, unless one has the opportunity to smear his entire body with the dust of the lotus feet of great devotees, one cannot realize the Absolute Truth. One cannot realize the Absolute Truth simply by observing celibacy [brahmacarya], strictly following the rules and regulations of householder life, leaving home as a vanaprastha, accepting , or undergoing severe penances in winter by keeping oneself submerged in water or surrounding oneself in summer by fire and the scorching heat of the sun. There are many other processes to understand the Absolute Truth, but the Absolute Truth is only revealed to one who has attained the mercy of a great devotee.

Srimad Bhagavatam 7.9.10 viprad dvi-sad-guna-yutad aravinda-nabha- padaravinda-vimukhat svapacam varistham manye tad-arpita-mano-vacanehitartha- pranam punati sa kulam na tu bhurimanah TRANSLATION If a brahmana has all twelve of the brahminical qualifications [as they are stated in the book called Sanat-sujata] but is not a devotee and is averse to the lotus feet of the Lord, he is certainly lower than a devotee who is a dog-eater but who has dedicated everything -- mind, words, activities, wealth and life -- to the Supreme Lord. Such a devotee is better than such a brahmana because the devotee can purify his whole family, whereas the so-called brahmana in a position of false prestige cannot purify even himself.

Srimad Bhagavatam 9.4.63 sri-bhagavan uvaca aham bhakta-paradhino hy asvatantra iva dvija sadhubhir grasta-hridayo bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyah

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said to the brahmana: I am completely under the control of My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent. Because My devotees are completely devoid of material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to speak of My devotee, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me.

24 Srimad Bhagavatam 9.4.65 ye daragara-putrapta- pranan vittam imam param hitva mam saranam yatah katham tams tyaktum utsahe

Since pure devotees give up their homes, wives, children, relatives, riches and even their lives simply to serve Me, without any desire for material improvement in this life or in the next, how can I give up such devotees at any time?

Srimad Bhagavatam 9.4.66 mayi nirbaddha-hridayah sadhavah sama-darsanah vase kurvanti mam bhaktya sat-striyah sat-patim yatha

As chaste women bring their gentle husbands under control by service, the pure devotees, who are equal to everyone and completely attached to Me in the core of the heart, bring Me under their full control.

Srimad Bhagavatam 9.4.68 sadhavo hridayam mahyam sadhunam hridayam tv aham mad-anyat te na jananti naham tebhyo manag api

The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart, and I am always in the heart of the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I do not know anyone else but them.

SB 11.14: Lord Krsna Explains the Yoga System to Sri Uddhava Srimad Bhagavatam 11.14.16 nirapeksam munim santam nirvairam sama-darsanam anuvrajamy aham nityam puyeyety anghri-renubhih TRANSLATION With the dust of My devotees' lotus feet I desire to purify the material worlds, which are situated within Me. Thus, I always follow the footsteps of My pure devotees, who are free from all personal desire, rapt in thought of My pastimes, peaceful, without any feelings of enmity, and of equal disposition everywhere. PURPORT Just as the devotees always follow the footsteps of Lord Krsna, similarly Lord Krsna, being a devotee of His devotees, follows the footsteps of His devotees. A pure servitor of the Lord is always meditating on the pastimes of the Lord and considering how to assist the Lord in His mission. All the material universes are situated in Sri Krsna's body, as demonstrated to Arjuna, mother Yasoda and others. Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore there is no question of impurity in the Lord. Still, the Lord desires to purify the universes situated within Him by taking the dust of the lotus feet of His pure devotees. Without the dust of the lotus feet of the devotees, it is not possible to engage in pure devotional service, without which one

25 cannot directly experience transcendental bliss. Lord Krsna thought, "I have established this strict rule that one can enjoy My transcendental bliss only through devotional service obtained from the dust of the lotus feet of My devotees. Since I also desire to experience My own bliss, I will observe the standard procedure and accept the dust of My devotees' feet." Srila Madhvacarya points out that Lord Krsna follows the footsteps of His devotees in order to purify them. As the Lord walks along behind His pure devotees, the wind blows the dust of the Lord's feet in the front of His devotees, who then become purified by contact with such transcendental dust. One should not foolishly look for material logic in these transcendental pastimes of the Lord. It is simply a question of love between the Lord and His devotees.

11c.(i) Qualities of a Pure Devotee:- Srimad Bhagavatam 3.13.4 srutasya pumsam sucira-sramasya nanv anjasa suribhir idito 'rthah tat-tad-gunanusravanam mukunda- padaravindam hrdayesu yesam

Persons who hear from a spiritual master with great labor and for a long time must hear from the mouths of pure devotees about the character and activities of pure devotees. Pure devotees always think within their hearts of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, who awards His devotees liberation.

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.14.18 badhyamano 'pi mad-bhakto visayair ajitendriyah prayah pragalbhaya bhaktya visayair nabhibhuyate My dear Uddhava, if My devotee has not fully conquered his senses, he may be harassed by material desires, but because of his unflinching devotion for Me, he will not be defeated by sense gratification.

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.14.19 yathagnih su-samrddharcih karoty edhamsi bhasmasat tatha mad-visaya bhaktir uddhavainamsi krtsnasah My dear Uddhava, just as a blazing fire turns firewood into ashes, similarly, devotion unto Me completely burns to ashes sins committed by My devotees.

Srimad Bhagavatam 4.29.46 yada yasyanugrhnati bhagavan atma-bhavitah sa jahati matim loke vede ca parinisthitam TRANSLATION When a person is fully engaged in devotional service, he is favored by the Lord, who bestows His causeless mercy. At such a time, the awakened devotee gives up all material activities and ritualistic performances mentioned in the Vedas.

26 Guidance of Spiritual Master / Pure Devotee :-

Who is not a guru? Since the gum must transmit the truths of Vedic knowledge perfectly, he plays a crucial role. We should know who Guru is not and who Gun is. Regrettably, in recent years we have professional gums (fake godmen) who:

☼ charge fees to give secret mantras and make false promises, ☼ allow their students to disregard all the Vedic regulative austerities (regulative austerities like avoiding gambling, meat-eating, intoxication and illicit sex) ☼ teach yoga as simple gymnastic exertion and not as a means of connecting one to God, ☼ maintain that the purpose of yoga is material well-being, ☼ defy the Vedas by declaring: ‘I am God; You are God; Everyone is God’ and so on. The gullible masses blindly follow such fake godmen and are led to

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.3.21 tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśraya m Translation: Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.14.3 jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir ye prāyaśo ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyām Translation: Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.

27 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.14.3 jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir ye prāyaśo ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyām

Translation: Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.14.17 niskincana mayy anurakta-cetasah santa mahanto 'khila-jiva-vatsalah kamair analabdha-dhiyo jusanti te yan nairapeksyam na viduh sukham mama TRANSLATION Krsna to Udhava:- Those who are without any desire for personal gratification, whose minds are always attached to Me, who are peaceful, without false ego and merciful to all living entities, and whose consciousness is never affected by opportunities for sense gratification -- such persons enjoy in Me a happiness that cannot be known or achieved by those lacking such detachment from the material world.

PURPORT The pure devotees always experience transcendental bliss in their service to Sri Krsna, the reservoir of pleasure; thus they are completely detached from material pleasure and do not desire even liberation. Since all others have some personal desire, they cannot experience such happiness. Pure devotees always desire to give Krsna conscious happiness to all others, and therefore they are called mahantah, or great souls. In the course of a devotee's service, many opportunities for sense gratification arise, but a pure devotee is not tempted or attracted and does not fall down from his exalted transcendental position.

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.22 tatra bhagavatan dharman siksed gurv-atma-daivatah amayayanuvrttya yais tusyed atmatma-do harih TRANSLATION Rishi Antariksha to King Nimi:- Accepting the bona fide spiritual master as one's life and soul and worshipable deity, the disciple should learn from him the process of pure devotional service. The Supreme

28 Personality of Godhead, Hari, the soul of all souls, is inclined to give Himself to His pure devotees. Therefore, the disciple should learn from the spiritual master to serve the Lord without duplicity and in such a faithful and favorable way that the Supreme Lord, being satisfied, will offer Himself to the faithful disciple.

PURPORT According to Srila Sridhara Svami the Lord's tendency to give Himself to His pure devotee is demonstrated in the case of Bali Maharaja, who sacrificed his universal kingdom for the pleasure of Lord Vamanadeva. Lord Vamana was so pleased by the selfless surrender of Bali Maharaja that the Lord became the doorman in the palace of Bali who was reinstalled as a great leader in the universe. Srila Jiva Gosvami comments that the spiritual master is to be considered the atma, or the very life, of the disciple, since real life begins when one is initiated by a bona fide spiritual master. Although one may experience many seemingly wonderful or important events in a dream, one's real life begins when he wakes up. Similarly, since the spiritual master gives birth to the disciple by awakening him to spiritual life, a bona fide disciple understands that his spiritual master is the very basis of his life. According to Srila Jiva Gosvami, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the reservoir of all pleasure, and thus the Lord's giving Himself to a pure devotee indicates that such a devotee becomes immersed in the highest possible ecstasy. In this connection there is the following sruti-mantra: anandad dhimani bhutani jayante. "Indeed, it is from the all- blissful Supreme that all these creatures have come into being." Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has further pointed out that when the Lord bestows His own self upon a pure devotee such a fortunate devotee can actually see the Lord, touch Him and directly engage in His service. According to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, one should never consider one's spiritual master to be mundane or on an equal level with one's self. One should see the spiritual master as being always under the shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. One should never try to engage the spiritual master in one's personal service with the mentality of lording it over the spiritual master and attaining through him some material gain. One who is actually advancing will become more and more eager to serve the spiritual master, and thus such a disciple experiences the pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Srila Rupa Gosvami has delineated four preliminary requisites for advancement for the sincere disciple: guru-padasrayas tasmat krsna-diksadi-siksanam visrambhena guroh seva sadhu-vartmanuvartanam

"[1] Accepting the shelter of the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master, [2] becoming initiated by the spiritual master and learning how to discharge devotional service from him, [3] obeying the orders of the spiritual master with faith and devotion, and [4] following in the footsteps of great acaryas [teachers] under the direction of the spiritual master." (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.74) One who has executed these preliminary duties is qualified to relish Srimad-Bhagavatam.

29 When one actually hears the sound vibration of Srimad-Bhagavatam as it is, he becomes free from the desire for sense gratification and mental speculation and is happy and satisfied in the service of Lord Krsna. yasyam vai sruyamanayam krsne parama-puruse bhaktir utpadyate pumsah soka-moha-bhayapaha

"Simply by giving aural reception to Srimad-Bhagavatam, the feeling for loving devotional service to Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness." (Bhag. 1.7.7) One should hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from a bona fide spiritual master who can expertly engage the propensity for loving Krsna that arises from hearing the transcendental sound of the Bhagavatam. Such a transcendental, authorized engagement is called bhagavata-dharma. Within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness there are many thousands of authorized engagements pertaining to the Society's missionary activities. And by hearing the Srimad-Bhagavatam and performing such engagements the Society's members feel relief from soka (lamentation), moha (illusion) and bhaya (fear).

According to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, those who have achieved a mature understanding of the transcendental sound vibration of Srimad-Bhagavatam may adopt the order of tridandi-sannyasa, as described in the -gita, the Thirteenth Chapter of this canto. A so-called Vaisnava who whimsically neglects the strict control of the body, mind and speech cannot actually achieve shelter at the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master. Even if such a whimsical sense enjoyer makes a show of assuming the dress and danda of Vaisnava sannyasa, he will not attain the desired result, love of Krsna. A bona fide Vaisnava should work earnestly to free himself from any tinge of sense gratification and mental speculation, and with a loving heart he should carry out the orders of his bona fide spiritual master. By always remembering the exalted position of the bona fide spiritual master, the disciple will achieve shelter at the lotus feet of Krsna.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 4.34 tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ Translation: Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.

SB 11.3.22: Liberation from the Illusory Energy TRANSLATION Accepting the bona fide spiritual master as one's life and soul and worshipable deity, the disciple should learn from him the process of pure devotional service. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, the soul of all souls, is inclined to give Himself to His pure devotees. Therefore, the disciple should learn from the spiritual master to serve the Lord without duplicity and in such a faithful and favorable way that the Supreme Lord, being satisfied, will offer Himself to the faithful disciple. 30 Part C Index 12. 12. Result of Surrender, Ananya Bhakti and above all Service to pure devotees.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is.9. 31 kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati TRANSLATION He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.

Srila Prabhupada would tell us that Krishna is never alone, because He is Rasaraj, Rasabihari. He is enjoying the supreme most pleasure and therefore He is always in the association of those pure devotees, who have surrendered their lives utterly for His pleasure. And in reciprocation the Lord surrenders His very life for the pleasure of His devotees, thus He is known as Bhakta vatsala.

5. Describe the stages with explanation from sraddha to prema? a. One must begin with faith, and when this faith is increased by chanting, a person can become a member of the Society. (Sradha and sadhu sangha) b. If one is sincere, he is initiated, and this stage is called bhajana-kriyā. One then actually engages in the service of the Lord by regularly chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, sixteen rounds daily, and refraining from illicit sex, intoxicants, meat-eating and gambling. c. In this way it is to be understood that one is becoming cleansed of unwanted things (anartha-nivṛtti). The word anartha refers to unwanted things. Anarthas are vanquished when one becomes attached to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Next is Nistha and Asakti. d. When a person is relieved from unwanted things, he becomes fixed in executing his Kṛṣṇa activities. Indeed, he becomes attached to such activities and experiences ecstasy in executing devotional service. This is called bhāva, the preliminary awakening of dormant love of Godhead. Thus the conditioned soul becomes free from material existence and loses interest in the bodily conception of life, including material opulence, material knowledge and material attraction of all variety. The last stage is prema Bhakti. e. Although māyā may be present, it cannot disturb a devotee once he attains the bhāva stage. This is because the devotee can see the real position of māyā. Māyā means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, and forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa consciousness stand side by side like light and shadow. 31 f. Kṛṣṇa is compared to sunshine, and māyā is compared to darkness. Wherever there is sunshine, there cannot be darkness. As soon as one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the darkness of illusion, the influence of the external energy, will immediately vanish.” The 9 stages to cross before residing in Kunda are:- Sradha, Sadhu Sanga, Bhajan Kriya, Anartha nivriti, Nistha, Asakti, Ruchi, Bhava, Prema.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 9.28 śubhāśubha-phalair evaṁ mokṣyase karma-bandhanaiḥ sannyāsa-yoga-yuktātmā vimukto mām upaiṣyasi Translation: In this way you will be freed from bondage to work and its auspicious and inauspicious results. With your mind fixed on Me in this principle of renunciation, you will be liberated and come to Me.

a. Srimad Bhagavatam (Evolution of a Devotee)

1) One should not remain a kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, one who is situated on the lowest platform of devotional service and is interested only in worshiping the Deity in the temple. Such a devotee is described in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.47):

2) “A person who is very faithfully engaged in the worship of the Deity in the temple, but who does not know how to behave toward devotees or people in general is called a prākṛta-bhakta, or kaniṣṭha-adhikāri.”

3) The madhyama-adhikārī is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.46) in this way : “The madhyama-adhikārī is a devotee who worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the highest object of love, makes friends with the Lord’s devotees, is merciful to the ignorant and avoids those who are envious by nature.”

4) Out of many such Vaiṣṇavas, one may be found to be very seriously engaged in the service of the Lord and strictly following all the regulative principles, chanting the prescribed number of rounds on japa beads and always thinking of how to expand the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Such a Vaiṣṇava should be accepted as an uttama-adhikārī, a highly advanced devotee, and his association should always be sought.

32 Benefits and Results of Surrendering through Path of Bhakti Yoga:- Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 4.11 ye yathā māmprapadyante tāms tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manus yāhpārtha sarvaśah

(BG - 4.11) As all surrender unto Me, I REWARD them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Prtha. Purport: In the transcendental world also, Krsna reciprocates with His pure devotee in transcendental attitude, just as the devotee wants Him. One devotee may want Krsna as supreme master, another as his personal friend, another as his son, and still another as his lover. Krsna rewards all the devotees equally, according to their different intensities of love for Him. In the material world, the same reciprocations of feelings are there, and they are equally exchanged by the Lord with the different types of worshipers.

Progress in Ananya Bhakti leads to Bhava/ Prema leading further to situation where lord becomes subservient to his Pure Devotee:-

Complete protection of Lord Krsna as stated in the Bhagwat Gita along with Lord’s subservience. Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 4.11 ye yathā mām prapadyante tāms tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manusy āh pārtha sarvaśah

As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Prt hā.

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 4.36 api ced asi pāpebhyah sarvebhyah pāpa-krt -tamah sarvam jñāna-plavenaiva vrj inam santarisy asi

Even if you are considered to be the most sinful of all sinners, when you are situated in the boat of transcendental knowledge you will be able to cross over the ocean of miseries. Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 7.28 yesā m tv anta-gatam pāpam janānām puny a-karmanā m te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante mām drd h a-vratāh Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination.

33 Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 9.22 ananyāś cintayanto mām ye janāh paryupāsate tesā m nityābhiyuktānām yoga-kse mam vahāmy aham But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form — to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 9.30 api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyah samyag vyavasito hi sah

Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination. Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 9.31 ksi pram bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac-chāntim nigacchati kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktah śyati

He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 18.66 sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaranam vraja aham tvām sarva-pāpebhyo moksa yisy āmi mā śucah

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 9.22 ananyāś cintayanto mām ye janāh paryupāsate tesā m nityābhiyuktānām yoga-kse mam vahāmy aham

SB-9.22) But those who always worship me exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form – to them I carry what they LACK, and I PRESERVE what they have.

The Lord helps the devotee to achieve Krsna consciousness by yoga, and when he becomes fully Krsna conscious the Lord PROTECTS him from falling down to miserable conditioned life 34 Bhakti-rasāmrt a-sindhu (1.1.17). (by Rupa Goswami) klesaghni shubhada moksa-laghuta-krt sudurlabha | sandrananda-visesatma sri-krsnakarsini ca sa ||17||

Translation : The unique characteristics of bhakti are : its ability to destroy suffering; its bestowal of auspiciousness; its disregard for liberation; its rarity of attainment; its manifestation of concentrated bliss; and its ability to attract Krsna.

//B.R.S.- 1.1.23\\ Padma-purane ca-- Aprarabdha-phalam papam kutam bijam phalonmukham Kramenaiva praliyeta visnu-nbhakti-ratamanam //23\\ Also, in the Padma Purana it is said: For those engaged in bhakti to Visnu, step by step the aprarabdha, kuta, bija and prarabdha-karmas are destroyed.

JIVA’S GOSVAMI’S COMMENTARY This additional quotation from the Padma Purana makes clear the fact that bhakti destroys prarabdha-karma. The word papam is the substantive which is modified by words aprarabdha-phalam, kutam, bijam and phalonmukham. This verse particularizes sinful reaction. Phaloninukham (approaching fruition) means prarabdha-karma (literally “commenced karma”), the sinful reaction presently being experienced in this life as happiness and suffering. Bija means that reaction which is about to become prarabdha, about to be experienced, and is in the form of impressions. Kuta refers to sinful reactions which are about to become bija. Aprarabdha-phalam means those reactions which are not prarabdha (they are not to be experienced in this life at all), but which cause effects in the form of kuta, bija and prarabdha. These aprarabdha-karmas have been acquired without beginning (anadi- siddha) and are infinite in number (ananta). In this work, aprarabdha-phala has been called simply aprarabdha (illustrated in verse 20). Bija and prarabdha were reckoned together previously in verse 21. The remaining type not yet discussed, kuta reaction, may be included with the aprarabdha reactions.

Kramena means that the reactions are destroyed gradually from recent to previous: from prarabdha, to bija, to kuta, and to aprdrabdha. However, verse 21 mentioned that immediately the prarabdha-karmas of the dog-eater were destroyed rather than gradually. Therefore one should understand that the prarabdha-karmas will be destroyed in the manner of a needle piercing a hundred lotus leaves. (The needle appears to pierce the whole pile of leaves in one instance, immediately, but actually it pierces one leaf at a time, gradually. Similarly, the karmas will be destroyed gradually, though from the perspective of the unlimited duration of the jiva’s existence in the world, they are destroyed all at once. Thus the contradiction between the two statements in verse 21 and the present verse is resolved.)

35 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.5.17 tyaktvā sva-dharmam caran āmbujamharer bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amus ya kim ko vārtha āpto 'bhajatāmsva-dharmatah

One who has forsaken his material occupations to engage in the devotional service of the Lord may sometimes fall down while in an immature stage, yet there is no danger of his being unsuccessful. On the other hand, a nondevotee, though fully engaged in occupational duties, does not gain anything.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 8.28 vedeshu yajneshu tapahsu caiva daneshu yat punya-phalam pradishtam atyeti tat sarvam idam viditva param sthanam upaiti cadyam A person who accepts the path of devotional service is not bereft of the results derived from studying the Vedas, performing austere sacrifices, giving charity or pursuing philosophical and fruitive activities. Simply by performing devotional service, he attains all these, and at the end he reaches the supreme eternal abode.

The beauty of Krishna consciousness, however, is that by one stroke, by engaging in devotional service, one can surpass all the rituals of the different orders of life.

Bhakti ensures living entity givesup 2 big faults ie. LAMENTATIONS and HANKERING. For removal of 2 above Anarthas our bhakti must uninterrupted and unmotivated.

This can be done only by developing Vairagya (Renunciation) by inculcating spiritual knowledge.

Without, spiritual knowledge from a bonafide spiritual master there can be no progress towards end if misery.

SB 11.14: Lord Krsna Explains the Yoga System to Sri Uddhava Srimad Bhagavatam 11.14.18 badhyamano 'pi mad-bhakto visayair ajitendriyah prayah pragalbhaya bhaktya visayair nabhibhuyate My dear Uddhava, if My devotee has not fully conquered his senses, he may be harassed by material desires, but because of his unflinching devotion for Me, he will not be defeated by sense gratification.

36 PURPORT Abhibhuyate indicates falling down into the material world and being defeated by maya. But even though one's senses are not fully conquered, one who has unflinching devotion for Lord Krsna does not run the risk of being separated from Him. The words pragalbhaya bhaktya indicate a person who has great devotion for Lord Krsna, and not one who desires to commit sinful activities and chant Hare Krsna to avoid the reaction. Because of previous bad habits and immaturity, even a sincere devotee may be harassed by lingering attraction to the bodily concept of life; but his unflinching devotion for Lord Krsna will act. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura gives the following two examples. A great warrior may be struck by the weapon of his enemy, but because of his courage and strength he is not killed or defeated. He accepts the blow and goes on to victory. Similarly, one may contract a serious disease, but if he takes the proper medicine he is quickly cured.

If those who follow the impersonal system of speculation and austerity deviate even slightly from their path, they fall down. A devotee, however, even though immature, never falls from the path of devotional service. Even if he displays occasional weakness, he is still considered a devotee if his devotion to Lord Krsna is very strong. As the Lord states in Bhagavad-gita (9.30):

api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak sadhur eva sa mantavyah samyag vyavasito hi sah

"Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated."

SB 11.14: Lord Krsna Explains the Yoga System to Sri Uddhava Srimad Bhagavatam 11.14.20 na sadhayati mam yogo na sankhyam dharma uddhava na svadhyayas tapas tyago yatha bhaktir mamorjita My dear Uddhava, the unalloyed devotional service rendered to Me by My devotees brings Me under their control. I cannot be thus controlled by those engaged in mystic yoga, Sankhya philosophy, pious work, Vedic study, austerity or renunciation.

PURPORT One may make Krsna the goal of mystic yoga, Sankhya philosophy, etc.; yet such activities do not please the Lord as much as direct loving service, which one practices by hearing and chanting about the Lord and executing His mission. Srila Rupa Gosvami states, jnana-karmady-anavrtam: [Madhya 19.167] a devotee should simply depend on Krsna and should not unnecessarily complicate his loving service with tendencies toward fruitive work or mental speculation. The residents of Vrndavana simply depend on Lord Krsna. When the great serpent Aghasura appeared in the precincts of Vraja, the cowherd boys, completely confident in their friendship with

37 Lord Krsna, fearlessly marched into the serpent's gigantic mouth. Such pure love for Krsna brings the Lord under the control of the devotee.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.14.25 yathagnina hema malam jahati dhmatam punah svam bhajate ca rupam atma ca karmanusayam vidhuya mad-bhakti-yogena bhajaty atho mam

Just as gold, when smelted in fire, gives up its impurities and returns to its pure brilliant state, similarly, the spirit soul, absorbed in the fire of bhakti-yoga, is purified of all contamination caused by previous fruitive activities and returns to its original position of serving Me in the spiritual world.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.3.34 itthaṁ svabhartṛ-gaditaṁ bhagavan-mahitvaṁ saṁsmṛtya vismita-dhiyo yama-kiṅkarās te naivācyutāśraya-janaṁ pratiśaṅkamānā draṣṭuṁ ca bibhyati tataḥ prabhṛti sma rāja n

After hearing from the mouth of their master about the extraordinary glories of the Lord and His name, fame and attributes, the Yamadūtas were struck with wonder. Since then, as soon as they see a devotee, they fear him and dare not look at him again. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.16.16 sārathya-pāraṣada-sevana-sakhya-dautya- vīrāsanānugamana-stavana-praṇāmān snigdheṣu pāṇḍuṣu jagat-praṇatiṁ ca viṣṇor bhaktiṁ karoti nṛ-patiś caraṇāravinde Translation: Mahārāja Parīkṣit heard that out of His causeless mercy Lord Kṛṣṇa [Viṣṇu], who is universally obeyed, rendered all kinds of service to the malleable sons of Pāṇḍu by accepting posts ranging from chariot driver to president to messenger, friend, night watchman, etc., according to the will of the Pāṇḍavas, obeying them like a servant and offering obeisances like one younger in years. When he heard this, Mahārāja Parīkṣit became overwhelmed with devotion to the lotus feet of the Lord.

Narada Story :- Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.5.25 ucchiṣṭa-lepān anumodito dvijaiḥ sakṛt sma bhuñje tad-apāsta-kilbiṣaḥ evaṁ pravṛttasya viśuddha-cetasas tad-dharma evātma-ruciḥ prajāyate Translation: Once only, by their permission, I took the remnants of their food, and by so doing all my sins were at once eradicated. Thus being engaged, I became purified in heart, and at that time the very nature of the transcendentalist became attractive to me.

38 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.5.26 tatrānvahaṁ kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ pragāyatām anugraheṇāśṛṇavaṁ manoharāḥ tāḥ śraddhayā me ’nupadaṁ viśṛṇvataḥ priyaśravasy aṅga mamābhavad ruciḥ Translation: O Vyāsadeva, in that association and by the mercy of those great Vedāntists, I could hear them describe the attractive activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And thus listening attentively, my taste for hearing of the Personality of Godhead increased at every step.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.5.28 itthaṁ śarat-prāvṛṣikāv ṛtū harer viśṛṇvato me ’nusavaṁ yaśo ’malam saṅkīrtyamānaṁ munibhir mahātmabhir bhaktiḥ pravṛttātma-rajas-tamopahā Translation: Thus during two seasons — the rainy season and autumn — I had the opportunity to hear these great-souled sages constantly chant the unadulterated glories of the Lord Hari. As the flow of my devotional service began, the coverings of the modes of passion and ignorance vanished.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.5.29 tasyaivaṁ me ’nuraktasya praśritasya hatainasaḥ śraddadhānasya bālasya dāntasyānucarasya ca Translation: I was very much attached to those sages. I was gentle in behavior, and all my sins were eradicated in their service. In my heart I had strong faith in them. I had subjugated the senses, and I was strictly following them with body and mind.

39 Index 13. 13.Pure transcendental love and subservience towards pure devotee exhibited in various occasions by Supreme Lord. (Prominent devotees mentioned)

a. Bhishma uvacha– Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.35 sapadi sakhi-vaco nisamya madhye nija-parayor balayo ratham nivesya sthitavati para-sainikayur akshna hritavati partha-sakhe ratir mamastu TRANSLATION In obedience to the command of His friend, Lord Sri Krishna entered the arena of the Battlefield of Kurukshetra between the soldiers of Arjuna and Duryodhana, and while there He shortened the life spans of the opposite party by His merciful glance. This was done simply by His looking at the enemy. Let my mind be fixed upon that Krishna.

Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.37 sva-nigamam apahaya mat-pratijnam ritam adhikartum avapluto rathasthah dhrita-ratha-carano 'bhyayac caladgur harir iva hantum ibham gatottariyah TRANSLATION Fulfilling my desire and sacrificing His own promise, He got down from the chariot, took up its wheel, and ran towards me hurriedly, just as a lion goes to kill an elephant. He even dropped His outer garment on the way.

Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.41 muni-gana-nripa-varya-sankule 'ntah- sadasi yudhishthira-rajasuya esham arhanam upapeda ikshaniyo mama drisi-gocara esha avir atma TRANSLATION At the Rajasuya-yajna [sacrifice] performed by Maharaja Yudhishthira, there was the greatest assembly of all the elite men of the world, the royal and learned orders, and in that great assembly Lord Sri Krishna was worshiped by one and all as the most exalted Personality of Godhead. This happened during my presence, and I remembered the incident in order to keep my mind upon the Lord.

40 b. Arjuna – He was Parthasarathi, the Chariot driver of Arjuna, a most menial task. The chariot driver has only one business to simply carry out orders. Arjuna said- take my chariot to the centre of this battle field, I want to see who has assembled for this Great War. And in great obedience Krishna took the chariot to the centre of the battle field. Being a Kshatriya is a very very prestigious royal dignified service- fighting for justice or Dharma. During the battle of Kurushetra when Arjuna was battling and fighting the greatest warriors on earth displaying such heroic feats, the horses were tired. So as Arjuna was performing this very very great service of fighting, Krishna was taking his horses to drink water. And he was brushing the horses with the brush with his own hands just to give them some refreshment And after the horses were very nicely refreshed He brought them back and Arjuna again mounted his chariot and he said Krishna bring me forward, and Krishna drove the horses forward. “Parthasarathi!” c. Yudhisthira – It is also explained here that He became the president of the Rajasuya Yajïa; this was by the arrangement of Yudhishtir. On his request He was willing to take any position, but He also took another position during the Rajasuya Yajïa; He was in charge of welcoming the guests. Because Yudhishtir was the presiding king, and anyone who is coming to this Rajasuya Yajïa to attend was the guest of Maharaj Yudhishtir; whoever they may be, that was not important. The important thing-that they were the guest of Yudhishtir Maharaj. So Krishna in order to glorify Maharaj Yudhishtir and show his love as the servant of the servant of the servant of this great king He took the position of washing everyone’s feet as they came. Krishna with sweet words would welcome them, offer them nice sitting place and with His own hands He would wash their feet. This is very wonderful Lila to understand. So Krishna as the servant of the servant, washing the feet of each guest that came, just to show his love for Maharaj Yudhishtir. At other times He was a messenger; many times Maharaj Yudhishtir…. there was very very difficult diplomatic negotiations they were trying make between the Pandavas and the Kurus before the great battle. And Maharaj Yudhishtir would state his massage and he would give it to Krishna to go and personally deliver to Duryodhana, Dhritarashtra and the others. This is a very humble service to be the post-man. Postal peon, Prabhupada would say. Even Krishna took this position to show His love for His devotees. d. Pandava’s – 1. As a Body guard to Arjuna to fight against Bhishmadeva with the “wheel” of the chariot. 2. As an advisor to the Pandavas during entire Mahabharat. 3. As a protector to protect keep vigil entire night for safety of Pandavas during Mahabharat War.

41 e. Uttara – Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.8.10 abhidravati mām īśa śaras taptāyaso vibho kāmaṁ dahatu māṁ nātha mā me garbho nipātyatām TRANSLATION O my Lord, You are all-powerful. A fiery iron arrow is coming towards me fast. My Lord, let it burn me personally, if You so desire, but please do not let it burn and abort my embryo. Please do me this favor, my Lord.

PURPORT This incident took place after the death of Abhimanyu, the husband of Uttarā. Abhimanyu's widow, Uttarā, should have followed the path of her husband, but because she was pregnant, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, a great devotee of the Lord, was lying in embryo, she was responsible for his protection. The mother of a child has a great responsibility in giving all protection to the child, and therefore Uttarā was not ashamed to express this frankly before Lord Kṛṣṇa. Uttarā was the daughter of a great king, the wife of a great hero, and student of a great devotee, and later she was the mother of a good king also. She was fortunate in every respect.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam:1.8. 13 vyasanaṁ vīkṣya tat teṣām ananya-viṣayātmanām sudarśanena svāstreṇa svānāṁ rakṣāṁ vyadhād vibhuḥ TRANSLATION The almighty Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, having observed that a great danger was befalling His unalloyed devotees, who were fully surrendered souls, at once took up His Sudarśana disc to protect them.

The brahmāstra, the supreme weapon released by Aśvatthāmā, was something similar to the nuclear weapon but with more radiation and heat. This brahmāstra is the product of a more subtle science, being the product of a finer sound, a mantra recorded in the Vedas. Another advantage of this weapon is that it is not blind like the nuclear weapon because it can be directed only to the target and nothing else. Aśvatthāmā released the weapon just to finish all the male members of Pāṇḍu's family; therefore in one sense it was more dangerous than the atomic bombs because it could penetrate even the most protected place and would never miss the target.

Knowing all this, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa at once took up His personal weapon to protect His devotees, who did not know anyone other than Kṛṣṇa. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord has clearly promised that His devotees are never to be vanquished. And He behaves according to the quality or degree of the devotional service rendered by the devotees. Here the word ananya-viṣayātmanām is significant. The Pāṇḍavas were cent percent dependent on the protection of the Lord, although they were all great warriors themselves. But the Lord neglects even the greatest warriors and also vanquishes them in no time.

42 When the Lord saw that there was no time for the Pāṇḍavas to counteract the brahmāstra of Aśvatthāmā, He took up His weapon even at the risk of breaking His own vow. Although the Battle of Kurukṣetra was almost finished, still, according to His vow, He should not have taken up His own weapon. But the emergency was more important than the vow. He is better known as the bhakta-vatsala, or the lover of His devotee, and thus He preferred to continue as bhakta-vatsala than to be a worldly moralist who never breaks his solemn vow.

f. Kuntidevi – Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.8.23 yathā hṛṣīkeśa khalena devakī kaṁsena ruddhāticiraṁ śucārpitā vimocitāhaṁ ca sahātmajā vibho tvayaiva nāthena muhur vipad-gaṇāt TRANSLATION O Hṛṣīkeśa, master of the senses and Lord of lords, You have released Your mother, Devakī, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious King Kaṁsa, and me and my children from a series of constant dangers.

Devakī, the mother of Kṛṣṇa and sister of King Kaṁsa, was put into prison along with her husband, , because the envious King was afraid of being killed by Devakī's eighth son (Kṛṣṇa). He killed all the sons of Devakī who were born before Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa escaped the danger of child-slaughter because He was transferred to the house of Mahārāja, Lord Kṛṣṇa's foster father.

Kuntīdevī, along with her children, was also saved from a series of dangers. But Kuntīdevī was shown far more favor because Lord Kṛṣṇa did not save the other children of Devakī, whereas He saved the children of Kuntīdevī. This was done because Devakī's husband, Vasudeva, was living, whereas Kuntīdevī was a widow, and there was none to help her except Kṛṣṇa. The conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa endows more favor to a devotee who is in greater dangers.

Sometimes He puts His pure devotees in such dangers because in that condition of helplessness the devotee becomes more attached to the Lord. The more the attachment is there for the Lord, the more success is there for the devotee.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.8.24 43 viṣān mahāgneḥ puruṣāda-darśanād asat-sabhāyā vana-vāsa-kṛcchrataḥ mṛdhe mṛdhe 'neka-mahārathāstrato drauṇy-astrataś cāsma hare 'bhirakṣitāḥ TRANSLATION My dear Kṛṣṇa, Your Lordship has protected us from a poisoned cake, from a great fire, from cannibals, from the vicious assembly, from sufferings during our exile in the forest and from the battle where great generals fought. And now You have saved us from the weapon of Aśvatthāmā. PURPORT The list of dangerous encounters is submitted herein. Devakī was once put into difficulty by her envious brother, otherwise she was well. But Kuntīdevī and her sons were put into one difficulty after another for years and years together. They were put into trouble by Duryodhana and his party due to the kingdom, and each and every time the sons of Kuntī were saved by the Lord.

Once Bhīma was administered poison in a cake, once they were put into the house made of shellac and set afire, and once Draupadī was dragged out, and attempts were made to insult her by stripping her naked in the vicious assembly of the Kurus. The Lord saved Draupadī by supplying an immeasurable length of cloth, and Duryodhana's party failed to see her naked. Similarly, when they were exiled in the forest, Bhīma had to fight with the man-eater demon Hiḍimbā Rākṣasa, but the Lord saved him. So it was not finished there.

After all these tribulations, there was the great Battle of Kurukṣetra, and Arjuna had to meet such great generals as Droṇa, Bhīṣma and Karṇa, all powerful fighters. And at last, even when everything was done away with, there was the brahmāstra released by the son of Droṇācārya to kill the child within the womb of Uttarā, and so the Lord saved the only surviving descendant of the Kurus, Mahārāja Parīkṣit.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.8.25 vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat tatra tatra jagad-guro bhavato darśanaṁ yat syād apunar bhava-darśanam TRANSLATION I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.

PURPORT Generally the distressed, the needy, the intelligent and the inquisitive, who have performed some pious activities, worship or begin to worship the Lord. Others, who are thriving on misdeeds only, regardless of status, cannot approach the Supreme due to being misled by the illusory energy. Therefore, for a pious person, if there is some calamity there is no other alternative than to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Constantly remembering the lotus feet of the Lord means preparing for 44 liberation from birth and death. Therefore, even though there are so-called calamities, they are welcome because they give us an opportunity to remember the Lord, which means liberation.

One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are accepted as the most suitable boat for crossing the ocean of nescience, can achieve liberation as easily as one leaps over the holes made by the hoofs of a calf. Such persons are meant to reside in the abode of the Lord, and they have nothing to do with a place where there is danger in every step.

This material world is certified by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā as a dangerous place full of calamities. Less intelligent persons prepare plans to adjust to those calamities without knowing that the nature of this place is itself full of calamities. They have no information of the abode of the Lord, which is full of bliss and without trace of calamity. The duty of the sane person, therefore, is to be undisturbed by worldly calamities, which are sure to happen in all circumstances. Suffering all sorts of unavoidable misfortunes, one should make progress in spiritual realization because that is the mission of human life. The spirit soul is transcendental to all material calamities; therefore, the so-called calamities are called false. A man may see a tiger swallowing him in a dream, and he may cry for this calamity. Actually there is no tiger and there is no suffering; it is simply a case of dreams. In the same way, all calamities of life are said to be dreams. If someone is lucky enough to get in contact with the Lord by devotional service, it is all gain. Contact with the Lord by any one of the nine devotional services is always a forward step on the path going back to Godhead.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.8.26 janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir edhamāna-madaḥ pumān naivārhaty abhidhātuṁ vai tvām akiñcana-gocaram TRANSLATION My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.

PURPORT Being materially advanced means taking birth in an aristocratic family and possessing great wealth, an education and attractive personal beauty. All materialistic men are mad after possessing all these material opulences, and this is known as the advancement of material civilization. But the result is that by possessing all these material assets one becomes artificially puffed up, intoxicated by such temporary possessions. Consequently, such materially puffed up persons are incapable of uttering the holy name of the Lord by addressing Him feelingly, "O , O Kṛṣṇa." It is said in the śāstras that by once uttering the holy name of the Lord, the sinner gets rid of a quantity of sins that he is unable to commit. Such

45 is the power of uttering the holy name of the Lord. There is not the least exaggeration in this statement. Actually the Lord's holy name has such powerful potency. But there is a quality to such utterances also. It depends on the quality of feeling. A helpless man can feelingly utter the holy name of the Lord, whereas a man who utters the same holy name in great material satisfaction cannot be so sincere. A materially puffed up person may utter the holy name of the Lord occasionally, but he is incapable of uttering the name in quality.

Therefore, the four principles of material advancement, namely (1) high parentage, (2) good wealth, (3) high education and (4) attractive beauty, are, so to speak, disqualifications for progress on the path of spiritual advancement. The material covering of the pure spirit soul is an external feature, as much as fever is an external feature of the unhealthy body. The general process is to decrease the degree of the fever and not to aggravate it by maltreatment. Sometimes it is seen that spiritually advanced persons become materially impoverished. This is no discouragement. On the other hand, such impoverishment is a good sign as much as the falling of temperature is a good sign. The principle of life should be to decrease the degree of material intoxication which leads one to be more and more illusioned about the aim of life. Grossly illusioned persons are quite unfit for entrance into the kingdom of God.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. 1.8.41 atha viśveśa viśvātman viśva-mūrte sva-keṣu me sneha-pāśam imaṁ chindhi dṛḍhaṁ pāṇḍuṣu vṛṣṇiṣu

TRANSLATION O Lord of the universe, soul of the universe, O personality of the form of the universe, please, therefore, sever my tie of affection for my kinsmen, the Pāṇḍavas and the Vṛṣṇis.

PURPORT A pure devotee of the Lord is ashamed to ask anything in self-interest from the Lord. But the householders are sometimes obliged to ask favors from the Lord, being bound by the tie of family affection. Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī was conscious of this fact, and therefore she prayed to the Lord to cut off the affectionate tie from her own kinsmen, the Pāṇḍavas and the Vṛṣṇis. The Pāṇḍavas are her own sons, and the Vṛṣṇis are the members of her paternal family. Kṛṣṇa was equally related to both the families. Both the families required the Lord's help because both were dependent devotees of the Lord. Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī wished Śrī Kṛṣṇa to remain with her sons the Pāṇḍavas, but by His doing so her paternal house would be bereft of the benefit. All these partialities troubled the mind of Kuntī, and therefore she desired to cut off the affectionate tie.

A pure devotee cuts off the limited ties of affection for his family and widens his activities of devotional service for all forgotten souls. The typical example is the band of six Gosvāmīs, who followed the path of Lord Caitanya. All of them belonged to the most enlightened and cultured rich families of the higher castes, but for the 46 benefit of the mass of population they left their comfortable homes and became mendicants. To cut off all family affection means to broaden the field of activities. Without doing this, no one can be qualified as a brāhmaṇa, a king, a public leader or a devotee of the Lord. The Personality of Godhead, as an ideal king, showed this by example. Śrī Rāmacandra cut off the tie of affection for His beloved wife to manifest the qualities of an ideal king.

Such personalities as a brāhmaṇa, a devotee, a king or a public leader must be very broadminded in discharging their respective duties. Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī was conscious of this fact, and being weak she prayed to be free from such bondage of family affection. The Lord is addressed as the Lord of the universe, or the Lord of the universal mind, indicating His all-powerful ability to cut the hard knot of family affection. Therefore, it is sometimes experienced that the Lord, out of His special affinity towards a weak devotee, breaks the family affection by force of circumstances arranged by His all-powerful energy. By doing so He causes the devotee to become completely dependent on Him and thus clears the path for his going back to Godhead.

g. Gopis – Srimad Bhagavatam 10.32.22 na paraye 'ham niravadya-samyujam sva-sadhu-krityam vibudhayushapi vah ya mabhajan durjara-geha-srinkhalah samvriscya tad vah pratiyatu sadhuna TRANSLATION I am not able to repay My debt for your spotless service, even within a lifetime of Brahma. Your connection with Me is beyond reproach. You have worshiped Me, cutting off all domestic ties, which are difficult to break. Therefore please let your own glorious deeds be your compensation.

And Srila Prabhupada explains, by the power of Krishna’s own yogamäyä even Krishna would forget he is the Supreme Lord and He would just think I am Arjuna’s friend. In the beautiful Lila of we find how Krishna in his various relationships with the vrajaväsés, so lovingly becomes the servant, the intimate friend, the child and a lover of his own devotees. Sometime with devotees, the sakhäs, gopas they would play games, they would wrestle and Krishna would very much be fond of loosing. Because after all it is not a great thing for him to win, but it’s a very good thing for him to lose.

And Srila Prabhupada explains in relation to Gopis; sometime they would chastise Him, sometime they would actually accuse Him of many bad names. The whole world is glorifying the supreme Lord; in the songs of Devas; in Old Testament there are so many glorifications of great reverence to God, ‘the Almighty’. The Quran is filled with so many prayers, the God the Almighty, ‘Allah’. In the Vedas, in the Upanishads there are so many wonderful wonderful sutras, slokas glorifying the almighty Supreme Godhead, the cause of all causes. Srila Prabhupada explained that, Krishna is glorified eternally on all the Vaikuntha planets, by all devotees in the material world. 47 Sometime he wants something else, he wants someone to chastise him, he wants to experience that intimacy of love. So who is it that can chastise? Only his dear most purest, most loving devotees. So they accuse Krishna, we know who you are; that in your incarnation as Ram, from behind the tree you shot arrow into the back of Baali. What type of Shatriya? Why didn’t you face to face fight with him?

And as far as Bali Maharaj; you cheated him, you said three steps of land and you ultimately took the whole universe and you tied him up with ropes and took his whole life. And as far as shatriyas… shatriyas are supposed to protect women; what did you do to Surpanakha? All she did is come to you attracted by your beauty and you cut off her nose, you cut off her ears… In this way Krishna was receiving great ecstatic joy hearing the loving words of his devotees; and this is a very high subject.

h. Sudama – Bhagwat Gita 9.26 patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ Translation: If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.81.4 patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati tad aham bhakty-upahrtam asnami prayatatmanah

If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it. Purport: These famous words are also spoken by the Lord in Bhagavad-gita (9.26); the translation and word meanings here are taken from Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is. In the context of the current episode of Sudama’s visit to Dvaraka, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti has kindly continued his explanation of Lord Krsna’s statements: This verse is a reply to Sudama’s anxiety that his bringing such an unfit offering was ill- considered. The use of the words bhaktya prayacchati and bhakty-upahrtam may seem redundant, since they both mean “offered with devotion,” but bhaktya can indicate how the Lord reciprocates the devotional mood of whoever offers Him something with love. In other words, Lord Krsna here declares that His reciprocation in a pure loving exchange is not dependent on the external quality of what is offered. Krsna says, “Something may or may not be impressive and pleasing in its own right, but when My devotee offers it to Me in devotion, with the expectation that I will enjoy it, it gives Me great pleasure; in this regard I make no discrimination.” The verb asnami, 48 “I eat,” implies that Lord Krsna eats even a flower, which is supposed to be smelled, bewildered as He is by the ecstatic love He feels for His devotee.

Someone might then question the Lord, “So, will You refuse an offering made to You by a devotee of some other deity?” The Lord answers, “Yes, I will refuse to eat it.” This the Lord states by the phrase prayatatmanah, implying “Only by devotional service to Me can one become pure in heart.”

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.81.10 iti muṣṭiṁ sakṛj jagdhvā dvitīyāṁ jagdhum ādade tāvac chrīr jagṛhe hastaṁ tat-parā parameṣṭhinaḥ Translation: After saying this, the Supreme Lord ate one palmful and was about to eat a second when the devoted goddess Rukmiṇī took hold of His hand.

Purport: Queen took hold of Krsna’s hand to prevent Him from eating any more of the flat rice. According to Sripada Sridhara Svami, with this gesture she meant to tell the Lord, “This much of Your grace is sufficient to assure anyone vast riches, which are merely the play of my glance. But please do not force me to surrender myself to this brahmana, as will happen if You eat one more handful.” Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti explains that by taking hold of the Lord’s hand Rukmini implied, “If You eat all of this wonderful treat Your friend brought from his house, what will I have left for my friends, co-wives, servants and myself? There will not be enough left to distribute even one grain to each of us.” And to her maidservant companions she said by her gesture, “This hard rice will upset my Lord’s tender stomach.” Srila Prabhupada comments that “when food is offered to Lord Krsna with love and devotion and He is pleased and accepts it from the devotee, Rukminidevi, the goddess of fortune, becomes so greatly obliged to the devotee that she has to go personally to the devotee’s home to turn it into the most opulent home in the world. If one feeds Narayana sumptuously, the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, automatically becomes a guest in one’s house, which means that one’s home becomes opulent.”

i. Yasoda – Srimad Bhagavatam 10.9.18

49 sva-matuh svinna-gatraya visrasta-kabara-srajah drstva parisramam krsnah krpayasit sva-bandhane TRANSLATION Because of mother Yasoda's hard labor, her whole body became covered with perspiration, and the flowers and comb were falling from her hair. When child Krsna saw His mother thus fatigued, He became merciful to her and agreed to be bound.

Srimad Bhagavatam 10.9.19 evam sandarsita hy anga harina bhrtya-vasyata sva-vasenapi krsnena yasyedam sesvaram vase TRANSLATION O Maharaja Pariksit, this entire universe, with its great, exalted demigods like Lord Siva, Lord Brahma and Lord Indra, is under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet the Supreme Lord has one transcendental attribute: He comes under the control of His devotees. This was now exhibited by Krsna in this pastime.

Nanda Maharaj would come after hearing about all of the naughty activities of little Krishna and he would say to mother , can your son do anything besides play; can He do any work? Is there anything this boy could do?

And mother Yashoda would say “ah! Gopal bring Nanda Maharaja’s shoe”, and Krishna would run and He would take the shoe of Nanda Maharaj, wooden shoes and with great great difficulty He starts to lift and somehow gets it to the top of His head. And then very carefully He would walk step by step and with a wonderful and beautiful smile on His face He would say “My dear father here is your wooden slippers”. Taking the shoes, which represents the feet of His devotee on top of His head for the whole world to see? And when Nanda Maharaj would see this and his heart would simply melt in ecstatic bliss, and he would say “Very well very good, come on come on very nice Krishna”

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.8.31 gopy ādade tvayi kṛtāgasi dāma tāvad yā te daśāśru-kalilāñjana-sambhramākṣam vaktraṁ ninīya bhaya-bhāvanayā sthitasya sā māṁ vimohayati bhīr api yad bibheti

My dear Kṛṣṇa, Yaśodā took up a rope to bind You when You committed an offense, and Your perturbed eyes overflooded with tears, which washed the mascara from Your eyes. And You were afraid, though fear personified is afraid of You. This sight is bewildering to me.

PURPORT Here is another explanation of the bewilderment created by the pastimes of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is the Supreme in all circumstances, as already explained. Here is a specific example of the Lord's being the Supreme and at the same time a plaything in the presence of His pure devotee. The Lord's pure devotee renders

50 service unto the Lord out of unalloyed love only, and while discharging such devotional service the pure devotee forgets the position of the Supreme Lord.

The Supreme Lord also accepts the loving service of His devotees more relishably when the service is rendered spontaneously out of pure affection, without anything of reverential admiration. Generally the Lord is worshiped by the devotees in a reverential attitude, but the Lord is meticulously pleased when the devotee, out of pure affection and love, considers the Lord to be less important than himself. The Lord's pastimes in the original abode of Goloka Vṛndāvana are exchanged in that spirit. The friends of Kṛṣṇa consider Him one of them. They do not consider Him to be of reverential importance.

The parents of the Lord (who are all pure devotees) consider Him a child only. The Lord accepts the chastisements of the parents more cheerfully than the prayers of the Vedic hymns. Similarly, He accepts the reproaches of His fiancees more palatably than the Vedic hymns. When Lord Kṛṣṇa was present in this material world to manifest His eternal pastimes of the transcendental realm of Goloka Vṛndāvana as an attraction for the people in general, He displayed a unique picture of subordination before His foster mother, Yaśodā. The Lord, in His naturally childish playful activities, used to spoil the stocked butter of mother Yaśodā by breaking the pots and distributing the contents to His friends and playmates, including the celebrated monkeys of Vṛndāvana, who took advantage of the Lord's munificence.

Mother Yaśodā saw this, and out of her pure love she wanted to make a show of punishment for her transcendental child. She took a rope and threatened the Lord that she would tie Him up, as is generally done in the ordinary household. Seeing the rope in the hands of mother Yaśodā, the Lord bowed down His head and began to weep just like a child, and tears rolled down His cheeks, washing off the black ointment smeared about His beautiful eyes. This picture of the Lord is adored by Kuntīdevī because she is conscious of the Lord's supreme position. He is feared often by fear personified, yet He is afraid of His mother, who wanted to punish Him just in an ordinary manner. Kuntī was conscious of the exalted position of Kṛṣṇa, whereas Yaśodā was not. Therefore Yaśodā's position was more exalted than Kuntī's.

Mother Yaśodā got the Lord as her child, and the Lord made her forget altogether that her child was the Lord Himself. If mother Yaśodā had been conscious of the exalted position of the Lord, she would certainly have hesitated to punish the Lord. But she was made to forget this situation because the Lord wanted to make a complete gesture of childishness before the affectionate Yaśodā. This exchange of love between the mother and the son was performed in a natural way, and Kuntī, remembering the scene, was bewildered, and she could do nothing but praise the transcendental filial love. Indirectly mother Yaśodā is praised for her unique position of love, for she could control even the all-powerful Lord as her beloved child.

j. Damodar Lila – 51 And Queen , she was praying in remembrance how mother Yashoda when Krishna would steal the butter, mother Yashoda would pick up a stick and say Krishna you are naughty boy; I will punish you and Krishna would run away, and when he would be caught, he would say I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it, the monkeys did it. My friends did it, somebody did it. When He saw there is way that, He argues His way out of His predicament His limbs would tremble and tears of fear would come from His eyes. And Yashoda Mayi when she would see Krishna so afraid, she was thinking oh… he is such a gentle delicate little boy. I should not make Him so afraid.

Queen Kunti was praying how this that fear personified is afraid of Krishna and Krishna is afraid of this lady, Gopi. Yashoda did not have big muscles; she did not have astras or Brahmastras or bows and arrows or clubs; she was just a very gentle lady with a little tiny stick. But Krishna was trembling with fear…. Yashodanandana.

k. Udhava – Srimad Bhagavatam 11.14.15 na tatha me priyatama atma-yonir na sankarah na ca sankarsano na srir naivatma ca yatha bhavan TRANSLATION My dear Uddhava, neither Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Lord Sankarsana, the goddess of fortune nor indeed My own self are as dear to Me as you are.

Purport: The Lord has described in the previous verses the unalloyed love of His pure devotees for Him, and now the Lord describes His love for His devotees. Atma-yoni means Lord Brahma, who is born directly from the Lord’s body. Lord Siva always gives great pleasure to Lord Krsna by his constant meditation upon Him, and Sankarsana, or , is the Lord’s brother in krsna-lila. The goddess of fortune is the Lord’s wife, and the word atma here indicates the Lord’s own self as the Deity. None of these personalities — even the Lord’s own self — are as dear to Him as His pure devotee Uddhava, an akiñcana devotee of the Lord. Srila Madhvacarya cites from Vedic literature the example that a gentleman sometimes neglects his own interest and that of his children to give charity to a poor beggar. Similarly, the Lord gives preference to a helpless devotee who depends completely on His mercy. The only way to obtain the Lord’s mercy is through His causeless love, and the Lord is most lovingly inclined toward those devotees who are most dependent on Him, just as ordinary mothers and fathers worry more about their helpless children than about those who are self-sufficient. Thus even if one lacks any material qualification, one should simply depend upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without any other interest, and surely one will achieve the highest perfection of life.

52 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.29.29 apy uddhava tvaya brahma sakhe samavadharitam api te vigato mohah sokas casau mano-bhava h Translation: My dear friend Uddhava, have you now completely u nderstood this transcendental knowledge? Are the confusion and lamentation that arose in your mind now dispelled?

Sri Uddhava had been bewildered by considering manifestations of Lord Krsna’s own potency to be separate from Him. Uddhava’s lamentation arose because he thought himself separated from Lord Krsna. Actually, Sri Uddhava is an eternally liberated soul, but the Lord placed him in bewilderment and lamentation so that this supreme knowledge of the Uddhava-gita could be spoken. Lord Krsna’s question here indicates that if Uddhava had not perfectly understood this knowledge, Lord Krsna would have explained the same thing again. According to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, since Sri Uddhava is the intimate friend of Lord Krsna, the Lord’s question here was in a friendly, playful spirit. The Lord was well aware of Uddhava’s complete enlightenment in Krsna consciousness.

l. Bali Maharaj – PURPORT According to Srila Sridhara Svami the Lord's tendency to give Himself to His pure devotee is demonstrated in the case of Bali Maharaja, who sacrificed his universal kingdom for the pleasure of Lord Vamanadeva.

Lord Vamana was so please by the selfless surrender of Bali Maharaja that the Lord became the doorman in the palace of Bali who was reinstalled as a great leader in the universe.

Srila Jiva Gosvami comments that the spiritual master is to be considered the atma, or the very life, of the disciple, since real life begins when one is initiated by a bona fide spiritual master. Although one may experience many seemingly wonderful or important events in a dream, one's real life begins when he wakes up. Similarly, since the spiritual master gives birth to the disciple by awakening him to spiritual life, a bona fide disciple understands that his spiritual master is the very basis of his life.

According to Srila Jiva Gosvami, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the reservoir of all pleasure, and thus the Lord's giving Himself to a pure devotee indicates that such a devotee becomes immersed in the highest possible ecstasy. In this connection there is the following sruti-mantra: anandad dhimani bhutani jayante. "Indeed, it is from the all-blissful Supreme that all these creatures have come into being."

53 m. Draupadi – (Vastraharan) Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.9.19 (Sukdev Uvaca) evam sandarśitā hy ańga harin ā bhr tya-vaśyatā sva-vaśenāpi kr s n ena yasyedam seśvaramvaśe

O Mahārāja Parīksi t, this entire universe, with its great, exalted demigods like Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā and Lord Indra, is under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet the Supreme Lord has one transcendental attribute: He comes under the control of His devotees. This was now exhibited by Kr s n a in this pastime.

This bhr tya-vaśyatā does not mean that He is under the control of the servant; rather, He is under the control of the servant's pure love. In Bhagavad-gītā (1.21) it is said that Kr s n a became the chariot driver of Arjuna. Arjuna ordered Him, senayor ubhayor madhye ratham sthāpaya me 'cyuta: "My dear Kr s n a, You have agreed to be my charioteer and to execute my orders. Place my chariot between the two armies of soldiers." Kr s n a immediately executed this order, and therefore one may argue that Kr s n a also is not independent. But this is one's ajñāna, ignorance. Kr s n a is always fully independent; when He becomes subordinate to His devotees, this is a display of ānanda-cinmaya-rasa, the humor of transcendental qualities that increases His transcendental pleasure.

Like her husbands, the Pandavas, Draupadi was an unalloyed devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna. Thus having no other recourse, she at last fully surrendered at the lotus feet of the Lord. While sobbing piteously and covering her face with her hands, Draupadi prayed to the Supreme Lord by crying out, “ O krsna! O Govinda! O keshava! O lover of the gopis! O Hari! O janardana! O soul of the universe! Cannot you see how the Kauravas are humiliating me in this assembly? Please come here quickly and rescue me, for I am sinking fast in the Kaurava ocean! O Krsna! Lord of Vraja! O yogeshvara! O creator of all things! Please save me from my distress, for I am rapidly losing my senses!”

Lord Krsna is the all pervading Supreme Soul, and thus He could hear Draupadi’s plea. Being greatly moved by feelings of compassion, Krsna immediately got up from his royal throne at Dvaraka and instantly appeared on foot at the gambling arena in Hastinapura. While remaining unseen, Lord Krishna, the Supreme mystic, supplied Draupadi with a beautiful sari of multi – colors. Thus everyone saw that when Dussasan tore off the single dirty cloth that Draupadi had been wearing a new sari miraculously covered her body in its place. Lord Krsna then continued to provide Draupadi with innumerable saris of various colors and designs. Thus, as soon as one sari was pulled from her body by Dussasana, another immediately appeared in its place so that eventually, hundreds of saris lay in a heap on the floor.

54 Sanjaya then said, whatever has happened is the result of your own blunders, and now, the destruction of the Kurus is at hand. By allowing Draupadi to be dragged into the royal assembly and insulted by Dussasana you have brought unimaginable misfortune upon yourself your relatives, and your friends.”

“When someone is going to meet with defeat and disgrace, the demigods first of all deprive him of his good intelligence. Thus the doomed person sees everything in a perverse light so that evil appears to be good, and good seems to be evil. For this reason, a person who has become overwhelmed by impending destruction takes delight in wickedness and immorality. Duryodhana, Dussasana, Karna and Shakuni vivdly displayed all these symptoms of doom when they dragged Draupadi into the assembly of Kings, and thus you can just imagine their fate.”

n. King Gajendra - Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 8.3.1 śrī-bādarāyanir uvāca evam vyavasito buddhyā samādhāya mano hr di jajāpa paramam jāpyam prāg-janmany anuśiksitam

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Thereafter, the King of the elephants, Gajendra, fixed his mind in his heart with perfect intelligence and chanted a mantra which he had learned in his previous birth as Indradyumna and which he remembered by the grace of Kr s n a.

As explained later, Gajendra was formerly King Indradyumna, and somehow or other in his next life he became King of the elephants. Now Gajendra was in danger, and although he was in a body other than that of a human being, he remembered the stotra he had chanted in his previous life.

Yatate ca tato bhūyah sam siddhau kuru-nandana. To enable one to achieve perfection, Kr s n a gives one the chance to remember Him again. This is proved here, for although the King of the elephants, Gajendra, was put in danger, this was a chance for him to remember his previous devotional activities so that he could immediately be rescued by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

55 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 8.3.2 śrī-gajendra uvāca om namo bhagavate tasmai yata etac cid-ātmakam purus āyādi-bījāya pareśāyābhidhīmahi

TRANSLATION The King of the elephants, Gajendra, said: I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Person, [om namo bhagavate vāsudevāya]. Because of Him this material body acts due to the presence of spirit, and He is therefore the root cause of everyone. He is worshipable for such exalted persons as Brahmā and Śiva, and He has entered the heart of every living being. Let me meditate upon Him.

Lord Vis n u, Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva are the supreme controllers of this universe, but Lord Vis n u is offered obeisances even by Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā. Therefore this verse uses the word pareśāya, which indicates that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshiped by exalted demigods. Pareśāya means parameśvara. Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva are īśvaras, great controllers, but Lord Vis n u is parameśvara, the supreme controller.

o. Mahārāja Ambarīs a & Durvasamuni – Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 9.5.1 śrī-śuka uvāca evam bhagavatādisto durvāsāś cakra-tāpitah ambarīsa m upāvrtya tat-pādau duh khito 'grahīt

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: When thus advised by Lord Vis n u, Durvāsā Muni, who was very much harassed by the Sudarśana cakra, immediately approached Mahārāja Ambarīsa . Being very much aggrieved, the muni fell down and clasped the King's lotus feet.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 9.5.2 tasya sodyamam āvīksy a pāda-sparśa-vilajjitah astāvīt tad dharer astram kr payā pīdito bhr śam TRANSLATION When Durvāsā touched his lotus feet, Mahārāja Ambarīsa was very much ashamed, and when he saw Durvāsā attempting to offer prayers, because of mercy he was aggrieved even more. Thus he immediately began offering prayers to the great weapon of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 56 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 9.4.63 (Krsna to Durvasa Muni)

śrī-bhagavān uvāca aham bhakta-parādhīno hy asvatantra iva dvija sādhubhir grasta-hr dayo bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyah TRANSLATION Krsna to Durvasa Muni :- The Supreme Personality of Godhead said to the brāhmana : I am completely under the control of My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent. Because My devotees are completely devoid of material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to speak of My devotee, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī T hākura therefore says, yasya prasādād bhagavat- prasādah: ** if one very sincerely serves the spiritual master, Kr s n a certainly becomes favorable to such a devotee. Following the instructions of a devotee is more valuable than following the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly.

p. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu – The Mäyävädés, they want to become God. But the devotee wants to become the father of God, the friend of God, the lover of God. And even Krishna wants to experience the ecstasy of His devotees. And therefore He personally appeared as Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, just to experience the nature of love of His own devotees.

And during the Ratha-yäträ, Lord Caitanya was in the role of a devotee before . And Jagannath Himself was experiencing greater ecstasy as His devotee than He was sitting on the Jagannath cart. And the reciprocation was something wonderful.

This is the supreme Lila, the supreme realization, the realization of Bhakti, the love between the Lord and His devotee. And this Krishna consciousness movement is meant to give entrance into the this realization to all living beings, by simply living as the servant of the servant of the Lord, simply following the simple principles of Krishna consciousness and attentively chanting the holy names. By mercy of guru and Krishna, we can naturally realise our eternal loving relationship with Lord Krishna; which is the perfection of fulfilment of all the souls’ desires.

57 q. Mādhavendra Puri & Supreme Lord.

In his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura gives the following summary of the Fourth Chapter. Passing along the path of Chatrabhoga and coming to Vṛddhamantreśvara, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu reached the border of Orissa. On His way He enjoyed transcendental bliss by chanting and begging alms in different villages. In this way He reached the celebrated village of Remuṇā, where there is a Deity of Gopīnātha. There He narrated the story of Mādhavendra Purī, as He had heard it from His spiritual master, Īśvara Purī. The narration is as follows.

One night while in Govardhana, Mādhavendra Purī dreamed that the Gopāla Deity was within the forest. The next morning he invited his neighborhood friends to accompany him to excavate the Deity from the jungle. He then established the Deity of Śrī Gopālajī on top of Govardhana Hill with great pomp. Gopāla was worshiped, and the Annakūṭa festival was observed. This festival was known everywhere, and many people from the neighboring villages came to join. One night the Gopāla Deity again appeared to Mādhavendra Purī in a dream and asked him to go to Jagannātha Purī to collect some sandalwood pulp and smear it on the body of the Deity.

Having received this order, Mādhavendra Purī immediately started for Orissa. Traveling through Bengal, he reached Remuṇā village and there received a pot of condensed milk (kṣīra) offered to the Deity of Gopīnāthajī. This pot of condensed milk was stolen by Gopīnātha and delivered to Mādhavendra Purī.

Since then, the Gopīnātha Deity has been known as Kṣīra-corā-gopīnātha, the Deity who stole the pot of condensed milk. After reaching Jagannātha Purī, Mādhavendra Purī received permission from the King to take out one maṇa of sandalwood and eight ounces of camphor. Aided by two men, he brought these things to Remuṇā. Again he saw in a dream that Gopāla at Govardhana Hill desired that very sandalwood to be turned into pulp mixed with camphor and smeared over the body of Gopīnāthajī. Understanding that that would satisfy the Gopāla Deity at Govardhana, Mādhavendra Purī executed the order and returned to Jagannātha Purī.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu narrated this story for Lord Nityānanda Prabhu and other devotees and praised the pure devotional service of Mādhavendra Purī. When He recited some verses composed by Mādhavendra Purī, He went into an ecstatic mood. But when He saw that many people were assembled, He checked Himself and ate some sweet rice prasāda. Thus He passed that night, and the next morning He again started for Jagannātha Purī.

58 r. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj. (Iskcon founder)

Imagine a seventy years old mendicant wandering penniless and homeless on the streets of New York in 1966, on a mission to share a message of spiritual love. In his life till then,

 From 1923 to 1953 he ran a pharmaceutical business to financially assist his guru’s mission, but his business was burglarized and ruined.  From 1944 to 1960 he ran magazine back to Godhead to spread the message of spiritual love single handedly writing typing proofreading, publishing and distributing it but the magazine found few takers.  From 1952 to 1954 he invested all his time , energy and finances to establish an organization The League of Devotees, in Jhansi but he was evicted by a political intrigue from the very place that was to be his international head quarters.  In 1965 when aged 69 he decided to go alone and practically penniless to America to share his message but two heart attacks on the ship almost ended his life.  1965-66 he tried to build a temple in America with the help of a patron from India, but the Indian government refused to let foreign exchange flow outside the country.  In 1966 he focused on sharing his message with young Americans, but his first serious student went crazy due to drug overdose and attacked him. The guru had to flee for life from his prospective disciple.

This, till 1966 was the life story of his Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. After so many reversals, most people would have just given up. But Srila Prabhupada was beyond material success and failure; for him , the satisfaction of Krsna was success. And he knew that krsna was satisfied by his unflinching commitment to share Krsna message no matter what the obstacles. So although a giant wall seemed to block all his efforts, he kept looking for some tiny crevice somewhere and kept pressing on, undaunted.

As the Gita prophesies the sustained harmony of the divine will and the human will produced stunning results. From 1966 to 1977 Srila Prabhupada.

 Opened 108 temples in six continents.  Circumnavigated the globe fourteen times sharing his message with millions.  Authored over 70 books which have sold billions of copies till date.  Inspired thousands of people to break free from all bad habits and lead a life of selfless service to God and humanity.

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