Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 7: “The Science of God”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Ten
Prahlāda, the Best Among Exalted Devotees
SB7.10Summary
This chapter describes how the Supreme Personality of Godhead Nṛsiṁhadeva disappeared, after pleasing Prahlāda Mahārāja. It also describes a benediction given by Lord Śiva.
Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva wanted to bestow benedictions upon Prahlāda Mahārāja, one after another, but Prahlāda Mahārāja, thinking them impediments on the path of spiritual progress, did not accept any of them. Instead, he fully surrendered at the Lord’s lotus feet. He said: “If anyone engaged in the devotional service of the Lord prays for personal sense gratification, he cannot be called a pure devotee or even a devotee. He may be called only a merchant engaged in the business of give and take. Similarly, a master who wants to please his servant after taking service from him is also not a real master.” Prahlāda Mahārāja, therefore, did not ask anything from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Rather, he said that if the Lord wanted to give him a benediction, he wanted the Lord to assure him that he would never be induced to take any benedictions for the sake of material desires. Exchanges of devotional service for lusty desires are always very prominent. As soon as lusty desires awaken, one’s senses, mind, life, soul, religious principles, patience, intelligence, shyness, beauty, strength, memory and truthfulness are all vanquished. One can render unalloyed devotional service only when there are no material desires in one’s mind.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead was greatly pleased with Prahlāda Mahārāja for his unalloyed devotion, yet the Lord provided him one material benediction—that he would be perfectly happy in this world and live his next life in Vaikuṇṭha. The Lord gave him the benediction that he would be the king of this material world until the end of the manvantara millennium and that although in this material world, he would have the facility to hear the glories of the Lord and depend fully on the Lord, performing service to Him in uncontaminated bhakti-yoga. The Lord advised Prahlāda to perform sacrifices through bhakti-yoga, for this is the duty of a king.
Prahlāda Mahārāja accepted whatever the Lord had offered him, and he prayed for the Lord to deliver his father. In response to this prayer, the Lord assured him that in the family of such a pure devotee as he, not only the devotee’s father but his forefathers for twenty-one generations are liberated. The Lord also asked Prahlāda to perform the ritualistic ceremonies appropriate after his father’s death.
Then Lord Brahmā, who was also present, offered many prayers to the Lord, expressing his obligation to the Lord for having offered benedictions to Prahlāda Mahārāja. The Lord advised Lord Brahmā not to offer benedictions to asuras as he had to Hiraṇyakaśipu, for such benedictions indulge them. Then Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva disappeared. On that day, Prahlāda Mahārāja was installed on the throne of the world by Lord Brahmā and Śukrācārya.
Thus Nārada Muni described the character of Prahlāda Mahārāja for Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, and he further described the killing of Rāvaṇa by Lord Rāmacandra and the killing of Śiśupāla and Dantavakra in Dvāpara-yuga. Śiśupāla, of course, had merged into the existence of the Lord and thus achieved sāyujya-mukti. Nārada Muni praised Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja because the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, was the greatest well-wisher and friend of the Pāṇḍavas and almost always stayed in their house. Thus the fortune of the Pāṇḍavas was greater than that of Prahlāda Mahārāja.
Later, Nārada Muni described how the demon Maya Dānava constructed Tripura for the demons, who became very powerful and defeated the demigods. Because of this defeat, Lord Rudra, Śiva, dismantled Tripura; thus he became famous as Tripurāri. For this, Rudra is very much appreciated and worshiped by the demigods. This narration occurs at the end of the chapter.
SB7.10.1 TEXT 1 śrī-nārada uvāca bhakti-yogasya tat sarvam antarāyatayārbhakaḥ manyamāno hṛṣīkeśaṁ smayamāna uvāca ha SYNONYMS śrī-nāradaḥ uvāca—Nārada Muni said; bhakti-yogasya—of the principles of devotional service; tat—those (blessings or benedictions offered by Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva); sarvam—each and every one of them; antarāyatayā—because of being impediments (on the path of bhakti-yoga); arbhakaḥ—Prahlāda Mahārāja, although only a boy; manyamānaḥ—considering; hṛṣīkeśam—unto Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva; smayamānaḥ—smiling; uvāca—said; ha—in the past.
TRANSLATION The saint Nārada Muni continued: Although Prahlāda Mahārāja was only a boy, when he heard the benedictions offered by Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva he considered them impediments on the path of devotional service. Thus he smiled very mildly and spoke as follows. PURPORT Material achievements are not the ultimate goal of devotional service. The ultimate goal of devotional service is love of Godhead. Therefore although Prahlāda Mahārāja, Dhruva Mahārāja, Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja and many devotee kings were materially very opulent, they accepted their material opulence in the service of the Lord, not for their personal sense gratification. Of course, possessing material opulence is always fearful because under the influence of material opulence one may be misdirected from devotional service. Nonetheless, a pure devotee (anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11]) is never misdirected by material opulence. On the contrary, whatever he possesses he engages one hundred percent in the service of the Lord. When one is allured by material possessions, they are considered to be given by māyā, but when one uses material possessions fully for service, they are considered God’s gifts, or facilities offered by Kṛṣṇa for enhancing one’s devotional service.
SB7.10.2 TEXT 2 śrī-prahrāda uvāca mā māṁ pralobhayotpattyā saktaṁkāmeṣu tair varaiḥ tat-saṅga-bhīto nirviṇṇo mumukṣus tvām upāśritaḥ SYNONYMS śrī-prahrādaḥ uvāca—Prahlāda Mahārāja said (to the Supreme Personality of Godhead); mā—please do not; mām—me; pralobhaya—allure; utpattyā—because of my birth (in a demoniac family); saktam—(I am already) attached; kāmeṣu—to material enjoyment; taiḥ—by all those; varaiḥ—benedictions of material possessions; tat-saṅga-bhītaḥ—being afraid of such material association; nirviṇṇaḥ—completely detached from material desires; mumukṣuḥ—desiring to be liberated from material conditions of life; tvām—unto Your lotus feet; upāśritaḥ—I have taken shelter.
TRANSLATION Prahlāda Mahārāja said: My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because I was born in an atheistic family I am naturally attached to material enjoyment. Therefore, kindly do not tempt me with these illusions. I am very much afraid of material conditions, and I desire to be liberated from materialistic life. It is for this reason that I have taken shelter of Your lotus feet. PURPORT Materialistic life means attachment to the body and everything in relationship to the body. This attachment is based on lusty desires for sense gratification, specifically sexual enjoyment. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ: [Bg. 7.20] when one is too attached to material enjoyment, he is bereft of all knowledge (hṛta jñānāḥ). As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, those who are attached to material enjoyment are mostly inclined to worship the demigods to procure various material opulences. They are especially attached to worship of the goddess Durgā and Lord Śiva because this transcendental couple can offer their devotees all material opulence. Prahlāda Mahārāja, however, was detached from all material enjoyment. He therefore took shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, and not the feet of any demigod. It is to be understood that if one really wants release from this material world, from the threefold miseries and from janma-mṛtyu jarā-vyādhi (birth, death, old age and disease), one must take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for without the Supreme Personality of Godhead one cannot get release from materialistic life. Atheistic men are very much attached to material enjoyment. Therefore if they get some opportunity to achieve more and more material enjoyment, they take it. Prahlāda Mahārāja, however, was very careful in this regard. Although born of a materialistic father, because he was a devotee he had no material desires (anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11]).
SB7.10.3 TEXT 3 bhṛtya-lakṣaṇa-jijñāsur bhaktaṁ kāmeṣv acodayat bhavān saṁsāra-bījeṣu hṛdaya-granthiṣu prabho SYNONYMS bhṛtya-lakṣaṇa-jijñāsuḥ—desiring to exhibit the symptoms of a pure devotee; bhaktam—the devotee; kāmeṣu—in the material world, where lusty desires predominate; acodayat—has sent; bhavān—Your Lordship; saṁsāra-bījeṣu—the root cause of being present in this material world; hṛdaya-granthiṣu—which (desire for material enjoyment) is in the cores of the hearts of all conditioned souls; prabho—O my worshipable Lord.
TRANSLATION O my worshipable Lord, because the seed of lusty desires, which is the root cause of material existence, is within the core of everyone’s heart, You have sent me to this material world to exhibit the symptoms of a pure devotee. PURPORT Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu has given considerable discussion about nitya-siddha and sādhana-siddha devotees. Nitya-siddha devotees come from Vaikuṇṭha to this material world to teach, by their personal example, how to become a devotee. The living entities in this material world can take lessons from such nitya-siddha devotees and thus become inclined to return home, back to Godhead. A nitya-siddha devotee comes from Vaikuṇṭha upon the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and shows by his example how to become a pure devotee (anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11]). In spite of coming to this material world, the nitya-siddha devotee is never attracted by the allurements of material enjoyment. A perfect example is Prahlāda Mahārāja, who was a nitya-siddha, a mahā-bhāgavata devotee. Although Prahlāda was born in the family of Hiraṇyakaśipu, an atheist, he was never attached to any kind of materialistic enjoyment. Desiring to exhibit the symptoms of a pure devotee, the Lord tried to induce Prahlāda Mahārāja to take material benedictions, but Prahlāda Mahārāja did not accept them. On the contrary, by his personal example he showed the symptoms of a pure devotee. In other words, the Lord Himself has no desire to send His pure devotee to this material world, nor does a devotee have any material purpose in coming. When the Lord Himself appears as an incarnation within this material world, He is not allured by the material atmosphere, and He has nothing to do with material activity, yet by His example He teaches the common man how to become a devotee. Similarly, a devotee who comes here in accordance with the order of the Supreme Lord shows by his personal behavior how to become a pure devotee. A pure devotee, therefore, is a practical example for all living entities, including Lord Brahmā.
SB7.10.4 TEXT 4 nānyathā te ’khila-guro ghaṭeta karuṇātmanaḥ yas ta āśiṣa āśāste na sa bhṛtyaḥ sa vai vaṇik SYNONYMS na—not; anyathā—otherwise; te—of You; akhila-guro—O supreme instructor of the entire creation; ghaṭeta—such a thing can happen; karuṇā-ātmanaḥ—the Supreme Person, who is extremely kind to His devotees; yaḥ—any person who; te—from You; āśiṣaḥ—material benefits; āśāste—desires (in exchange for serving You); na—not; saḥ—such a person; bhṛtyaḥ—a servitor; saḥ—such a person; vai—indeed; vaṇik—a merchant (who wants to get material profit from his business).
TRANSLATION Otherwise, O my Lord, O supreme instructor of the entire world, You are so kind to Your devotee that You could not induce him to do something unbeneficial for him. On the other hand, one who desires some material benefit in exchange for devotional service cannot be Your pure devotee. Indeed, he is no better than a merchant who wants profit in exchange for service. PURPORT It is sometimes found that one comes to a devotee or a temple of the Lord just to get some material benefit. Such a person is described here as a mercantile man. Bhagavad-gītā speaks of ārto jijñāsur arthārthī. The word ārta refers to one who is physically distressed, and arthārthī refers to one in need of money. Such persons are forced to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead for mitigation of their distress or to get some money by the benediction of the Lord. They have been described as sukṛtī, pious, because in their distress or need for money they have approached the Supreme Lord. Unless one is pious, one cannot approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, although a pious man may receive some material benefit, one who is concerned with material benefits cannot be a pure devotee. When a pure devotee receives material opulences, this is not because of his pious activity but for the service of the Lord. When one engages in devotional service, one is automatically pious. Therefore, a pure devotee is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11]. He has no desire for material profit, nor does the Lord induce him to try to profit materially. When a devotee needs something, the Supreme Personality of Godhead supplies it (yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham [Bg. 9.22]).
Sometimes materialists go to a temple to offer flowers and fruit to the Lord because they have learned from Bhagavad-gītā that if a devotee offers some flowers and fruits, the Lord accepts them. In Bhagavad-gītā (9.26) the Lord says:
patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” Thus a man with a mercantile mentality thinks that if he can get some material benefit, like a large amount of money, simply by offering a little fruit and flower, this is good business. Such persons are not accepted as pure devotees. Because their desires are not purified, they are still mercantile men, even though they go to temples to make a show of being devotees. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam: [Cc. Madhya 19.170] only when one is fully freed from material desires can one be purified, and only in that purified state can one serve the Lord. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. This is the pure devotional platform.
SB7.10.5 TEXT 5 āśāsāno na vai bhṛtyaḥ svāminy āśiṣa ātmanaḥ na svāmī bhṛtyataḥ svāmyam icchan yo rāti cāśiṣaḥ SYNONYMS āśāsānaḥ—a person who desires (in exchange for service); na—not; vai—indeed; bhṛtyaḥ—a qualified servant or pure devotee of the Lord; svāmini—from the master; āśiṣaḥ—material benefit; ātmanaḥ—for personal sense gratification; na—nor; svāmī—the master; bhṛtyataḥ—from the servant; svāmyam—the prestigious position of being the master; icchan—desiring; yaḥ—any such master who; rāti—bestows; ca—also; āśiṣaḥ—material profit.
TRANSLATION A servant who desires material profits from his master is certainly not a qualified servant or pure devotee. Similarly, a master who bestows benedictions upon his servant because of a desire to maintain a prestigious position as master is also not a pure master. PURPORT As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.20), kāmais tais tair hṛta jñānāḥ prapadyante ’nya-devatāḥ. “Those whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto demigods.” A demigod cannot become master, for the real master is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The demigods, to keep their prestigious positions, bestow upon their worshipers whatever benedictions the worshipers want. For example, once it was found that an asura took a benediction from Lord Śiva by which the asura would be able to kill someone simply by placing his hands on that person’s head. Such benedictions are possible to receive from the demigods. If one worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, the Lord will never offer him such condemned benedictions. On the contrary, it is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.88.8), yasyāham anugṛhnāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ. If one is too materialistic but at the same time wants to be a servant of the Supreme Lord, the Lord, because of His supreme compassion for the devotee, takes away all his material opulences and obliges him to be a pure devotee of the Lord. Prahlāda Mahārāja distinguishes between the pure devotee and the pure master. The Lord is the pure master, the supreme master, whereas an unalloyed devotee with no material motives is the pure servant. One who has materialistic motivations cannot become a servant, and one who unnecessarily bestows benedictions upon his servant to keep his own prestigious position is not a real master.
SB7.10.6 TEXT 6 ahaṁ tv akāmas tvad-bhaktas tvaṁ ca svāmy anapāśrayaḥ nānyathehāvayor artho rāja-sevakayor iva SYNONYMS aham—as far as I am concerned; tu—indeed; akāmaḥ—without material desire; tvat-bhaktaḥ—fully attached to You without motivation; tvam ca—Your Lordship also; svāmī—the real master; anapāśrayaḥ—without motivation (You do not become the master with motivation); na—not; anyathā—without being in such a relationship as master and servant; iha—here; āvayoḥ—our; arthaḥ—any motivation (the Lord is the pure master, and Prahlāda Mahārāja is the pure devotee with no materialistic motivation); rāja—of a king; sevakayoḥ—and the servitor; iva—like (just as a king exacts taxes for the benefit of the servant or the citizens pay taxes for the benefit of the king).
TRANSLATION O my Lord, I am Your unmotivated servant, and You are my eternal master. There is no need of our being anything other than master and servant. You are naturally my master, and I am naturally Your servant. We have no other relationship. PURPORT Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya—kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’: [Cc. Madhya 20.108] every living being is eternally a servant of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. Lord Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (5.29), bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram: “I am the proprietor of all planets, and I am the supreme enjoyer.” This is the natural position of the Lord, and the natural position of the living being is to surrender unto Him (sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]). If this relationship continues, then real happiness exists eternally between the master and servant. Unfortunately, when this eternal relationship is disturbed, the living entity wants to become separately happy and thinks that the master is his order supplier. In this way there cannot be happiness. Nor should the master cater to the desires of the servant. If he does, he is not the real master. The real master commands, “You must do this,” and the real servant immediately obeys the order. Unless this relationship between the Supreme Lord and the subordinate living entity is established, there can be no real happiness. The living entity is āśraya, always subordinate, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is viṣaya, the supreme objective, the goal of life. Unfortunate persons trapped in this material world do not know this. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum: [SB 7.5.31] illusioned by the material energy, everyone in this material world is unaware that the only aim of life is to approach Lord Viṣṇu.
ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ In the Padma Purāṇa Lord Śiva explains to his wife, Parvatī, the goddess Durgā, that the highest goal of life is to satisfy Lord Viṣṇu, who can be satisfied only when His servant is satisfied. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore teaches, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ. One must become a servant of the servant. Prahlāda Mahārāja also prayed to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva that he might be engaged as the servant of the Lord’s servant. This is the prescribed method of devotional service. As soon as a devotee wants the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be his order supplier, the Lord immediately refuses to become the master of such a motivated devotee. In Bhagavad-gītā (4.11) the Lord says, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham. “As one surrenders unto Me, I reward him accordingly.” Materialistic persons are generally inclined to material profits. As long as one continues in such an adulterated position, he does not receive the benefit of returning home, back to Godhead.
SB7.10.7 TEXT 7 yadi dāsyasi me kāmān varāṁs tvaṁ varadarṣabha kāmānāṁ hṛdy asaṁrohaṁ bhavatas tu vṛṇe varam SYNONYMS yadi—if; dāsyasi—want to give; me—me; kāmān—anything desirable; varān—as Your benediction; tvam—You; varada-ṛṣabha—O Supreme Personality of Godhead, who can give any benediction; kāmānām—of all desires for material happiness; hṛdi—within the core of my heart; asaṁroham—no growth; bhava taḥ—from You; tu—then; vṛṇe—I pray for; varam—such a benediction.
TRANSLATION O my Lord, best of the givers of benediction, if You at all want to bestow a desirable benediction upon me, then I pray from Your Lordship that within the core of my heart there be no material desires. PURPORT Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught us how to pray for benedictions from the Lord. He said:
na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ “O my Lord, I do not want from You any amount of wealth, nor many followers, nor a beautiful wife, for these are all materialistic desires. But if I have to ask You for any benediction, I pray that in whatever forms of life I may take my birth, under any circumstances, I will not be bereft of Your transcendental devotional service.” Devotees are always on the positive platform, in contrast to the Māyāvādīs, who want to make everything impersonal or void. One cannot remain void (śūnyavādī); rather, one must possess something. Therefore, the devotee, on the positive side, wants to possess something, and this possession is very nicely described by Prahlāda Mahārāja, who says, “If I must take some benediction from You, I pray that within the core of my heart there may be no material desires.” The desire to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not at all material.
SB7.10.8 TEXT 8 indriyāṇi manaḥ prāṇa ātmā dharmo dhṛtir matiḥ hrīḥ śrīs tejaḥ smṛtiḥ satyaṁ yasya naśyanti janmanā SYNONYMS indriyāṇi—the senses; manaḥ—the mind; prāṇaḥ—the life air; ātmā—the body; dharmaḥ—religion; dhṛtiḥ—patience; matiḥ—intelligence; hrīḥ—shyness; śrīḥ—opulence; tejaḥ—strength; smṛtiḥ—memory; satyam—truthfulness; yasya—of which lusty desires; naśyanti—are vanquished; janmanā—from the very beginning of birth.
TRANSLATION O my Lord, because of lusty desires from the very beginning of one’s birth, the functions of one’s senses, mind, life, body, religion, patience, intelligence, shyness, opulence, strength, memory and truthfulness are vanquished. PURPORT As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, kāmaṁ hṛd-rogam. Materialistic life means that one is afflicted by a formidable disease called lusty desire. Liberation means freedom from lusty desires because it is only due to such desires that one must accept repeated birth and death. As long as one’s lusty desires are unfulfilled, one must take birth after birth to fulfill them. Because of material desires, therefore, one performs various types of activities and receives various types of bodies with which to try to fulfill desires that are never satisfied. The only remedy is to take to devotional service, which begins when one is free from all material desires. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11]. Anya-abhilāṣitā means “material desire,” and śūnyam means “free from.” The spiritual soul has spiritual activities and spiritual desires, as described by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi. Unalloyed devotion to the service of the Lord is the only spiritual desire. To fulfill this spiritual desire, however, one must be free from all material desires. Desirelessness means freedom from material desires. This is described by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī as Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11]. As soon as one has material desires, one loses his spiritual identity. Then all the paraphernalia of one’s life, including one’s senses, body, religion, patience and intelligence, are deviated from one’s original Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as one has material desires, one cannot properly use his senses, intelligence, mind and so on for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Māyāvādī philosophers want to become impersonal, senseless and mindless, but that is not possible. The living entity must be living, always existing with desires, ambitions and so on. These should be purified, however, so that one can desire spiritually and be spiritually ambitious, without material contamination. In every living entity these propensities exist because he is a living entity. When materially contaminated, however, one is put into the hands of material misery (janma-mṛtyu jarā-vyādhi). If one wants to stop repeated birth and death, one must take to the devotional service of the Lord.
sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ “Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and, simply by being employed in the service of the Lord, one’s senses are purified.”
SB7.10.9 TEXT 9 vimuñcati yadā kāmān mānavo manasi sthitān tarhy eva puṇḍarīkākṣa bhagavattvāya kalpate SYNONYMS vimuñcati—gives up; yadā—whenever; kāmān—all material desires; mānavaḥ—human society; manasi—within the mind; sthitān—situated; tarhi—at that time only; eva—indeed; puṇḍarīka-akṣa—O lotus-eyed Lord; bhagavattvāya—to be equally as opulent as the Lord; kalpate—becomes eligible.
TRANSLATION O my Lord, when a human being is able to give up all the material desires in his mind, he becomes eligible to possess wealth and opulence like Yours. PURPORT Atheistic men sometimes criticize a devotee by saying, “If you do not want to take any benediction from the Lord and if the servant of the Lord is as opulent as the Lord Himself, why do you ask for the benediction of being engaged as the Lord’s servant?” Śrīdhara Svāmī comments, bhagavattvāya bhagavat-samān aiśvaryāya. Bhagavattva, becoming as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, does not mean becoming one with Him or equal to Him, although in the spiritual world the servant is equally as opulent as the master. The servant of the Lord is engaged in the service of the Lord as a servant, friend, father, mother or conjugal lover, all of whom are equally as opulent as the Lord. This is acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. The master and servant are different yet equal in opulence. This is the meaning of simultaneous difference from the Supreme Lord and oneness with Him.
SB7.10.10 TEXT 10 oṁ namo bhagavate tubhyaṁ puruṣāya mahātmane haraye ’dbhuta-siṁhāya brahmaṇe paramātmane SYNONYMS oṁ—O my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead; namaḥ—I offer my respectful obeisances; bhagavate—unto the Supreme Person; tubhyam—unto You; puruṣāya—unto the Supreme Person; mahā-ātmane—unto the Supreme Soul, or the Supersoul; haraye—unto the Lord, who vanquishes all the miseries of devotees; adbhuta-siṁhāya—unto Your wonderful lionlike form as Nṛsiṁhadeva; brahmaṇe—unto the Supreme Brahman; parama-ātmane—unto the Supreme Soul.
TRANSLATION O my Lord, full of six opulences, O Supreme Person! O Supreme Soul, killer of all miseries! O Supreme Person in the form of a wonderful lion and man, let me offer my respectful obeisances unto You. PURPORT In the previous verse Prahlāda Mahārāja has explained that a devotee can achieve the platform of bhagavattva, being as good as the Supreme Person, but this does not mean that the devotee loses his position as a servant. A pure servant of the Lord, although as opulent as the Lord, is still meant to offer respectful obeisances to the Lord in service. Prahlāda Mahārāja was engaged in pacifying the Lord, and therefore he did not consider himself equal to the Lord. He defined his position as a servant and offered respectful obeisances unto the Lord.
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yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
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aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
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