Sadhavo Hrdayam Mahyam EN

¼ivar§ma Swami
S§dhavo H¥daya° Mahyam

Saints Are My Heart
- Kiadó
Lal
SÝdhavo
H¹daya½
Mahyam
Saints Are My Heart
¼ivar§ma Swami
S§dhavo H¥daya° Mahyam
Saints Are My Heart
© 2015 ¼ivar§ma Swami

© 2015 L§l Kiadó, Hungary
Publishing Manager: Manor§ma D§sa

Editor: Braja Sevak¦ Dev¦ D§s¦
Sanskrit Editor: Mañjar¦ Dev¦ D§s¦
Layout & Prepress: Sundara-r¡pa D§sa
Art & Design Manager: Ak¥¢£a D§sa
Artwork: Nitya-sakh¦ Dev¦ D§s¦
Cover: Ak¥¢£a D§sa
ISBN 978-615-80197-3-6
Printed in Hungary
Readers interested
in the subject matters in this book
are invited to visit the website:
www.sivaramaswami.com
May ¼r¦man ¼y§masundara,
the devotee of all pure-hearted
Vai¢£avas and the plaything
of ¼r¦mat¦ R§dh§r§£¦, Who reveals
His heart as Lord Gaurasundara, and
upon Whose heart is etched the name
of my Gurudeva, be merciful to us.

Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Chapter 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Chapter 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Chapter 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Chapter 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Chapter 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Chapter 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Chapter 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Index of Verses Quoted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
7
he Supreme Lord ¼r¦ K¥¢£a has innumerable qualities,
each as unlimited as the sky and beyond the description of
even thousand-mouthed Lord Ananta. Of these boundless
qualities, sixty-four have been chronicled by ¼r¦la R¡pa
Gosv§m¦ in Bhakti-ras§m¥ta-sindhu. In the same way that
one primes a pump with a cupful of water in order to
extract an endless stream of water from the earth, so by
absorbing their minds in these sixty-four qualities devo-
tees bring forth the celestial Ganges of K¥¢£a’s unlimited
attributes, and submerged in that infinite stream they
enjoy endless bliss.
One of K¥¢£a’s qualities is prema-vaªya, which means
“submissive to love.” When one is meekly obedient and
ready to conform to the authority of others, such a person
is known to be submissive. And when the cause of submis-
siveness is love then that person is known as being submis-
sive to love, prema-vaªya. K¥¢£a is such a person. But
because His qualities manifest to the extreme, K¥¢£a is
exceptionally submissive. As with everything, in this regard
no one can match Him.
But the love that thus conquers K¥¢£a is not the
mundane, self-serving love exchanged amongst conditioned
souls of this world. It is pure love, which Kavir§ja Gosv§m¦
describes as follows:
§tmendriya-pr¦ti-v§¢ch§ — t§re bali ‘k§ma’

k¥¢£endriya-pr¦ti-icch§ dhare ‘prema’ n§ma
“The desire to gratify one’s own senses is k§ma [lust],

but the desire to please the senses of Lord K¥¢£a is prema
[love].”1
9
SÝDHAVO H¹DAYA½ MAHYAM
When a devotee’s every act is motivated only by the desire to

please K¥¢£a — his devotional activities being on the platform of pure
goodness and his desire to serve being born from deep, possessive
attraction for the Lord — then that devotee’s softened heart is said to
be flooded by feelings of love. It is this kind of love to which K¥¢£a
is submissive.
In another verse by Kavir§ja Gosv§m¦ beginning with nitya-siddha
k¥¢£a-prema, he claims that pure love is eternally present in the heart
of everyone.2 And as it is uncovered by devotional acts, beginning
with hearing and chanting about K¥¢£a, love dissipates the darkness
in the heart until a devotee becomes illuminated by the power of the
Lord’s internal potency.
Love, therefore, develops in stages from an almost imperceptible
presence at the initial stage of practice — faith, ªraddh§ — to an over-
whelming influence at the mature stage of perfection — mellow, rasa.
And K¥¢£a is submissive to a devotee according to the proportion that
love is present. He says in the G¦t§,
ye yath§ m§° prapadyante

t§°s tathaiva bhaj§my aha°
mama vartm§nuvartante
manu¢y§¤ p§rtha sarvaªa¤
“As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone

follows My path in all respects, O son of P¥th§.”3
Here the word bhaj§mi, “reward,” is significant. K¥¢£a rewards
devotees in proportion to their surrender to Him. Surrender is
impelled by and synonymous with love. In this way the Lord bestows
His opulences upon devotees according to their surrender to Him.
And when devotees fully surrender, giving themselves to K¥¢£a out
of overwhelming love for Him, He gives them the greatest reward:
Himself. Thus at the stage of perfection, a devotee’s intense love
brings K¥¢£a’s submission to its summit and the humble Vai¢£ava
conquers the unconquerable. Lord Brahm§ says,
jñ§ne pray§sam udap§sya namanta eva

j¦vanti san-mukharit§° bhavad¦ya-v§rt§m
10
INTRODUCTION
sth§ne sthit§¤ ªruti-gat§° tanu-v§¯-manobhir

ye pr§yaªo ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-loky§m
“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 descrip-
tions 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 other-
wise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.”4
J¦va Gosv§m¦ comments on the above verse, confirming that the
slightest effort of a practitioner to hear about the Lord from pure
Vai¢£avas results in the attainment of loving devotion, by which even
the most humble service conquers the unconquerable Lord.5
The process by which pure love liberates devotees and empowers
them to control the Lord is the path of pure devotional service, also
called “the path of swan-like men,” paramaha°sa-path§.6
In essence, the path that leads practitioners to the topmost plat-
form of transcendence, the path of swan-like men, is to hear the teach-
ings of ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam from those who are already so situated.
¼r¦la Prabhup§da states that in doing so, one “gradually conquers the
unconquerable God.”7
Thus hearing and reading the Bh§gavatam and the association of
self-realised souls is so powerful that persons in the mode of igno-
rance and passion — what to speak of those in the mode of good-
ness — become freed from material entanglement and rise to the status
of the Lord’s qualified associate, a paramaha°sa.8
One of the essential messages of ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam is the
constant recitation of the Lord’s name, n§ma-sa¯k¦rtana, which
Caitanya Mah§prabhu made known both by His teachings and His
personal example. Indeed, when conversing with R§m§nanda R§ya
about the attainment of life’s goal, Lord Caitanya rejected as external
all other scriptural paths — like var£§ªrama-dharma — but welcomed
the proposal that transcendental life began with chanting and hearing
the message of ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam, as described in the verse begin-
ning with jñ§ne pray§sam.9
Besides the limbs of devotion contained within the paramaha°sa-
11
path§, ¼r¦la Prabhup§da, in his commentary on this verse, makes

compulsory another limb: worship of the Lord’s Deity form, which
is also known as the path of worship, arcana-vidhi. His Divine Grace
writes, “Although all Vedic literature is meant for understanding
K¥¢£a, one cannot understand K¥¢£a without being a lover of K¥¢£a.
Therefore along with the reading of Vedic literature, sv§dhy§ya, one
must engage in devotional worship of the Deity, arcana-vidhi. Together
these will enhance the devotee’s transcendental understanding of
devotional service.”10
Lord K¥¢£a Himself confirms that love for Him arises by the
comprehensive and complementary practice of these two paths. When
the gop¦s answered the call of His flute on the full-moon night of the
autumn season, K¥¢£a teased them and urged them to show their love
for Him not through physical contact but by following the ways of
sincere Vai¢£avas. He said,
ªrava£§d darªan§d dhy§n§n

mayi bh§vo ’nuk¦rtan§t
na tath§ sannikar¢e£a
pratiy§ta tato g¥h§n
“Transcendental love for Me arises by the devotional processes of

hearing about Me, seeing My Deity form, meditating on Me, and
faithfully chanting My glories. The same result is not achieved by
mere physical proximity. So please go back to your homes.”11
Of course the gop¦s were already fully dedicated lovers of the
Lord and thus were able to convince K¥¢£a to enjoy with them as
they desired. He was submissive to them. So even when K¥¢£a later
disappeared from the gop¦s’ midst to heighten their love, they again
drew Him back with their songs of devotion. They had conquered
His heart. Lord Caitanya, therefore, often referred to the gop¦s as
the ideal example of swan-like souls who have brought K¥¢£a under
their full control.
Another famous example of a paramaha°sa is M§dhavendra Pur¦.
When the saint had an intense desire to better serve his Deity, Gop§la,
by tasting a famous sweet-rice offered to another Deity, Gop¦n§tha,
the Lord personally stole that delicacy and had it delivered to the
12
INTRODUCTION
saint. Such are the exchanges of love between devotees and the Lord.
But ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam proclaims at its outset that only those who
are pure at heart or those sincerely aspiring to be so will understand
these loving exchanges. The great Vy§sa writes, dharma¤ projjhi-
ta-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsar§£§° sat§°: “Completely rejecting
all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bh§gavata
Pur§£a propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those
devotees who are fully pure in heart.”12
As the pages of the Bh§gavatam continue to unfold, the reader
comes to see that mystics and speculators who have no love for the
Lord waste their time in austerities and remain ignorant about the
Absolute Truth, while devotees draw the Lord’s heart to them with
their love, just as the elder gop¦s who, by their spontaneous and
untainted affection, make baby K¥¢£a dance for their pleasure.
Devotees on the path to K¥¢£a thus keep perfected souls like the
residents of Vraja as their role models by singing songs such as the
following by Raghupati Up§dhy§ya:
ªrutim apare sm¥tim itare

bh§ratam anye bhajantu bhava-bh¦t§¤
aha° iha nanda° vande
yasy§linde para° brahma
“Those who are afraid of material existence worship the Vedic liter-
ature. Some worship sm¥ti, the corollaries to the Vedic literature,
and others worship the Mah§bh§rata. As far as I am concerned, I
worship K¥¢£a’s father, Mah§r§ja Nanda, in whose courtyard the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, is playing.”13
The contrast between the triumph of the pure devotee and the
failure of the mystic in conquering the Lord is illustrated in the meet-
ing between Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja and Durv§s§ Muni. This pastime
is recounted in the ninth canto of ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam, and in the
fourth chapter, verses 63-71, the Lord personally explains to Durv§s§
how He comes under the control of pure devotees while remain-
ing unresponsive to those disinterested in Him. This enchanting
soliloquy by the Lord comprehensively elaborates on Lord Brahm§’s
later statement in the tenth canto.
13
This book is an exposition on those beguiling words of the Lord

wherein He discloses the secrets that entwine His heart with the
hearts of His devotees. The methodology of this book follows the
conversational style that Viªvan§tha Cakravart¦ çh§kura employs in
his commentary to these verses and elsewhere in the Bh§gavatam.
The remainder of this Inroduction summarises the events leading up
to the Lord’s instructions to Durv§s§ Muni.
* * * *

Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a was a righteous emperor of the earth who ruled
over his domain from the capital, Mathur§. Over and above his
qualifications as a pious and just ruler, he was a great devotee of
the Lord. As a pure Vai¢£ava, Ambar¦¢a’s global administration was,
like his personal life, conducted according to devotional principles
and fully engaged in the Lord’s service. This behaviour of the king
pleased K¥¢£a so much that He instructed His ultimate weapon, the
Sudarªana-cakra, to act as the personal bodyguard to His devotee.
The reason for this extraordinary gift was that although Ambar¦¢a
Mah§r§ja would never fail to give protection to his subjects, as one
fully dependent on the protection of the Lord he would not protect
himself under any circumstance. Thus a bond of mutual affection
tied servant and master together.
Once Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a was worshipping the Supreme Personal-
ity of Godhead in V¥nd§vana by observing the vow of Ek§daª¦. Just as
the king was about to break his fast on the next day, Dv§daª¦, the great
mystic yog¦ Durv§s§ appeared at his home. King Ambar¦¢a respectfully
welcomed the sage and invited him and his disciples to dine at the
palace. Durv§s§ Muni gladly accepted the invitation but first went
to bathe in the Yamun§ River, where he meditated on the Supreme
by means of the g§yatr¦-mantra. Due to his absorption in sam§dhi,
Durv§s§ did not return at the scheduled time and thus Mah§r§ja
Ambar¦¢a was placed in a dilemma — the time to break fast was passing
and yet he should not eat before his guests.
In accordance with the advice of learned br§hma£as, and to
observe the formality of breaking fast, the king sipped a little water,
14
INTRODUCTION
for in the Vedas it is said, apo ’ªn§ti tan naiv§ªita° naiv§naªitam:

“drinking water is neither eating nor not eating.”14 At that time, by
his mystic power, Durv§s§ Muni could understand all that had trans-
pired and he became very angry, falsely thinking that the king had
slighted him.
Upon his return to the palace the sage began to chastise Mah§r§ja
Ambar¦¢a. When such verbal abuse failed to pacify the sage’s anger,
Durv§s§ then created a fiery demon to kill his host. But the invin-
cible Sudarªana-cakra was not far away, and at the prompting of
the Supreme Lord it immediately vanquished the monster and then
attacked the envious Durv§s§.
His power clearly dwarfed, the sage fled throughout the universe
to the abodes of Brahm§ and ¼iva. But those great demigods were
both unwilling and unable to protect the sage from the wrath of
the Sudarªana-cakra. Realising he had no other alternative, Durv§s§
headed for the spiritual world to take shelter of Lord N§r§ya£a.
Leaving ¼ivaloka he thought, “No one, not even Brahm§, can
save me. I had hoped that Lord ¼iva, my deity, would protect me, but
even he can’t. To save my life I must now turn to Lord Vi¢£u, whose
devotee has put me in such a precarious condition.”15
According to ¼r¦la Prabhup§da, Durv§s§ Muni travelled to the
“Vaiku£±ha planets beyond material space,”16 where, scorched by the
heat of the Sudarªana-cakra, he fell at the lotus feet of Lord N§r§ya£a.
Trembling in fear Durv§s§ said, “O infallible, unlimited Lord, protec-
tor of the entire universe, You are the only desirable objective for all
devotees. I am a great offender, my Lord. Please give me protection.17
“O my Lord! O Supreme Controller! Without knowledge of Your
unlimited prowess I have offended Your most dear devotee. Very
kindly save me from the reaction of this offense. You can do every-
thing, for even if a person is fit for going to hell, You can deliver
him simply by awakening within his heart the holy name of Your
Lordship.”
While the Sudarªana-cakra continued to spin nearby, Lord
N§r§ya£a contemplated the situation. Here was a great br§hma£a, a
partial expansion of Lord ¼iva, a guru of sixty thousand br§hma£as,
and yet an offender of His devotee. No austerity, piety, or learning
could counteract vai¢£ava-apar§dha.
15
As the kneeling Durv§s§ hung his head in shame, his matted locks
touching the ground, the Lord thought, “Br§hma£as and Vai¢£avas!
And so continues the age-old misunderstanding of those br§hma£as
who are devoid of devotion to Me. They think that learning and high
birth makes them superior to pure devotees, especially when those
devotees are of a lower caste.
“But with this pastime orchestrated by Me, I will make a statement
for all time to come. I shall broadcast the superiority of Vai¢£avas over
every kind of spiritual aspirant, be they karmi, jñ§n¦, or yog¦. I shall
show the inner meaning of My words to Uddhava:
na s§dhayati m§° yogo

na s§¯khya° dharma uddhava
na sv§dhy§yas tapas ty§go
yath§ bhaktir mamorjit§
“‘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, S§¯khya philosophy,
pious work, Vedic study, austerity, or renunciation.’18
“Let Me now instruct this br§hma£a, and through him all other
created beings. Let me make known My indebtedness to practicing
devotees, what then to speak of to perfected transcendentalists. I
am not ungrateful to them! Indeed I love My devotees! And as they
wade through the turbulent waters of material existence to reach Me,
I remove their sufferings and, over and over again, I give them great
bliss. I do these things by giving them pure devotion to Me, and so
devotees become saintly, advance in devotion, and, in time, perfect
their love for Me.
“When devotees attain the treasure of prema they finally find shel-
ter at My lotus feet, a treasure that no other aspirant will ever know.
For loving devotion not only bestows upon devotees opulences equal
to My own, it also subjugates Me, who am conquered by love alone.
Although I am known everywhere as being absolutely independent,
svar§±, still, because pure devotees conquer Me, I voluntarily become
dependent on them.19
“My dependence on devotees is so absolute that devotees come to
16
INTRODUCTION
control Me absolutely. And I take pleasure in their doing so! I relish

it! As a servant of My servants, I reveal My true nature to them — I
love to be loved. And those who love Me, or even aspire to love Me, I
make them an associate of Mine so that we can relish loving exchanges
eternally in pleasure pastimes. Indeed, in those pastimes I even take
the role as one of them, as an ordinary human being.”
The Lord again looked at the haggard sage, his face lined with
worry, his eyes aglow with fear. “This sage thinks only to protect
himself. Therefore he cannot hold a candle to Ambar¦¢a who, free of
all bodily identification, made no effort to protect himself.”
Looking away from Durv§s§ disapprovingly, the Lord of Vaiku£±ha
mused, “By disclosing My mind to Durv§s§ Muni, people will know
that Vai¢£avas like Ambar¦¢a are so great that they do not strive for
liberation. And because by devotion the Vai¢£avas attain Me, the
bestower of liberation, they are far superior to all kinds of yog¦s and
jñ§n¦s, what to speak of M§y§v§d¦s. Let it be known, then, that the
process of devotional service is superior to all spiritual paths, and
its pinnacle of perfection — loving devotion — dwarfs every form of
liberation.
“Loving devotion resides in the heart of devotees, and drawn
by the power of that love I take up residence there. Thus I live in
the heart of My pure devotees and make their hearts — nay, their
entire beings! — like unto My own abode. In other words, Vai¢£avas
become My abode; thus they turn everywhere they go into places of
pilgrimage. And when they go to holy places, they cleanse them of
the accumulated sins deposited by materialistic men.
“Is it no wonder, then, that practitioners will consider such great
Vai¢£avas as identical to Me and, accepting such saints as their gurus,
worship them as they would worship Me? Indeed, I reside in the
hearts of those who are devoted to My pure devotees in the form
of devotion. In time that devotion conquers over all impurities and
shines forth as love — a love like that of Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja, who now
stands on the banks of the Yamun§, concerned for the welfare of one
who sought to kill him.
“My heart breaks just to think of the humility and character of
the king. Although the ruler of the entire world and the lord of inex-
haustible wealth, Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a does not care for any of it. He
17
performs his prescribed duties, offers all their results to Me under the
guidance of Vai¢£ava br§hma£as, and mercifully engages his subjects
in chanting and hearing of My pastimes. By his pure love for Me the
king has so saturated his subjects with the joy of service to Me that
men and women alike laugh at the achievement of these great mystics.
“When I think of how the king participates twenty-four hours a
day in My service, never desiring anything for his own sense gratifica-
tion and engaging all his senses in devotional service, the achievements
of this great br§hma£a seem as insignificant as a piece of straw.
“Let me now shed light on the injustice done to Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja
by Durv§s§, and in so doing let Me reveal both the greatness of pure
Vai¢£avas and My love for them.”
18
INTRODUCTION
NOTES
1 Caitanya-carit§m¥ta, Ýdi-l¦l§ 4.165.

2 Caitanya-carit§m¥ta, Madhya-l¦l§ 22.107.
3 Bhagavad-g¦t§ 4.11.
4 ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 10.14.3.
5 Bhakti-sandarbha (104) states, “In this verse ‘udap§sya’ means
‘even doing only slightly’, ‘sth§ne sthit§¤’ means ‘staying with the
devotees’ ‘san-mukharit§° bhavad¦ya-v§rt§m’ means ‘the news
about You, which is repeatedly spoken by the devotees’, ‘ªruti-
gat§m’ means ‘by associating with the devotees one hears the news
of the Lord’, ‘pr§yaªah’ means ‘almost always’, and ‘tanu-v§¯-ma-
nobhir namanta eva j¦vanti’ means ‘worshipping You with their
body, words, and mind, they live their lives.’ Although they do not
do anything more than that, they conquer You, even though You
are always unconquerable by others (jito ’py asi tais tri-loky§m).”
This commentary has been summarised in this paragraph giving two
interpretations to udap§sya, the first referring to a practitioner’s
slightest efforts of surrender that gradually leads the attainment
of love which then conquers K¥¢£a, and the second to a perfected
soul’s slightest act of love that immediately conquers the Lord.
6 ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 2.9.18: tad-darªan§hl§da-pariplut§ntaro
h¥¢yat-tanu¤ prema-bhar§ªru-locana¤ / nan§ma p§d§mbujam asya
viªva-s¥g yat p§ramaha°syena path§dhigamyate: “Lord Brahm§,
thus seeing the Personality of Godhead in His fullness, was over-
whelmed with joy within his heart, and thus in full transcendental
love and ecstasy, his eyes filled with tears of love. He thus bowed
down before the Lord. That is the way of the highest perfection for
the living being [paramaha°sa].” In the purport to this verse ¼r¦la
Prabhup§da writes, “Amongst various holy names of the Lord, He is
also called Ajita, or one who can never be conquered by anyone else.
Yet He can be conquered by the paramaha°sa path, as practically
realised and shown by the great spiritual master Lord Brahm§. Lord
Brahm§ has personally recommended this paramaha°sa-panth§ in
his own words as follows.” His Divine Grace then cites the verse
jñ§ne pray§sam.
19
7 Purport to ¼r¦mad-Bhagavatam 4.24.53.

8 Purport to ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 9.18.2.
10 Purport to Caitanya-carit§m¥ta, Madhya-l¦l§ 4.137.
13 Pady§val¦ 126.
14 Purport to ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 9.4.39-40.
15 S§r§rtha-darªini commentary to ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 9.4.60.
16 Purport to ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 1.15.11. ¼r¦la Prabhup§da’s
words imply that Durv§s§ Muni went not to the Vaiku£±ha planet
in this universe, Dhruvaloka, but to one of the Vaiku£±ha planets in
the spiritual sky.
17 These words of Durv§s§ Muni are from ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam
9.4.62-63.
19 ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 1.1.1 proclaims the Absolute Truth to be
abhijña¤ svar§±: “He is directly and indirectly conscious of all mani-
festations, and He is independent because there is no other cause
beyond Him.”
20
ªr¦-bhagav§n uv§ca
aha° bhakta-par§dh¦no
hy asvatantra iva dvija
s§dhubhir grasta-h¥dayo
bhaktair bhakta-jana-priya¤
ªr¦-bhagav§n uv§ca — the Supreme

Personality of Godhead said; aha° — I;
bhakta-par§dh¦na¤ — am dependent on
the will of My devotees; hi — indeed;
asvatantra¤ — am not independent;
iva — exactly like that; dvija — O br§h-
ma£a; s§dhubhi¤ — by pure devotees,
completely free from all material desires;
grasta-h¥daya¤ — My heart is controlled;
bhaktai¤ — because they are devotees;
bhakta-jana-priya¤ — I am dependent
not only on My devotee but also on My
devotee’s devotee (the devotee’s devotee
is extremely dear to Me).
The Supreme Personality of Godhead

said to the br§hma£a: “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 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.”1
tanding before the kneeling br§hma£a, Lord N§r§ya£a
said, “Did you really think that Brahm§ or ¼iva, who are
both fully under My control, could save you from My
personal weapon?”2
Durv§s§ did not reply, but turned his face toward the
Supreme Lord, his heart slightly comforted by N§r§ya£a’s
unsurpassable beauty and kindly smile.
“Since the demigods are all under My control, they
cannot transgress My will. And in the same way that
Brahm§ and ¼iva are unable to save you because they are
dependent on Me, so I too cannot save you.”
Durv§s§’s eyes opened wide in disbelief. “You cannot?”
“No! I cannot! Because I am also dependent.”
“On whom?”
“On My pure devotees.”
“You are dependent on them?”
“Yes. Just as individual souls are dependent on others,
so I am dependent on My devotees.”
“But even if it is Your nature to become subordinate to
the will of Your devotees, that is not something that they
expect of You. Moreover, however You may behave by
Your grace, Your Lordship continues to remain supremely
independent.”
The Lord nodded His head in a way that both agreed
and disagreed with Durv§s§. “What you say is not untrue.
I am independent, but by My will I become dependent on
s§dhus.”3
“But why?”
“Because I am unable to give up My feelings of indebt-
edness towards them. My heart is conquered by the devo-
25
tion of those saints who are free of every kind of desire, including the
ultimate desire of impersonal liberation.”
The Lord paused for a moment to emphasise His last words to
the impersonalist Durv§s§ and then continued, “Because they always
think of how to serve Me in the very best way, I cannot help but be
controlled by them.”
Appealing to Durv§s§’s sensitivities Lord N§r§ya£a said, “Can
you not understand? By constantly keeping Me in their affectionate
thoughts My devotees have captured Me in their hearts and I have
become their prisoner.”
“A prisoner?”
“Yes! By their love devotees have seized Me, overcome Me, and
kept Me tightly in their adoring grasp. I am like a person haunted by
his beloved. Wherever I may be, Vaiku£±ha or the material world, I
remain tightly bound up in My devotees’ hearts.”
The Lord again paused, then with a smile added, “And I relish it,
for their love nourishes Me.”
Casting a glance over his shoulder to the Sudarªana-cakra, Durv§s§
cautiously spoke up, “But don’t You feel compassion towards me,
seeing my suffering?”
“I sympathise with you. But my heart is with My devotees. Although
I offer them all kinds of liberation, My devotees will not accept My
submission. Therefore I am compromised. With what can I repay them?
The only thing they know is Me, and so I forcibly give them My heart.
And they happily take it and make it one with their own.
“So when you ask whether I feel compassion for your situation, I
reply that because My devotees have made My heart one with theirs,
My mercy, too, is one with theirs. When you have received the mercy
of Ambar¦¢a, then I will be able to feel compassion for you — but not
until then. My mercy follows the mercy of My devotees. Everyone,
including you, knows this.”
Durv§s§ was pensive. Knowing his thoughts, the Lord addressed
them: “O Durv§s§! I am sure that you know I am subordinate to the
will of My devotee. You must remember when Dv§rak§ was once
attacked by ten powerful demons and you were at the head of a dele-
gation that fled to Sutala, the planet of Bali Mah§r§ja, to induce Me
in My form of V§mana to save the city.4
26
CHAPTER 1
“What did I answer then?
par§dh¦no ’smi viprendra

bhakti-kr¦to ’smi n§nyath§
baler §deªa-k§r¦ ca
daityendra-vaªa-go hy aha°
tasm§t pr§rthaya viprendra
daitya° vairocana° balim
asy§deª§t kari¢y§mi
yad abh¦¢±a° tav§dhun§
‘O best of br§hma£as! I am not independent. Because I am purchased

by pure devotion and by that alone, I am now the order carrier of
Bali. I am completely controlled by that king of the Daityas. So, my
dear excellent br§hma£a, please go ask the demon Bali, son of Viro-
cana, and if he orders I shall at once do whatever you want.’5
“Then you approached Bali Mah§r§ja to release Me. But even
when you explained the danger to Dv§rak§ and threatened to fast
until death, the devoted king would not part from Me for a moment.
“Instead Bali Mah§r§ja replied, ‘O best of br§hma£as. Let fate take
its course in Dv§rak§, and may you keep to your vow, but I can never
be separated from those lotus feet that are so dear to the foremost
demigods.’ And so you and your delegation returned to Dv§rak§
without Me. As much as I empathised with your cause, it was not in
My power to transgress the will of Bali Mah§r§ja.”
Durv§s§ Muni shook his head in disbelief. Knowing the sage’s
mind the Lord prompted, “What is your doubt?”
Encouraged, Durv§s§ voiced his confusion, “O Lord. Why do You
and Your devotees love each other?”6
Before answering the Lord thought, “What an unfortunate crea-
ture. Hard austerities, scriptural study, and meditation on Brahm§n
have turned his heart into a spiritual desert. He asks Me why devotees
and I love each other.”
Without revealing His mind the Lord replied, “Listen to this truth:
Of the three divine potencies that constitute My very nature, the very
best is hl§din¦, My pleasure-giving potency. The expression of this
hl§din¦-ªakti is devotion, bhakti, and its essence is love, prema. When
27
pure Vai¢£avas serve Me in devotion, the essence of hl§din¦ comes to

the fore and permeates that service, transforming it into loving devo-
tion of which I am the object, vi¢aya, and they are the subject, §ªraya.
In this way love reciprocally flows between Me and My devotee.
“In answer to your question, ‘Why do we love each other?’ I reply,
‘Because it is our nature to do so.’ Those learned in the truth say,
bhagav§n bhakta-bhaktim§n, ‘The Supreme Lord loves His devotees.’
And thus both My devotees and I taste the bliss that comes from loving
each other.”7
Durv§s§ ventured, “I understand that since it is not different from
You, Your hl§din¦-ªakti would naturally give You bliss. But why would
it give pleasure to devotees?”
Taking the opportunity to critique Durv§s§’s monistic view, Lord
N§r§ya£a answered, “Like all potencies, hl§din¦ is not only one with
Me, but simultaneously different from Me. Thus it is also present
in the hearts of the devotees, where it imparts to them the bliss of
their devotion, as clear from My proclamation, ‘All of them, as they
surrender unto Me, I reward accordingly.’8
“Consider the perspective of devotion as being different from
Me. When it is thus, I see bhakti, as well as the love and bliss it
generates, as something that is solely within My devotees. Then, like
a mouse hypnotised by a cobra, I quickly come under the control of
My devotees.”
Durv§s§ raised his eyebrows in uncertainty. “I understand why You
love great devotees like ¼iva, Brahm§, ¼ukadeva, and Vy§sa. They are
engaged night and day in serving You as universal administrators or
in spreading Your glories. But why others engaged in lesser services,
like King…”
“Because,” the Lord interrupted, not wanting to hear Durv§s§ say
that Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja was in any way less than Brahm§, “devotees
like Ambar¦¢a are servants of My devotees. That in itself endears them
to Me. I prefer that Vai¢£avas serve My devotees rather than serving
Me directly. This I have explained to Arjuna:
ye me bhakta-jan§¤ p§rtha

na me bhakt§ª ca te jan§¤
28
CHAPTER 1
mad-bhakt§n§° ca ye bhakt§s
te me bhakta-tam§ mat§¤
‘Those who are My direct devotees are actually not My devotees,

but those who are the devotees of My servant are factually My
devotees.’9
“Moreover, being the servant of My servant, or even the servant
of My servant one hundred times removed, does not make devotees
lesser in any way. Indeed it is often found that those who do not serve
Me directly have greater affection for Me than those who do. And
those sheltered by My servants have the added advantage of loving my
servants, which I consider of greater value than loving Me.”
Looking straight through Durv§s§ the Lord exclaimed, “O br§h-
ma£a! Are you so ignorant that You do not know these wonderful
truths?”
For a moment of eternity, as Lord N§r§ya£a pierced Durv§s§ with
His gaze, everything in Vaiku£±ha seemed to come to a stop. Only
the words “O br§hma£a! Are you so ignorant!” echoed through the
gardens and palaces of the realm.
Then in a soft voice full of emotion the Lord said, “Know well,
O br§hma£a, that I am known as Bhakta-par§dh¦na, one who is
controlled by devotees; Asvatantra, not independent; S§dhumaya,
dependent on devotees; S§dhu-grasta-man§s, whose heart is rapt in
thought of devotees; S§dhu-priya, who loves His devotees as they
love Him; S§dhu-dhana, who is charitable to devotees; S§dhu-c§r¦,
who always resides among His devotees; and S§dhu-citta, in whose
heart devotees reside.10
“Durv§s§, I have told you that even devotees of My devotees are
dear to Me. Now let Me reveal a secret to You: those who are not
even devotees of My devotees, but who have just a little faith in them,
are also favoured by Me. People like you.”
“Me! How?”
“I have spoken of the time when you came to Me in Sutala to
solicit My help. Why did you come?”11
“Because N§rada Muni told me that I would find You there. I
believed what he said.”
29
“Exactly! Because you had faith in N§rada’s promise that you could
find Me in Sutala, I was obliged to uphold his word and show Myself
to you, I who am never seen by impersonalists. Do you understand?”
“Is it the same now? Because Lord ¼iva sent me to You?”
“Yes! ¼iva told you, ‘You should simply approach that Supreme
Personality of Godhead to get relief, for this Sudarªana-cakra is intol-
erable even to us. Go to Lord Vi¢£u. He will certainly be kind enough
to bestow all good fortune upon you.’”12 The Lord stopped for a
moment and pointed in the direction of Kail§sa. “Since this was the
promise of My devotee, I had to honour it.”
The sage marvelled. Solely to live up to the word of His devotee,
the Lord was willing to give audience to a nonbeliever. “How amaz-
ing!” he thought to himself.
30
CHAPTER 1
NOTES
2 The conversation herein between Lord N§r§ya£a and Durv§s§
Muni has its basis in ¼r¦la Prabhup§da’s purports, Viªvan§tha
Cakravart¦ çh§kura’s S§r§rtha-darªin¦ commentary, and Pr¦ti-sandar-
bha 63.
3 That the supremely independent Lord gives up His independ-
ence by His own will is indicated by the word iva in the verse (Bh§g
9.4.63).
4 This pastime is narrated in the Prahl§da-sa°hit§ of the Skanda
Pur§£a as found in B¥had-bh§gavat§m¥ta 1.4.14.
5 Skanda Pur§£a, Prabh§sa-kha£ä 4.19.2–3.
6 The following dissertation on prema is based on Param§t-
m§-sandarbha 24-29.
9 Ýdi Pur§£a as cited in Laghu-bh§gavat§m¥ta 2.6.
10 These names of the Lord are from Garga-sa°hit§ 8.13.129-131.
11 This pastime is from the commentary to B¥had-bh§gavat§m¥ta
1.8.34.
31
n§ha° §tm§nam §ª§se
mad-bhaktai¤ s§dhubhir vin§
ªriya° c§tyantik¦° brahman
ye¢§° gatir aha° par§
na — not; aha° — I;
§tm§nam — transcendental bliss;
§ª§se — desire; mat-bhaktai¤ — with
My devotees; s§dhubhi¤ — with
the saintly persons; vin§ — without
them; ªriyam — all My six opulences;
ca — also; §tyantik¦m — the supreme;
brahman — O br§hma£a; ye¢§m — of
whom; gati¤ — destination; aha° — I am;
par§ — the ultimate.
“O best of the br§hma£as! Without

saintly persons for whom I am the only
destination, I do not desire to enjoy My
transcendental bliss and My supreme
opulences.”1
urv§s§ now had reason to tremble. For not only did the
Sudarªana weapon continue to circle him, but the disc’s
Lord was showing His displeasure. Still concerned for his
own welfare, the sage thought to appease Lord N§r§ya£a
by enquiring about the Lord’s devotees.2
“O Lord of creation! Please speak to me about Your
affection towards Vai¢£avas. Just how much do You love
them?”
His countenance softening, Lord N§r§ya£a replied, “O
br§hma£a! Surely you know that because I enjoy within
Myself, I am called §tm§r§ma, as are those souls who are
absorbed in Me with undeviating devotion. You can esti-
mate My boundless bliss by comparing our natures — Mine
is infinite, while other §tm§r§mas’ are infinitesimal. And
yet, My unlimited enjoyment remains incomplete without
devotees.”
Durv§s§ was speechless.
The Lord continued matter-of-factly, “Do you want to
know why? Because the bliss I taste from My nature is not
as attractive to Me as the bliss I taste from My devotees.”
“What is that bliss which enhances and thus surpasses
the bliss of Your own self, of Your svar¡pa?”
“O illustrious br§hma£a! Although devotees and I both
possess forms of transcendence, their devotion to Me is
enriched with the unique spiritual attribute of mercy. This
mercy is the essence of My potency of cognisance, cit-ªakti,
and so it not only attracts Me, but it gives bliss to My Self.
Note this well.
“Therefore, although I am known as Ýtm§nam, the shel-
ter of the internal, external, and marginal potencies, and
as Bhagav§n, possessor of six opulences, still, without the
37
affection of My devotees I consider these attributes to be worthless. I

cannot live without those for whom I am the ultimate goal.”
Shaking his head in amazement Durv§s§ said, “I do not understand.
Please explain what You have just said, for my intellect cannot enter
the deep meaning of Your words.”
“O saintly Durv§s§, know that I can only be understood by an
intellect saturated with devotion. What I told Arjuna I now repeat
to you: bhakty§ m§m abhij§n§ti y§v§n yaª c§smi tattvata¤, ‘One can
understand the truths about Me only by devotional service.’3
“Now, with faith in Me, hear this: I experience two kinds of
bliss — the bliss from My own nature, svar¡pa, and the bliss from My
internal potency, svar¡pa-ªakti. The bliss I derive from My internal
potency is of two types: the bliss derived from My mind or disposi-
tion, and the bliss derived from My powers. The bliss I derive from
My disposition is dependent on the extensive pleasure I experience
from the affection of My devotees. The bliss I derive from My powers
is the pleasure arranged for Me by the goddess of fortune as well as
the pleasure I derive from consorting with Her personally.
“Thus you can understand my earlier statement (Bh§g. 9.4.64)
in this way: O best of the br§hma£as! Without saintly persons (the
sources of bliss for my mind) for whom I am the only destination, I
do not desire to enjoy My transcendental bliss (from My Self) and My
supreme opulences (the goddess of fortune).
“It is human nature. How can anyone enjoy their own beauty or
wealth if they are not in a favourable state of mind? And does one’s
state of mind not depend upon relationship with their loved ones?”
Durv§s§ Muni, whose heart had hardened from long years of
austerity and meditation on Brahman, stared blankly at the Lord.
“It is the love of My devotees that enables Me to value My own
attributes and potencies. That is why I told Uddhava,
na tath§ me priya-tama

§tma-yonir na ªa¯kara¤
na ca sa¯kar¢a£o na ªr¦r
naiv§tm§ ca yath§ bhav§n
‘My dear Uddhava! Neither Lord Brahm§, Lord ¼iva, Lord Sa¯kar¢a£a,
38
CHAPTER 2
the goddess of fortune, nor indeed My own Self is as dear to Me as

you, Uddhava.’4”
“But in that instance You just speak of Your cousin Uddhava, not
of all devotees,” said Durv§s§.
Lord N§r§ya£a shook His right hand, His index finger pointing
upward. “That may be what I said. But it is not what I meant. While
speaking to Uddhava I became so ecstatic thinking of the glories of My
devotees that instead of saying, ‘My devotee’ I said ‘you, Uddhava.’5
“To fully activate the transcendental bliss I experience from My
abode, paraphernalia, and pastimes, I am dependent on the co-oper-
ation of My devotees. For instance, although I am full in Myself, to
increase My transcendental bliss in V¥nd§vana I need the cooperation
of the gopas and gop¦s. In Dv§rak§, I depend upon Uddhava and the
P§£ävas, and in Ayodhy§ upon Hanum§n and his associates. The
devotees who serve Me in that way are most dear…most dear. What
more can I say?”
“O Lord!” Durv§s§ asked, “Earlier You told me to note how the
mercy displayed by Your devotees attracts You. Please speak more
about this.”
“O br§hma£a!” the Lord said, smiling. “Not only am I inseparable
from My devotees, but because I am unlimited I also want to increase
the number of My devotees unlimitedly. For this reason I descend to
the material world in countless incarnations to induce My wayward
parts and parcels to return to Me. And although I request them to
surrender, still very few souls understand My message; of those that
do, fewer still embrace it.”
Durv§s§ felt that the Lord was not just speaking to him, but about
him. He was one of those who had heard, but had failed to surrender
to the Lord. But how was the Lord expounding the mercy of devotees
and how did that mercy endear them to Him?
Reading Durv§s§’s mind Lord N§r§ya£a said, “I am the shelter of
the mercy potency, k¥p§-ªakti, and yet those who do not surrender
to Me do not become the object of My grace. However, within the
nectarean waters of mature devotion that splash the lakeshore of devo-
tees’ hearts grow the golden lotuses of mercy. Pure devotees collect
the honey of devotion dripping from those lotuses and offer it as a
nectarean beverage to innocents who are not yet surrendered to Me.”
39
The Lord stopped for a moment, considering whether He should

reveal a truth to Durv§s§. Then He continued, “Although the mercy
in the hearts of devotees is the same as My mercy, it is also different.
It is also their mercy. The difference in the two is that My mercy
follows the mercy of My devotees. Thus those who would not have
been eligible for My mercy directly receive that same mercy through
the mercy of My devotees. Because great devotees help to increase
My spiritual family in this way, I am eternally in their debt. I cannot
repay them, na p§raye ’ham.”
The Lord stopped again and Durv§s§ could see tears in His lotus
eyes. Touched by the Lord’s bliss, Durv§s§’s heart softened and in a
whisper he asked, “Why are You crying, my Lord?”
But Lord N§r§ya£a could not immediately answer. His mind sank
into the lake of attachment to His devotees, where it became a swan
playing among the lotus stems of the attributes of different Vai¢£avas.
Finally the swan-mind of Lord N§r§ya£a embraced the blue lotus of
Prahl§da Mah§r§ja and relished the devotion of that leader among
devotees.
Speaking from His trance of ecstasy the Lord said, “At the risk of his
own life, Prahl§da Mah§r§ja — although just a young boy — instructed
his schoolmates in devotion to Me. When challenged by the king of
demons, his father, Prahl§da did not hide his devotion but instead
openly glorified Me. And when Hira£yakaªipu tried to kill Prahl§da in
a variety of ways, that little boy never wavered in his devotion. In the
same way that Ambar¦¢a made no effort to protect himself from you,
Prahl§da made no effort to protect himself from his father. Therefore
I came to the rescue of both.”
Now looking straight at Durv§s§, Lord N§r§ya£a said, “And after
I killed Hira£yakaªipu, do you know what Prahl§da asked for?”
“That You liberate his father.”
“Yes. And in so doing he revealed the heart of a Vai¢£ava. A pure
devotee thinks primarily of others. Never of himself.”
Durv§s§ felt self-conscious. He was certainly not a selfless soul.
Here he was, looking for shelter from the result of his own sin.
The Lord continued, “And do you know what else Prahl§da said?”
Durv§s§ remained silent. He did not know.
“Listen, O sage. Just to hear his words makes My heart swell with
40
CHAPTER 2
pride at the privilege of being connected to such a rare soul. Prahl§da

said,
naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitara£y§s

tvad-v¦rya-g§yana-mah§m¥ta-magna-citta¤
ªoce tato vimukha-cetasa indriy§rtha-
m§y§-sukh§ya bharam udvahato vim¡¨h§n
“‘O best of the great personalities! I am not at all afraid of mate-

rial existence, for wherever I stay I am fully absorbed in thoughts
of Your glories and activities. My concern is only for the fools and
rascals who are making elaborate plans for material happiness and
maintaining their families, societies, and countries. I am simply
concerned with love for them.’6
“This is a devotee: he preaches My glories at the risk of his life,
does not care for his own liberation, and always thinks of bringing
lost souls back to Me. Now can you understand how much I love
them, why I cannot enjoy My kingdom without them, and why they
control Me?”
Durv§s§ Muni said nothing, but he felt like he was starting to
understand. There was something mysterious and wonderful in the
relationship between the Lord and His devotees. And Durv§s§ was
curious to know more.
Sensing Durv§s§’s inquisitiveness, Lord N§r§ya£a continued to
glorify Prahl§da Mah§r§ja: “O br§hma£a, eager to know how dear
devotees are to Me! Let Me tell you what your own worshipable ¼iva
once told his brother N§rada. ¼iva said,
“‘In this world there is a devotee who is exceptionally dear to the
Lord, Prahl§da Mah§r§ja. He is greater than all the Lord’s servants in
Vaiku£±ha including Garuä, Vi¢vaksena, and even Lak¢m¦. Although
the Lord’s body is the origin of all the demigods and the source of
pleasure for devotees like us, He considers his body worthless compared
to the value of Prahl§da. For not only is Prahl§da free of material moti-
vation, but his surrender to the Lord is especially complete.’”
Durv§s§ interjected, “O Lord! I am repeatedly hearing from You
how even ‘new’ devotees like Prahl§da Mah§r§ja are dearer to You
than Your eternal associates. Please explain this to me.”
41
The Lord smiled. “My eternal associates like Sa¯kar¢a£a and

Lak¢m¦ are certainly situated in unswerving devotion. However they
never underwent tribulation to gain pure devotion like those you call
My new devotees in the material world. These new devotees sacrificed
all comforts and attachments just to attain Me. For the trouble they
have taken, I consider them heroic and I remain eternally in their debt.”
Durv§s§ was amazed. After a pause the Lord continued, “And so
I consider Prahl§da, the foremost amongst the twelve mah§janas, as
well as those who follow him, to be the best devotees. I once told
Prahl§da, ‘Those who follow your example will naturally become My
pure devotees. You are the best example of My devotee, and others
should follow in your footsteps.’”7
It appeared to Durv§s§ Muni that the more the Lord glorified
Prahl§da Mah§r§ja, the more His fondness for doing so increased.
Indeed it seemed that the Lord was expanding Himself into five forms,
ten forms, more forms than Durv§s§ could count. And those many
faces resounded together, “O br§hma£a! You wish to know how much
I love Prahl§da Mah§r§ja?”
But the sage was speechless and could only nod his head.
“Then I will tell you. Hear this: only because of his connection
to Prahl§da Mah§r§ja did I become Bali Mah§r§ja’s doorkeeper, and
for that same reason I gave the demon B§£a a form like My own.”8
Finally finding his voice the sage asked, “But Bali disobeyed his
guru in order to give You all his possessions. Did that not endear him
to You?”
Lord N§r§ya£a laughed, “Could Bali Mah§r§ja please Me by
usurping the demigods’ property, by rejecting his spiritual master,
and by failing to give the charity he promised Me? O br§hma£a! Do
you think that I became the doorman of Balir§ja because he offered
Me three steps of land?”
“Then why?”
“Because of the loving relation between Myself and Prahl§da. Bali
Mah§r§ja was a relative of My devotee and an object of My devo-
tee’s loving grace. To please Prahl§da Mah§r§ja I gave Myself to his
grandson. That is why.”
Durv§s§ asked, “And what about the demon B§£a? Although
Vai¢£avism was his religion he became a demon, turned against devo-
42
CHAPTER 2
tees, captured Aniruddha, and even fought You when You appeared
as Lord K¥¢£a. Was it not by the prayers of Lord ¼iva that You spared
his life?”
“No! ¼iva’s prayers could not spare B§£asura from My anger. Nor
could they inspire Me to make B§£a the eternal four-armed associate
of Mah§deva, what to speak of absolve him of offenses he committed
to Vai¢£avas like My grandson, Aniruddha. The reason I pardoned
B§£a for his sins and elevated him was twofold: the strength of Prah
l§da Mah§r§ja’s loving devotion to Me, and My desire to please him.”
Durv§s§ acknowledged this lesson with a nod. “The reason You
favoured both Bali and B§£a was simply out of affection for Your
beloved Prahl§da.”
“Yes!” sighed the Lord in satisfaction.
Feeling fortified by hearing the praise of pure devotees from the
Lord, Durv§s§ asked, “May I ask another question?”
“Yes! You may.”
“The demigods see You frequently, Bali Mah§r§ja sees You at will,
and the residents of Vaiku£±ha live with You. To have Your personal
darªana is the perfection of spiritual life. But Prahl§da Mah§r§ja hardly
sees You. Instead he is absorbed in remembering You. How then can
he be more fortunate than the aforementioned souls?”
Lord N§r§ya£a moved a little closer to Durv§s§, “Do you know
what Prahl§da himself says?”
“What, my Lord?”
“He says, ‘I have never performed any real service for the Lord like
Hanum§n and others. I have only remembered the Lord sometimes,
when my mind was troubled.’9”
Transcendentally amused, Lord N§r§ya£a continued. “With the
deep humility characteristic of a Vai¢£ava, Prahl§da thinks that he
is a novice at meditation and that he only turns to Me when he is in
distress. But the fact is that Prahl§da’s remembrance of Me pierces the
material coverings and gives him full access to My unmanifest abode.
Moreover, He is always seeing me as N¥si°hadeva in the tract of land
known as Hari-var¢a, where he offers Me prayers rich with devotion.
And yet, because he is so intoxicated by the ecstasy of love for Me,
Prahl§da thinks both his meditations and darªana of Me are a dream,
and so he continues to lament after Me in the spirit of separation.
43
“So to answer your question, Prahl§da does see Me. He sees Me

within and outside himself, and with a spiritual vision unknown to
those you have mentioned.”
The Lord stopped speaking. As the eyewitness within everyone, He
could detect a change in the sage’s heart. From Lord N§r§ya£a’s words
the wise ascetic had understood that the pleasure potency, hl§din¦,
was the best of all energies and that its essence, prema, far surpassed
the cultivation of knowledge devoid of devotion. Hence, the seed of
devotion had been planted in Durv§s§’s heart, and by the association
of the Lord that seed sprouted and was unfurling with the leaves of
faith in the greatness of devotees and the supremacy of the Lord.
With affection the Lord said, “The goddess of the earth once said
this to My Prahl§da:
aho k¥t§rtha¤ sutar§° n¥-loko

yasmin sthito bh§gavatottamo ’si
sp¥ªanti paªyanti ca ye bhavanta°
bh§v§°ª ca y§°s te hari-loka-bh§ja¤
‘O! This human world is now especially fortunate since you, the best
of Vai¢£avas, are present. Everyone who touches you, or sees you
and sees the symptoms of your ecstatic emotions, will become enti-
tled to take up residence in Hariloka.’10”
44
CHAPTER 2
NOTES
2 The following commentary is based upon ¼r¦la Prabhup§da’s and
Viªvan§tha Cakravart¦ çh§kura’s commentaries to ¼r¦mad-Bh§ga-
vatam 9.4.64; Bhakti-sandarbha, Anuccheda 7; Pr¦ti-sandarbha,
Anuccheda 63, and San§tana Gosv§m¦’s commentary to B¥had-
Bh§gavat§m¥ta 1.3.77.
5 The explanation of this Bh§gavatam verse is from San§tana
Gosv§m¦’s commentary [on it] in B¥had-bh§gavat§m¥ta 1.3.77.
8 The following explanation to this statement by the Lord is
based on Brhad-bh§gavat§m¥ta 1.3.82-84 and San§tana Gosv§m¦’s
commentaries on the same.
9 B¥had-bh§gavat§m¥ta 1.4.20.
10 Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 13.7.
45
ye d§r§g§ra-putr§pta-
pr§£§n vittam ima° para°
hitv§ m§° ªara£a° y§t§¤
katha° t§°s tyaktum utsahe
ye — those devotees of Mine

who; d§ra — wife; ag§ra — house;
putra — children, sons; §pta — relatives,
society; pr§£§n — even life;
vittam — wealth; imam — all these;
param — elevation to the heavenly
planets or becoming one by merging
into Brahman; hitv§ — giving up (all
these ambitions and paraphernalia);
m§m — unto Me; ªara£am — shelter;
y§t§¤ — having taken; katham — how;
t§n — such persons; tyaktum — to give
them up; utsahe — I can be enthusiastic in
that way (it is not possible).
“Since pure devotees give up their

homes, wives, children, relatives, riches,
and even their lives simply to serve Me,
without any desire for material improve-
ment in this life or in the next, how can I
give up such devotees at any time?”1
hile speaking these words Lord N§r§ya£a reflected on
Durv§s§’s intention to kill Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja for a
minor transgression that was really no transgression at
all. Although maintaining His composure, the Lord felt
indignant.2
Perceiving the Lord’s mood and fearing for himself,
Durv§s§ Muni said, “O Lord! Although I have wronged
Your servant, please do not ignore me, a br§hma£a. You
are famous for being affectionate to br§hma£as and You
are known by all the worlds as Brahma£ya-deva, the well-
wisher of the br§hma£a community.”
The Lord replied, “That is true. I am devoted to the
br§hma£as. But although you are a br§hma£a, you are
not the ideal representative of the br§hma£a community.
Br§hma£as are tolerant, but you could not even tolerate a
slight wrong by Ambar¦¢a. Br§hma£as control their senses,
but you became so enraged that you wanted to kill the
king. Br§hma£as are steeped in spiritual knowledge, but
you were so immersed in the ignorance of bodily identi-
fication that you tried to hide everywhere in the universe
from My cakra.”
The Lord paused, then said, “Durv§s§, devoid of intelli-
gence and good conduct, what kind of br§hma£a are you?
You want Me to protect you who care nothing for Me,
and ignore Ambar¦¢a who has given up everything for My
service.”
“But…”
“My dear br§hma£a! Try to understand. If I shelter you,
an offender of a Vai¢£ava, then I will have automatically
abandoned Ambar¦¢a. What will My devotees think? If I
shelter an apar§dh¦ then I will encourage others to offend
51
Vai¢£avas. No! Never. Besides, protecting an unintelligent person like

you is a waste of time. You will only sin again.”
Durv§s§ Muni’s heart sank. He thought, “There is no hope for
my redemption. If the Lord abandons me I may as well become a
resident of hell.”
Lord N§r§ya£a noted that for the first time in their meeting the
sage’s concern was not for his physical well-being but for his spiritual
advancement. That was a good start. But there was more for Durv§s§
to assimilate.
“O great sage! Ambar¦¢a and devotees of his calibre have given up
their wives, children, and other objects of affection, objects that are
difficult to renounce. What have you given up? Tell me.”
Durv§s§ could not reply. He looked to the cint§ma£i ground and
the Lord’s lotus feet.
“Although Ambar¦¢a is a king and naturally engaged in worldly
duties, he made no attempt to protect himself from your wrath. But
you, a br§hma£a, absorbed in study and asceticism, could think of
nothing but protecting your body. What kind of §tm§r§ma are you?”
Slowly the Lord shook his head from side to side, His earrings and
dangling locks swinging in unison. “No! Were I to gave you shelter I
would be ungrateful for the sacrifices of Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a. Do you
not know My divine abode of Vaiku£±ha exists by the strength of My
vow to care for My devotees? Even I cannot count how many times
I have repeated this essential truth: ‘My devotee never perishes,’ na
me bhakta¤ pra£aªyati.3 No! I cannot be ungrateful.”
The Lord called to the sage, “O Durv§s§! Understand that I love
My devotees, and I descend to the world not to take sides in the
fighting of conditioned souls but to remove devotees’ sufferings and
bring them bliss.”
“But what if devotees are attached to their families and homes,
and will not give up these trappings?” Durv§s§ asked.
“Sometimes a pure devotee serves Me sincerely, but may have a bad
habit or an object of attachment he sheds with difficulty. In that case
I make a special arrangement to give him the shelter of My lotus feet.
That is My special mercy.4 But br§hma£a! Who are you to question
the Vai¢£avas?”
52
CHAPTER 3
Durv§s§ looked up quizzically. Certainly he overreacted by cursing

Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a, but was he really all that bad?
Such thoughts did little to mollify the Lord. “Consider your own
defects, O br§hma£a. Even the best of impersonalists cannot compare
to the least of My devotees. Moreover, you are burdened with a bad
habit that has caused grief through the ages to many, including Me.”
The Lord’s words awoke a sense of defensiveness in Durv§s§ who
replied, “O Guardian of Vaiku£±ha! What habit do You speak of and
how have I caused You pain?”
“Your bad habit is your conditioned response of anger. O sage!
Am I revealing a secret? Anger. Anger that arises from the egocentric
Rudra principle in your heart. Surely you know what I mean?”
Durv§s§ nodded.
The Lord continued, “Rudra was born from the anger of Brahm§,
an anger that is generated from passion tainted with ignorance — modes
of nature invoked from frustrated lust and hankering. Therefore
persons in the mode of passion who are very attached to fulfilling
their desires become the residence of Rudra, who reinforces in their
hearts an egocentric attitude. That is the Rudra principle, aha¯k§ra.
It gives rise to an anger that spreads from the heart to the senses and
thus contaminates one’s entire being with its deluding influence.
“O Durv§s§!” Pointing His forefinger, the Lord said, “You are an
extreme example of the Rudra principle. Although a master of auster-
ity and learning, under the influence of Rudra you attacked Ambar¦¢a
Mah§r§ja. And so, like other jñ§n¦s before you who succumbed to
non-devotional anger, you fell from your exalted position. Just see
the disgrace.”
Durv§s§ still tried to rationalise his conduct. “The Rudra principle
is everywhere, in the sky, air, in tigers and snakes.5 Moreover, since I
am a partial incarnation of Rudra himself, I am naturally prone to such
conduct. That is why I am known as Durv§s§, ‘one who is difficult
to live with.’”6
The Lord raised His eyebrows. “You mean to tell Me you are no
better than a snake? Have you no more ability to control yourself than
the wind? After so many years have you not purified anger from your
heart or learned a quantum of self control?”
53
Durv§s§ was silent. The Lord had clearly exposed the weakness
others only tolerated in silence. Lord N§r§ya£a did not fear Durv§s§’s
anger or curses.
“You are famous for losing your temper and cursing innocents.
What kind of fame is that? Just because Indra’s elephant trampled
your garland you cursed the host of demigods to become impoverished
and forced them to go begging to the demons for a truce.7 You are
supposed to be one of the wandering paramaha°sa sanny§s¦s blessing
everyone with the mantra, bh¡-sv§h§, ‘I offer you to the earth’. But
all you offer this world is a host of troubles.”
The sage already regretted having asked how he had caused the
Lord pain. He knew how, and he knew what was coming next. But he
was ready to hear. Even though the Lord was pointing out his defects,
every word was nectar to Durv§s§’s ears. There was no anger, envy,
or malice in Lord N§r§ya£a’s speech. It was spoken as much with
Durv§s§’s welfare in mind as with Ambar¦¢a’s.
And yet the Lord frowned as He said, “When I appeared in Tret§-
yuga as R§macandra, it was you who separated Me from My beloved
Lak¢ma£a. Where R§va£a failed, you succeeded.”8
Because it was too painful, the Lord would not repeat the pastime.
But Durv§s§ recalled the day when he entered Ayodhy§ with a desire
to see Lord R§ma, who was in a private audience with Yamar§ja.9 The
superintendent of death had requested that his interview be private
and stipulated that anyone who interrupted them should be put to
death. The Lord acquiesced to this desire and placed Lak¢ma£a at the
door with strict orders to bar entry to all who approached.
However, Durv§s§ did not want to wait. He threatened to curse the
entire city of Ayodhy§ if Lak¢ma£a did not inform R§macandra of his
presence. Lak¢ma£a saw the irreversible hand of destiny at work and,
rather than have the entire city burned by Durv§s§’s wrath, he humbly
decided to sacrifice himself. Thus, to pacify the sage, Lak¢ma£a entered
his brother’s room, informing R§ma of Durv§s§ Muni’s presence.
Sensing imminent danger Lord R§macandra concluded His meet-
ing with Yamar§ja and politely received Durv§s§, who informed the
Lord that he was hungry. After the Lord served the sage a suitable
feast, Durv§s§ continued on his way, leaving Ayodhy§ as swiftly as
he had come.
54
CHAPTER 3
Lord R§macandra was in a quandary. He had given his word to

execute anyone who disturbed His meeting with Yamar§ja. But how
could he put Lak¢ma£a to the sword? The Lord consulted His adviser,
Vasi¢±ha Muni, who recommended that R§macandra banish Lak¢ma£a
from Ayodhy§. This advice was based on the principle that abandoning
someone is equivalent to killing them.
Thus with a broken heart Lord R§macandra told Lak¢ma£a that
they would have to part forever. Considering such a fate to be worse
than death, Lak¢ma£a went to the banks of the ¼arayu River where
he sat down and, through a mystic yoga process, left this world to
return to the eternal Ayodhy§ in Vaiku£±ha.
Durv§s§ mentally berated himself, “Just to fill my belly I would
destroy a city and be the cause of Lak¢ma£a’s disappearance from
this world. Shame!”
Following Durv§s§’s train of thought the Lord said, “O sage! Your
egocentric approach to life and your unbridled anger means that you
are not in control of yourself and cannot be trusted to act for the
welfare of others. As you have unjustly pained others in the past, so
you shall in the future. How then can I compare you to Ambar¦¢a, who
lives only for the welfare of his subjects, is self-controlled, peaceful,
and generous. He distributes not only wealth from his treasury and
wheat from his granary but loving devotion from his heart. He is the
embodiment of §tma-nivedana devotion.”
Wanting to hear the glories of pure devotion, Durv§s§ asked,
“O Lord! I am ashamed of myself. If You think me qualified, please
describe the characteristics of an §tma-nivedana devotee. By so doing
I too may become one in the future.”
Lord N§r§ya£a cast a doubting glance at the sage. Was he trying
to placate the Lord or was he sincerely inquisitive? It appeared to be
the latter. “Ýtma-nivedana is the stage of pure devotion at which one
surrenders everything to the Me. Such a devotee is fully dependent on
the Supreme for his maintenance in the way a cow is on her master.
Some call dedication of the body to be §tma-nivedana, some opine
that it is dedication of the soul. In my opinion §tma-nivedana finds
its apex in the examples of Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja and Bali Mah§r§ja.”
The Lord stopped for a moment, thought, and then continued,
“Materialists and materially-tainted spiritualists may speculate that
55
at some time I may withdraw shelter from such dedicated devotees,

or that they may voluntarily turn away from Me. Such fears are
unfounded. Considering the bond of love between Myself and devo-
tees, separation is never possible. This is the import of the aphorism
an§v¥tti¤ ªabd§t an§v¥tti¤ ªabd§t, ‘Scripture states that there is no
return. Scripture states that there is no return.’”
Durv§s§ knew well this code of Ved§nta. But he did not understand
the context in which it was being employed by the Lord. He asked,
“Please explain this s¡tra to me in more detail.”
The Lord smiled mildly. “When you have truly become a surren-
dered soul, by My grace you will realise the inner meanings of
Ved§nta.10 For now you should consider the following:
priyo hi jñ§nino ’tyartham

aha° sa ca mama priya¤
“‘…of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in union with
Me through devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him,
and he is very dear to Me.’11 And:
dhaut§tm§ puru¢a¤ k¥¢£a-

p§da-m¡la° na muñcati
mukta-sarva-parikleªa¤
p§ntha¤ sva-ªara£a° yath§
“‘A pure devotee of the Lord whose heart has once been cleansed
by the process of devotional service never relinquishes the lotus feet
of Lord K¥¢£a, for they fully satisfy him, as a traveller is satisfied at
home after a troubled journey.’”12
The Lord stopped. “I have explained to you the principle of full
surrender to Me, §tma-nivedana. O sage! From this you can deter-
mine the inestimable value of Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja and that of your
own insignificance. Now, foolish br§hma£a, listen to what else I have
to say.”
56
CHAPTER 3
NOTES
2 The following commentary is based upon ¼r¦la Prabhup§da’s and
Viªvan§tha Cakravart¦ çh§kura’s commentaries to ¼r¦mad-Bh§ga
vatam 9.4.65; Param§tm§-sandarbha, Anuccheda 30-37.
4 In this regard ¼r¦la Prabhup§da would often quote the following
verse of ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 10.88.8, ªr¦-bhagav§n uv§ca / yasy§ham
anug¥h£§mi hari¢ye tad-dhana° ªanai¤ / tato ’dhana° tyajanty asya
svajan§ du¤kha-du¤khitam, “The Personality of Godhead said: If I
especially favour someone, I gradually deprive him of his wealth.
Then the relatives and friends of such a poverty-stricken man aban-
don him. In this way he suffers one distress after another.”
5 ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 3.12.11 gives the following places in which
the Rudra principle is manifest. “My dear boy, I have already selected
the following places for your residence: the heart, the senses, the air
of life, the sky, the air, the fire, the water, the earth, the sun, the
moon, and austerity.” ¼r¦la Prabhup§da describes these elaborately
in his purport.
6 Brahm§£ä Pur§£a narrates how once Lord ¼iva became so infu-
riated in a disagreement with Brahm§ that he was impossible to live
with. P§rvat¦ complained to her husband, and so when ¼iva, Brahm§,
and Vi¢£u were petitioned for a son by Atri Muni and Anas¡y§,
¼iva blessed them with Durv§s§ — his own partial expansion and
the personification of his previous angry disposition. Thus Durv§s§
Muni is universally known as having a very irritable nature.
7 See purport to ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 8.5.15-16.
8 Through Indrajit, R§va£a sought to kill Lak¢ma£a. Although
Lak¢ma£a was felled by Indrajit’s poisoned arrow, Hanum§n brought
herbs from the Himalayas and so Lak¢ma£a was restored to life.
9 This pastime is found in R§m§ya£a, Uttara-kha£ä.
10 The last part of the Epilogue paraphrases Baladeva Vidy§
bh¡¢a£a’s commentary to this final s¡tra of the Ved§nta.
57
mayi nirbaddha-h¥day§¤
s§dhava¤ sama-darªan§¤
vaªe kurvanti m§° bhakty§
sat-striya¤ sat-pati° yath§
mayi — unto Me; nirbaddha-

h¥day§¤ — firmly attached in the core
of the heart; s§dhava¤ — the pure
devotees; sama-darªan§¤ — who are
equal to everyone; vaªe — under control;
kurvanti — they make; m§m — unto
Me; bhakty§ — by devotional
service; sat-striya¤ — chaste women;
sat-patim — unto the gentle husband;
yath§ — as.
“As chaste women bring their gentle

husbands under control by service, the
pure devotees, who are equal to every-
one and completely attached to Me in
the core of the heart, bring Me under
their full control.”1
wise br§hma£a!” said the Lord playfully, “I have described
the spontaneous stage of §tma-nivedana in which devo-
tees surrender body and soul to Me. You should learn
from these saints how to see all living entities equally.”
“O Lord! Do You not think that I have such vision?”
“No!”
“But surely knowledge of the soul’s presence in all living
entities constitutes sama-darªana?”
“It is a partial reflection of the real sama-darªana. Seeing
everyone equally is only possible when in all creatures one
sees Me along with the individual soul. But impersonalists
like you never develop awareness of Me, so how could you
be a real sama-darª¦? If you were, then you would conduct
yourself in the way real sama-darª¦s do.
“What is that conduct, O Lord?”
“One with true vision of equality sees others’ happiness
and distress as one’s own. In other words a truly liberated
soul has full empathy for others. You have heard this teach-
ing of Mine many times:
brahma-bh¡ta¤ prasann§tm§
na ªocati na k§¯k¢ati
sama¤ sarve¢u bh¡te¢u
mad-bhakti° labhate par§m
“‘One who is thus transcendentally situated at once real-

ises the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He
never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally
disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains
pure devotional service unto Me.’”2
63
The Lord asked, “Tell me, O sage, would you like to be killed for
taking a sip of water?”
“No!”
“Then why sentence Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja to such a fate?”
Durv§s§ was silent.
The Lord replied, “I will tell you why: because you do not see his
distress as your own. Rather, you are concerned only with your own
happiness. That is why I say that you are not a sama-darª¦.
“Listen Durv§s§! When pure devotion awakens in you, then like
King Ambar¦¢a you will not only conquer the relativities of cold and
heat, happiness and distress, hunger and thirst, but you will be eager to
awaken pure devotion in others. When you have attained such equal
vision, then you will be steady on the spiritual platform from which
you will gain increasing attachment to Me.”
Durv§s§ was pensive. How strong the Lord’s illusory potency
was! While he thought himself an accomplished ascetic, the Lord
was exposing Durv§s§ to be an attached neophyte. Through all his
years he had missed the essence of Vedic studies, the purpose of his
austerities, the goal of his sacrifices and hymns. He had missed loving
attachment to the Lord. “O Lord! Since I am not very intelligent or
qualified, please illustrate what attachment to You is like.”
The Lord was pleased that humility was awakening in the sage.
Inclined to instruct Durv§s§ further, He said, “A devotee’s attach-
ment to Me is like the attachment of a chaste wife to her husband.
Since conjugal love is a confidential sentiment, only its psychologi-
cal and behavioral symptoms readily lend themselves to observation
and description. ¼r¦mat¦ Draupad¦ once described those symptoms to
Satyabh§m§ in this way:
‘“In my opinion, service to the husband is the eternal virtue of
women. The husband is the wife’s god and her sole refuge. By serving
him, she pleases even the Supreme Lord Himself and thereby attains
the highest destination.3
‘“Abandoning vanity and subduing desire and wrath, along with
their other wives, I serve my husbands with attention. I do not feel
my position of servitude to be a degraded one, and I restrain jealousy
by remaining devoted.
‘“I neither bathe, sleep, nor eat before my husbands, or even before
64
CHAPTER 4
our servants and followers. At no time do I allow my mind to dwell

upon another man or even upon a celestial being. My heart never
sways from my husbands. The minute I see them I rise up and greet
them, offering them a seat and water.
‘“I never enjoy anything my husbands do not enjoy, nor do I
perform any act disagreeable to them. I always keep our living quarters
clean and fragrant, and all household items and food well-ordered. I
am the first to rise from bed and the last to take rest. I am ever atten-
tive to my duty and never give way to sloth.”’
“O sage!” added the Lord. “When you observe a similar service
mood to Me in a devotee, then you should know that devotee has
deep affection for Me.”
Durv§s§ Muni thought over the meritorious devotion of Ambar¦¢a
Mah§r§ja. It seemed to the sage that the king was such a devotee in
love with the Lord.
“You are correct!” said Lord N§r§ya£a. “Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja has
such affection for Me.”
The sage wanted to know why devotees’ affection attracted the
Lord. “I appreciate that Your devotees love You. But how does their
affection control You, Ajita, the unconquerable?”
“O sage! I have earlier explained that like all things and like all
living entities, I have an intrinsic nature that defines who I am. My
nature is to be attracted by love. In the way a flower attracts a bee or
fire attracts a moth, loving devotion — in its infinite forms of expres-
sion — attracts Me. Therefore I am known as the reservoir of transcen-
dental mellows, raso vai sa¤.4
“My attraction for loving devotion is so intense that I completely
fall under its control. Thus scriptures say bhakti-vaªa¤ puru¢o, “the
Lord comes under the control of devotion.”5 And because that
devotion resides in and is directed by My devotees, in the way that
the chaste wife described by Draupad¦ brings her husband under
her control, my devotees bring Me under their control. Do you
understand?”
Durv§s§ nodded, “Yes! So far as my limitations allow.”
The Lord added with a smile, “For Brahmav§d¦s like you, I am
hard to control, durvaªa, but, O Durv§s§, I am easily controlled by
devotees.”
65
The sage also smiled at the Lord’s play on words. Although the
Sudarªana-cakra was still nearby and although the Lord continued to
correct him without compromise, the sage was feeling increasingly at
ease. In his long life of wandering through the three worlds he had
never met anyone possessed of such a divine nature as Lord N§r§ya£a.
No wonder so many great souls gave themselves unconditionally to
His service. Now that Durv§s§ understood how the Lord’s associates
controlled the Lord, he was curious to know how practicing devotees
could attain such perfection. “And how, if I may ask, do new devotees
bring You under their control?”
“Yes, you may ask,” thought the Lord, “because the more you
learn about the truth of My devotees, the more you will realise your
offense, the more you will want to rectify it, and the more you will
desire to serve a devotee.”
Aloud the Lord said, “Listen carefully O sage, and I will reveal to
you a secret. Hearing this you will realise that by threatening Ambar¦¢a
Mah§r§ja you have jeopardised all chances of befriending Me, as well
all saintly beings.”
Durv§s§ was hesitant. What was the Lord going say?
“I can only be brought under control by love, and love can only
be acquired from perfected devotees. Therefore, by the association of
devotees one brings Me under their control. There is no other way.”
“O Lord! Is anyone eligible for such perfection?”
“Everyone. Every living creature. Consider My V¥nd§vana
pastimes: The gop¦s, cows, arjuna trees, animals, bushes, groves, and
even snakes like K§liya, by the association of pure devotees, attained
love for Me and thus they easily achieved Me.”6
“If you would be so kind, please explain to me in more detail the
process by which You become so pleased with Your servants that You
give Yourself to them.”
“O br§hma£a! Having heard of My transcendental and unparal-
leled qualities, pastimes, and features, some fortunate souls develop
faith in Me as the goal of life and take to devotional service as the
only way to know and ultimately see Me. This bhakti-yoga system
gradually increases attachment for Me, purifies even one born among
dog-eaters, and finally raises one to the spiritual platform.
“From the time that a devotee develops faith in Me I monitor his
66
CHAPTER 4
progress, and as his attachment to Me grows I become increasingly

bound to him. When that attachment becomes intense and faith in
Me irrevocable, through the agency of a great devotee I empower
the aspirant with My internal potencies, a combination of the hl§din¦
and sa°vit ªaktis.”
Durv§s§ enquired further, “How does one who does not have
devotion to You acquire it, and once having acquired it, how does
that person, without knowing the process, cultivate it?”
The Lord replied, “When I met the great warrior devotee Mucuku-
nda, he expressed his conclusive understanding on the topics you ask
about in the following words:
bhav§pavargo bhramato yad§ bhavej

janasya tarhy acyuta sat-sam§gama¤
sat-sa¯gamo yarhi tadaiva sad-gatau
par§vareªe tvayi j§yate mati¤
“‘When the material life of a wandering soul has ceased, O Acyuta,

he may attain the association of Your devotees. And when he asso-
ciates with them, there awakens in him devotion unto You, who are
the goal of the devotees and the Lord of all causes and their effects.’7
“In other words, by meeting, serving, and hearing from devotees
one gains the seed of devotion, learns how to cultivate it, and also
relishes its juicy fruit — love for Me. O Durv§s§!”
The sage momentarily looked at the Lord, sensing that he was
being given a special instruction.
“My devotees are the ultimate shelter for those who are repeatedly
rising and falling within the fearful ocean of material life. They are
just like a strong boat that comes to rescue a person on the verge of
drowning. Devotees bestow divine vision by which one can see Me,
whereas the sun allows only external sight with which to see the
world of illusion. In short, My devotees are one’s real worshipable
deities and real family; they are one’s own self, and ultimately they
are non-different from Me.”8
Durv§s§ already had the answer to his question: the Lord comes
under the control of those who are blessed with the association of
great devotees.
67
The sage recalled the ancient story of Dhruva Mah§r§ja, another

devotee king who conquered the Lord. Aggrieved at the harsh words
of his stepmother, at the age of five Dhruva went to the forest in
search of God. There he met N§rada Muni, who gave the boy d¦k¢§
and directed him how to perform austerities. In due course of time
and by the grace of a great saint, Dhruva Mah§r§ja endeared himself
to the Lord with the distinctive attribute of a pure devotee — love.
Elaborating on Durv§s§’s train of thought the Lord said, “I volun-
tarily accept subordination to the affection-laden qualities of My
devotees. I prefer to be under their control rather than merely the
object of their reverential prayers. I was enchanted by Dhruva primar-
ily because of his meticulous adherence to the instructions of his guru
and secondarily for undergoing, at the tender age of five, intense
austerities in devotion that are difficult for the most seasoned ascetic.
“My dear br§hma£a! Try to understand. By associating with My
pure devotees one not only destroys one’s attachment to sense grati-
fication, but by such purifying association one brings Me under one’s
control. You may practice a¢±§¯ga-yoga, analyse the elements of mate-
rial nature, practice nonviolence, chant the Vedas, perform penances,
take to the renounced order of life, execute sacrificial performances,
dig wells, plant trees and perform other public welfare activities, give
in charity, carry out severe vows, worship the demigods, chant confi-
dential mantras, and visit holy places, but even if you performed all
these activities perfectly you cannot bring Me under your control.”9
The sage added, “Only by serving Your pure devotee.”
“Yes. That is the only way. But instead of serving, you wanted to
kill My devotee.”
Durv§s§ was truly ashamed. Instead of attracting the Lord, he was
losing all chances for redemption. Due to his ignorance of devotees’
glories and of the process of associating with them, Durv§s§’s rela-
tionship with the Lord was a formality. There appeared to be little
hope of truly befriending Lord N§r§ya£a.
“O sage! Upon your request I have illustrated to you how prac-
ticing devotees eventually control Me by their love. You may know
that the relationship thus established between us is one of friendship,
of which there are two categories — acting as My confidential servant
and acting as a well-wisher.”10
68
CHAPTER 4
Durv§s§ said softly, “Please let me know of these two kinds of

friendship.”
“Those devotees who follow the regulative principles with the faith
that they will achieve transcendental life are confidential servants.
And those who distribute devotional service to conditioned souls are
well-wishers. No one amongst humans, demigods, or even My asso-
ciates are as dear to Me as well-wishing friends, for, like Prahl§da,
they risk life and limb to benefit others and to expand My glories.
Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a is such a well-wishing friend, so when you are
affectionate to him you are My friend, and when you are inimical to
him you are My enemy.”
Durv§s§ had anticipated such a reprimand. After a moment’s
silence he decided to put a doubt before the Lord. “O Master of all.
Although Your devotees abandon everything to serve You, they know
that You will reward them with any liberation they like. So how can
they be said to be desireless?”
69
NOTES
3 Draupad¦’s description of the role of a chaste wife is from K¥¢£a
Dharma’s Mah§bh§rata, 1.30.
4 Taittir¦ya Upani¢ad 2.7.1.
5 This quote is from the M§±hara-ªruti, cited in the commentary to
Caitanya-bh§gavata, Madhya-kha£ä 5.125.
6 This is the explanation of ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 11.12.8 in Bhak-
ti-sandarbha 241.
8 This paragraph is based on ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 11.26.33-34.
9 This paragraph is based on ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 11.12.1-2.
10 Bhakti-sandarbha 308 says that the example given in verse 9.4.66
shows the nature of devotional service in friendship with the Lord.
70
mat-sevay§ prat¦ta° te
s§loky§di-catu¢±ayam
necchanti sevay§ p¡r£§¤
kuto ’nyat k§la-viplutam
mat-sevay§ — by being engaged fully

in My transcendental loving service;
prat¦tam — automatically achieved;
te — such pure devotees are fully
satisfied; s§lokya-§di-catu¢±ayam — the
four different types of liberation
(s§lokya, s§r¡pya, s§m¦pya and s§r¢±i,
what to speak of s§yujya); na — not;
icchanti — desire; sevay§ — simply by
devotional service; p¡r£§¤ — fully
complete; kuta¤ — where is the
question; anyat — other things;
k§la-viplutam — which are finished in the
course of time.
“My devotees, who are always satisfied

to be engaged in My loving service, are
not interested even in the four princi-
ples of liberation [s§lokya, s§r¡pya,
s§m¦pya, and s§r¢±i], although these are
automatically achieved by their service.
What then is to be said of such perisha-
ble happiness as elevation to the higher
planetary systems?”1
ord N§r§ya£a replied to Durv§s§’s question, “O sage!
Even though the goddess of liberation stands ready to
serve devotees, they have no interest in her opulences.
Devotees are so intoxicated by the pleasures they derive
from loving Me that they do not even think about liber-
ation, and yet any one of the four kinds of liberation
is automatically bestowed upon them if their service
demands it.”2
Durv§s§ was dumbfounded. How can one attain a
spiritual perfection without even aspiring after it, what to
speak of without performing the s§dhana leading to it? He
did not understand.
The Lord replied to Durv§s§’s thought, “O learned one!
Do you think that the path of devotion and the path of
renunciation are two separate paths?”
“Yes!”
“Then please consider the following statement of
scripture:
yasya deve par§ bhaktir

yath§ deve tath§ gurau
tasyaite kathit§ hy arth§¤
prak§ªante mah§tmana¤
‘Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in

both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports
of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.’3
“The conclusion of this verse is that any spiritual path,
be it karma, jñ§na, or yoga, awards permanent results by
the power of the devotional activities it incorporates. In
75
the absence of bhakti all spiritual disciplines become a waste of time,

ªrama eva hi kevalam.4
“You mean that without devotion…?”
“Yes! The path of renunciation depends on acts of devotion to
award liberation. And conversely, the result of renunciation — libera-
tion — is included in bhakti.”
Durv§s§ remained perplexed: liberation was granted by devotion
to Vi¢£u?
“Do you think that one can extricate himself from My creation
without obtaining My consent and without pleasing Me?”
Durv§s§ Muni was hesitant. He saw the clear logic of the Lord’s
simple statement. However, he needed further clarification and so
replied, “O source of all wisdom! Please explain to me how devotion
to You is the cause of liberation and how by solely serving You devo-
tees automatically attain liberation. Then I shall better understand
why it is not something they even desire.”
The Lord was pleased by Durv§s§’s growing faith and his change
of heart. But the sage had yet to understand the full glory of devotion
to the Lord and thus the full glory of His devotees. In the absence of
such mature awareness Durv§s§ could not know the true weight of
his offense to Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja.
“Listen now as I explain to you what real liberation is and how it
is attained. For what you know to be liberation is only the shadow of
the same, mukti-§bh§sa.”
Durv§s§ looked upon the Lord’s countenance and marvelled. The
Lord continued, “The prime need of conditioned souls is to end their
suffering and thus attain happiness. This need of the soul is realised
when one understands one’s eternal spiritual nature through knowl-
edge of the Absolute Truth. Thus freed from the cycle of birth and
death, one is considered liberated and to have reached the highest
goal of life.”
“O Lord! Why do You say that my understanding of liberation is
but a shadow?”
“Because you only believe in impersonal liberation. But liberation
is of two kinds: impersonal and personal. Impersonal liberation is just
a step — and not at all a compulsory one — to personal liberation. This
understanding is clear from statements like brahma£o hi prati¢±h§ham
76
CHAPTER 5
and brahmeti param§tmeti bhagav§n iti ªabdyate.5 Therefore personal

liberation, in which one realises one’s spiritual form, is the real end
to suffering and the beginning of divine bliss.”
“Why does shelter in Your impersonal effulgence not constitute
true liberation?”
“Because it is merely an intermediate resting place, it is not the
final destination. One cannot get shelter there because one has neither
awakened one’s spiritual form nor accepted service at My lotus feet.
Instead, one falls down in the way the demigods have concluded:
para° pada° tata¤ patanty adho .’6
“Since I, too, repeatedly fall as a result of wrath, please tell me
whether liberation can be attained before death?”
“Liberation is of two kinds: that which is attained during one’s
span of life and that which is attained at death. The former is also of
two kinds: attained either quickly or gradually. O br§hma£a! If you
want to attain liberation in this life and without delay, then you cannot
be inimical to My devotees, who are the key to real liberation...”
Durv§s§ added, “…Because liberation is attained by devotional
service and that is attained by association with devotees.”
“Yes!” Smiled the Lord.
“So bhakti is ultimate liberation?”
“A mature form of bhakti, loving devotional service, prema bhakti.”
“Having studied all the scriptures, I have never understood state-
ments that describe prema to be life’s ultimate goal and the deliverer
from all distress.”
Again the Lord smiled, “That is because you did not study
scriptures under the guidance of pure Vai¢£avas. Love for Me is so
confidential that it is generally spoken of indirectly and so it is not
recognised by faithless students. I explained this to Brahm§:
jñ§na° parama-guhya° me
yad vijñ§na-samanvitam
sarahasya° tad-a¯ga° ca
g¥h§£a gadita° may§
“Knowledge about Me as described in the scriptures is extremely

confidential, and it has to be realised in conjunction with devo-
77
tional service. The necessary paraphernalia for that process is being

explained by Me. You may take it up carefully.”7
“Do the words parama-guhya° and sarahasya° indicate prema?”
“The phrase parama-guhya°, ‘extremely confidential,’ indicates
that there is more to the teachings of scriptures than meets the eye.
The words sa-rahasya° disclose the confidential essence of the Vedas.”
“But what is that mystery, that rahasya?”
The Lord’s eyes twinkled in mischief as He replied, “That you
must ask a devotee. Ask Ambar¦¢a. He knows.”
Then in a more sombre voice He added, “It means that by hearing
My glories as spoken by pure devotees, one attains love for Me. This
love is not only confidential but very rare. The son of Vy§sa says,
‘Those engaged in getting the Lord’s favour attain liberation from
the Lord very easily, but He does not very easily give the opportunity
to render direct service unto Him.’ Here direct service means loving
devotional service, which supersedes liberation as it is most rare.”8
“And where does it say that love is the prerequisite for liberation?”
“O wise sage! Tell Me the ten subjects described in the essence of
the Vedas, the ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam.”
“The creation of the universe, subcreation, planetary systems,
protection by the Lord, the creative impetus, the change of Manus,
the science of God, returning home, back to Godhead, liberation, and
the summum bonum.”9
“Correct. Thus liberation is preceded by the protection, po¢a£am,
which is My mercy. And the greatest mercy is to be blessed with
prema. Thus prema is the prerequisite for liberation: indeed prema is
ultimate liberation.”
Durv§s§ added, “And because devotees attain prema by bhakti,
they need not make any extra endeavour for liberation. Having
attained prema they are already liberated in the extreme.”
“Yesss!” answered the Lord with satisfaction.
“Then it is correct to say that while liberation is attained by bhakti,
bhakti also eclipses liberation.”
“Indeed! Devotion to Me surpasses liberation attained through
devotion.”
“What are the ways in which devotion offers liberation?”
“Liberation can be accomplished in many ways: by serving great
78
CHAPTER 5
devotees, by hearing My glories, by serving Me, and by chanting My

names, to mention but a few.”
“Please reveal to me the devotional acts that eclipse liberation.”
“Attachment to Me, a desire to serve Me, giving up everything
for Me as Ambar¦¢a has done, chanting and hearing My glories, even
desiring to serve me as a demigod and rule a planet, what to speak of
associating with My devotees and ultimately associating with Me. All
these and many other acts of devotion each surpass your much-cov-
eted liberation.”
“Since bhakti and mukti are so intimately connected, please tell
me what is the actual relationship between the two?”
The Lord smiled, “N§rada has explained,
hari-bhakti-mah§-devy§¤
sarv§ mukhy§di siddhaya¤
bhuktayaª c§dbhut§s tasy§ª
ce±ik§vad anuvrat§¤
‘Liberation and all other perfections, as well as all kinds of wonder-

ful enjoyments, are the followers and servants of the goddess of
devotional service.’”10
“And yet devotees reject liberation.”
“O sage! You cannot fully understand the wonders of devotion by
speculation. Because devotion in the heart of a Vai¢£ava is attracted
only to acts of devotion, My devotees are not even aware of liberation.
To say they reject it is not, therefore, completely accurate. Devotees
simply bypass liberation as they would the pleasures of heaven, in
the same way a person who has just enjoyed a royal feast would not
notice a few crumbs on the ground.”
“Dear Lord! Please reveal to me what it is that makes devotees so
mad after You and after service to You.”
“Earlier I explained to you that devotional service unveils My
pleasure potency in proportion to the purity of that devotion. The
purer the heart, the greater the divine bliss. It is the insatiable taste of
this bliss which makes a devotee chase after further acts of devotion
in the way a musk deer chases after its own scent. And when devotees
reach the stage of prema, then their ecstasy matures into a specific
79
relationship with Me, the unlimited ocean of mellows. In short, devo-

tees desire only to love Me, and when they attain love for Me, they
desire only to show their love for Me.”
Durv§s§ Muni was astounded. By hearing the Lord’s captivating
speech his heart was melting with the desire to taste the love the
Lord was speaking of. It sounded so wonderful! Whereas he was
disturbed by Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja’s slightest transgression, the king
remained indifferent to pleasure and pain, making no effort to be
liberated from the suffering the sage had inflicted upon him. Casting
a glance at the Lord, who was now looking at him, Durv§s§ thought,
“All living beings seek love, and that search is ended when one falls
in love with the Lord.”
By the influence of the Lord’s company Durv§s§ was gradually
becoming inclined to devotional service, yet even while so inclined,
it felt as if devotion was ever out of his reach. And it was. Having
heinously offended a Vai¢£ava, Durv§s§ Muni could hardly win the
favour of the internal potency which manifests the Lord’s mercy, and
which activates pure devotion with the heart.
Durv§s§ had always been captivated by impersonal liberation. But
he was now eager to hear of the personal forms of liberation that,
even if not the aspiration of Vai¢£avas, could still be their destination.
What were these forms of liberation and what were their excellences?
Lord N§r§ya£a said, “In impersonal liberation, s§yujya-mukti, the
soul enters either My body or My bodily effulgence, where it rests in
something akin to a dreamless sleep, and so it never sees Me. How
inauspicious! Moreover the so-called §nanda that you brahmav§d¦s chase
after is not §nanda at all. It is the remnants of the real §nanda tasted by
My devotees. Is it then any wonder that in such a state of spiritual want,
great yog¦s abandon their hard-earned perfections and again return to
this world in search of happiness from philanthropic activities?”
To confirm he had heard correctly, Durv§s§ asked, “O Supreme
Being! Did you say the bliss of the jñ§n¦s is just the remnants of the
bliss tasted by devotees?”
“Yes! That is what I said. Are you amazed?”
The sage nodded. Then after a moment he continued, “Please tell
me of the four kinds of liberations that You award Your devotees.”
“The four liberations I spoke of are s§lokya, s§r¡pya, s§r¢±i, and
80
CHAPTER 5
s§m¦pya. In s§lokya liberation one resides in a Vaiku£±ha planet; in

s§rupya one receives a spiritual form like Mine; in s§r¢±i one receives
opulences similar to Mine; and in s§m¦pya one is able to keep company
with Me, to be near Me.
“By My touch Gajendra attained s§r¡pya-mukti; by My glance
Kardama Muni attained s§m¦pya; because of My associates some
Upani¢ads attained s§lokya-mukti; and by service to Me a florist
attained s§r¢±i. All these devotees were liberated not by their desire,
but as a consequence of their love for Me, and the liberation they
achieved was the best way in which they could continue loving service
to Me. Thus the Pañcar§tras say,
m§h§tmya-jñ§na-p¡rvas tu
su-d¥¨ha¤ sarvato-‘dhika¤
sneho bhaktir iti proktas
taya sar¢±y-§di n§nyath§
‘When love in the mood of awe and reverence becomes very strong,
it is called ‘devotion in affection,’ sneha-bhakti. By serving with such
affection one attains s§r¢±i and the other kinds of Vai¢£ava libera-
tion. It is not otherwise.’”11
“Is there any gradation among the four kinds of liberation? Is any
one better than the other?”
“O sage! Love for Me is absolute, as are its accomplishments. And
yet My devotees have ascertained that s§m¦pya-mukti is superior to
the other three. Their reasoning is that in the other three forms of
liberation, while devotees always see Me in their hearts they rarely see
Me before their eyes. But in s§m¦pya liberation, being always close to
Me, devotees constantly see Me directly. Therefore they consider that
form of liberation to be transcendentally superior. Mark these words,
O sage: My devotees’ only desire is to be with Me. And because of my
unsurpassable love for them, I feel obliged to fulfil their every wish
and so I give them the role of My associates.”
The Lord hesitated for a moment, but goaded on by love for His
devotees He continued, “O br§hma£a! You are not qualified to hear
what I shall now say. But because I am not My own master when
praising My devotees I shall speak anyway.
81
“Although the devotees’ only desire is to be with Me, their love

for Me is such that if it is My will, or if they see it to be favourable
to My service, they will give up even the bliss of being with Me. That
service in separation, vipralambha-sev§, then becomes the source of
the most intense form of love. A love so intense…”
The Lord looked around to see who, other than His disc, was
within hearing distance. When He saw no one He continued, “…a
love so intense that I cannot resist its magnetic influence. And so,
unseen by anyone, along with My full potencies I shadow such devo-
tees wherever they go. I can never be separated from them.”
The Lord paused again. “Do you understand? My devotees’ sole
happiness is in service to Me. That happiness is so great that they are
oblivious to things like liberation, what to speak of heavenly pleasures.
It is so wonderful that even I am unable to comprehend its full glories.
O sage, I cannot! That is the truth.”
82
CHAPTER 5
NOTES
2 This commentary is based on the commentaries to ¼r¦mad-
Bh§gavatam 9.4.67 by ¼r¦la Prabhup§da and Viªvan§tha Cakravart¦
çh§kura, and on Pr¦ti-sandarbha, Anuccheda 1-35.
3 ¼vet§ªvatara Upani¢ad 6.23.
5 These two quotes are from Bhagavad-g¦t§ 14.27 and ¼r¦mad-
Bh§gavatam 1.2.11 respectively.
10 N§rada-pañcar§tra cited in Pr¦ti-sandarbha 19.
11 Cited in Pr¦ti-sandarbha 84.
83
s§dhavo h¥daya° mahya°
s§dh¡n§° h¥daya° tv§ham
mad-anyat te na j§nanti
n§ha° tebhyo man§g api
s§dhava¤ — the pure devotees;

h¥dayam — in the core of the heart;
mahyam — of Me; s§dh¡n§m — of the
pure devotees also; h¥dayam — in the
core of the heart; tu — indeed;
aham — I am; mat-anyat — anything
else but Me; te — they; na — not;
j§nanti — know; na — not; aham — I;
tebhya¤ — than them; man§k api — even
by a little fraction.
“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.”1
he Lord was in ecstasy, and that ecstasy overwhelmed
Him. He thought of N§rada, Prahl§da, and Ambar¦¢a. He
thought of the Vraja-v§s¦s and specifically of the Vraja-
gop¦s. Although Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja was foremost in His
thoughts, in addressing Durv§s§ Lord N§r§ya£a included
all His devotees when He said s§dhava¤, “the pure devotees.”2
By now Durv§s§ Muni had concluded that nothing and
no one was as decorated with as many glorious qualities
of transcendence as the Lord. Consequently no spiritualist
could be as exalted as the devotees of the Lord, and no
spiritual discipline could be as perfect as devotion to Him.
Thus by the Lord’s influence the sage came to understand
the principle elements of the Absolute Truth.
Fortunate as Durv§s§ was, he felt the effect of his injus-
tice to Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a to be an insurmountable obstacle
to both the Lord’s grace and his devotion to Him. “No
doubt,” thought the sage, “I must contend with the reaction
to my deeds and rectify them — if I can.”
The Sudarªana-cakra, seeing the Lord’s ecstasy and
Durv§s§’s melancholy, made a soft whirring sound, bring-
ing Lord N§r§ya£a to external consciousness. Fixing His
eyes on the sage the Lord said, “For the sin of attacking My
devotee I wanted to give you a proportionate punishment.
But because of My affection for br§hma£as I refrained
from doing so.”
Durv§s§’s heart sank. Without suitable punishment,
how would he be freed of his offense, and without being
released from his offense, how would pure devotion and
the grace of the Lord enter his heart?
“Now hear this, O sage! By the mercy of the dust
of Madhuvana and by the potency of seeing Mah§r§ja
89
Ambar¦¢a, I have revealed to you this image of Myself just to instruct

you in confidential truths. The most confidential of things that I have
to say is this: devotees are My heart and I am the heart of devotees.”
“O Lord! Why do You say that I see only an image of You?”
Lord N§r§ya£a replied with a chuckle, “O br§hma£a! Do you
think that those who are impure at heart and offensive to devotees
can see Me?”
Durv§s§ was confused. He understood his lack of qualification
but not the inference that he was not seeing the Lord. What was he
seeing, then?
The Lord answered, “Those who are impure, like the demons
whom I descend to kill, do not see Me directly. They see only a reflec-
tion of My form, a form that does not represent My true nature. Thus,
O br§hma£a, what you see is just a reflected portion of who I am.”3
Durv§s§ was speechless. Surely the Lord’s ways were inconceivable.
“Yet seeing Me even in this way will ensure that you become liber-
ated.” The Lord paused for emphasis, “But not until you rectify your
offense to Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja. He and devotees like him are My heart.
So by troubling him you have troubled My heart.”
“I am so sorry!”
“A heart purified by loving devotion becomes My home. In this
way My devotees always see Me, just as I always see them.”
“Is Your presence in their hearts what makes every place devotees
go a place of pilgrimage?”
“Yes!” the Lord answered with satisfaction. “And in addition to
transforming places into t¦rthas, devotees purify already existing holy
places from the sins deposited by pilgrims.” The Lord gestured to the
pleasure garden in which they were standing. “Vaiku£±ha is sacred
because of My presence. And because I am equally present in s§dhus’
hearts they become Vaiku£±ha, as does every place they bless.”
“How heinous was my crime!” whispered Durv§s§.
“Even more than you can imagine,” added the Lord.
“What else is there about my sin that I should know?”
“For your spiritual elevation I directed you to Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a.
I am the spiritual preceptor of the universes and because the king is
identical to Me he is guru, your guru. Not recognising My plan, you
have committed guru-apar§dha.”
90
CHAPTER 6
Durv§s§ hung his head low.

“By chastising the king you have pained Me, who am like a father
feeling the pain of his child.”
Durv§s§ fell at the lotus feet of the Lord saying, “Please forgive
me for offending You.”
And yet the Lord’s voice remained stern: “You do not understand!
I easily forgive offenses to Me. But an offense to My devotee I cannot
forgive. Your offense to Ambar¦¢a is like a mad elephant trampling to
dust the result of your learning and austerities. You cannot satisfy Me
without making amends to him and without becoming a true s§dhu.”
“Am I not a s§dhu? I who gave up this world long ago in search
of transcendence?”
“You are the shadow of a s§dhu, a s§dhu-§bh§sa.”
Durv§s§ felt slighted. “Why do You say that?”
“A s§dhu is one who knows the goal of life and goes straight to it.
You did not know that love for Me is the goal; moreover your spiritual
ramblings were repeatedly detoured, nay obstructed, by uncontrolled
anger. That is why I say, ‘be a real s§dhu.”’
“Like who?”
“Like Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja. He is a first-class s§dhu, as are other
devotees, like Prahl§da Mah§r§ja.”
A last spark of defiance flared up in Durv§s§, his irritable nature
still persisting. Although prostrate he still protested, “But Ambar¦¢a
invited me to eat and then he ate before I did. Is that the conduct of
a s§dhu? Surely my punishing him was not completely unwarranted.”
Without hiding his displeasure the Lord replied, “Foolish man!
Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja was never at fault. And the reasoning for your
punishing him is as insubstantial as it was disproportionate. Have you
not heard what I have been saying?”
“I do not understand.”
“I am in Ambar¦¢a’s heart and so he acts on My direction. Have
you never heard these words before?
te¢§m ev§nukamp§rtham
aha° ajñ§na-ja° tama¤
n§ªay§my §tma-bh§vastho
jñ§na-d¦pena bh§svat§
91
‘Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with

the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.’”4
“You told him…?”
“Devotees do not do anything that is not sanctioned by Me.”
“I did not know.”
“You could not. Even the most experienced person cannot under-
stand the conduct of My pure devotees. Therefore you have no busi-
ness finding fault in Ambar¦¢a. He knows what is correct because I,
who am infallible, am guiding Him always. Since He knows nothing
other than Me, Ambar¦¢a does as I say.”
Durv§s§ was confused, and his br§hminical training added further
to his confusion, “Please tell me, ignorant as I am, which takes prior-
ity in the view of true dharma: respecting a br§hma£a or observing
Dv§daª¦?
The Lord shook His head, His shark-shaped earrings shooting rays
of light in all directions. “Ask Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a. Since you are so
ignorant of the principles of dharma, ask him to give you lessons.”
After a moment’s pause the Lord added, “Are you not ashamed of
yourself, of your ignorance?”
The sage was momentarily silent and then said in a whisper, “What
can You tell me in that regard?”
The Lord was adamant, “I can’t tell you any more, because I do
not know any more. Go to Ambar¦¢a. Ask him. He knows the ulti-
mate principles of dharma that are hidden even from Me. He will
tell you.” Durv§s§’s jaw dropped. The Lord added, “What I know, I
have learned from My pure devotees, the veritable embodiments of
dharma. What should I tell you? I am their student and I do not know
any more than they.”
Now Durv§s§ was really confused. The omniscient Lord did not
know everything, not even the laws of dharma?
“The edicts of dharma are the subsidiary rules of loving devotion.
I am the object of that devotion and thus not privy to all the truths
known to the shelters of devotion, the devotees. To taste these truths
I appear in My most mysterious incarnation as a devotee, Gaura.
O br§hma£a! I can tell you this much: ªruti declares that sipping
water constitutes both a fast and breaking a fast. It is both not eating
and eating, simultaneously. Therefore as far as you were concerned,
92
CHAPTER 6
Ambar¦¢a did not eat. As far as his Dv§daª¦ was concerned, he broke
fast timely. Blinded by anger you were ignorant of this truth and so
humiliated yourself, your disciples, and the br§hma£a community.”
“Yes!” said the sage. “I am a great fool.”
The Lord was pleased to hear such words of humility and contri-
tion. He added, “Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a wanted to complete the Ek§daª¦
vow as part of his devotional service to Me, while also respecting the
religious injunction to defer to br§hma£as. O Durv§s§! Having heard
what I have said, answer this: even if he could not have done justice
to both you and his Ek§daª¦ vow, which of the two injunctions takes
precedence over the other?”
In a soft voice Durv§s§ answered, “Obesrving Dv§daª¦, a limb of
devotional service, is superior to the religious observance of hosting
a br§hma£a.”
“Now you know. But before, you did not. Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a
wanted to complete Ek§daª¦ to please Me. But great mystic that you
are, you thought his being hospitable to you was more important.
You did not know what is what. That is the difference between a pure
devotee and a so-called Vedic scholar. But why should I go on? Go
and ask Ambar¦¢a about the superiority of observing Dv§daª¦ over
other acts of dharma.”
The sage understood that his time with Lord N§r§ya£a was draw-
ing to a close. And yet his fate at the hands of the Sudarªana-cakra
still remained unclear. Should he voluntarily give up his life in the
Lord’s presence? If he did, would the Lord be pained by his suffering
as He was by Ambar¦¢a’s?
Lord N§r§ya£a addressed Durv§s§’s train of thought: “Some
philosophers say that although I am all-knowing, being full of tran-
scendental bliss I have no connection with the suffering of conditioned
souls. Other thinkers argue that although I do not personally experi-
ence the suffering of conditioned souls, being aware of their distress
is in itself a cause of suffering for Me.”5
“Which line of reasoning is correct?”
“Neither. Being full of transcendental bliss, I do not distinguish
between material happiness and distress, just like the eyes of the
owl which do not distinguish between light and darkness. From the
spiritual perspective they are both suffering, and being material they
93
cannot touch Me, the supreme transcendence. As all created things,

pure or impure, are situated within Me and yet do not effect Me, in
the same way the world’s suffering or happiness has no influence upon
Me. Thus, while knowing of your fear of imminent death from my
cakra, I remained untouched by it.”
“But don’t You care?”
The Lord chuckled. “O sage! Your mind is still absorbed in duality
and so you see Me in that light. Yes, I care. I care because My very
nature is to love all beings. So while I am angry at your attempt to
pain My devotee, I feel sorry for your plight. Despite everything I
wish you well.”
“Please elaborate on this wonderful attribute of Yours.”
“My heart is always full of compassion. Unlike conditioned souls
who must suffer before they feel for the suffering of others, I always
feel compassion for the self-imposed troubles suffered by those sepa-
rated from Me. I miss their loving service. I miss yours.”
A pause in eternity.
Durv§s§ relished the Lord’s final words, “I miss their loving service.
I miss yours.” He felt happiness and peace. But more than that, he felt
a sense of belonging. He felt that he was the Lord’s servant, and these
feelings softened his heart and brought tears to his eyes.
“Now I understand. Truly You are the most glorious master one
could have.”
Another pause.
Durv§s§ added, “You are my glorious master.”
Lord N§r§ya£a was pleased. Yet despite Durv§s§’s heartfelt dedi-
cation, He was unable to reciprocate until the sage’s past evil was
undone.
“O Durv§s§! Know this: Because Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja is always
absorbed in Me, he is on the same transcendental platform as Me, and
so there is no difference between us. His pleasure is in meeting Me,
and that is also My pleasure, just as his distress in being distant from
Me is also My distress. We are like two bodies with one heart, and so
it is natural that I know no one but him and he knows no one but Me.
While talking with you here, My heart is with him in Madhuvana.”
In an attempt to prolong his association with the Lord and with
a sincere desire to quell his inquisitiveness, Durv§s§ asked, “O Lord!
94
CHAPTER 6
Since You are all-cognisant and thus aware of the movements of all
living entities, and especially of the prayers and progress of Your
devotees, how is it that You know no one but s§dhus?”
“O sage! My ways, potencies, and nature are inconceivable to all
but those with love for Me. But know this: while all-cognisant I am
also exclusively fixed on My pure devotees as if no one else existed
in the creation other than they and I.”
Durv§s§’s eyes again welled with tears. He also wanted to be one
with the Lord in the wonderful confluence of love’s many tributaries.
Countless ages of austerity had only resulted in spiritual failure, but a
few moments with Lord N§r§ya£a revealed a new vista of perfection.
But he knew that his way to such perfection was not clear. He still
had some work to do.
95
NOTES
2 This commentary is based on the commentaries to ¼r¦mad-
Bh§gavatam 9.4.68 by ¼r¦la Prabhup§da and Viªvan§tha Cakravart¦
çh§kura.
3 How impious souls see a reflection of the Lord and not the Lord
directly is described in Pr¦ti-sandarbha 7.
5 The dissertation on whether the Lord feels material suffering is
based on Pram§tma-sandarbha 93.
96
up§ya° kathayi¢y§mi
tava vipra ª¥£u¢va tat
aya° hy §tm§bhic§ras te
yatas ta° y§hi m§ ciram
s§dhu¢u prahita° teja¤
prahartu¤ kurute ’ªivam
up§yam — the means of protection in this

dangerous position; kathayi¢y§mi — I shall
speak to you; tava — of your deliverance
from this danger; vipra — O br§hma£a;
ª¥£u¢va — just hear from Me; tat — what
I say; ayam — this action taken by you;
hi — indeed; §tma-abhic§ra¤ — self-envy or
envious of yourself (your mind has become
your enemy); te — for you; yata¤ — because of
whom; tam — to him (Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a);
y§hi — immediately go; m§ ciram — do not
wait even a moment; s§dhu¢u — unto devo-
tees; prahitam — applied; teja¤ — power;
prahartu¤ — of the executor; kurute — does;
aªivam — inauspiciousness.
“O br§hma£a! Let Me now advise you for

your own protection. Please hear from Me. By
offending Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a, you have acted
with self-envy. Therefore you should go to him
immediately, without a moment’s delay. One’s
so-called prowess, when employed against the
devotee, certainly harms he who employs it.
Thus it is the subject, not the
object, who is harmed.”1
tapo vidy§ ca vipr§£§°
ni¤ªreyasa-kare ubhe
te eva durvin¦tasya
kalpete kartur anyath§
tapa¤ — austerities; vidy§ — knowledge;
ca — also; vipr§£§m — of the br§hma£as;
ni¤ªreyasa — of what is certainly very
auspicious for upliftment; kare — are
causes; ubhe — both of them; te — such
austerity and knowledge; eva — indeed;
durvin¦tasya — when such a person is an
upstart; kalpete — become; kartu¤ — of
the performer; anyath§ — just the
opposite.
“For a br§hma£a, austerity and learn-

ing are certainly auspicious, but when
acquired by a person who is not gentle,
such austerity and learning are most
dangerous.”
brahma°s tad gaccha bhadra° te
n§bh§ga-tanaya° n¥pam
k¢am§paya mah§-bh§ga°
tata¤ ª§ntir bhavi¢yati
brahman — O br§hma£a; tat —

therefore; gaccha — you go;
bhadram — all auspiciousness; te — unto
you; n§bh§ga-tanayam — to the son of
Mah§r§ja N§bh§ga; n¥pam — the King
(Ambar¦¢a); k¢am§paya — just try to
pacify him; mah§-bh§gam —
a great personality, a pure devotee;
tata¤ — thereafter; ª§nti¤ — peace;
bhavi¢yati — there will be.
“O best of the br§hma£as! You

should therefore go immediately to
King Ambar¦¢a, the son of Mah§r§ja
N§bh§ga. I wish you all good fortune. If
you can satisfy Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a, then
there will be peace for you.”
he Lord felt He had instructed Durv§s§ Muni enough. It
was now time to see whether the sage really understood
those teachings and whether he was prepared to act on
them. Had his heart been sufficiently cleansed? Was he
willing to make the transition from asceticism to humility,
from impersonalism to devotion?2
“O br§hma£a! Please hear Me!”
“O Lord! Whatever You instruct I shall certainly do.”
“Then listen well, for I shall now advise you for your
own welfare and protection.”
Durv§s§ cast a respectful glance at the nearby disc of
the Lord. “My protection?”
“Yes. You were envious of Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a’s spiritual
stature and by cursing Him you have committed an offense,
which not only put your life in danger but will also level
your spiritual attainments. To protect you from such ruin
I advise you to repent.”
“Please guide me.”
“Vai¢£avas are often the object of envy for non-devo-
tees. Although Hira£yakaªipu was ¼r¦ Prahl§da’s father,
that demon was envious of his Vai¢£ava son and wanted to
kill him. You behaved just like that king of demons. And
in the way Hira£yakaªipu’s envy was the cause of his own
destruction, your envy of Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a will be the
cause of yours.”
Durv§s§ was frightened. But now his concern was not
for the safety of his body but his newly-planted devotional
creeper. He had recognised the shortcomings of imperson-
alism and wanted to cultivate the affection growing in His
heart for the Lord. “What should I do?”
“Go to Ambar¦¢a without a moment’s delay. The power
103
that one directs against a devotee inevitably backfires against oneself.

While service to a Vai¢£ava accumulates as a spiritual asset, offenses
against a Vai¢£ava are the cause of total ruination.”
Durv§s§ understood the Lord’s order and bowed his head as a sign
of his submission.
“For a br§hma£a, austerity and learning are certainly auspicious,
but when acquired by a person who is not gentle, such austerity and
learning are most dangerous.3 It is said, ma£in§ bh¡¢ita¤ sarpa¤ kim
asau na bhaya¯kara¤.”4
Durv§s§ repeated, “A serpent with a jewel on its hood is as danger-
ous as a serpent without such a jewel.”
“Yes! Although you have accumulated great mystic power by your
austerities, because you are neither a devotee nor a gentleman you do
not know how to put that power to good use, and so it has become
a source of trouble for Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja, his kingdom, and finally
for you.”
“I shall go to Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja and beg for his forgiveness.”
The Lord sensed the sage’s good intention, and also his ignorance
at the lengths he would have to go to be free of the reaction to his
offense and of the wrath of the Sudarªana-cakra. Raising His hand to
reassure Durv§s§, Lord N§r§ya£a said, “O sage! Because you are dear
to Me, I wish you all good fortune. Hear from Me how you should
approach King Ambar¦¢a and how you should pacify him.”
Durv§s§ folded his hands in surrender.
“Understand the severity of your offense: you cursed the innocent,
saintly Ambar¦¢a to be killed. Therefore you must first intensely regret
this act within the very core of your heart. If there is even a trace
of resistance to such remorse, apologetic words will not have their
desired effect. Your words will not move My heart.”
Durv§s§ indicated that he was fully contrite.
“We shall see!”, thought the Lord. He then continued, “Next you
must be convinced that no one but Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja can save you.
Not I, not My disc, not Brahm§ nor ¼iva. Go to him who is merciful
and very gentle even to those inimical to him.”
Now Durv§s§ voiced the vestige of pride that Lord N§r§ya£a had
discerned: “How can a k¢atriya like Ambar¦¢a deliver an austere,
knowledgeable br§hma£a like me?”
104
CHAPTER 7
As these words escaped Durv§s§ Muni’s mouth Lord N§r§ya£a

and Vaiku£±ha disappeared and he found himself again within the
blinding, searing rays of the Sudarªana-cakra.
“O N§r§ya£a!” thought the sage. “My body shall now be cut into
pieces and my soul condemned to hell. O Lord! Worse still, I have
been tossed out of the spiritual realm and lost the company of Lord
N§r§ya£a!”
By repeating the name of the Lord and by feeling the pain of the
Lord’s separation, Durv§s§’s heart was finally purified. He realised his
fault: he had identified a transcendental Vai¢£ava with the limitations
of a material class. It was the same egoistic pride that had caused him
to curse the king that obstructed him from being fully repentant and
that now cost him the Lord’s favour. He thought, “I am no better
than a resident of hell, n§rak¦ sa¤. That is the statement of scripture:
arcye vi¢£au ªil§dh¦r-guru¢u naramatir vai¢£ave j§ti-buddhir-

vi¢£or-v§ vai¢£av§n§° kalimala-mathane p§da-t¦rthe’mbu-buddhi¤
ªr¦-vi¢£or-n§mni mantre sakala-kalu¢ahe ªabda-s§m§nya-buddhir-
vi¢£au sarveªvareªe tad-itara-samadh¦r-yasya v§ n§rak¦ sa¤
“‘One who thinks the Deity in the temple to be made of wood or

stone, who thinks of the spiritual master in the disciplic succession
as an ordinary man, who thinks the Vai¢£ava in the Acyuta-gotra to
belong to a certain caste or creed, or who thinks of cara£§m¥ta or
Ganges water as ordinary water is taken to be a resident of hell.’”5
Indifferent to the discomfort caused him by the Sudarªana-cakra,
Durv§s§ Muni felt his heart burn in pain from the shame of his past
arrogance. Recalling the words of Prahl§da Mah§r§ja he whispered
to himself, “I am truly lower than a dog eater,
vipr§d dvi-¢a¨-gu£a-yut§d aravinda-n§bha-

p§d§ravinda-vimukh§t ªvapaca° vari¢±ham
manye tad-arpita-mano-vacanehit§rtha-
pr§£a° pun§ti sa kula° na tu bh¡rim§na¤
“‘If a br§hma£a has all twelve brahminical qualifications, but

is not a devotee and is averse to the lotus feet of the Lord, he is
105
certainly lower than a dog-eater who is a devotee, but who has

dedicated everything — mind, words, activities, life, and wealth — to
the Supreme Lord K¥¢£a. Such a devotee is superior to a br§hma£a
because a devotee can purify his entire family, whereas the br§hma£a
who is not a devotee is bound to be illusioned by the false prestige of
his position and thus cannot purify even himself.’’6
Durv§s§ berated himself, “Dog! True austerity and knowledge
never existed in you, for you were devoid of the qualification to
possess them. You only mastered the shadow of these divine opulences.
And in a person of despicable conduct like your own, even the shadow
of knowledge and austerity produces contrary results. Shame! Shame!”
When Durv§s§ truly felt himself fallen and admitted as much to
himself with forceful and honest words, the Vaiku£±ha garden and
Lord N§r§ya£a reappeared. Seeing the transcendental beauty and
qualities of the Lord with new eyes, Durv§s§ fell prostrate at the
Lord’s lotus feet and his eyes let forth a stream of tears.
For the first time in his spiritual sojourn, Durv§s§ Muni’s heart
actually melted and he experienced the symptoms of transcendental
ecstasy. The sage wept, his body trembled, and his words were slurred.
Lord N§r§ya£a was amused at the change in Durv§s§, and so He
reached out and touched the sage with His hand and made Durv§s§’s
mind steady.
“Arise, O great sage, and let Me disclose a secret to you.”
Now composed, Durv§s§ rose to his knees and fixed his eyes upon
the Lord’s lotus face. The sage said, “After attaining Your grace, what
wonder remains to be known?”
“That secret is this: to give hope to the humans that they too
may attain a standard of devotion like Ambar¦¢a, and to show how
all demigods, even up to Brahm§, are subordinate to and dependent
upon Me, I have arranged that you temporarily became possessed of
a demoniac temperament and cursed King Ambar¦¢a.”
Now this was truly wonderful! Durv§s§ Muni was speechless. He
looked at the Lord with a puzzled expression.
“Yes! It was My arrangement. Humans very rarely attain one
ten-millionth of the devotion of demigods like Brahm§ and ¼iva — of
whom you are a partial expansion. But I instilled in Ambar¦¢a
Mah§r§ja a devotion superior even to that of the demigods, just to
106
CHAPTER 7
demonstrate that it is I who am supreme and thus they prosper by

My blessings alone.”
“And what about my anger?”
“You are the form of Rudra, the anger of ¼iva. But it was I who
unleashed that anger at Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja so that you would be
harsh with him and so that My purposes would thus be fulfilled. In
the future devotees will narrate this pastime and understand that all
demigods are under my control. Listeners will also understand that I
punish anyone, even an exalted br§hma£a, if they offend My devotee,
and no one — Brahm§ and ¼iva included — can protect such offenders.”
Durv§s§ was still speechless. His mind was reeling. Truly the ways
of the Lord were inscrutable! All created beings were but playthings
of His will. And Durv§s§ did not mind being an instrument of the
Lord’s pastimes. Indeed he felt privileged to be engaged by the Lord
at all. “But what about my offenses?” he thought. “How will I be
freed of them?”
The Lord replied, “By repeating My name during our encoun-
ter you have been freed of all offenses, including those to Ambar¦¢a
Mah§r§ja.”7
“What other offenses did I commit?”
“Those who are not My devotees inevitably commit all kinds of
offenses. By acting so violently you offended My abode, Madhuvana,
and by berating the king you offended his subjects, residents of the
dh§ma. But need I say any more? You are now freed. All that remains
is that you reveal your heart to Ambar¦¢a.”
In a voice that was affectionate like a loving father the Lord added,
“Go now to Madhuvana and satisfy Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja. Then your
heart will know peace.”
Durv§s§ Muni felt love in the Lord’s voice. Hearing His words was
like being in a comforting embrace. Teardrops fell from the sage’s eyes.
In a quivering voice he asked, “O Supreme Soul! Is there anything
else I should do?”
Nodding, the Lord answered, “Remain in the land of Vraja, of
which Madhuvana is but one forest. Wander through the innumerable
places of My pastimes, and wait.”
“For what shall I wait?”
“Millennia from now I shall appear there in My original form. At
107
that time you may assist Me in My pastimes both inside and outside
the dh§ma. In the meantime continue to chant My names. Gradually
the creeper of devotional service, whose seed has now been planted
in your heart, will grow, and the truths of My abode and the truths of
My original identity will become known to you. Thus you shall truly
be wise. Now go. Fall at the feet of the king whom I love so much.”
NOTES
1 This and the following two verses are from ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam

9.4.69-71.
2 The following commentary is based on ¼r¦la Prabhup§da’s and
Viªvan§tha Cakravart¦ çh§kura’s commentaries to ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam
9.4.69-71, as well as Madhva Muni’s quote from the Garuä Pur§£a
cited by ¼r¦la Prabhup§da in his commentary to 9.4.71.
4 Quoted in ¼r¦la Prabhup§da’s purport to ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 9.4.70.
5 Padma Pur§£a, cited in ¼r¦la Prabhup§da’s purport to ¼r¦mad-
Bh§gavatam 4.21.12.
7 In Bhakti-sandharba 267 J¦va Gosv§m¦ states that Durv§s§ Muni
was freed of offense to Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja by chanting the Lord’s
names.
108
ambar¦¢asya carita°
ye ª¥£vanti mah§tmana¤
mukti° pray§nti te sarve
bhakty§ vi¢£o¤ pras§data¤
ambar¦¢asya — of Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a;

caritam — character; ye — persons who;
ª¥£vanti — hear; mah§-§tmana¤ — of
the great personality, the great devotee;
muktim — liberation; pray§nti — certainly
they attain; te — such persons; sarve — all
of them; bhakty§ — simply by devotional
service; vi¢£o¤ — of Lord Vi¢£u;
pras§data¤ — by the mercy.
“By the grace of the Lord, those who

hear about the activities of Mah§r§ja
Ambar¦¢a, the great devotee, certainly
become liberated or become devotees
without delay.”
lthough his heart yearned to remain with Lord N§r§ya£a,
Durv§s§ felt obliged to follow the Lord’s order and so,
tasting the blissful agony of separation, he bowed low to
leave. With Vaiku£±ha fading away like a mist touched
by the early morning sun, Durv§s§, accompanied by the
Sudarªana-cakra, returned to Madhuvana where Ambari¢a
Mah§r§ja was faithfully waiting for him.
In the year in which Durv§s§ had been gone, Ambar¦¢a
Mah§r§ja continued his fast, subsisting on water alone and
waiting for the day the sage would return. After all, how
could he eat until his guest had done so? Thus the king’s
body had become emaciated, but because of his repository
of devotion, his body remained as fit and effulgent as a
second Sudarªana-cakra.
Flying through the airways Durv§s§ Muni reached the
banks of the Yamun§ and the decorated gh§±a where the
king was seated, surrounded by ministers and br§hma£as.
The very sight of Ambar¦¢a, once the object of his wrath,
brought tears to the sage’s eyes, and without hesitation he
fell before the king and clasped his lotus feet.
Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja’s retinue was surprised to see
Durv§s§ Muni’s conduct and wondered at the change of
heart that had brought it about. But Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja
was fully aware of what had transpired during Durv§s§’s
absence. The king knew of the sage’s travels through the
universes and of the teachings he had received from the
Supreme Lord. After all, his heart was one with the Lord’s.
What did he not know?1
As a Vai¢£ava and a k¢atriya, Ambar¦¢a could not coun-
tenance a great sage bowing at his feet, and when Durv§s§
remained prostrate offering prayers, the king was even
113
more aggrieved. Seeing the Sudarªana-cakra still menacingly close to

the sage, Ambar¦¢a offered prayers to pacify the disc, although the king
knew it was already partially pacified by Durv§s§ Muni’s repentance.
But to fulfil the purpose of the Lord’s pastimes and to instruct others,
King Ambar¦¢a acted as though ignorant.
Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a glorified the Sudarªana-cakra in many ways: as
the personified vision of the Lord, the source of all illumination, and
the cause of the time factor. Finally, feeling the suffering of Durv§s§
as his own and unable to see the sage so humbled, Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja
requested, “Kindly spare this poor br§hma£a. That will certainly be
a favour for us all.”
The cakra replied, “Since this br§hma£a is so irreligious, why should
I spare him? Rather it seems more appropriate that I punish him.”
Raising his folded hands above his head the king replied, “O wheel
with beautiful hubs! If I am incapable of pacifying you with my prayers
I offer you my heartfelt respects. Please let that soothe your anger.”
“O King! Your prayers and respects are not futile. But why not let
me play with this br§hma£a for a while?”
“O Lord! That is not needed. Your place of play is the battlefield
of the demons, not the sacred bodies of br§hma£as.”
“That may be! But this sacred br§hma£a acted just like a demon
and therefore he deserves to die. I do not discriminate between the
R§va£a demons and the Durv§s§ demons.”
“O divine disc. By even the slight touch of one of your rays you
can kill this br§hma£a. But I know that if you so desire, you can also
kill his demoniac mentality and thus cure he who thought his powers
and effulgence were significant in some way.”
Assuaged by such sweet words Sudarªana softly replied, “But the
Supreme Lord has ordered me to kill your enemies.”
Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja nodded, “That may be. But I do not take this
br§hma£a to be my enemy. Please tolerate his offense and spare him.”
Recalling Lord N§r§ya£a’s earlier praise of Vai¢£avas and specifically
of Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja, Sudarªana-cakra wanted to also contribute to
such glories and so pursued his line of reasoning: “O great King, I hear
your request. But aside from fleeing for his life, this br§hma£a has not
performed any meritorious service that would justify his being spared.”
Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja understood that the Sudarªana-cakra was still
114
CHAPTER 8
adamant. To pacify him he took the following oath: “O infallible

one! Even if it is as you say, please consider the charity, sacrifices, and
devotional acts of my family. If you find these to be of value, then free
this br§hma£a in exchange for them.”
“O King! Your conduct and that of your family is certainly most
praiseworthy.”
Sensing that the cakra was still not fully pacified, the king took
a stronger oath: “Then please do not make me the cause of a br§h-
ma£a’s death and thus spoil the good name of my dynasty. If you
consider that your master, the Supreme Lord, is in any way pleased
with my devotion, then on the strength of His pleasure, please free
this sage from your scorching rays.”
Durv§s§ Muni and all others present were awed by the exchange
between the king and the disc, and they watched as the Sudarªana-
cakra withdrew its rays and silently moved away from the sage, stand-
ing guard once again behind Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja.
After a few moments of silence, Durv§s§ rose to his knees and
faced the king with folded hands. “Today I have witnessed the great-
ness of Vai¢£avas. Although I have offended you, you have prayed for
my good fortune. Overlooking my offenses, you have saved my life.”
Looking around to the people present Durv§s§ added, “What is
wonderful or impossible for the servants of the Lord like your great
king! O people of Vraja, you are indeed fortunate to have the guidance
and association of such a great soul.”
Seeing his opportunity, Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja bowed at the feet of
Durv§s§ Muni, who raised him up and embraced him. The sage and
the king noticed that they had become emaciated from fasting, and
so, desiring each other’s welfare, they each implored the other to
eat. Thus according to custom Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja first fed Durv§s§
Muni with the finest food, and then at the sage’s prompting the king
ate the remnants offered him by other pure br§hma£as. In this way
they both ate.
After finishing their meals, Durv§s§ Muni and the king entered the
royal palace where the sage accepted an elevated seat. With Ambar¦¢a
Mah§r§ja seated at his feet, the sage described the glories of pure
devotional service to the citizens who had gathered to see their king
and the famous sage. Durv§s§ said,
115
pr¦to ’smy anug¥h¦to ’smi

tava bh§gavatasya vai
darªana-sparªan§l§pair
§tithyen§tma-medhas§
“I am very pleased with you, my dear King. At first I thought of you

as an ordinary human being and accepted your hospitality, but later
I could understand, by my own intelligence, that you are the most
exalted devotee of the Lord. Therefore, simply by seeing you, touch-
ing your feet, and talking with you, I have been pleased and have
become obliged to you.”2
Glancing over the court represented by all four var£as and
§ªramas, Durv§s§ Muni addressed his audience in the same way he had
addressed many other spiritual gatherings, but this time his discourse
on truth was different: he was elaborating on the supremacy of pure
devotion.
Grasping the armrest of his seat with both hands he began, “It is
said, vai¢£avera kriy§ mudr§ vijñeha n§ bujhaya, ‘even a very intelli-
gent man cannot understand the activities of a pure Vai¢£ava.’3 Simi-
larly, with all my so-called learning, still I was unable to recognise the
greatness of Ambar¦¢a Maharaja. I mistook him for an ordinary human
being. Thus illusioned, I sought to punish him.
“But being pursued and persecuted by the Sudarªana-cakra I came
to my senses. By personal experience I could understand how great a
transcendentalist the king is.”
There was a hum of surprised exchange amongst the members of
the court. Who had ever heard Durv§s§ Muni speak thus? The eldest
of Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja’s sons, eager to make known the glories of
his father, politely addressed Durv§s§: “O great sage! If you think it
proper, please let us know how your intelligence matured to recognise
the greatness of our king.”
Durv§s§ Muni replied, “By the grace of the dust of this land, I
wandered into your city and asked to meet its monarch. That was the
beginning of my good fortune. Even though I was spiritually blind,
upon seeing Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja I was unknowingly drawn into his
association and so accepted his invitation to eat, even though I was
not hungry. But because of deluding pride and ignorance I cursed the
116
CHAPTER 8
king and so imperilled the delicate creeper of devotion that had been
planted by his association.
“By pursuing me the Sudarªana-cakra thus saved me from spiritual
suicide and guided me to the path of bhakti, the realm of Vaiku£±ha,
where I gained the association of Lord N§r§ya£a. There, by the power
of the Lord’s name, I became free of the thick fog of my offenses and
thus I could understand the Lord’s teachings to me, teachings which
illuminated the greatness of Vai¢£avas and especially of Ambar¦¢a
Mah§r§ja.
“Upon returning to Madhuvana in a purified state the very vision
of Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja made the creeper of my devotion burst into
bloom, and upon touching his lotus feet those blossoms released the
fragrance of divine ecstasies. In this way my br§hminical austerity and
knowledge finally bore fruit. By the grace of ecstatic devotion I could
properly understand the essence of a true Vai¢£ava. This understand-
ing has opened to me a storehouse of transcendental bliss, and so I
am very pleased.”
Turning to Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja the sage folded his hands and said,
“O King! I am so obliged to you.”
The king’s son asked, “O great yog¦! What was the best of things
spoken to you by the Supreme Lord, the husband of the Goddess of
Fortune?”
Recalling his encounter with the Lord, Durv§s§ rose to his feet
and addressed his audience: “O residents of Vraja! Hear these words
of the Lord, which continually resound in my heart. O fortunate
ones! I request that you embrace the words I am about to speak.
After explaining many wonderful truths to me, the Lord of Vaiku£±ha
disclosed His innermost thoughts, saying,

‘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.’”4
117
The expansive court was silent. All those in attendance meditated

upon the wonderful words repeated by Durv§s§ Muni. After some
moments the sage added, “When chased by the Lord’s cakra I tried
to take shelter of Lord Brahm§ and Lord ¼iva — all in vain. They
could not free me from vai¢£ava-apar§dha, because an offense to a
devotee, who is one with the Lord in love, is equal to an offense to
the Lord, whose powers are without equal. The influence of Vai¢£avas
is so great.”
Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja’s son asked, “If yog¦s and jñ§n¦s cannot recog-
nise a Vai¢£ava, then how can ordinary men like us do so?”
“A Vai¢£ava can be recognised by his being favoured by the Lord
in whose heart he resides and who also resides in the heart of the
Lord. Such divine favour can be seen by a Vai¢£ava’s inconceivable
activities.” Bowing to the Sudarªana-cakra, Durv§s§ said, “Who else
but a great devotee would be privileged with the protection of the
Lord’s own personal weapon? O great souls of Madhuvana! Deliberate
carefully on this and praise your King, who sits here with his head
hung low with the humility of a true devotee.”
Hearing these words of Durv§s§ Muni, the assembly rose to their
feet and erupted in a great chorus of “Jaya! Jaya!”
His heart brimming over with devotional bliss, Durv§s§ Muni was
eager to spread the glories of Vai¢£ava dharma and so he rose to leave.
Turning one last time towards King Ambar¦¢a, with hands folded and
tears in his eyes, the sage blessed the king thus: “O King! Although
my boon to you is like offering a candle to the sun, please accept it as
an offering at your lotus feet: from now until the end of time, may all
the blessed women in the heavenly planets continuously chant about
your spotless character at every moment, and may the people of this
world also chant your glories continuously.”5
Saying this, Durv§s§ Muni bade farewell to Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja
and, taking to the skyways, headed towards the residence of the crea-
tor, Brahmaloka. The sage was eager to meet his friends there and
narrate to them the story of his deliverance, the superiority of devo-
tional service, and the wonderful relationship between the Supreme
Lord and those who controlled Him with their love. Later the sage
would return to Vraja and, in the shelter of that holy land, cultivate
pure devotional service in the footsteps of Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja.
118
CHAPTER 8
For his part, Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a felt that he had completed his
mission as king. In his heart, devotional service had long relegated the
rewards of kingship to dust. Therefore Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a decided to
retire from family life and so, dividing the kingdom amongst his sons,
he entered the forest to engage fully in devotional service.
Although already perfect in devotion, Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja was not
satisfied with his spiritual attainment. He was like a greedy merchant
who always thinks himself to be impoverished no matter how much
wealth he has achieved. Similarly, by the influence of pure devotion,
Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja thought himself devoid of bhakti and sought out
the groves of Vraja, where he was sure he could discover the secrets
that lead to the inner recesses of devotional perfection. Thus, inces-
santly chanting the Lord’s names, the king left his palace and retired
to V¥nd§vana forest.
119
NOTES
1 The following exchanges between Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja and the

Sudarªana-cakra and then Durv§s§ Muni are based on ¼r¦mad-Bh§ga-
vatam 9.5.1-23, and ¼r¦la Prabhup§da’s and Viªvan§tha Cakravart¦
çh§kura’s commentaries to those verses.
3 ¼r¦la Prabhup§da quotes this statement often, as in the purport to
¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 6.17.34. In describing a devotee in love of God
Lord Caitanya similarly says, y§¯ra citte k¥¢£a-prem§ karaye udaya
t§¯ra v§kya, kriy§, mudr§ vijñeha n§ bujhaya (Caitanya-carit§m¥ta,
Madhya-l¦l§ 23.39). It appears that ¼r¦la Prabhup§da would drop the
first portion of this verse and replace it with the word “Vai¢£ava.”
120
s§dhava¤ — the pure devotees;

h¥dayam — in the core of the heart;
mahyam — of Me; s§dh¡n§m — of the
pure devotees also; h¥dayam — in the
core of the heart; tu — indeed; aham — I
am; mat-anyat — anything else but Me;
te — they; na — not; j§nanti — know;
na — not; aham — I; tebhya¤ — than them;
man§k api — even by a little fraction.
“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.”1
he exchange between Lord N§r§ya£a and Durv§s§ Muni
is undoubtedly one of my favourite passages from ¼r¦mad-
Bh§gavatam. Like K¥¢£a’s words to the gop¦s — na p§raye
’ha°, “I am not able to repay My debt for your spotless
service” — Lord N§r§ya£a’s teachings to Durv§s§ are a
declaration of the Lord’s love for His devotees, a decla-
ration that is even more explicit than K¥¢£a’s. As such it
enchanted my heart and inspired me to elaborate further,
in the form of this book, on the wonderful relationship
between master and devotee. For me, that relationship
is stunningly summarised in the verse above, s§dhavo
h¥daya° mahya°.
To again taste the nectar of the Lord’s instruction and of
this verse, I shall highlight their most prominent attributes
as well as the effects that understanding those attributes
had on the spiritual life of Durv§s§ Muni, as they can also
have on any sincere devotee.
Firstly, it may be noted that the inability of Brahm§ and
¼iva to give Durv§s§ shelter from Lord Vi¢£u’s personal
weapon, the Sudarªana-cakra, indicates that these demi-
gods are subordinate to the supreme, Vi¢£u. This point is
repeatedly emphasised in ¼r¦la Prabhup§da’s commentaries
and in the commentaries of the §c§ryas. As a result, the
great sage — himself an expansion of Lord ¼iva — had to
take shelter of Lord N§r§ya£a. And although the Lord is
all-powerful and can do anything, still He did not consider
that He was able to absolve Durv§s§ from his offense to
a Vai¢£ava. Why? Because the Lord is subordinate to His
devotees.
From this — the Lord’s subservience to His devotee — we
witness His unwillingness to give shelter to an offender,
125
and, through His own instructions to Durv§s§, we see just how dear
His servants are to Him. No one — not His personal associates or even
His own self — is as dear to Him as His servants.
How dear is that?
S§dhavo h¥daya° mahya°, “The pure devotee is always within the
core of My heart.” If one’s heart, and hence one’s mind, is constantly
absorbed in something to its very core, that thing is the object of
intense love.
And of course this flow of love is reciprocal. S§dh¡n§° h¥daya°
tv§ham, “I am always in the heart of the pure devotee.” Devotees
are equally absorbed in thoughts of the Lord because He is their
everything. Thus by their mutual affection the Lord and the devotees
nourish each other, their love increasing unlimitedly. This kind of
exchange is described between K¥¢£a and the gop¦s in this way:2
gopik§-darªane k¥¢£era b§¨he praphullat§

se m§dhurya b§¨he y§ra n§hika samat§
“When Lord K¥¢£a sees the gop¦s His joy increases, and His unparal-
leled sweetness increases also.
§m§ra darªane k¥¢£a p§ila eta sukha

ei sukhe gop¦ra praphulla a¯ga-mukha
[The gop¦s think:] ‘“K¥¢£a has obtained so much pleasure by seeing

me.’ That thought increases the fullness and beauty of their faces
and bodies.
gop¦-ªobh§ dekhi’ k¥¢£era ªobh§ b§¨he yata

k¥¢£a-ªobh§ dekhi’ gop¦ra ªobh§ b§¨he tata
“The beauty of Lord K¥¢£a increases at the sight of the beauty of

the gop¦s. And the more the gop¦s see Lord K¥¢£a’s beauty, the more
their beauty increases.
ei-mata paraspara paë hu¨§huï

paraspara b§¨he, keha mukha n§hi muï
126
EPILOGUE
“In this way a competition takes place between them in which no

one acknowledges defeat.
kintu k¥¢£era sukha haya gop¦-r¡pa-gu£e

t§¯ra sukhe sukha-v¥ddhi haye gop¦-ga£e
“K¥¢£a, however, derives pleasure from the beauty and good quali-
ties of the gop¦s. And when the gop¦s see His pleasure, the joy of the
gop¦s increases.
ataeva sei sukha k¥¢£a-sukha po¢e

ei hetu gop¦-preme n§hi k§ma-do¢e
“Therefore we find that the joy of the gop¦s nourishes the joy of
Lord K¥¢£a. For that reason the fault of lust is not present in their
love.”
Because the Lord’s nature is to be subservient to love, that process
of yoga — bhakti-yoga, which awakens and nurtures the practitioner’s
love for K¥¢£a — is the best of all.
Durv§s§ Muni was a high-class br§hma£a, a learned scholar, and
a renounced ascetic, but after meeting the Lord he concluded that
these pious credits could not match the pure devotion of Ambar¦¢a
Mah§r§ja. This pastime therefore reinforces the message of ¼r¦mad-
Bh§gavatam: loving devotion is the ultimate goal of life. Other forms
of yoga are but subsidiary practices meant to lead a yog¦ to bhakti
through the association of a pure Vai¢£ava.
Since devotees are so intimately connected to the Lord, the next
conclusion is that the Lord does not easily forgive a person who harms
or offends them. Indeed since devotees are the Lord’s heart, the only
way to ease the Lord’s anger against an offender is to beg forgiveness
from the offended Vai¢£ava. In the absence of such forgiveness, an
offender is deprived of whatever devotion he has accumulated — which
exists only by the mercy of the Lord — and thus becomes a spiritual
orphan.
* * * *
127
If Durv§s§ Muni is the anti-hero of this pastime, then Ambar¦¢a

Mah§r§ja is clearly the hero, and his glories are praised both directly,
indirectly, and finally publicly by the sage himself. The spotless
devotion of the king is the weft and warp of this pastime’s fabric, a
fabric upon which all other conclusions, like the Lord’s supremacy,
are embroidered designs.
Both Ambar¦¢a Maharaja’s righteousness and his devotion to the
Lord are the udd¦pana, the source of inspiration, for a reader. Having
thus learned of them, an attentive student will think, “I would like to
be a fully surrendered soul like the king and thus find a way to the
Lord’s heart.” K¥¢£a confirms to Uddhava that a devotee who has
such determination is completely under the Lord’s protection and is
transcendentally equal to Him.
martyo yad§ tyakta-samasta-karm§

nivedit§tm§ vicik¦r¢ito me
tad§m¥tatva° pratipadyam§no
may§tma-bh¡y§ya ca kalpate vai
“A person who has completely surrendered unto Me and has

completely given up all other activities is protected by Me person-
ally, both in this life and in the next. In other words, I wish to help
him become more and more advanced in spiritual life. Such a person
is to be understood as having already achieved s§r¢±i [having equal
opulences with the Supreme].”3
¼r¦la Prabhup§da further comments on this verse saying, “He
[K¥¢£a] also instructs from within, so that the devotee may very
quickly make advancement toward spiritual perfection.”
Therefore, devotees inspired by the example of Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja
may expect assistance from the Lord in their quest for this rare and
difficult attainment — full self-surrender. What is required of such a
practitioner is that he give himself fully to the will of the Lord.
How can we know the Lord’s will?
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has appeared in this age
as Caitanya Mah§prabhu and has expressed His will for all devo-
tees: chant Hare K¥¢£a and teach the chanting of K¥¢£a’s holy names
to others. Practicing devotees who surrender to this instruction can
128
EPILOGUE
expect that in time, they will earn the gift of self-surrender mixed
with sincere ecstatic devotion, which will be the gateway to an even
rarer attainment: the spontaneous loving devotion of the Vraja-v§s¦s.
Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja’s character is consistently described through-
out Vedic literature in the same way: he is the exemplar of unalloyed
devotion. For example, J¦va Gosv§m¦ recounts another narration from
the Vi¢£u-dharma Pur§£a:4
“In ancient times King Ambar¦¢a worshipped the Lord by perform-
ing austerities for many days. At the conclusion of his austerities
the Supreme Lord, assuming the form of Lord Indra and riding on
Garuä, who had assumed the form of Air§vata, appeared before
Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja to offer him a benediction.
“Seeing Indra, Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja bowed down and offered all
respect, however he would not ask for a benediction from the Lord of
heaven. He said, ‘The Lord whom I worship will give me benedictions.
I will not accept benedictions from anyone else.’
“Then Indra said, ‘Whatever benediction He can give I can give also’.
“But Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja was adamant. He would not accept
a benediction. Indra then raised his thunderbolt weapon to strike
him, but the king still remained fixed in exclusive dependence on the
Supreme Lord. He would not accept any benediction from a lesser
being. Seeing this, the Lord became pleased and, resuming His original
form, bestowed His full mercy upon Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja.”
I mentioned earlier that perfected devotees like Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja
are even dearer to the Lord than associates like Lord Balar§ma. The
Lord spoke this truth directly to Uddhava.5 As a consequence the
shelter that the Lord showed Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja is not always seen
to be offered to the Lord’s associates, as in the case of protecting Jaya
and Vijaya from the curse of the Kum§ras.
Why is that?
Since the Lord considers His devotees to be like His friends or His
kinsmen, He feels obliged to award them all protection. But because
He considers His associates to be like His own Self, He is sometimes
seen to neglect them, as He also would also neglect Himself. Of course
the Lord is simultaneously the well-wisher and protector of devotees
and associates alike. Yet He acts in different ways under the influence
of His own inconceivable potencies.
129
The glories of the great King Ambar¦¢a are without limit. How
can I do them full justice? Now having tasted a drop of those glories
I shall elaborate on another feature of this pastime: the predominance
of observing the vow of Ek§daª¦ over service to br§hma£as.
The cause of Durv§s§ Muni’s upset was that he, as a guest and
br§hma£a, was disrespected. In order to observe the Ek§daª¦ fast,
Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja ate before the sage did.
But was Durv§s§ justified? Is respecting a br§hma£a more impor-
tant than observing Ek§daª¦?
Durv§s§ Muni thought so. But Lord N§r§ya£a informed him that
he was mistaken. Respecting br§hma£as is an important religious
activity, but following the Ek§daª¦ vow — devotional service — is more
important still.
In Bhakti-sandarbha (299), J¦va Gosv§m¦ gives Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a
as an example of how one should observe Ek§daª¦. There the §c§rya
emphasises the propriety of the king’s conduct. Since scriptures all
declare that Vai¢£avas are superior to non-devotee br§hma£as, the
dharma of Vai¢£avas — bhakti — is also superior to the dharma of br§h-
ma£as — ritualistic practices. For example it is said,
vahni-s¡rya-br§hma£ebhyas-tej¦y§n vai¢£ava¤ sad§

na vic§ro na bhogaª ca vai¢£av§n§° svakarma£§m
“The purifying power of fire, the sun, and the holy br§hma£as is
eclipsed by the divine power of the Vai¢£avas. The activities of the
Vai¢£avas are neither karmic nor performed for the sake of material-
istic enjoyment.”6
In conclusion, because the observance of Ek§daª¦ pleases the
Supreme Lord and leads to the ultimate goal of life, while the service
of br§hma£as only bestows material piety, of the two the former is
superior to the latter, and in the case of a conflict between the two
it takes priority.
* * * *
130
EPILOGUE
The narrations of ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam purify the hearer not only

through aural reception but also by practical application of its teach-
ings. Durv§s§ Muni is a spiritual novice who is overly proud of his
limited achievements and cannot recognise a true Vai¢£ava or the
value of pure devotion to the Lord. Thus he becomes an offender.
Do we share any of these traits?
If we do, they are certainly obstacles to attaining the grace of the
Lord. These obstacles can be removed by hearing the glories of pure
Vai¢£avas, recognising our insignificance by comparison, and making
amends for our offenses. By acting in this way, like Durv§s§ Muni,
we can set foot on the path of pure devotional service and gradually
become a dear associate of the Lord.
How was Durv§s§ transformed from an offender to an associate?
By tracing the path of the sage’s frequent appearance in the Lord’s
pastimes, that transformation becomes evident.
When in history did the meeting of Durv§s§ and Ambar¦¢a
Mah§r§ja take place?
¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam states that Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja was the
great-grandson of Mah§r§ja Ik¢v§ku — son of Vaivasvata Manu and
an ancient king of this earth.7 ¼r¦la Prabhup§da cites the Mah§bh§rata
to substantiate that Ik¢v§ku’s reign was about two million years ago.8
Lord R§macandra also appeared in Tret§-yuga and in the line of King
Ik¢v§ku. And in the R§m§ya£a we hear that at the conclusion of Lord
R§macandra’s reign, Durv§s§ had an interview with the Lord in which
he is still his aggressive and untempered self. Thus we conclude that
the pastime of Ambar¦¢a Maharaja, at which time the sage became
more docile, took place after Lord R§macandra’s departure from the
world.
At that time, by divine arrangement, Durv§s§ was able to travel to
Vaiku£±ha and see Lord N§r§ya£a face to face. Unless the sage had
already had the mercy of the Lord, such an attainment would not have
been possible. Having seen Laksma£a and R§ma was a source of such
mercy. But because Durv§s§’s attitude to the sons of Daªaratha was
not favourable, his meeting with Lord N§r§ya£a stemmed from unfa-
vourable circumstances. And in the way that smelling the tulas¦ leaves
on the Lord’s lotus feet transformed the four Kum§ras into Vai¢£avas,
131
so seeing Lord N§r§ya£a and hearing His instructions transformed

Durv§s§ into a Vai¢£ava. How could it be otherwise?
J¦va Gosv§m¦ emphasises that Durv§s§ was already freed of his
offenses by repeatedly chanting the Lord’s name during their conver-
sation. Yet the Lord insisted that the sage return and beg forgiveness
from Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja. When Durv§s§ complied he was not only
absolved of his sin but was also able to taste the bliss of pure devotion
and, in a divinely intoxicated state, headed for Brahmaloka to preach.
¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam’s description of the pastime ends there.
However there is more to Durv§s§’s spiritual progress, as once the
seed of the creeper of devotional service has been planted — barring
offenses to the holy name — the creeper continues to grow.
By the time K¥¢£a had appeared on earth we find that Durv§s§
has already taken up residence in Bhauma-V¥nd§vana. Indeed, scrip-
ture and tradition show that the sage had §ªramas in Bh§£¨¦ravana,
K§myavan, and Karama, among others.
Prema-vivarta tells the story of a celestial boy who, while playing
with his friends in K§myavana, cut a few locks of hair from the sleep-
ing Durv§s§. The sage awoke in a fury and cursed the boy to become
a crocodile for four yugas, but when appealed to, Durv§s§ lessened
the curse saying, “When Lord K¥¢£a, the son of Nanda Mah§r§ja,
appears in Navadv¦pa as the darling of Mother ¼ac¦, you will hear Him
sing the Lord’s holy name and this curse will then be absolved, and
you will regain your celestial form and transcend the three worlds.”
From this pastime we see that although Durv§s§ lived in K§mya-
vana and was in knowledge of both Lord K¥¢£a’s and Lord Caitanya’s
divinity, he was still not free from the influence of anger. Thus it is
concluded that he is still a practitioner on the path of devotion.
During the time of K¥¢£a’s childhood pastimes we find Durv§s§
haunted by a doubt similar to that of Lord Brahm§: how can the
Supreme Lord be a young cowherd boy?
Garga-sa°hit§ describes how Durv§s§, a devotee of the all-opulent
Lord of Goloka, ¼r¦ K¥¢£a, is bewildered about how his master could
be the son of the cowherd Nanda.9 Therefore he comes to Gokula-
Mah§vana where baby K¥¢£a manifest both His deluding potency
and His true identity. As a result Durv§s§ Muni’s faith in K¥¢£a’s
132
EPILOGUE
supremacy matures with the addition of faith in the Lord’s sweetness

and His Vraja pastimes.
Then, having accepted that K¥¢£a had appeared in Gokula along
with Balar§ma to play with Their confidential friends, Durv§s§
concluded that the Lord’s internal potency, R§dh§, must also be
nearby. He therefore set out to find Her.
Vai¢£ava tradition narrates how Durv§s§ found little R§dh§ in
Raval and, being pleased by Her spontaneous attraction to the hero
of Vraja, K¥¢£a, he blesses Her with supernatural culinary skills. While
conjugal attraction between R§dh§ and K¥¢£a is subdued by the inno-
cence of Their childhood, knowledge of its future development further
matures Durv§s§’s vraja-bhakti.
This maturity bears its full fruit in the famous pastime recounted,
most notably, in the Gop§la-t§pan¦ Upani¢ad.
While residing in Bh§£¨¦ravana, Durv§s§ Muni received a visit
from the gop¦s headed by ¼r¦ R§dh§.10 In the famous exchange between
the sage and the girls, we see that Durv§s§’s faith in K¥¢£a was not
only mature, but he had full realisation of R§dh§ being His eternal
consort. These realisations are confirmed in this one of many verses:
“K¥¢£a, Who is free from birth and death, and is unchanging, Who
resides by the Yamun§ as He does among the cowherd boys, Who loves
and protects the surabhi cows, Who is known by and is the goal of the
Vedas, and Who has entered all living entities while also controlling
them, that Supreme Person is Your husband.”11
With the mature devotion granted to him by the association of the
gop¦s, Durv§s§ Muni attains the stage of love of God in the mood of
neutrality, ª§nta-rasa. With such love comes a softening of the heart
which burns away all traces of the selfishness and anger formerly
present.
Attaining full self-control and respect for devotees is confirmed by
the pastime in which Duryodhana sends Durv§s§ Muni to eat from
Draupad¦’s magic pot.12 Because Draupad¦ had already eaten, Duryo-
dhana knew that she would be unable to feed the sage and his disciples,
and he hoped that Durv§s§ would curse the P§£ävas.13 But K¥¢£a
foiled Duryodhana’s plan and, by the Lord’s mystic power, the sage
and his disciples suddenly felt as if they could not eat even a morsel.
133
Now we should note Durv§s§’s thinking:

The sage had taken his bath and was meant to return to a meal
prepared by Draupad¦. But since he could not even think of eating
he worried, “If I return to the P§£ävas and do not eat, they will
take offense and I shall lose the favour of Lord K¥¢£a. It will be
another debacle as with Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja.” Opting for the lesser
of two evils, Durv§s§ Muni gathered his disciples together and hastily
departed from the area without so much as a word to his hosts.
By this conduct we see that Durv§s§ Muni is now respectful of
Vai¢£avas and careful not to commit offense to them.
Overall, the sage’s step-by-step progress as recorded above indi-
cates that Durv§s§ Muni has truly become a pure Vai¢£ava. And yet
he remains a sage. His taste of pure devotion is as an observer. He
has not entered into the Lord’s pastimes, nor is he a Vraja associate.
How will Durv§s§ progress further?
To taste fully the mellows of pure devotion as an associate, Durv§s§
Muni must get special mercy — the mercy of the Lord and of His
associates.
How is that special mercy obtained?
From Lord Caitanya, the son of Jagann§tha Miªra to whom
Durv§s§ sent the cursed celestial boy.
Thus from authoritative sources we find that Durv§s§ himself
appears during Caitanya Mah§prabhu’s advent, and when he so
appears he is counted as a dear associate. Kavi Kar£ap¡ra writes,
“¼r¦ Jagann§tha Ýc§rya, who was also known as Ga¯g§d§sa
Pa£ïta, was very dear to Lord Caitanya. In his previous life he had
been Durv§s§ Muni, who delighted the gop¦s and was very dear to
them.”14
By the blessings of Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja, the dust of V¥nd§vana,
the association of the Lord and the gop¦s, and finally of Caitanya
Mah§prabhu and His eternal companions, Durv§s§ Muni entered
into Vraja as a dear associate of Lord K¥¢£a. He attained his svar¡pa
in Vraja.
What is the basis of this conclusion?
The following boon offered by Caitanya Mah§prabhu to His
associates:
“So be it! I will go to V¥nd§vana and there I will accept you as
134
EPILOGUE
My associates and with My sweet pastimes I will fill your hearts with
bliss. To you who have faith in V¥nd§vana I will give splendid spiritual
forms like My own. That is what I will do for you.15
“Those of you whose hearts are bound to Me in this form of ¼r¦
Caitanya Mah§prabhu — even if your rasas are friendship or servi-
tude to ¼r¦ R§dh§-M§dhava or Lord Dv§rak§diªa, or if your rasas are
friendship or servitude to any of My other incarnations — I will make
into My eternally liberated associates in Goloka V¥nd§vana.”
As a recipient of Lord Caitanya’s grace, Durv§s§ becomes an eter-
nally liberated associate in Goloka.
Upon reflection we can see that this perfection had already been
predicted long ago by Lord N§r§ya£a when He bade Durv§s§ farewell
with the words,
brahma°s tad gaccha bhadra° te

n§bh§ga-tanaya° n¥pam
k¢am§paya mah§-bh§ga°
tata¤ ª§ntir bhavi¢yati
“O best of the br§hma£as! You should therefore go immediately to

King Ambar¦¢a, the son of Mah§r§ja N§bh§ga. I wish you all good
fortune. If you can satisfy Mah§r§ja Ambar¦¢a, then there will be
peace for you.”16
What greater good fortune can there be than to enter Goloka as a
Vraja associate of the Lord? Having attained that perfection beyond
which nothing remains to be attained, one will certainly taste ever-
lasting peace.
Thus concludes the description of Durv§s§ Muni’s evolution from
a yog¦ to a pure devotee of the Lord. I hope this encourages devotees
to pursue pure devotional service with this conviction: “Even if it
takes many, many years, I will strive for pure devotion by all means.”
At least that should be our determination. And at the same time we
should cherish the potency of ¼r¦ Caitanya Mah§prabhu’s mercy by
which such pure devotion can be attained in the short period of one
lifetime. That pure devotion qualifies us to go back home, back to
Godhead, where we will eternally rejoice in the Lord’s intimate asso-
ciation. As ¼r¦la Prabhup§da writes,
135
“This material world is just like a big ocean. It begins with Brah-
maloka and extends to P§t§laloka, and there are many planets, or
islands, in this ocean. Not knowing about devotional service, the living
entity wanders about this ocean, just as a man tries to swim to reach
the shore. Our struggle for existence is similar to this. Everyone is
trying to get out of the ocean of material existence. One cannot imme-
diately reach the coast, but if one endeavours, he can cross the ocean
by ¼r¦ Caitanya Mah§prabhu’s mercy. One may be very eager to cross
this ocean, but he cannot attain success by acting like a madman. He
must swim over the ocean very patiently and intelligently under the
instructions of ¼r¦ Caitanya Mah§prabhu or His representative. Then,
one day, he will reach the shore and return home, back to Godhead.”17
* * * *

Some persons may raise a question to the conclusion of this epilogue.
Will someone following the process of devotional service return to
Godhead to reside there forever? Is there no chance that the Lord
will send His devotee away, or that the devotees will decide to leave?
In his commentary to the last verse of Ved§nta-s¡tra (4.4.22),
Baladeva Vidy§bh¡¢a£a addresses these very same doubts. I copy that
commentary here in full for the enlightenment of the devotees and to
highlight the §c§rya’s substantiation of his claim by citing some of the
same verses spoken by Lord N§r§ya£a to Durv§s§. Ved§nta-s¡tra says:
an§v¥tti¤ ªabd§d an§v¥tti¤ ªabd§t
an — without; §v¥tti¤ — return; ªabd§t — because of the scriptures.
“There is no return, because of the scriptures. There is no return,

because of the scriptures, the word of God.”
Purport by ¼r¦la Baladeva Vidy§bh¡¢a£a: A devotee who faithfully

worships and serves the Supreme Lord in full knowledge of His
qualities and then goes to the Lord’s spiritual abode, never returns.18
Why?
136
EPILOGUE
The s¡tra gives the answer saying, ªabd§t, “because of the scrip-
tures,” and to give added emphasis the words of the s¡tra are repeated.
In the Ch§ndogya Upani¢ad (4.15.6) the same is said:
etena pratipadyam§n§ ima° m§navam §vartam navartante
“They who enter the spiritual world never return to the world of
men.”
And again Ch§ndogya Upani¢ad (4.15.1) declares:
sa khalv eva vartayan y§vad §yuna° brahmalokam

abhisampadyate. na ca punar avartate.
“Leaving this life, he enters the spiritual world. He never returns.”

In the Bhagavad-g¦t§ (8.15, 16) Lord K¥¢£a emphasises the same
truth in these two verses:
m§m upetya punar janma

du¤kh§layam aª§ªvatam
n§pnuvanti mah§tm§na¤
sa°siddhi° param§° gat§¤
“After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yog¦s in devotion, never
return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because
they have attained the highest perfection.”
§-brahma-bhuvan§l lok§¤
punar §vartino ’rjuna
m§m upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate
“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest,
all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place.
But one who attains My abode, O son of Kunt¦, never takes birth
again.”
Here someone may express the following fear: Lord Hari is
all-powerful, the master of all. Perhaps at some point in time He may
137
throw the liberated soul out of the spiritual world. Or perhaps the
liberated soul may at some time voluntarily leave the spiritual world.
There is no need to fear in this way, for Lord K¥¢£a reassures us
in the Bhagavad-g¦t§ (7.17):
priyo hi jñ§nino ’tyartham

aha° sa ca mama priya¤
“…of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in union with Me
through devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him,
and he is very dear to Me.”
That devotees are so dear to Lord K¥¢£a is re-emphasised in an
even more confidential way in ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam (9.4.68):

s§dh¡n§° h¥daya° tv§ha°
“The pure devotee is always in 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.”
138
EPILOGUE
And, needless to say, K¥¢£a’s love for His devotees does not go
without reciprocation. The feelings of love are mutual and develop
into mature expressions of affection as the Lord Himself describes in
¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam (9.4.65):
ye d§r§g§ra-putr§pta-
pr§£§n vittam ima° param
hitv§ m§° ªara£a° y§t§¤
katha° t§°s tyaktum utsahe
“Since pure devotees give up their homes, wives, children, relatives,

riches, and even their lives simply to serve Me, without any material
improvement in this life or in the next, how can I give up such devo-
tees at any time?”
Since devotees are so dear to the Lord, He can never give them
up, what to speak of rejecting them. And ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam (2.8.6)
clearly says that just as K¥¢£a cannot give up His servants, devotees
cannot give up their Lord:
dhaut§tm§ puru¢a¤ k¥¢£a-

p§da-m¡la° na muñcati
mukta-sarva-parikleªa¤
p§ntha¤ sva-ªara£a° yath§
“A pure devotee of the Lord whose heart has once been cleansed by
the process of devotional service never relinquishes the lotus feet
of Lord K¥¢£a, for they fully satisfy him, as a traveller is satisfied at
home after a troubled journey.”
In this way the scriptures explain that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead will never abandon His devotee and the devotee will always
ardently love the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme
Personality of Godhead is always truthful and His desires are always
fulfilled. He is an ocean of love for those who take shelter of Him.
He washes away the ignorance that made His devotees turn from
Him. Once He brings back to Himself His dear devotees, who are
His parts and parcels, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will not
again let them go.
139
In the same way the individual soul — who had been searching for
happiness and who finally has turned from the pathetic, wretched,
pale reflection of happiness he had for many births sought in the
material world in many ways, and who now by the mercy of the
bona-fide spiritual master has understood the truth of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, of whom he is a part and parcel, who now has
no desire apart from the Supreme Lord, who is now purely engaged
in devotional service to the Supreme Lord, and who has now attained
the Supreme Lord, whose spiritual form is filled with limitless bliss,
and who is the merciful friend and master — will never desire to leave
such a Lord.
These truths are not to be understood by logical argument, but
they can be understood by the words of scriptures. Those whose sole
authority is revealed truth, ª§stra, will understand the truths inherent
in the s¡tra as described above.
The words of the s¡tra are repeated to indicate that this book,
Ved§nta-s¡tra, has come to an end.
Thus ends the enlightening commentary of Baladeva Vidy§bh¡¢a£a.
Similarly, on the 16th of March 2014, which corresponds to holy
Gaura-p¡r£im§, the appearance of the most magnanimous Gaura
Mah§prabhu, this book, S§dhavo H¥daya° Mahyam, has also come to
an end. May the Lord who resides in the hearts of those devotees who
like playful aquatics reside in His oceanic heart, be pleased with me.
140
EPILOGUE
NOTES
2 This quote is from Caitanya-carit§m¥ta, Ýdi-l¦l§ 4.190-195.
3 ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam 11.29.35 as cited in The Nectar of Devotion,
chapter 11.
4 This pastime is recorded in Bhakti-sandarbha 106.
6 Brahma-vaivarta Pur§£a, K¥¢£a-janma-kha£ä, 59.
7 The genealogy from Vaivasvata Manu to Ambar¦¢a Mah§r§ja is
described in Chapters 1 to 4 of the 9th Canto of ¼r¦mad-Bh§gavatam.
8 See purport to Bhagavad-g¦t§ As It Is 4.1.
9 This pastime is described in Garga-sa°hit§, Canto 1, Chapter 1.
10 This pastime is described in the second part of Gop§la-t§pan¦
Upani¢ad.
11 Gop§la-t§pan¦ Upani¢ad 2.27.
12 This pastime is found in K¥¢£a Dharma’s Mah§bh§rata.
13 The sun god gave Draupad¦ a cooking pot which had the
potency to never become empty and thus feed unlimited numbers
of people, but once Draupad¦ ate then the potency would cease until
the following day.
14 Gaura-ga£oddeªa-d¦pik§ 111.
15 Caitanya-candrodaya-n§±aka 6.280-281.
18 The purport to this s¡tra is based on the translations of Kuªakra-
tha d§sa and Rai Bahadur Srisa Chandra Vasu.
141
About the Author
¼ivar§ma Swami was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1949, and his

family emigrated to Canada during the failed 1956 Hungarian
revolution. He became a disciple of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhup§da, the Founder-Ýc§rya of Iskcon, in 1973 and entered
the renounced order of life (sanny§sa) in 1979. ¼ivar§ma Swami is
well known for his deep knowledge of Vai¢£ava literature and has
written many books about Gau¨¦ya Vai¢£avism, including the K¥¢£a
in V¥nd§vana series. He is a member of Iskcon’s Governing Body
Commission and is responsible for projects in Hungary, Turkey, and
Romania. Although he travels and speaks internationally, he spends
as much time as possible at New Vraja-dh§ma (Krishna Valley), a
replica of V¥nd§vana and self-sufficient farming project in Hunga-
ry’s countryside.
143
Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide
The system of transliteration used in this book conforms to a system

that scholars have accepted to indicate the pronunciation of each
sound in the Sanskrit language.
The short vowel a is pronounced like the u in but, long § like the
a in far, and short i like the i in pin. Long ¦ is pronounced as in pique,
short u as in pull, and long ¡ as in rule. The vowel ¥ is pronounced
like the ri in rim. The vowel e is pronounced as in they, ai as in aisle,
o as in go, and au as in how. The anusv§ra (°), which is a pure nasal,
is pronounced like the n in the French word bon, and visarga (¤),
which is a strong aspirate, is pronounced as a final h sound. Thus a¤
is pronounced like aha, and i¤ like ihi.
The guttural consonants — k, kh, g, gh, and ¯ — are pronounced
from the throat in much the same manner as in English. K is
pronounced as in kite, kh as in Eckhart, g as in give, gh as in dig-hard,
and ¯ as in sing. The palatal consonants — c, ch, j, jh, and £ — are
pronounced from the palate with the middle of the tongue. C is
pronounced as in chair, ch as in staunch-heart, j as in joy, jh as in
hedgehog, and ñ as in canyon. The cerebral consonants — ±, ±h, ¨,
¨h, and £ — are pronounced with the tip of the tongue turned up and
drawn back against the dome of the palate. ç is pronounced as in tub,
±h as in light-heart, ¨ as in dove, ¨h as in red-hot, and £ as in nut. The
dental consonants — t, th, d, dh, and n — are pronounced in the same
manner as the cerebrals but with the forepart of the tongue against the
teeth. The labial consonants — p, ph, b, bh, and m — are pronounced
with the lips. P is pronounced as in pine, ph as in uphill, b as in bird,
bh as in rub-hard, and m as in mother. The semivowels — y, r, l, and
v — are pronounced as in yes, run, light, and vine respectively. The
sibilants — ª, ¢, and s — are pronounced, respectively, as in the German
word sprechen and the English words shine and sun. The letter h is
pronounced as in home.
145
Index of Verses Quoted
Numerals in boldface type refer to verses quoted in full; numerals in

roman type refer to partially quoted verses.
A E
§-brahma-bhuvan§l lok§¤ 137 ei-mata paraspara paë 126
aha° bhakta-par§dh¦no 23 etena pratipadyam§n§ ima° 137
aha° iha nanda° vande 13
aho k¥t§rtha¤ sutar§° 44 G
ambar¦¢asya carita° 111 gop¦-ªobh§ dekhi’ k¥¢£era 126
§m§ra darªane k¥¢£a 126 gopik§-darªane k¥¢£era 126
an§v¥tti¤ ªabd§d an§v¥tti¤ 136
apo ’ªn§ti tan naiv§ªita° 15 H
arcye vi¢£au ªil§dh¦r-guru¢u 105 hari-bhakti-mah§-devy§¤ 79
ataeva sei sukha k¥¢£a-sukha 127 hitv§ m§° ªara£a° y§t§¤ 49, 139
§tmendriya-pr¦ti-v§¢ch§ 9
aya° hy §tm§bhic§ras te 99 J
jito ’py asi tais tri-loky§m 19
B jñ§ne pray§sam udap§sya namanta
bhagav§n bhakta-bhaktim§n 28 eva 10
bhakty§ m§m abhij§n§ti 38
bhav§pavargo bhramato yad§ 67 K
bhuktayaª c§dbhut§s tasy§ª 79 k¢am§paya mah§-bh§ga° 101, 135
brahma-bh¡ta¤ prasann§tm§ 63 k¥¢£endriya-pr¦ti-icch§ 9
brahma°s tad gaccha 101, 135 kintu k¥¢£era sukha haya 127
brahma£o hi prati¢±h§ham 76
brahmeti param§tmeti 77 M
mad-anyat te na j§nanti 87, 117,
D 123
darªana-sparªan§l§pair 116 mad-bhakt§n§° ca ye bhakt§s 29
dharma¤ projjhita-kaitavo 13 m§m upetya punar janma 137
dhaut§tm§ puru¢a¤ k¥¢£a- 56, 139 m§m upetya tu kaunteya 137
147
mama vartm§nuvartante 10 sat-sa¯gamo yarhi tadaiva 67

ma£in§ bh¡¢ita¤ sarpa¤ 104 ªoce tato vimukha-cetasa 41
manye tad-arpita-mano- 105 sp¥ªanti paªyanti ca 44
martyo yad§ tyakta- 128 ªrama eva hi kevalam 76
mat-sevay§ prat¦ta° te 73 ªrava£§d darªan§d dhy§n§n 12
mayi nirbaddha-h¥day§¤ 61 ªr¦-vi¢£or-n§mni mantre 105
mukta-sarva-parikleªa¤ 56, 139 ªriya° c§tyantik¦° brahman 35
mukti° pray§nti te sarve 111 ªrutim apare sm¥tim itare 13
sth§ne sthit§¤ ªruti-gat§° 11
N
na ca sa¯kar¢a£o na ªr¦r 38
T
na me bhakta¤ pra£aªyati 52 tad§m¥tatva° pratipadyam§no 128
na s§dhayati m§° yogo 16 tad-darªan§hl§da-pariplut§ntaro
na sv§dhy§yas tapas ty§go 16 19
na tath§ me priya-tama 38 tapo vidy§ ca vipr§£§° 100
na tath§ sannikar¢e£a 12 tasyaite kathit§ hy arth§¤ 75
n§ha° §tm§nam §ª§se 35 tato ’dhana° tyajanty asya 57
naivodvije para duratyaya- 41 te eva durvin¦tasya 100
nan§ma p§d§mbujam asya 19 te¢§m ev§nukamp§rtham 91
n§pnuvanti mah§tm§na¤ 137
n§ªay§my §tma-bh§vastho 91
U
necchanti sevay§ p¡r£§¤ 73 up§ya° kathayi¢y§mi 99
P V
par§dh¦no ’smi viprendra 27 vahni-s¡rya-br§hma£ebhyas- 130
para° pada° tata¤ 77 vai¢£avera kriy§ mudr§ 116
priyo hi jñ§nino 56, 138 vaªe kurvanti m§° bhakty§ 61
pr¦to ’smy anug¥h¦to ’smi 116 vipr§d dvi-¢a¨-gu£a-yut§d 105
S Y
sa khalv eva vartayan 137 y§¯ra citte k¥¢£a-prem§ 120
s§dhavo h¥daya° mahya° 87, yasya deve par§ bhaktir 75
117, 123, 138 yasy§ham anug¥h£§mi 57
s§dhubhir grasta-h¥dayo 23 ye d§r§g§ra-putr§pta- 49, 139
s§dhu¢u prahita° teja¤ 99 ye me bhakta-jan§¤ p§rtha 28
sama¤ sarve¢u bh¡te¢u 63 ye yath§ m§° prapadyante 10
148

Sadhavo Hrdayam Mahyam EN

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sadhavo Hrdayam Mahyam EN

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

¼ivar§ma Swami

S§dhavo H¥daya° Mahyam

© 2015 ¼ivar§ma Swami

Publishing Manager: Manor§ma D§sa

the devotee of all pure-hearted

Vai¢£avas and the plaything

of ¼r¦mat¦ R§dh§r§£¦, Who reveals

His heart as Lord Gaurasundara, and

upon Whose heart is etched the name

of my Gurudeva, be merciful to us.

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Index of Verses Quoted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

§tmendriya-pr¦ti-v§¢ch§ — t§re bali ‘k§ma’

“The desire to gratify one’s own senses is k§ma [lust],

When a devotee’s every act is motivated only by the desire to

ye yath§ m§° prapadyante

“As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone

jñ§ne pray§sam udap§sya namanta eva

sth§ne sthit§¤ ªruti-gat§° tanu-v§¯-manobhir

“Those who, even while remaining situated in their established

path§, ¼r¦la Prabhup§da, in his commentary on this verse, makes

ªrava£§d darªan§d dhy§n§n

“Transcendental love for Me arises by the devotional processes of

ªrutim apare sm¥tim itare

This book is an exposition on those beguiling words of the Lord

* * * *

for in the Vedas it is said, apo ’ªn§ti tan naiv§ªita° naiv§naªitam:

na s§dhayati m§° yogo

“‘My dear Uddhava. The unalloyed devotional service rendered to

control Me absolutely. And I take pleasure in their doing so! I relish

1 Caitanya-carit§m¥ta, Ýdi-l¦l§ 4.165.

7 Purport to ¼r¦mad-Bhagavatam 4.24.53.

ªr¦-bhagav§n uv§ca — the Supreme

The Supreme Personality of Godhead

“What did I answer then?

par§dh¦no ’smi viprendra

‘O best of br§hma£as! I am not independent. Because I am purchased

pure Vai¢£avas serve Me in devotion, the essence of hl§din¦ comes to

ye me bhakta-jan§¤ p§rtha

‘Those who are My direct devotees are actually not My devotees,

“O best of the br§hma£as! Without

affection of My devotees I consider these attributes to be worthless. I

na tath§ me priya-tama

the goddess of fortune, nor indeed My own Self is as dear to Me as

The Lord stopped for a moment, considering whether He should

pride at the privilege of being connected to such a rare soul. Prahl§da

naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitara£y§s

“‘O best of the great personalities! I am not at all afraid of mate-

The Lord smiled. “My eternal associates like Sa¯kar¢a£a and

“So to answer your question, Prahl§da does see Me. He sees Me

aho k¥t§rtha¤ sutar§° n¥-loko

ye — those devotees of Mine

“Since pure devotees give up their

Vai¢£avas. No! Never. Besides, protecting an unintelligent person like

Durv§s§ looked up quizzically. Certainly he overreacted by cursing

Lord R§macandra was in a quandary. He had given his word to

at some time I may withdraw shelter from such dedicated devotees,

priyo hi jñ§nino ’tyartham

dhaut§tm§ puru¢a¤ k¥¢£a-

mayi — unto Me; nirbaddha-

“As chaste women bring their gentle

“‘One who is thus transcendentally situated at once real-

our servants and followers. At no time do I allow my mind to dwell