Çré Päpamocané Ekädaçé Issue no:206 18th Mar 2023

Swallowing The Forest Fire

Swallowing The Forest Fire Important Instructions Of
Srila Sukadeva Goswami Srila Rupa Goswami
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura

Friendship Between Krishna No Possibility Of Achieving

And Cowherd Boys Pure Devotional Service
His Divine Grace Srila Vrindavan DasThakura
A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Circulaton 32,750
 Issue no 206, Page — 2
Swallowing The Forest Fire
Srila Sukadeva Goswami
Sukadeva Goswami said: While the cowherd
boys were completely absorbed in playing, their
cows wandered far away. They hungered for
more grass, and with no one to watch them they
entered a dense forest. Passing from one part of
the great forest to another, the goats, cows and
buffalo eventually entered an area overgrown with
sharp canes. The heat of a nearby forest fire made
them thirsty, and they cried out in distress. Not
seeing the cows before them, Krishna, Rama and
Their cowherd friends suddenly felt repentant
for having neglected them. The boys searched all
around, but could not discover where they had
gone. Then the boys began tracing out the cows’
path by noting their hoofprints and the blades of
grass the cows had broken with their hooves and
teeth. All the cowherd boys were in great anxiety
because they had lost their source of livelihood.
Within the Munjaforest the cowherd boys finally
found their valuable cows, who had lost their
way and were crying. Then the boys, thirsty and
tired, herded the cows onto the path back home.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead called out
to the animals in a voice that resounded like a
rumbling cloud. Hearing the sound of their own
names, the cows were overjoyed and called out
to the Lord in reply.
Suddenly a great forest fire appeared on all sides,
threatening to destroy all the forest creatures. Like
a chariot driver, the wind swept the fire onward,
and terrible sparks shot in all directions. Indeed,
the great fire extended its tongues of flame toward
all moving and non-moving creatures. As the
cows and cowherd boys stared at the forest fire at-
tacking them on all sides, they became fearful. The
boys then approached Krishna and Balarama for
shelter, just as those who are disturbed by fear of
death approach the Supreme Personality of God-
head. The boys addressed Them as follows. [The
cowherd boys said:] O Krishna! Krishna! Most
powerful one! O Rama! You whose prowess never
fails! Please save Your devotees, who are about
to be burned by this forest fire and have come to
take shelter of You! Krishna! Certainly Your own
friends shouldn’t be destroyed. O knower of the
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org
nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
nature of all things, we have accepted You as our
Lord, and we are souls surrendered unto You!
Sukadeva Goswami said: Hearing these piti-
ful words from His friends, the Supreme Lord
Krishna told them, “Just close your eyes and do
not be afraid.” “All right,” the boys replied, and
immediately closed their eyes. Then the Supreme
Lord, the master of all mystic power, opened His
mouth and swallowed the terrible fire, saving His
friends from danger. The cowherd boys opened
their eyes and were amazed to find not only that
they and the cows had been saved from the ter-
rible fire but that they had all been brought back
to the Bhandira forest. When the cowherd boys
saw that they had been saved from the forest fire
by the Lord’s mystic power, which is manifested
by His internal potency, they began to think that
Krishna must be a demigod.
It was now late in the afternoon, and Lord Krish-
na, accompanied by Balarama, turned the cows
back toward home. Playing His flute in a special
way, Krishna returned to the cowherd village in
the company of His cowherd friends, who chant-
ed His glories. The young gopés took the greatest
pleasure in seeing Govinda come home, since
for them even a moment without His association
seemed like a hundred ages.
- Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » Canto 10: The Summum Bonum
» Chapter Nineteen » Verses: 1-16 » Translations by Disciples of His Divine Grace
A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Friendship Between Krishna
And Cowherd Boys
His Divine Grace
A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
The cowherd boys of Vrndavana simply loved
Krishna as their only friend and exclusive object
of devotion. To increase their ecstasy, Krishna
displayed to them His mystic potency and saved
them from a terrible forest fire.
The cowherd boys could never give up their
ecstatic loving friendship with Krishna. Therefore,
rather than considering Krishna to be God, after
they saw His extraordinary power they thought
that perhaps He was a demigod. But since Lord
Krishna was their beloved friend, they were on
the same level with Him, and thus they thought
 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
that they too must be demigods. In this way Krish-
na's cowherd friends became overwhelmed with
ecstasy.
- Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » Canto 10: The Summum Bonum
» Chapter Nineteen » Verse: 14 » Translations by Disciples of His Divine Grace
A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Important Instructions Of
Srila Rupa Goswami
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura
The eighth instruction of Srila Rupa Prabhu is the
essence of all instructions. It is as follows:
tan-näma-rüpa-caritädi-sukértanänu-
småtyoù krameëa rasanä-manasé niyojya
tiñöhan vraje tad-anurägi janänugämé
kälaà nayed akhilam ity upadeça-säram
The essence of all advice is that one should
utilize one’s full time twenty-four hours a day, in
nicely chanting and remembering the Lord’s divine
name, transcendental form, qualities, and eternal
pastimes, thereby gradually engaging one’s tongue
and mind. In this way, one should reside in Vraja
[Goloka Vrndavana dhama] and serve Krishna
under the guidance of devotees. One should follow
in the footsteps of the Lord’s beloved devotees,
who are deeply attached to His devotional service.
We have to always remain subordinate to the
Vrajaväsés. The banks of Yamuna, the playground
for Krishna’s amorous pastimes, the waters of the
Yamuna, the cows, sticks, horns, and flutes are all
Vrajaväsés. They are Vrajaväsés on the platform of
çänta-rasa. Raktaka, Citraka, Patraka, and others
are Vrajaväsés on the platform of däsya-rasa. Ex-
ternally making a show of residing in Vraja while
thinking internally about material enjoyment
unrelated to Krishna cannot be called vrajaväsa,
living in Vraja. Vrajaväsés are those who cannot
engage in anything other than Krishna’s service
even in their dreams or while unconscious, and
who have natural attachment for Krishna. If one
is unable to physically live in Vraja, he should live
there mentally. This means that he must always
keep his mind absorbed in thoughts of Vraja. One
has to give up both material enjoyment and dry
renunciation. According to Çrémad-Bhägavatam,
an attached householder and a staunch, dry re-
nunciant cannot worship Hari.
www.ibmedu.org
Issue no 206, Page—3
We have to follow the gradual path. We must
start with hearing the holy names and kåñëa-kathä.
Krishna’s holy name reveals Himself as the Lord’s
forms, qualities, pastimes, and associates. After
hearing, we have to act accordingly. We have to
constantly chant whatever we have heard. Then
the state of remembrance will come. There are
five kinds of remembrance. The final stage of
remembrance is called samädhi, uninterrupted
remembrance. After the stage of remembrance
one attains the stage of self-realization, after which
one attains the ultimate goal of life and goes back
to Godhead.
One must properly glorify the Lord’s name, form,
and characteristics. One will not yield any result if
one simply makes a pretense of glorifying the Lord.
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (2.8.4) states:
çåëvataùçraddhayä nityaà, gåëataç ca sva-ceñöitam
kälena nätidérgheëa, bhagavän viçate hådi
Persons who hear Çrémad-Bhägavatam regularly
and are always taking the matter very seriously
will have the Personality of Godhead Çré Krishna
manifested in their hearts within a short time.
Trying to artificially remember the Lord by giving
up one’s chanting is not real remembrance. The
pretension of remembrance without chanting will
leave one meditating on sense objects. The çästras
have described two paths, the path of çreyas and
the path of preyas. That which we like is the path of
preyas, and that which we don’t like is the path of
çreyas. When çreyas and preyas merge, our hearts
will rush toward Sri Radha-Krishna’ service. In that
stage çreyas appears as preyas and preyas as çreyas.
This is how exalted devotees think.
The phrase tad anurägi in the original verse refers
to the Vrajaväsés who are deeply attached to the
Lord. The cows, sticks, horns, flute, kadamba trees,
and the banks of the Yamuna are deeply attached
Vrajaväsés in çänta-rasa. Raktaka, Citraka, and
Patraka, who are Nanda’s house servants and who
serve Krishna when He returns from the pasturing
ground, are deeply attached Vrajaväsés in däsya-ra-
sa. Friends like Sridama or Sudama are deeply at-
tached Vrajaväsés of viçrambha-sakhya-rasa, friend-
ship with love. Arjuna’s idea of the Lord is mixed
with knowledge of His godhood and is therefore
not pure friendship. There is a difference between
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya
 Issue no 206, Page — 4
Top left 4
viçrambha-sakhya-rasa and gaurava-sakhya-rasa
(friendship with awe and reverence). On the plat-
form of viçrambha-sakhya-rasa, Krishna’s friends
will climb on Krishna’s shoulders, feed Him con-
taminated tala fruits in the Talavana forest, fight
with Him, and compel Him to carry them on
His shoulders. But Arjuna is struck with wonder
when he sees Krishna’s universal form. He says,
“O Lord! You are so opulent and great. I have
committed an offense by addressing You as friend.
Please forgive me.” He spoke like this because he
was overwhelmed by Krishna’s opulence.
Personalities like Nanda and Yasoda are deeply
attached Vrajaväsés in vätsalya-rasa. Raghupati
Upadhyaya, a disciple of Sri Madhavendra Puri
said:
çrutim apare småtim itare
bhäratam anye bhajantu bhava-bhétäù
aham iha nandaà vande
yasyälinde paraà brahma
Those who are afraid of material existence
worship the Vedic literature. Some worship
småti, the corollaries to the Vedic literature, and
others worship the Mahäbhärata. As far as I am
concerned, I worship Krishna’s father, Maharaja
Nanda, in whose courtyard the Supreme Person-
ality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, is playing.
(Padyävali 126)
The Vrajagopés are deeply attached Vrajaväsés in
the topmost mädhurya-rasa. When the gopés, who
were afflicted by separation from Krishna met Him
at Kurukñetra during the solar eclipse, they said:
ähuç ca te nalina-näbha padäravindaà
yogeçvarair hådi vicintyam agädha-bodhaiù
saàsära-küpa-patitottaraëävalambaà
gehaà juñäm api manasy udiyät sadä naù
Dear Lord whose navel is just like a lotus flow-
er, Your lotus feet are the only shelter for those
who have fallen into the deep well of material
existence. Your feet are worshiped and meditated
upon by great mystic yogés and highly learned
philosophers. We wish that these lotus feet may
also be awakened within our hearts, although we
are only ordinary persons engaged in household
affairs. (Çrémad Bhagavatam 10.82.48)
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org
nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
Materialists are motivated by a desire to become
liberated from material existence. Renunciant
yogés practice meditation to realize the subtle
object. Surpassing these considerations is the
topmost platform of devotional service found in
the gopés of Vraja. The gopés are not prepared to
serve Krishna from a distance like the yogés who
practice meditation. Their meditation is sponta-
neous and natural.
These above mentioned five kinds of rasas are
found in Goloka and in the Vraja of this world.
In Vaikuëöha there are two and half kinds of
rasas, çänta, däsya, and gaurava-sakhya. Viçram-
bha-sakhya does not exist there.
In Sri Rupa Prabhu’s ninth instruction, he
determines the best place to perform bhajana as
follows:
vaikuëöhäj janito varä madhu-puré
taträpi räsotsaväd
våndäraëyam udära-päëi-ramaëät
taträpi govardhanaù
rädhä-kuëòam ihäpi gokula-pateù
premämåtäplävanät
kuryäd asya viräjato giri-taöe
seväà viveké na kaù
The holy place known as Maöhura is spiritually
superior to Vaikuëöha, the transcendental world,
because the Lord appeared there. Superior to
Maöhurapuri is the transcendental forest of Vrn-
davana, because of Krishna’s räsa-lélä pastimes.
And superior to the forest of Vrndavana is Gov-
ardhana Hill, for it was raised by the divine hand
of Sri Krishna and was the site of His various
loving pastimes. And, above all, the superexcel-
lent Sri Radha-kunda stands supreme, for it is
over-flooded with the ambrosial nectarean prema
of the Lord of Gokula, Sri Krishna. Where, then,
is that intelligent person who is unwilling to serve
this divine Radha Kunda, which is situated at the
foot of Govardhana Hill?
As the surrendered maidservants of Sri Radha,
we have to constantly live on the banks of Radha
Kunda. In the conception of Narayana there is
no existence of father and mother. Narayana is
unborn. But when that unborn Lord appears as
the son of Devaki and Vasudeva in Mathura, He
performs the pastime of taking birth. The Lord of
 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
Vaikuntha is unborn. But since that unborn Lord,
due to His inconceivable potency, manifested
His pastime of taking birth, His position as the
Supreme Lord becomes more glorious. Therefore
Mathura is superior to Vaikuntha.
Lord Krishna appears in the pure mind of a prac-
titioner. That pure mind is also Mathura. Many
people consider Maöhura a mythical place, a place
described in fairy tales. Doing so denies Krishna’s
inconceivable potency. By His inconceivable po-
tency Mathura appears along with Krishna in this
material world.
Vrndavana, where Krishna enjoyed the räsa lélä,
is superior to Mathura, where Krishna took birth.
Caitanya-caritämåta (Ädi 1.17) states:
çrémän räsa-rasärambhé
vaàçévaöa-taöa-sthitaù
karñan veëu-svanair gopér
gopé-näthaùçriye ’stu naù
Sri Srila Gopinatha, who originated the tran-
scendental mellow of the räsa dance, stands on
the shore in Vamsivata and attracts the attention
of the cowherd damsels with the sound of His cel-
ebrated flute. May They all confer upon us Their
benedictions.
In Mathura Krishna enjoys His pastimes as an
immature boy. In the räsa-lélä arena He is a mature
boy. Krishna enjoyed the räsa lélä pastimes with
His different types of gopé friends. When Sri Radha
arrived and saw that the special characteristics of
Her service could not be exhibited in a räsa-lélä
that included so many types of gopés, She left the
arena and went to Govardhana. Candravali also
arrived. When Sri Radha saw Sri Krishna sitting
inside a cave at Govardhana with Candravali, She
became very upset. After tactfully deceiving Can-
dravali’s messenger Saibya, Radha's gopé friends,
Tulasi, Dhanistha, and others, sent Candravali
to Sakhisthali. That is why Srila Dasa Gosvami
Prabhupada, who was a staunch follower of Sri
Rupa, offered his obeisances to Sakhisthali from a
distance. After deceiving Candravali, Sri Radha's
followers brought Syamasundara to Radha Kunda.
Sri Govardhana, where Sri Radha-Krish-
na’s most confidential amorous pastimes take
place, is superior to Vrndavana. In his prayer
to Sri Govardhana, Srila Raghunatha dasa
www.ibmedu.org
Issue no 206, Page—5
Gosvami wrote (Stavävalé, Vol. 1, text 6):
yasyäm-mädhava-näviko
rasavatém ädhäya rädhäm-tarau
madhye caïcala-keli-päta-valanät
träsaiù stuvatyäs tataù
sväbhiñöham-paëam ädadhe
vahati sä yasmin mano-jähnavé
kas tam-tan nava-dam-pati-pratibhuvam-govard-
hanam-näçrayet
Who will not take shelter of Govardhana Hill,
where the divine couple enjoy Their rescue-fee
pastimes, and where the Manasa-ganga flows? In
the Manasa-ganga the pilot Madhava took sweetly
beautiful Radha on His boat, and when She, fright-
ened by a great storm, prayed that He calm it, He
claimed from Her as a rescue-fee the fulfillment of
His amorous desires.
Radha-kunda is superior to Govardhana because
it is flooded fully with nectarean love of Sri Krish-
na. Sri Rupa-manjari, who understood Caitanya
Mahaprabhu’s confidential intention, instructed
that service to Radha-kunda, the highest object of
Sri Gaurahari’s internal mood, is the ultimate goal
of all service. Sri Radha-kunda is totally incom-
prehensible and unattainable by followers of the
Nimbarka-sampradaya, by the followers of any
sampradäya under Candravalis guidance, and by
the so-called followers of mädhurya-rasa who are
devoid of devotion to Gaura. Therefore Srila Dasa
Gosvami wrote in his prayer to Sri Radha-kunda
(Stavävalé text 2)
vraja-bhuvi mura-çatroù
preyasénäà nikämair
asulabham api türëaà
prema-kalpa-drumaà tam
janayati hådi bhümau
snätur uccair priyaà yat
tad ati-surabhi rädhä-kuëòam
eväçrayo me
May very dear and fragrant Radha Kunda, which,
for one who bathes in it immediately creates in
the land of the heart a desire tree of pure love rare
even among the gopé beloveds of Lord Krishna in
Vraja, be my shelter.
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya
 Issue no 206, Page — 6
In his tenth instruction Sri Rupa Gosvami has
ascertained who among the devotees is the best:
karmibhyaù parito hareù
priyatayä vyaktià yayur jïäninas
tebhyo jïäna-vimukta-bhakti-paramäù
premaika-niñöhäs tataù
tebhyas täù paçu-päla-paìkaja-dåças
täbhyo ’pi sä rädhikä
preñöhä tadvad iyaà tadéya-sarasé
täà näçrayet kaù kåté
In the çästra it is said that of all types of fruitive
workers, he who is advanced in knowledge of the
higher values of life is favored by the Supreme Lord
Hari. Out of many such people who are advanced
in knowledge [jïänés], one who is practically
liberated by virtue of his knowledge may take to
devotional service. He is superior to the others.
However, one who has actually attained prema,
pure love of Krishna, is superior to him. The gopés
are exalted above all the advanced devotees because
they are always totally dependent upon Sri Krishna,
the transcendental cowherd boy. Among the gopés,
Srimati Radharani is the most dear to Krishna. Her
kunda [lake] is as profoundly dear to Lord Krish-
na as this most beloved of the gopés. Who, then,
will not reside at Radha-kunda, and in a spiritual
body surcharged with ecstatic devotional feelings
[apräkåta-bhäva], render loving service to the di-
vine couple Sri Sri Radha-Govinda, who perform
Their añöa-käléya-lélä, Their eternal eightfold daily
pastimes. Indeed, those who execute devotional
service on the banks of Radha-kunda are the most
fortunate people in the universe.
Only the most fortunate live in the most sanc-
tified place, Sri Radha-kunda, with pure hearts,
and worship Krishna twenty-four hours a day. Sri
Radha-kunda is the topmost section of Goloka, the
most confidential place in the spiritual sky, and the
only shelter for devotees on the platform of mäd-
hurya-rasa. Planets like Bhü, Bhüvaù, and Svaù are
meant for ambitious householders. Above them are
planets like Mahar, Jana, Tapa, and Satya, which
are meant for the celibates. Upakurvaëa-brah-
macärés live in Maharloka, naiñöhika-brahmacärés
attain Janaloka, vänaprasthas attain Tapaloka, and
sannyäsés enjoy in Satyaloka. Bhagavad-gétä (8.16)
confirms:
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org
nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
ä-brahma-bhuvanäl lokäù punar ävartino ’rjuna
mäm 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 to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes
birth again.
The ecstatic spiritual abode of Vaikuntha is
rarely attained even by liberated souls. The Lord’s
devotees who are free from material desire at once
attain that abode after leaving their material bod-
ies. Mathura is superior to Vaikuntha, Vrndavana,
the abode of the räsa-lélä, is superior to Mathura,
Govardhana is superior to Vrndavana, and Rad-
ha-kunda is the best of all.
Srila Sanatana Gosvami Prabhu’s explanation
that the Lord’s abode is three-fourths of the cre-
ation is most scientific. The impersonal Brahman
is situated beyond the Causal Ocean. Imperson-
alists think that ultimately there is nothing there.
They think all the “imaginary” gods as well as the
imaginary form of Brahman will be merged, having
become one. The Hayaçérña Pancarätra states:
yä yäçrutir jalpati nirviçeñaà,
sä säbhidhatte sa-viçeñam eva
vicära-yoge sati hanta täsäà
präyo baléyaù sa-viçeñam eva
Whatever Vedic mantras describe the Absolute
Truth impersonally only prove in the end that the
Absolute Truth is a person. The Supreme Lord is
understood in two features, impersonal and per-
sonal. If one considers the Supreme Personality
of Godhead in both features, he can actually un-
derstand the Absolute Truth. He knows that the
personal understanding is stronger because he can
see that everything is full of variety. No one can
see anything that is not full of variety.
Sriman Mahaprabhu says:
nirviçeña’ täìre kahe yei çruti-gaëa
präkåta’ niñedhi kare ’apräkåta’ sthäpana
Wherever there is an impersonal description
in the Vedas, the Vedas mean to establish that ev-
erything belonging to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead is transcendental and free of mundane
 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
characteristics. (Caitanya-caritämåta Madhya
6.141)
Since they think they have defeated material var-
iegatedness, spiritual variegatedness must similarly
be rejected. Because they think spiritual variegat-
edness must be as illusory as material variegated-
ness, those who pursue this philosophy are called
Mäyävädés. The abode of the impersonal Brahman
lies on the other side of the Causal Ocean. The con-
cept of the Brahman effulgence arises after washing
off the three modes of material nature. But jyotir
abhyantate rupaà atulaàçyämasundaraà: “Within
that effulgence is the beautiful and unique form of
Lord Syamasundara.”
Vaikuntha possesses spiritual variegatedness.
There are two and half rasas found there. The
Supreme Lord is omnipotent; both matter and
spirit are under His control. This is the philosophy
taught by Sri Ramanuja. The Lord is the proprietor
of the material and spiritual energies.
- A lecture given by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada on
the bank of Sri Radha Kunda during his Vraja-mandala Parikrama on Sunday
afternoon, October 16, 1932.
No Possibility Of Achieving
Pure Devotional Service
Srila Vrindavan DasThakura
There is no possibility of achieving pure devo-
tional service by either karma or jïäna. Consider-
ing the qualification of those who cannot or do not
desire to surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord,
the Lord has inaugurated the processes of karma
and jïäna in this world. The conditioned souls
wander throughout the universe while following
karma and jïäna. It is generally found that such
persons have no qualification for achieving devo-
tional service to the Lord. But when the desires for
material enjoyment or liberation of persons who
are on the platform of devotional service mixed
respectively with karma or jïäna are gradually
uprooted, then by the influence of pure devotional
service they can attain eternal supreme auspicious-
ness. Without surrender, neither the karmis nor
the jïänés are qualified for the service of the Lord.
The devotees of the Lord are constantly endeav-
oring to achieve the eternally relishable service of
the Lord. They are never prepared to serve any
temporary, mundane, enjoyable object that is not
www.ibmedu.org
Issue no 206, Page—7
related to the Lord. The Lord awards one the qual-
ification to serve Him according to one’s service
attitude. One should not misunderstand from this
that the conditioned souls may treat the Supreme
Lord as a servant or independently subjugate
Him by considering Him a controlled instrument
for fulfilling one’s illicit desires and expect that
the Lord will serve such an atheist as a so-called
servant. Rather, one must remember that in order
to encourage the demoniac propensity of being
completely controlled by the mundane fruitive
activities of living entities averse to the Lord from
time immemorial—in other words, in order to de-
ceive and bewilder the godless living entities—the
Lord has engaged His external energy, mäyä, on
the pretext of facilitating such living entities. Due
to illusion the conditioned soul accepts the illusory
energy of the Lord as an object of enjoyment, as
dear, as related to him, and as worshipable and
thus embraces misconceptions about the Absolute
Truth, and in this way, rather than worshiping the
Lord, he becomes intoxicated with the desire to
enjoy the fruits of his karma. If one engages in the
uninterrupted and unmotivated devotional service
of the Supreme Lord, who is eternally worshipable,
the proprietor of mäyä, and beyond the reach of
material perception, then such a fortunate living
entity no longer maintains the propensity or desire
for serving temporary, separated, material objects.
Then, on the pretext of accepting service from
His unalloyed devotee, the Lord also serves His
own devotee. Lord Sri Gaurasundara enacted the
pastime of drinking the water that had washed the
feet of a brähmaëa in order to teach and glorify
the propensity for serving the Lord of brähmaëas
who have given up temporary, abominable mate-
rial pride, who have become tåëäd api sunéca and
taror api sahiñëunä, and who have accepted the
transcendental water that has washed the lotus
feet of the eternal Lord Sri Caitanyacandra as the
only drinkable substance in the entire creation.
Being bewildered by the illusory energy of the
Lord, the smärtas and präkåta-sahajiyäs, who are
averse to the Lord and baffled by mäyä, consider
that pure brähmaëas under the shelter of the lo-
tus feet of Sri Caitanya and demoniac brähmaëas
who are averse to Hari, Guru, and Vaiñëava and
opposed to Sri Caitanya are equal; in other words,
they consider that so-called brähmaëas who are
actually kåpaëas, travelers on the path to hell,
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya
 Issue no 206, Page — 8
absorbed in illusory activities not related to the
Lord, and devoid of spiritual knowledge regarding
the inexhaustible, infallible Lord and brähmaëas
who are worshipers of the nondual Lord are of
the same platform; but Sri Gaurasundara displays
the proper conclusion of the verse: çva-päkam iva
nekñeta loke vipram avaiñëavam—“If a person born
in a brähmaëa family is an a vaiñëava, a nondevotee,
one should not see his face, exactly as one should
not look upon the face of a caëòäla, or dog-eater,”
and as a bona fide spiritual master, He brings eter-
nal auspiciousness to those präkåta-sahajiyäs and
smärtas by opening their eyes, which are covered
by the darkness of ignorance. While distorting
the meaning of the Bhagavad-gétä (Bg 4.11) verse:
ye yathä mäà prapadyante täàs tathaiva bhajämy
aham, persons who do not follow Vedic princi-
ples, who commit mistakes, who are duplicitous,
intoxicated, short-sighted, habituated to cheating
others, and expert in material knowledge exhibit
a type of foolishness that simply results in distor-
tion and change of the actual meaning. They are
indifferent to understanding the meaning of the
word prapanna, or surrender, and consider proud
non-Vaiñëava living entities who are devoid of
surrender on the same platform as surrendered
Vaiñëavas. They are fully engaged in activities that
are detrimental to the neophytes of this world who
are ignorant of scriptural conclusions, in other
words, they ruin them. Only those devotees who
are nonduplicitous, surrendered worshipers of the
Lord are qualified to serve the Lord, and the Lord
also reciprocates by awarding His own rare, loving
devotional service to such liberated souls. The Lord
never reciprocates with deceitful, nondevoted per-
sons who desire liberation. In Çrémad Bhägavatam
(5.6.18) it is stated:
astv evam aìga bhagavän bhajatäà mukundo
muktià dadäti karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam
“Therefore, O King, those engaged in getting the
Lord’s favor attain liberation from the Lord very
easily, but He does not very easily give the oppor-
tunity to render direct service unto Him.” Mäyä,
as the Lord’s maidservant, bewilders the averse
living entities into accepting the Supreme Lord
as a product of matter, while in fact she is further
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org
nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
increasing the averse living entities’ entanglement
in the material modes of nature.
Five types of devotional rasas are exchanged be-
tween the devotees and the worshipable Lord, who
is beyond the perception of material senses and the
only viñaya, or object, of all rasas. The Lord, as the
viñaya, can favorably accept any one of five types
of rasas. In His form of Narayana, the Lord accepts
two and half types of rasas—çänta (neutrality),
däsya (servitorship), and gaurava-sakhya (friend-
ship in awe and veneration)—from His devotees
on the path of regulative devotional service, and as
Vrajendra-nandana Krishna He accepts the other
two and half superior rasas—viçrambha-sakhya
(friendship in equality), vätsalya (parental), and
madhura (conjugal)—from His devotees on the
path of anuräga, or attachment. In this way He
awards any one of the above-mentioned five
rasas to His devotees on the path of attachment
and thus exhibits His qualities of bhakta-vätsalya,
affection for His devotees, and bhakta-premädhénat-
va, being controlled by the love of His devotees.
- Çré Caitanya-bhägavata - Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura Ädi-khaëòa 17.26
Edited and Published by Punòarika Vidyanidhi dasa Vrajraj Press
!! Sri Sri Nitai Gaurchandra Jayati !!
ISKCON
Bhägavata Mahävidyalaya
is a branch of
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Founder-Acarya: His Divine Grace
A.C. BhaktiVedanta Swami Prabhupada
Editor
Brajsunder Das
Copy Editor
Isha Prakash Das
Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada
©Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
©All the paintings are copyrights of their respective artists.