Madhya22.110

TEXT 110

tasmād bhārata sarvātmā

bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ

śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca

smartavyaś cecchatābhayam

SYNONYMS

tasmāt-therefore; bhārata-O descendant of Bharata; sarva-ātmā-the all pervasive Lord, who is situated in everyone’s heart; bhagavān-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; hariḥ-Lord Hari, who takes away all the miserable conditions of material existence; īśvaraḥ-the supreme controller; śrotavyaḥ-to be heard about (from bona fide sources); kīrtitavyaḥ-to be glorified (as one has heard); ca-also; smartavyaḥ-to be remembered; ca-and; icchatā-by a person desiring; abhayam-freedom from the fearful condition of material existence.

TRANSLATION

" ’O descendant of Bharata! O Mahārāja Parīkṣit! The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in everyone’s heart as Paramātmā, who is the supreme controller and who always removes the miseries of living entities, must always be heard about from reliable sources, and He must be glorified and remembered by one who wishes to become fearless.’

PURPORT

Madhya22.111

TEXT 111

mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ

puruṣasyāśramaiḥ saha

catvāro jajñire varṇā

guṇair viprādayaḥ pṛthak

SYNONYMS

mukha—the mouth; bāhu—the arms; ūru—the waist; pādebhyaḥ—from the legs; puruṣasya—of the supreme person; āśramaiḥ—the different spiritual orders; saha—with; catvāraḥ—the four; jajñire—appeared; varṇāḥ—social orders; guṇaiḥ—with particular qualifications; vipra-ādayaḥ—brāhmaṇas, etc.; pṛthak—separately.

TRANSLATION

" ’From the mouth of Brahmā, the brahminical order has come into existence. Similarly, from his arms the kṣatriyas have come, from his waist the vaiśyas have come and from his legs the śūdras have come. These four orders and their spiritual counterparts [brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa] combine to make human society complete.

PURPORT

This verse and the next are quotations from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.2-3).

Madhya22.112

TEXT 112

ya eṣāṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād

ātma-prabhavam īśvaram

na bhajanty avajānanti

sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ

SYNONYMS

ye—those who; eṣām—of those divisions of social and spiritual orders; puruṣam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sākṣāt—directly; ātma-prabhavam—the source of everyone; īśvaram—the supreme controller; na—not; bhajanti—worship; avajānanti—or who neglect; sthānāt—from their proper place; bhraṣṭāḥ—being fallen; patanti—fall; adhaḥ—downward into hellish conditions.

TRANSLATION

" ’If one simply maintains an official position in the four varṇas and āśramas but does not worship the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, he falls down from his puffed-up position into a hellish condition.’

Madhya22.113

TEXT 113

smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur

vismartavyo na jātucit

sarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur

etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ

SYNONYMS

smartavyaḥ—to be remembered; satatam—always; viṣṇuḥ—Lord Viṣṇu; vismartavyaḥ—to be forgotten; na—not; jātucit—at any time; sarve—all; vidhi-niṣedhāḥ—rules and prohibitions mentioned in the revealed scripture or given by the spiritual master; syuḥ—should be; etayoḥ—of these two principles (always to remember Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu and never to forget Him); eva—certainly; kiṅkarāḥ—the servants.

TRANSLATION

" ’Kṛṣṇa is the origin of Lord Viṣṇu. He should always be remembered and never forgotten at any time. All the rules and prohibitions mentioned in the śāstras should be the servants of these two principles.’

PURPORT

This verse is a quotation from the Padma Purāṇa. There are many regulative principles in the śāstras and directions given by the spiritual master. These regulative principles should act as servants of the basic principle-that is, one should always remember Kṛṣṇa and never forget Him. This is possible when one chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Therefore one must strictly chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra twenty-four hours daily. One may have other duties to perform under the direction of the spiritual master, but he must first abide by the spiritual master’s order to chant a certain number of rounds. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we have recommended that the neophyte chant at least sixteen rounds. This chanting of sixteen rounds is absolutely necessary if one wants to remember Kṛṣṇa and not forget Him. Of all the regulative principles, the spiritual master’s order to chant at least sixteen rounds is most essential.

One may sell books or enlist life members or render some other service, but these duties are not ordinary duties. These duties serve as an impetus for remembering Kṛṣṇa. When one goes with a saṅkīrtana party or sells books, he naturally remembers that he is going to sell Kṛṣṇa’s books. In this way, he is remembering Kṛṣṇa. When one goes to enlist a life member, he talks about Kṛṣṇa and thereby remembers Him. Smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur vismartavyo na jātucit. The conclusion is that one must act in such a way that he will always remember Kṛṣṇa, and one must refrain from doing things that make him forget Kṛṣṇa. These two principles form the basic background of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Madhya22.114

TEXT 114

vividhāṅga sādhana-bhaktira bahuta vistāra

saṅkṣepe kahiye kichu sādhanāṅga-sāra

SYNONYMS

vividha-aṅga—varieties of limbs (regulative principles); sādhana-bhaktira—of regulative devotional service; bahuta—many; vistāra—expansions; saṅkṣepe—in brief; kahiye—I shall speak; kichu—something; sādhana-aṅga-sāra—the essential parts of the practice of devotional service.

TRANSLATION

"I shall say something about the various practices of devotional service, which is expanded in so many ways. I wish to speak briefly of the essential practices.

Madhya22.115

TEXT 115

guru-pādāśraya, dīkṣā, gurura sevana

sad-dharma-śikṣā, pṛcchā, sādhu-mārgānugamana

SYNONYMS

guru-pāda-āśraya—shelter at the feet of a bona fide spiritual master; dīkṣā—initiation by the spiritual master; gurura sevana—service to the spiritual master; sat-dharma-śikṣā—instruction in the transcendental process of devotional service; pṛcchā—and inquiry; sādhu-mārga—the path of transcendental devotional service; anugamana—following strictly.

TRANSLATION

"On the path of regulative devotional service, one must observe the following items: (1) One must accept a bona fide spiritual master. (2) Accept initiation from him. (3) Serve him. (4) Receive instructions from the spiritual master and make inquiries in order to learn devotional service. (5) Follow in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas and follow the directions given by the spiritual master.

Madhya22.116

TEXT 116

kṛṣṇa-prītye bhoga-tyāga, kṛṣṇa-tīrthe vāsa

yāvan-nirvāha-pratigraha, ekādaśy-upavāsa

SYNONYMS

kṛṣṇa-prītye—for satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa; bhoga-tyāga—acceptance and rejection of something; kṛṣṇa-tīrthe vāsa—residence in a place where Kṛṣṇa is situated; yāvat-nirvāha—as much as required to keep the body and soul together; pratigraha—acceptance of gifts; ekādaśī-upavāsa—observance of fasting on the Ekādaśī day.

TRANSLATION

"The next steps are as follows: (6) One should be prepared to give up everything for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction, and one should also accept everything for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction. (7) One must live in a place where Kṛṣṇa is present-a city like Vṛndāvana or Mathurā or a Kṛṣṇa temple. (8) One should acquire a livelihood that is just sufficient to keep body and soul together. (9) One must fast on Ekādaśī day.

Madhya22.117

TEXT 117

dhātry-aśvattha-go-vipra-vaiṣṇava-pūjana

sevā-nāmāparādhādi dūre visarjana

SYNONYMS

dhātrī—a type of tree; aśvattha—the banyan trees; go—the cows; vipra—the brāhmaṇas; vaiṣṇava—the devotees of Lord Viṣṇu; pūjana—worshiping; sevā—in devotional service; nāma—in chanting of the holy name; aparādha-ādi—the offenses; dūre—far away; visarjana—giving up.

TRANSLATION

"One should worship dhātrī trees, banyan trees, cows, brāhmaṇas and devotees of Lord Viṣṇu. One should avoid offenses against devotional service and the holy name.

There are ten items in the beginning of devotional service, up to the point of worshiping the dhātrī tree, banyan tree, cow, brāhmaṇa and devotee of Lord Viṣṇu. The eleventh item is to avoid offenses when rendering devotional service and chanting the holy names.

Madhya22.118

TEXT 118

avaiṣṇava-saṅga-tyāga, bahu-śiṣya nā kariba

bahu-grantha-kalābhyāsa-vyākhyāna varjiba

SYNONYMS

avaiṣṇava—of one who is not a devotee of the Lord; saṅga—the association; tyāga—giving up; bahu-śiṣya—an unlimited number of disciples; nā kariba—should not accept; bahu-grantha—of many different types of scriptures; kalā-abhyāsa—studying a portion; vyākhyāna—and explanation; varjiba—we should give up.

TRANSLATION

"The twelfth item is to give up the company of nondevotees. (13) One should not accept an unlimited number of disciples. (14) One should not partially study many scriptures just to be able to give references and expand explanations.

PURPORT

Accepting an unlimited number of devotees or disciples is very risky for one who is not a preacher. According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, a preacher has to accept many disciples to expand the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This is risky because when a spiritual master accepts a disciple, he naturally accepts the disciple’s sinful activities and their reactions. Unless he is very powerful, he cannot assimilate all the sinful reactions of his disciples. Thus if he is not powerful, he has to suffer the consequences, for one is forbidden to accept many disciples.

One should not partially study a book just to pose oneself as a great scholar by being able to refer to scriptures. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we have therefore limited our study of Vedic literatures to Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta and Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. These four works are sufficient for preaching purposes. They are adequate for the understanding of the philosophy and the spreading of missionary activities all over the world. If one studies a particular book, he must do so thoroughly. That is the principle. By thoroughly studying a limited number of books, one can understand the philosophy.

Madhya22.119

TEXT 119

hāni-lābhe sama, śokādira vaśa nā ha-iba

anya-deva, anya-śāstra nindā nā kariba

SYNONYMS

hāni—in loss; lābhe—in gain; sama—equal; śoka-ādira—of lamentation and so on; vaśa—under the control; nā ha-iba—we should not be; anya-deva—other demigods; anya-śāstra—other scriptures; nindā—criticizing; nā kariba—we should not do.

TRANSLATION

"Fifteen: The devotee should treat loss and gain equally. (16) The devotee should not be overwhelmed by lamentation. (17) The devotee should not worship demigods, nor should he disrespect them. Similarly, the devotee should not study or criticize other scriptures.

Madhya22.120

TEXT 120

viṣṇu-vaiṣṇava-nindā, grāmya-vārtā nā śuniba

prāṇi-mātre manovākye udvega nā diba

SYNONYMS

viṣṇu-vaiṣṇava-nindā—blaspheming of Lord Viṣṇu and His devotee; grāmya-vārtā—ordinary talks; nā śuniba—we should not hear; prāṇi-mātre—to any living entity however insignificant; manaḥ-vākye—by mind or by words; udvega—anxiety; nā diba—we should not give.

TRANSLATION

"Eighteen: The devotee should not hear Lord Viṣṇu or His devotees blasphemed. (19) The devotee should avoid reading or hearing newspapers or mundane books that contain stories of love affairs between men and women or subjects palatable to the senses. (20) Neither by mind nor words should the devotee cause anxiety to any living entity, regardless how insignificant he may be.

PURPORT

The first ten items are dos and the second ten items are don’ts. Thus the first ten items give direct action, and the second ten items give indirect action.

Madhya22.121

TEXT 121

śravaṇa, kīrtana, smaraṇa, pūjana, vandana

paricaryā, dāsya, sakhya, ātma-nivedana

SYNONYMS

śravaṇa—hearing; kīrtana—chanting; smaraṇa—remembering; pūjana—worshiping; vandana—praying; paricaryā—serving; dāsya—accepting servitorship; sakhya—friendship; ātma-nivedana—surrendering fully.

TRANSLATION

"After one is established in devotional service, the positive actions are (1) hearing, (2) chanting, (3) remembering, (4) worshiping, (5) praying, (6) serving, (7) accepting servitorship, (8) becoming a friend and (9) surrendering fully.

Madhya22.122

TEXT 122

agre nṛtya, gīta, vijñapti, daṇḍavan-nati

abhyūtthāna, anuvrajyā, tīrtha-gṛhe gati

SYNONYMS

agre nṛtya—dancing before the Deity; gīta—songs; vijñapti—opening the mind; daṇḍavat-nati—offering obeisances; abhyūtthāna—stand up; anuvrajyā—following; tīrtha-gṛhe gati—going to temples and places of pilgrimage.

TRANSLATION

"One should also (10) dance before the Deity, (11) sing before the Deity, (12) open one’s mind to the Deity, (13) offer obeisances to the Deity, (14) stand up before the Deity and the spiritual master just to show them respect, (15) follow the Deity or the spiritual master and (16) visit different places of pilgrimage or go see the Deity in the temple.

Madhya22.123

TEXT 123

parikramā, stava-pāṭha, japa, saṅkīrtana

dhūpa-mālya-gandha-mahāprasāda-bhojana

SYNONYMS

parikramā—circumambulation; stava-pāṭha—recitation of different prayers; japa—chanting softly; saṅkīrtana—chanting congregationally; dhūpa—incense; mālya—flower garlands; gandha—scents; mahā-prasāda—remnants of food offered to Viṣṇu; bhojana—eating or enjoying.

TRANSLATION

"One should (17) circumambulate the temple, (18) recite various prayers, (19) chant softly, (20) chant congregationally, (21) smell the incense and flower garlands offered to the Deity, and (22) eat the remnants of food offered to the Deity.

Madhya22.124

TEXT 124

ārātrika-mahotsava-śrīmūrti-darśana

nija-priya-dāna, dhyāna, tadīya-sevana

SYNONYMS

ārātrika—ārati; mahotsava-festivals; śrīmūrti-darśana—seeing the Deity; nija-priya-dāna—to present to the Lord something very dear to oneself; dhyāna—meditation; tadīya-sevana—rendering service to those related to the Lord.

TRANSLATION

"One should (23) attend ārati and festivals, (24) see the Deity, (25) present what is very dear to oneself to the Deity, (26) meditate, and (27) serve those related to the Lord.

Madhya22.125

TEXT 125

’tadīya’--tulasī, vaiṣṇava, mathurā, bhāgavata

ei cārira sevā haya kṛṣṇera abhimata

SYNONYMS

tadīya—related to the Lord; tulasī—tulasī leaves; vaiṣṇava—devotees; mathurā—the birthplace of Kṛṣṇa; bhāgavata—Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; ei cārira—of these four; sevā—the service; haya—is; kṛṣṇera abhimata—the desire of Kṛṣṇa.

TRANSLATION

"Tadīya means the tulasī leaves, the devotees of Kṛṣṇa, the birthplace of Kṛṣṇa, Mathurā, and the Vedic literature Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Kṛṣṇa is very eager to see His devotee serve tulasī, Vaiṣṇavas, Mathurā and Bhāgavatam.

PURPORT

After item twenty-six (meditation), the twenty-seventh is to serve tulasī, the twenty-eighth is to serve the Vaiṣṇava, the twenty-ninth is to live in Mathurā, the birthplace of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and the thirtieth is to read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly.

Madhya22.126

TEXT 126

kṛṣṇārthe akhila-ceṣṭā, tat-kṛpāvalokana

janma-dinādi-mahotsava lañā bhakta-gaṇa

SYNONYMS

kṛṣṇa-arthe—for the sake of Kṛṣṇa; akhila-ceṣṭā—all activity; tat-kṛpa-avalokana—looking for His mercy; janma-dina-ādi—the appearance day and so on; mahotsava—festivals; lañā bhakta-gaṇa—with devotees.

TRANSLATION

"Thirty-one: One should perform all endeavors for Kṛṣṇa. (32) One should look forward to His mercy. (33) One should partake of various ceremonies with devotees, ceremonies like Lord Kṛṣṇa’s birthday or Rāmacandra’s birthday.

Madhya22.127

TEXT 127

sarvathā śaraṇāpatti, kārtikādi-vrata

’catuḥ-ṣaṣṭi aṅga’ ei parama-mahattva

SYNONYMS

sarvathā—in all respects; śaraṇa-āpatti—surrender; kārtika-ādi-vrata—to observe special vows in the month of Kārttika; catuḥ-ṣaṣṭi aṅga—sixty-four parts; ei—this; parama-mahattva—very important items.

TRANSLATION

"Thirty-four: One should surrender to Kṛṣṇa in all respects. (35) One should observe particular vows like kārtika-vrata. These are some of the sixty-four important items of devotional service.

Madhya22.128

TEXT 128

sādhu-saṅga, nāma-kīrtana, bhāgavata-śravaṇa

mathurā-vāsa, śrī-mūrtira śraddhāya sevana

SYNONYMS

sādhu-saṅga—association with devotees; nāma-kīrtana—chanting the holy name; bhāgavata-śravaṇa—hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; mathurā-vāsa—living at Mathurā; śrī-mūrtira śraddhāya sevana—worshiping the Deity with faith and veneration.

TRANSLATION

"One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, reside at Mathurā and worship the Deity with faith and veneration.

Madhya22.129

TEXT 129

sakala-sādhana-śreṣṭha ei pañca aṅga

kṛṣṇa-prema janmāya ei pāṅcera alpa saṅga

SYNONYMS

sakala-sādhana—of all items for executing devotional service; śreṣṭha—the best; ei pañca aṅga—these five limbs; kṛṣṇa-prema—love of Kṛṣṇa; janmāya—awakens; ei—these; pāṅcera—of the five; alpa saṅga—slight association with or performance.

TRANSLATION

"These five limbs of devotional service are the best of all. Even a slight performance of these five awakens love for Kṛṣṇa.

PURPORT

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura points out that there are thirty-five items up to the point of observing special vows in the month of Kārttika. To these thirty-five items, another four are added-namely marking tilaka on different parts of the body, writing the names of the Lord all over the body, accepting the Deity’s garland and accepting caraṇāmṛta. These four items are understood to be included by Kavirāja Gosvāmī within arcana, worship of the Deity. Although these items are not mentioned here, they are to be added to the previous thirty-five items. Thus the total number becomes thirty-nine. To these thirty-nine should be added five others: association with devotees, chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly, residing in Mathurā, the birthplace of Kṛṣṇa, and worshiping the Deity with great respect and veneration. The thirty-nine items plus these five come to a total of forty-four. If we add the previous twenty items to these forty-four, the total number becomes sixty-four. The five items mentioned above repeat previously mentioned items. In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī states:

aṅgānāṁ pañcakasyāsya
pūrva-vilikhitasya ca
nikhila-śraiṣṭhya-bodhāya
punar apy atra śaṁsanam

"The glorification of these five items [association with devotees, chanting the holy name and so on] is to make known the complete superiority of these five practices of devotional service.

The sixty-four items of devotional service include all the activities of the body, mind and senses. Thus the sixty-four items engage one in devotional service in all respects.

Madhya22.130

TEXT 130

śraddhā viśeṣataḥ prītiḥ

śrī-mūrter aṅghri-sevane

SYNONYMS

śraddhā—faith; viśeṣataḥ—particularly; prītiḥ—love; śrī-mūrteḥ—of the Deity form of the Lord; aṅghri-sevane—in service of the lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

" ’One should have full faith and Iove in worshiping the lotus feet of the Deity.

PURPORT

This verse and the following two verses are found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.90-92).

Madhya22.131

TEXT 131

śrīmad-bhāgavatārthānām

āsvādo rasikaiḥ saha

sajātīyāśaye snigdhe

sādhau saṅgaḥ svato vare

SYNONYMS

śrīmad-bhāgavata—of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; arthānām—of the meanings; āsvādaḥ—enjoying the taste; rasikaiḥ saha—with the devotees; sa-jātīya—similar; āśaye—endowed with a desire; snigdhe—advanced in devotional affection; sādhau—with a devotee; saṅgaḥ—association; svataḥ—for one’s self; vare—better.

TRANSLATION

" ’One should taste the meaning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the association of pure devotees, and one should associate with the devotees who are more advanced than oneself and endowed with a similar type of affection for the Lord.

PURPORT

The words sajātīyāśaye snigdhe sādhau saṅgaḥ svato vare are very important items. One should not associate with professional Bhāgavatam reciters. A professional Bhāgavatam reciter is one who is not in the disciplic succession or one who has no taste for bhakti-yoga. Simply on the strength of grammatical knowledge and word jugglery, professional reciters maintain their bodies and their desires for sense gratification by reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. One should also avoid those who are averse to Lord Viṣṇu and His devotees, those who are Māyāvādīs, those who offend the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, those who simply dress as Vaiṣṇavas or so-called gosvāmīs, and those who make a business by selling Vedic mantras and reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to maintain their families. One should not try to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from such materialistic people. According to the Vedic injunctions: yasya deve parā bhaktiḥ. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam can only be recited by one who has unflinching faith in the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and His devotee, the spiritual master. One should try to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the spiritual master. The Vedic injunction states: bhaktyā bhāgavataṁ grāhyaṁ na buddhyā na ca ṭīkayā. One has to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam through the process of devotional service and by hearing the recitation of a pure devotee. These are the injunctions of Vedic literature-śruti and smṛti. Those who are not in the disciplic succession and who are not pure devotees cannot understand the real mysterious objective of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā.

Madhya22.132

TEXT 132

nāma-saṅkīrtanaṁ śrīman-

mathurā-maṇḍale sthitiḥ

SYNONYMS

nāma-saṅkīrtanam—chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra; śrīman-mathurā-maṇḍale—in Mathurā, where Kṛṣṇa specifically performs His pastimes; sthitiḥ—residence.

TRANSLATION

" ’One should congregationally chant the holy name of the Lord and reside in Vṛndāvana.’

PURPORT

Navadvīpa-dhāma, Jagannātha Purī-dhāma and Vṛndāvana-dhāma are considered to be identical. If one goes to Mathurā-maṇḍala-bhūmi for sense gratification or to make a livelihood, he commits an offense and is condemned. Whoever does so must be penalized in the next life by becoming a hog or a monkey in Vṛndāvana-dhāma. After taking on such a body, the offender is liberated in the next life. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura remarks that residing in Vṛndāvana with a view to enjoy sense gratification surely leads a so-called devotee to a lower species.

Madhya22.133

TEXT 133

durūhādbhuta-vīrye ’smin

śraddhā dūre ’stu pañcake

yatra svalpo ’pi sambandhaḥ

sad-dhiyāṁ bhāva-janmane

SYNONYMS

durūha—difficult to be reconciled; adbhuta—wonderful; vīrye—in the power; asmin—in this; śraddhā—faith; dūre—far away; astu—let it be; pañcake—in the above-mentioned five principles; yatra—in which; svalpaḥ—a little; api—even; sambandhaḥ—connection; sat-dhiyām—of those who are intelligent and offenseless; bhāva-janmane—to awaken one’s dormant love for Kṛṣṇa.

TRANSLATION

" ’The power of these five principles is very wonderful and difficult to reconcile. Even without faith in them, a person who is offenseless can experience dormant love of Kṛṣṇa simply by being a little connected with them.’

PURPORT

This verse is also found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.238).

Madhya22.134

TEXT 134

’eka’ aṅga sādhe, keha sādhe ’bahu’ aṅga

’niṣṭhā’ haile upajaya premera taraṅga

SYNONYMS

eka—one; aṅga—portion; sādhe—executes; keha—someone; sādhe—executes; bahu—many; aṅga—portions; niṣṭhā—firm faith; haile—if there is; upa-jaya—awaken; premera—of love of Godhead; taraṅga—the waves.

TRANSLATION

"When one is firmly fixed in devotional service, whether he executes one or many processes of devotional service, the waves of love of Godhead will awaken.

PURPORT

The processes of devotional service are śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam.

Madhya22.135

TEXT 135

’eka’ aṅge siddhi pāila bahu bhakta-gaṇa

ambarīṣādi bhaktera ’bahu’ aṅga-sādhana

SYNONYMS

eka aṅge—by one portion; siddhi—perfection; pāila—achieved; bahu—many; bhakta-gaṇa—devotees; ambarīṣa-ādi—King Ambarīṣa Mahārāja and others; bhaktera—of devotees; bahu aṅga-sādhana—execution of many processes of devotional service.

TRANSLATION

"There are many devotees who execute only one of the nine processes of devotional service. Nonetheless, they get ultimate success. Devotees like Mahārāja Ambarīṣa execute all nine items and they also get ultimate success.

Madhya22.136

TEXT 136

śrī-viṣṇoḥ śravaṇe parīkṣid abhavad vaiyāsakiḥ kīrtane

prahlādaḥ smaraṇe tad-aṅghri-bhajane lakṣmīḥ pṛthuḥ pūjane

akrūras tv abhivandane kapi-patir dāsye ’tha sakhye ’rjunaḥ

sarvasvātma-nivedane balir abhūt kṛṣṇāptir eṣāṁ parā

SYNONYMS

śrī-viṣṇoḥ—of Lord Śrī Viṣṇu; śravaṇe—in hearing; parīkṣit—King Parīkṣit, known also as Viṣṇurāta, or one who is protected by Lord Viṣṇu; abhavat—was; vaiyāsakiḥ—Śukadeva Gosvāmī; kīrtane—in reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; prahlādaḥ—Mahārāja Prahlāda; smaraṇe—in remembering; tat-aṅghri—of Lord Viṣṇu’s lotus feet; bhajane—in serving; lakṣmīḥ—the goddess of fortune; pṛthuḥ—Mahārāja Pṛthu; pūjane—in worshiping the Deity of the Lord; akrūraḥ—Akrūra; tu—but; abhivandane—in offering prayers; kapi-patiḥ—Hanumānjī, or Vajrāṅgajī; dāsye—in servitude to Lord Rāmacandra; atha—moreover; sakhye—in friendship; arjunaḥ—Arjuna; sarvasva-ātma-nivedane—in fully dedicating oneself; baliḥ—Mahārāja Bali; abhūt—was; kṛṣṇa-āptiḥ—the achievement of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa; eṣām—of all of them; parā—transcendental.

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT

This verse appears in the Padyāvalī (53) and the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.265).

Madhya22.137-139

TEXTS 137-139

sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor

vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane

karau harer mandira-mārjanādiṣu

śrutiṁ cakārācyuta-sat-kathodaye

mukunda-liṅgālaya-darśane dṛśau

tad-bhṛtya-gātra-sparaśe ’ṅga-saṅgamam

ghrāṇaṁ ca tat-pāda-saroja-saurabhe

śrīmat-tulasyā rasanāṁ tad-arpite

pādau hareḥ kṣetra-padānusarpaṇe

śiro hṛṣīkeśa-padābhivandane

kāmaṁ ca dāsye na tu kāma-kāmyayā

yathottamaḥśloka-janāśrayā ratiḥ

SYNONYMS

saḥ—he (Mahārāja Ambarīṣa); vai—certainly; manaḥ—the mind; kṛṣṇa-pada-aravindayoḥ—on the two lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa; vacāṁsi—words; vaikuṇṭha-guṇa-anuvarṇane—in describing the transcendental character of Kṛṣṇa; karau—the two hands; hareḥ—of Lord Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu; mandira-mārjana-ādiṣu—in cleansing the temple of Hari and similar other duties; śrutim—the ears; cakāra—engaged; acyuta—of the Lord; sat-kathā-udaye—in the arising of transcendental topics; mukunda-liṅga—of the Deities of the Lord; ālaya—temples; darśane—in visiting; dṛśau—the two eyes; tat-bhṛtya—of the servants of the Lord; gātra—the bodies; sparaśe—in touching; aṅga-saṅgamam—bodily contact such as embracing or touching the lotus feet; ghrāṇam—the sensation of smell; ca—and; tat-pāda-saroja—of the Lord’s lotus feet; saurabhe—in the fragrance; śrīmat—most auspicious; tulasyāḥ—of tulasī leaves; rasanām—the tongue; tat-arpite—in food offered to the Lord; pādau—the two feet; hareḥ—of the Lord; kṣetra—the place of pilgrimage; pada-anusarpaṇe—in walking to; śiraḥ—the head; hṛṣīkeśa—of the Lord of the senses, the Personality of Godhead; pada-abhivandane—in offering prayers at the lotus feet; kāmam—all desires; dāsye—in serving the Lord; na—not; tu—but; kāma-kāmyayā—with a desire for sense gratification; yathā—as much as; uttamaḥ-śloka—of the Lord, who is worshiped by selected poems; jana—in the devotee; āśrayā—having shelter; ratiḥ—attachment.

TRANSLATION

" ’Mahārāja Ambarīṣa always engaged his mind at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, his words in describing the spiritual world and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his hands in cleansing and washing the Lord’s temple, his ears in hearing topics about the Supreme Lord, his eyes in seeing the Deity of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the temple, his body in touching the lotus feet of Vaiṣṇavas and embracing them, his nostrils in smelling the aroma of the tulasī leaves offered to Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, his tongue in tasting food offered to Kṛṣṇa, his legs in going to places of pilgrimage like Vṛndāvana and Mathurā or to the Lord’s temple, and his head in touching the lotus feet of the Lord and offering Him prayers. Thus Mahārāja Ambarīṣa desired only to serve the Lord faithfully. In this way he engaged his senses in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. As a result, he awakened his dormant loving propensity for the Lord’s service.’

PURPORT

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