All Are Not Equal
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
The fame of Prahlada Maharaja as a devotee of Godhead is described in the Skanda Purana by Lord Siva: "Not even I can know Sri Krsna as He is. Only the devotees know Him, and of all the devotees, Prahlada is the best."
In the Brhad-bhagavatamrta, Sanatana Goswami says that above Prahlada, the Pandavas are still better devotees, and the Yadus are better than the Pandavas. Out of all the Yadus, Uddhava is the best devotee, and the damsels of Vraja are even better than Uddhava. Therefore, they are the topmost of all devotees.
In the Brhad-vamana, Brahma spoke to the rsis as follows:
- sasti-varsa-sahasrani
- maya taptam tapah pura
- nanda-gopa-vraja-strinam
- pada-renupalabdhaye
"I tried my best by undergoing austerity for 60 thousand years in order to be able to get the feet-dust of the damsels of Vraja, the cowherd boys, and King Nanda. Yet I did not get the blessings of the dust of their feet. Therefore, I think that myself, Siva, and Laksmi are not at all equal to them."
In the Adi Purana, the Personality of Godhead said,
- na tatha me priyatamo
- brahma rudras ca parthiva
- na ca laksmir na catma ca
- yatha gopi-jano mama
"There is nobody dearer to Me than the cowherd damsels of Vraja—not even Brahma, Siva, Laksmi, or even My own Self."