SB 7.9.26
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 26
kvāhaṁ rajaḥ-prabhava īśa tamo 'dhike 'smin
jātaḥ suretara-kule kva tavānukampā
na brahmaṇo na tu bhavasya na vai ramāyā
yan me 'rpitaḥ śirasi padma-karaḥ prasādaḥ
SYNONYMS
kva—where; aham—I (am); rajaḥ-prabhavaḥ—being born in a body full of passion; īśa—O my Lord; tamaḥ—the mode of ignorance; adhike—surpassing in; asmin—in this; jātaḥ—born; sura-itara-kule—in a family of atheists or demons (who are subordinate to the devotees); kva—where; tava—Your; anukampā—causeless mercy; na—not; brahmaṇaḥ—of Lord Brahmā; na—not; tu—but; bhavasya—of Lord Śiva; na—nor; vai—even; ramāyāḥ—of the goddess of fortune; yat—which; me—of me; arpitaḥ—offered; śirasi—on the head; padma-karaḥ—lotus hand; prasādaḥ—the symbol of mercy.
TRANSLATION
O my Lord, O Supreme, because I was born in a family full of the hellish material qualities of passion and ignorance, what is my position? And what is to be said of Your causeless mercy, which was never offered even to Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva or the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī? You never put Your lotus hand upon their heads, but You have put it upon mine.
PURPORT
Prahlāda Mahārāja was surprised at the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, for although Prahlāda was born in a demoniac family and although the Lord had never before placed His lotus hand on the head of Brahmā, Śiva or the goddess of fortune, His constant companion, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva kindly placed His hand on the head of Prahlāda. This is the meaning of causeless mercy. The causeless mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead may be bestowed upon anyone, regardless of his position in this material world. Everyone is eligible to worship the Supreme Lord, irrespective of his material position. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (BG 14.26):
- māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa
- bhakti yogena sevate
- sa guṇān samatītyaitān
- brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
"One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman." Anyone who engages in continuous devotional service to the Lord is situated in the spiritual world and has nothing to do with the material qualities (sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa).
Because Prahlāda Mahārāja was situated on the spiritual platform, he had nothing to do with his body, which had been born of the modes of passion and ignorance. The symptoms of passion and ignorance are described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (SB 1.2.19) as lust and hankering (tadā rajas tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye). Prahlāda Mahārāja, being a great devotee, thought the body born of his father to be born of passion and ignorance, but because Prahlāda was fully engaged in the service of the Lord, his body did not belong to the material world. The pure Vaiṣṇava's body is spiritualized even in this life. For example, when iron is put into a fire it becomes red-hot and is no longer iron but fire. Similarly, the so-called material bodies of devotees who fully engage in the devotional service of the Lord, being constantly in the fire of spiritual life, have nothing to do with matter, but are spiritualized.
Śrīla Madhvācārya remarks that the goddess of fortune, the mother of the universe, could not get mercy similar to that which was offered to Prahlāda Mahārāja, for although the goddess of fortune is always a constant companion of the Supreme Lord, the Lord is more inclined to His devotees. In other words, devotional service is so great that when it is offered even by those born in low families, the Lord accepts it as being more valuable than the service offered by the goddess of fortune. Lord Brahmā, King Indra and the other demigods living in the upper planetary systems are situated in a different spirit of consciousness, and therefore they are sometimes troubled by demons, but a devotee, even if situated in the lower planets, enjoys life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness under any circumstances. parataḥ svataḥ karmataḥ: as he acts himself, as he is instructed by others or as he performs his material activities, he enjoys life in every respect. In this regard, Madhvācārya quotes the following verses, which are mentioned in the Brahma-tarka:
- śrī-brahma-brāhmīvīndrādi-
- tri-katat strī-puru-ṣṭutāḥ
- tad anye ca kramādeva
- sadā muktau smṛtāv api
- hari-bhaktau ca taj-jñāne
- sukhe ca niyamena tu
- parataḥ svataḥ karmato vā
- na kathañcit tad anyathā
SB 7.9.27
2008-03-17T12:26:01Z
Acyuta
2
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 27
naiṣā parāvara-matir bhavato nanu syāj
jantor yathātma-suhṛdo jagatas tathāpi
saṁsevayā surataror iva te prasādaḥ
sevānurūpam udayo na parāvaratvam
SYNONYMS
na—not; eṣā—this; para-avara—of higher or lower; matiḥ—such discrimination; bhavataḥ—of Your Lordship; nanu—indeed; syāt—there can be; jantoḥ—of ordinary living entities; yathā—as; ātma-suhṛdaḥ—of one who is the friend; jagataḥ—of the whole material world; tathāpi—but still (there is such a demonstration of intimacy or difference); saṁsevayā—according to the degree of service rendered by the devotee; surataroḥ iva—like that of the desire tree in Vaikuṇṭhaloka (which offers fruits according to the desire of the devotee); te—Your; prasādaḥ—benediction or blessing; sevā-anurūpam—according to the category of service one renders to the Lord; udayaḥ—manifestation; na—not; para-avaratvam—discrimination due to higher or lower levels.
TRANSLATION
Unlike an ordinary living entity, my Lord, You do not discriminate between friends and enemies, the favorable and the unfavorable, because for You there is no conception of higher and lower. Nonetheless, You offer Your benedictions according to the level of one's service, exactly as a desire tree delivers fruits according to one's desires and makes no distinction between the lower and the higher.
PURPORT
In Bhagavad-gītā (BG 4.11) the Lord clearly says, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham: "As one surrenders to Me, I reward him accordingly." As stated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, jīvera 'svarūpa' haya-kṛṣṇera 'nitya-dāsa': (CC Madhya 20.108) every living being is an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. According to the service the living entity renders, he automatically receives benedictions from Kṛṣṇa, who does not make distinctions, thinking, "Here is a person in an intimate relationship with Me, and here is a person I dislike." Kṛṣṇa advises everyone to surrender to Him (sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66)). One's relationship with the Supreme Lord is in proportion to that surrender and the service one renders unto the Lord. Thus throughout the entire world the higher or lower positions of the living entities are selected by the living entities themselves. If one is inclined to dictate that the Lord grant something, one receives benedictions according to his desires. If one wants to be elevated to the higher planetary systems, the heavenly planets, he can be promoted to the place he desires, and if one wants to remain a hog or a pig on earth, the Lord fulfills that desire also. Therefore, one's position is determined by one's desires; the Lord is not responsible for the higher or lower grades of our existence. This is further explained quite definitely in Bhagavad-gītā (BG 9.25) by the Lord Himself:
- yānti deva-vratā devān
- pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
- bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā
- yānti mad-yājino 'pi mām
Some people want to be promoted to the heavenly planets, some want to be promoted to Pitṛloka, and some want to remain on earth, but if one is interested in returning home, back to Godhead, he can be promoted there also. According to the demands of a particular devotee, he receives a result by the grace of the Lord. The Lord does not discriminate, thinking, "Here is a person favorable to Me, and here is a person who is not favorable." Rather, He fulfills the desires of everyone. Therefore the śāstras enjoin:
- akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā
- mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
- tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena
- yajeta puruṣaṁ param
"Whether one is without desire [the condition of the devotees], or is desirous of all fruitive results, or is after liberation, one should with all efforts try to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead for complete perfection, culminating in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." (SB 2.3.10) According to one's position, whether as a devotee, a karmī or a jñānī, whatever one wants one can get if one fully engages in the service of the Lord.