SB 1.12.17 (1964)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 17
Tasmat namna vishnurata iti loke bhavishyati Na sandeha mahabhaga mahabhagawata mahan.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Tasmat—therefore, Namna—by the name, Vishnurata—protected by Vishnu the Personality of Godhead, Iti—thus, Loke—in all the planets, Bhavishyati—shall become well known, Na—no, Sandeha—doubts, Mahabhaga—the greatest fortunate, Mahabhagawata—the first-grade devotee of the Lord, Mahan—qualified by all good qualities.
TRANSLATION
"For this reason this child will be well known in the world as one who is protected by the Personality of Godhead and as such there is no doubt about it oh the greatest fortunate, that this child will become a first-grade devotee and qualified with all good qualities".
PURPORT
The Lord gives protection to all living beings because He is the Supreme Leader of them. The Vedic hymns confirm it that Lord is the Supreme Person amongst all personalities of the living beings. The difference between the two living beings is that the One the Personality of Godhead provides all other living beings and by knowing Him only one can achieve eternal peace (Katha Upanishad). Such protection is given by His different potencies to different grades of living beings. But so far His unalloyed devotees are concerned He gives the protection personally. Therefore, Maharaj Parikashit is protected from the very beginning of his appearance in the womb of his mother. And because he is specially given protection by the Lord, the indication must be concluded that the child would be a first grade devotee of the Lord with all good qualities. There are three grades of devotees namely the Mahabhagwata, Madhyamadhikari and the Kanisthadhikari. Those who go to the temples of the Lord and offer worshipful respect to the deity without any sufficient knowledge in the theological science and therefore without any respect for the devotees of the Lord,-are called materialistic devotees or Kanisthadhikari or the third grade devotees. Secondly the devotees who have developed genuine service mentality for the Lord and thus make friendship with similar devotees only, show favor to the neophytes and avoids the atheists-are called the second-grade devotees; but those who see everything in the Lord or everything of the Lord and also sees in everything an eternal relation of the Lord so that there is nothing within his purview of sight except the Lord,-are called the Mahabhagwatas or the first grade devotee of the Lord. Such first grade devotee of the Lord is perfect in all respect. A devotee who may be either of the above mentioned grades, is automatically qualified by all good qualities and as such the Mahabhagwata devotee like Maharaj Parikshit is certainly perfect in all respect. And because Maharaj Parikshit took his birth in the family of Maharaj Yudhisthir, he is addressed herein as the Mahabhaga or the greatest of the fortunates. The family in which a Mahabhagwata takes his birth, is fortunate because on account of the birth of a first grade-devotee, the members of the family past present and future upto 100 generations, become liberated by the Grace of the Lord in respect of His beloved devotee. Therefore, the highest benefit is done by one to his family simply by becoming an unalloyed devotee of the Lord.