{"The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0001": "crhe GNect\nof C:Ve� ·t\n\nr\n\n·\n\nBy CJ!is crJiville {jtace\nA. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0002": "The Nectar of Devotion is a unique\nspiritual text that explains the devotional science of bhakti-yoga, or Kr�Qa\nconsciousness. Astonishingly intimate\nin its detailed descriptions of the loving\n\nrelationships between\n\nLord\n\nSri\n\nKr�Qa and His devotees, it is at the same\ntime practical, authoritative and philosophically substantial. It is a summary\nstudy of Bhakti-rasarhrta-sindhu, which\nwas written in Sanskrit over 400 years\nago by the great philosopher-devotee\n\nS rila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada, and\nit contains hundreds of quotes from\nsuch\n\nimportant Vedic literatures as\n\nBhagavad-glta, Srlmad-Bhagavatam, the\nUpani�ads,\n\nMahabharata\n\nand\n\nthe\n\nPura(las.\nThe Nectar of Devotion has been\ncalled the \"lawbook of\n\nKr�Qa con­\n\nsciousness,\" for it is the text which\nguides the devotees of the Hare Kr�r;Ja\nmovement in the details of their daily\nlives. It elaborately explains the philosophical background behind the many\nrules and regulations that devotees of\nKr�r;Ja voluntarily follow, and it probes\ndeeply into the thoughts and emotions\nthat motivate a Kr�11a conscious devotee.\nMost importantly,\n\nThe Nectar of\n\nDevotion goes beyond the limitations\nof both empty religious sentiment and\ndry, impersonal philosophy. It brings\nthe reader to a factual understanding\nof the eternal activities of the spiritual\nworld and offers practical step-by-step\ninstructions\n\nwhich\n\ncan\n\nenable\n\nthe\n\nserious student to actually enter into\nthese pastimes, in a personal, face-toface loving relationship with Kr�l)a,\nthe Supreme Personality of Godhead.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0003": "", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0004": "THE NECTAR\nDEVOTI\n\nHis Divine Grace\n.\nA.C. Bhaktivcdanta Swanti Prabhupada\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0005": "", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0006": "", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0007": "I\n\n'\nJ\n'\n\n)!\nj\n\n1\n\n;\n\n1\n\n.NOI.LOA30 .iO 11V.LJ3N 3H.L\n\n\"I\nI\nf\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0008": "OTHER BOOKS by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami\n\n. The Bhagavad-gitii As It Is\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam (12 volumes)\nTeachings of Lord Caitanya\nKnfla, the Supreme Personality of Godhead (2 volumes)\n\nSri lsopan4ad\nEasy Journey to Other Planets\nKr§fla Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga System\nBack to Godhead Magazine (Editor)\n\nj\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0009": "�\n,\nI\n\nTHE NECTAR OF\nDEVOTION\nA Summary Study of Srila Riipa Gosvami's\n\nBhak ti-rasamrta-sindhu\nI\n\nI\n\nA.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami\nAcarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness\n�\n\n-J\n\nISKCON PRESS\n\n38 North Beacon Street\n\nBoston, Massachusetts\n!\n\n02134\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0010": "t\n\nI\nI\n\n:f\n\nI\n\n-I\n\n-1\n\nI\n\nI\n\ntI\n\nCopyright © 1970 by ISKCON PRESS\nLibrary of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 78-118082\nAll Rights Reserved\n\nI\n\nf·\n\nI\n\ni\n\nPrinted in the United States of America by ISKCON PRESS\nBoston, Massachusetts\nI\n\ni·\nJ\n\n��---�-\n\n----\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0011": "To the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana\n\nniinii-siis tra-viciira rwika -nipur-au sad-dharma-sarhs t hiipak au\nlokiiniim hitakiirir-au tribhuvane miinyau sarar-yiikarau\nriidhii-kf§!la-padiiravinda-bhajaniinandena mattiilikau\n·�\n\nvande riipa-saniitanau raghuyugau sri-fiva-gopiilakau.\n\n\"I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvamis,\n\nnamely Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Sri Rupa Gosvami, Sri\nRaghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha Dasa Go­\n\nsvami, Sri ]iva Gosvami and Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami,\n\nwho are very expert in scrutinizingly studying all the\n\nreveal�d scriptures with the aim of establishing eternal\nreligious principles for the benefit of all human beings.\n\nThus they are honored all over the three worlds, and they\n\nare worth taking shelter of because they a,re absorbed in\n\nthe mood of the gopis and are engaged in the transcenden­\n\ntal loving service of Radha and Kr�pa.\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0012": "I\n\n'\n\nContents\n\nPreface\n\nix\n\nIntroduction\n\nxvii\n\nPART ONE\n1\n\nCharacteristics of Pure Devotional Service\n\n1\n\n2\n\nThe First Stages ofDevotion\n\n3\n\nEligibility of the Candidate for Accepting Devotional Service\n\n18\n\n4\n\nDevotional Service Surpasses All Liberation\n\n5\n\nPurity of Devotional Service\n\n6\n\nHow to Discharge Devotional Service\n\n7\n\nEvidence Regarding Devotional Principles\n\n35\n\n46\n53\n58\n\n8\n\nOffenses to be Avoided\n\n9\n\nFurther Consideration of Devotional Principles\n\n68\n\n10\n\nTechniqt(es of Hearing and Memorizing\n\n11\n\nAspects of Transcendental Service\n\n12\n\nRevealed Scriptures\n\n89\n\n96\n\n102\n\n13\n\nThe Maha-mantra\n\n14\n\nDevotional Qualifications\n\n108\n114\n\n15\n\nSpontaneous Devotional Service\n\n16\n\nVarieties of Love for K[�l}a\n\n17\n\nEcstatic Love\n\n18\n\nCharacter of One in Ecstatic Love\n\n138\n\n19\n\nDevotional Service in Love of God\n\n147\n\n121\n\n127\n\n133\n\nPART TWO\n20\n\nTranscendental Mellow\n\n21\n\nQualities of Srf K[�l}a\n\n152\n156\n\n22\n\nQualities of K[�l}a Further Explained\n\n23\n\nK�IJa s Personality\n\n200\n\n178\n\n73\n\n28\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0013": "24\n\nFurther Traits of Srf Kr�IJa\n\n25\n\nDevotees of Kr�IJa\n\n26\n\nStimulation for Ecstatic Love\n\n205\n\n209\n214\n\n27\n\nSymptoms of Ecstatic Love\n\n28\n\nOther Ecstatic Symptoms\n\n29\n\nExpressions of Love for K�!Ja\n\n30\n\nFurther Features of Ecstatic Love for K�!Ja\n\n225\n235\n240\n\n31\n\nAdditional Symptoms\n\n32\n\nSymptoms of Continuous Ecstasy\n\n33\n\nConjugal Affection\n\n34\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\n254\n\n270\n279\n\n283\n286\n\nPART THREE\n290\n\n35\n\nNeutral Love of God\n\n36\n\nTranscendental Affection (Servitude)\n\n37\n\nImpetuses for Kn!Ja s Service\n\n38\n\nIndifference and Separation\n\n39\n\nWays of Meeting K[�IJa\n\n40\n\nReverential Devotion of Sons and Other Subordinates\n\n41\n\nFraternal Devotion\n\n298\n\n306\n313\n\n318\n\n326\n\n42\n\nFraternal LOJling Affairs\n\n43\n\nParenthood\n\n336\n\n44\n\nDevotional Service in Conjugal Love\n\n347\n360\n\nPART FOUR\n45\n\nLaughing Ecstasy\n\n46\n\nAstonishment and Chivalry\n\n365\n\n47\n\nCompassion and Anger\n\n377\n\n48\n\nDread and Ghastliness\n\n383\n\n369\n\n387\n\n49\n\nMixing of Rasas\n\n50\n\nFurther Analysis of Mixed Rasas\n\n395\n\n51\n\nPerverted Expression of Mellows\n\n401\n\nConcluding Words\nGlossary\nIndex\n\n405\n407\n\n404\n\n321\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0014": "", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0015": "Preface\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion is a summary study of Bhakti-rasamrta­\n\nsindhu, which was written in Sanskrit by Srila Riipa Gosvami Prabhu­\n\npada. He was the chief of the six Gosvam.ls who were the direct\ndisciples of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When he first met Lord\n\nCaitanya, Srila Riipa GosvamiPrabhupada was engaged as a minister in\n\nthe Mohammed�n government of Bengal. He and his brother Sanatana\n\nwere then named Sakara Mallik and Dabir Khas respectively, and\n\nthey held responsible posts as ministers of Nawab Hussain Shah. At\nthat time, five hundred years ago, the Hindu society was very ri gid,\n\nand if a member of the briihmarza caste accepted the service of a\nMohammedan ruler he was at once rej ected from briihmarza society.\n\nThat was the position of the two brothers, Dabir Khas and Sakara\n\nMallik. They belonged to the highly situated siirasvata-briihmarza\ncommunity, but they were ostracized due to their acceptance of\nministerial posts in the government of Hussain Shah. It is the grace of\nLord Caitanya that He accepted these two exalted personalities as His\n\ndisciples and raised them to the position of gosviimis, the highest\n\nposition of brahminical culture. Similarly, Lord Caitanya accepted\nHaridasa Thakur as His disciple although he happened to be born of\n\na Mohammedan family, and Lord Caitanya later on made him the\n\niicarya of the chanting of the holy name of the Lord: Hare Kr9!1a,\n\nHare Kr9!1a, Kn!la Kr9!1a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama\nRama, Hare Hare.\n\nLord Caitanya's principle is universal. Anyone who knows the\n\nscience of Kr9!1a and is engaged in the service of the Lord is accepted\n\nas being in a higher position than a person born in the family of a\n�X\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0016": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\nX\n\nbriihmar;w. That is the original principle accepted by all Vedic lit­\n\neratures, especially by the Bhagavad-g\"ita and the Srimad-Bhiigavatam.\nThe principle\n\nof\n\nLord\n\nCaitanya's movement in\n\neducating and\n\nelevating everyone to the exalted post of a gosviimi is taught in\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion.\n\nLord Caitanya met the two brothers, Dabir Khas and Sakara\n\nMallik, in a village known as Ramakeli in the district of Maldah, and\n\nafter that meeting the brothers decided to retire from government\n\nservice and join Lord Caitanya. Sakara Mallik, who was later to\n\nbecome Rupa Gosvami, retired from his post and collected all the\nmoney he had accumulated during his service. It is described in the\n\nCaitanya-caritiimrta that his accumulated savings in gold coins equalled\n\nmillions of dollars and filled a large boat. He divided the money in\n\na very exemplary manner which should be followed by devotees in\n\nparticular and by humanity in general. Fifty percent of his accumu­\n\nlated wealth was distributed to the Kr��a conscious persons, namely\n\nthe briihmar;ws and the Vai§r-avas; twenty-five percent was distributed\nto relatives; ahd twenty-five percent was kept against emergency\n\nexpenditures and personal difficulties.· Later on when Dabir Khas\n\nalso proposed to retire, the Nawah was very much agitated and put\nhim into jail. But Dabir Khas, who was later to become Srila Sanatana\n\nGosvami, took advantage of his brother's personal money, which had\n\nbeen deposited with a village banker, and escaped from the prison of\n\nHussain Shah. In this way both ·brothers joined Lord Caitanya\nMahaprabhu.\n\nRupa Gosvami first met Lord Caitanya at Prayag (Allahabad,\n\nIndia), and on the Dasasvamedha bathing ghat of that holy city the\nLord instructed him continually for ten days. The Lord particularly\ninstructed Rupa Gosvami on the science of Kr��a consciousness.\n\nThese teachings of Lord Caitanya to Snl.a Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada\n\nare narrated in our book Teachings of Lord Caitanya.\n\nLater, Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada elaborated the teachings of\n\nthe Lord with profound knowledge of revealed scriptures and authori­\n\ntative references from various Vedic literatures. Srila Srinivasa Acarya\ndescribes in his prayers to the six Gosvamis that they were all highly\n\nlearned scholars, not only in Sanskrit but also in foreign languages\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0017": "Preface\n\nXl\n\nsuch as Persian and Arabian. They very scrutinizingly studied all the\n\nVedic scriptures in order to establish the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu\n\non the authorized principles of Vedic knowledge. The present Krwa\n\nconsciousness movement is also based on the authority of Srila Riipa\nGosvamiPrabhupada. We are therefore generally known as rilpiinugas,\n\nor followers in the footsteps of Srila Riipa Gosvami Prabhupada. It is\n\nonly for our guidance that Srila Rupa Gosvami prepared his book\n\nBhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu, which is now presented in the form of The\n\nNectar of Devotion. Persons engaged in the KH:.;ta consciousness\n\nmovement may take advantage of this great literature and be very\n\nsolidly situated in Kr�:.;ta consciousness.\n\nBhakti means devotional service. Every service has some attractive\n\nfeature which drives the servitor progressively on and on. Every one\nof us within this world is perpetually engaged in some sort of service,\n\nand the impetus for such service is the pleasure we derive from it.\n\nDriven by affection for his wife and children, a family man works\n\nday and night. A philanthropist works in the same way for love of\nthe greater family, and a nationalist for the cause of his country\n\nand countrymen. That force which drives the philanthropist, the\n\nhouseholder and the nationalist is called rasa, or a kind of mellow\n(relationship) whose taste is very sweet. Bhakti-rasa is\n\na\n\nmellow\n\ndifferent from the ordinary rasa enjoyed by mundane workers.\n\nMundane workers labor very hard day and night in order to relish\na certain kind of rasa which is understood as sense gtatification.\n\nThe relish or taste of the mundane rasa does not long endure, and\n\ntherefore mundane workers are always apt to change their position\nof enjoyment. A businessman is not satisfied by working the whole\n\nweek; therefore, wanting a change for the weekend, he goes to a place\n\nwhere he tries to forget his business activities. Then, after the weekend\nis spent in forgetfulness, he again changes his position and resumes his\n\nactual business activities. Material engagment means accepting a\n\nparticular status for some time and then changing it. This position\n\nof changing back and forth is technically known as bhoga-tyiiga, which\nmeans a position of alternating sense enjoyment and renunciation. A\n\nliving entity cannot steadily remain either in sense enjoyment or in\nrenunciation. Change is going on perpetually, and we cannot be happy\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0018": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\nXll\n\nin either state because of our eternal constitutional position. Sen_se\ngratification does not endure for long, and it is therefore called\ncapala-sukha, or flickering happiness. For example, an ordinary family\nman who works very hard day and night and is successful in giving\n\ncomforts to the members of his family thereby relishes a kind of\nmellow, but his whole advancement of material happiness immediately terminates along with his body as soon as his life is over. Death\nis therefore taken as the representative of God for the atheistic class\n\nof men. The devotee realizes the presence of God by devotional\n\nservice, whereas the atheist realizes the presence of God in the shape\nof death. At death everything is finished, and one has to begin a new\n\nchapter of life in a new situation, perhaps higher or lower than the last\none. In any field of activity, political, social, national or international,\n\nthe result of .our actions will be finished with the end of life. That is\nsure.\n\nBhakti-rasa, however, the mellow relished in the transcendental\n\nloving service of the Lord, does not finish with the end of life. It\ncontinues perpetually and is therefore called amrta, that which does\n\nnot die but exists eternally. This is confirmed in all Vedic literatures.\nThe Bhagavad-gitii says that a little advancement in bhakti-rasa can\nsave the devotee from the greatest danger, that of missing the\n\nopportunity for human life. The rasas derived from our feelings in\n\nsocial life, in family life, or in the greater family life of altruism,\nphilanthropism, nationalism, socialism, communism, etc., do not\n\nguarantee that one's next life will be as a human being. We prepare\nour next life by our actual activities in the present life. A living entity\nis offered a particular type of body as a result of his action in the\npresent body. These activities are taken into account by a superior\nauthority known as daiva, or the authority of God. This daiva is\n\nexplained in the Bhagavad-gitii as the prime cause of everything, and\n\nin the Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is stated that a man takes his next body\n\nby daiva-netrel}a, which means by the supervision of the authority of\n\nthe Supreme. In an ordinary sense daiva is explained as destiny. Daiva\n\nsupervision gives us a body selected from 8,400,000 forms; the choice\ndoes not depend on our selection, but is awarded to l;lS according to\nour destiny.lf our body at present is engaged in the activities of Kr��a\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0019": "Preface\n\nxm\n\nconsciousness, then it is guaranteed that- we will have at least a human\n\nbody in our next life. A human being engaged in Kr��a consciousness,\n\neven if unable to complete the course of bhakti-yoga, is allowed to\n\ntake birth in the higher division of human society so that he can\nautomatically further his advancement in KH�a consciousness. There­\n\nfore, all bona fide activities in Kr��a consciousness are amrta, or\npermanent. This is the subject matter of The Nectar of Devotion.\n\nThis eternal engagement in· bhakti-rasa can be understood by a\n\nserious student upon studying The Nectar of Devotion. Adoption\n\nof bhakti-rasa or Kr��a consciousness will immediately bring one\n\nto an auspicious life free from anxieties and will bless one with\ntranscendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation.\n\nBhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to produce a feeling of liberation because\n\nit attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord, Kr��a. Generally,\n\nneophyte devotees are anxious to see Kr��a or God, but God cannot\n\nbe seen or known by our present materially blunt senses. The process\nof devotional service as it is recommended in The Nectar of Devotion\n\nwill gradually eievate one from the material condition of life to the\n\nspiritual status, wherein the devotee becomes purified of all designations. The senses can then become uncontaminated, being constantly\n\nin touch with bhakti-rasa. When the purified s-enses are employed in\nthe service of the Lord, one becomes situated in bhakti-rasa life,\n\nand any action performed for the satisfaction of Kr��a in this\n\ntranscendental bhakti-rasa stage of life can be relished perpetually.\n\nWhen one is thus engaged in devotional service, all varieties of rasas or\n\nmellows turn into eternity. In the beginning one is trained according\n\nto the principles of regulation under the guidance of the iiciirya or\n\nspiritual master, and gradually, when one is elevated, devotional\n\nservice becomes automatic and spontaneous eagerness to serve Kr��a.\n\nThere are twelve kinds of rasas, as will be explained in this book, and\n\nby renovating our relationship with Kr��a in five primary rasas we\ncan live eternally in full knowledge and bliss.\n\nThe basic principle of the living condition is that we have a general\n\npropensity to love someone. No one can live without loving someone\n\nelse. This propensity is present in every living being. Even an animal\n\nlike a tiget has this loving propensity at least in a dormant stage, and it\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0020": "xw\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\nA\n\nis certainly present in the human beings. The missing point, however,\nis where to repose our love so that everyone can become happy. At\nthe present moment the human society teaches one to love his\ncountry or family or his personal self, but there is no information\nwhere to repose the loving propensity so that everyone can become\nhappy. That missing point is Kr�!la, and The Nectar of Devotion\nteaches us how to stimulate our original love for Kr�!la and how to\nbe situated in that position where we can enjoy our blissful life.\nIn the primary stage a child loves his parents, then his brothers and\n\nsisters, and as he daily grows up he begins to love his family, society,\ncommunity, country, nation, or even the whole human society. But\nthe loving propensity is not satisfied even by loving all human society;\nthat loving propensity remains imperfectly fulfilled until we know\nwho is the supreme beloved. Our love can be fully satisfied only when\nit is reposed in Kr�!la. This theme is the sum and substance of The\nNectar of Devotion, which teaches us how to love Krwa in five\n.\ndifferent transcendental mellows.\n\nOur loving propensity expands just as a vibration of light or air\nexpands, but we do not know where it ends. The Nectar of Devotion\nteaches us the science of loving every one of the living entities\nperfectly by the easy method of loving Kr�!la· We have failed to create\npeace and harmony in human society, even by such great attempts as\nthe United Nations, because we do not know the right method. The\n\nmethod is very simple, but one has to understand it with a cool head.\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion teaches all men how to perform the simple\n\nand natural m.ethod of loving Kr�tJ.a, the Supreme Personality of\nGodhead. If we learn how to love Kr�!la, then it is very easy to\nimmediately and simultaneously love every living being. It is like\npouring water on the root of a tree or supplying food to. one's\nstomach. The method of pouring water on the root of a tree or\nsupplying .foodstuffs to the stomach is universally scientific and\npractical, as every one of us has experiencea. EvP,ryone knows well\nthat when we eat something, or in . other words when we put\nfoodstuffs in the stomach, the energy created by such action is\n\nimmediately distributed throughout the whole body. Similarly, when\n\nwe pour water on the root, the energy thus created is immediately\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0021": "Preface\n\n.XV\n\ndistributed throughout the entirety of even the largest tree. It is not\npossible to water the tree part by part, nor is it possible to feed the\ndifferent parts of the body separately. The Nectar of Devotion will\nteach us how to turn the one switch that will immediately brighten\neverything, everywhere. One who does not know this method is missing the point of life.\nAs far as material necessities are concerned, the human civilization\nat the present moment is very much advanced in living comfortably,\nbut still we are not happy because we are missing the point. The\nmaterial comforts of life alone are not sufficient to make us happy.\nThe vivid example is America: the richest nation of the world, having\nall facilities for material comfort, is producing a class of men completely confused and frustrated in life. I am appealing herewith to\nsuch confused men to learn the art of devotional service as directed\nin The Nectar of Devotion, and I am sure that the fire of material\nexistence burning within their hearts will be immediately extinguished. The root cause of our dissatisfaction is that our dormant\nloving propensity has not been fulfilled despite our great advancement\nin the materialistic way of life. The Nectar of Devotion will give us\npractical hints how we can live in this material world perfectly engaged\nin devotional service and thus fulfill all our desires in this life and the\nnext. The Nectar of Devotion is not presented to condemn any way of\nmaterialistic life, but the attempt is to give information to religionists,\nphilosophers and people in general how to love Kr��a. One may live\nwithout material discomfiture, but at the same time he should learn\nthe art of loving Kr��a. At the present moment we are inventing so\nmany ways to utilize our propensity to love, but factually we are\nmissing the real point, Kr��a. We are watering all parts of the tree but\nmissing the tree's root. We are trying to keep our body fit by all\nmeans, but we are neglecting to supply foodstuffs to the stomach.\nMissing Krwa means missing one's self also. Real self-realization and\nrealization of Kr��a go together simultaneously. For example, seeing\noneself in the morning means seeing the sunrise also; without seeing\nthe sunshine no one can see himself. Similarly, unless one has realized\nKr��a there is no question of self-realization.\nThe Nectar of Devotion is specifically presented for persons who\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0022": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\nXVl\n\nare now engaged in the Kr��a consciousness movement. I beg to offer\nmy sincere thanks to all my friends and disciples who are helping me\n\nto push forward the Kr�l}a consciousness movement in the Western\n\n\\ij;\n\ncountries, and I beg to acknowledge, with thanks, the contribution\n\nmade by my beloved disciple S�imad J ayananda Brahmacari. My\nthanks are due as well to the directors of ISKCON Press, who have\n\ntaken so much c\n\n'\n\n13 April 1970\nISKCON Headquarters\n3764 Watseka Ave.\nLos Angeles, California\n\nlishing this great literature. Hare Kr!\n\nA.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0023": "IWV MS V .LNVG'aALDIVHH ·:rv QVWniS I tiS\n'a:)Vt!D 'aNIAIQ SIH\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0024": "\"Now, when he looked at his finger, he saw that it was burnt.\" p. 94\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0025": "\"Kr��a's friends would immediately come and try to relieve His fatigue in\ndifferent ways.\" p. 331\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0026": "\" 'My dear Yasoda_, how wonderful KHJ?.a looks, and how He is increasing\nmy transcendental bliss more and more!'\n\n\"\n\np. 352\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0027": "�\n\nr\n\nIntroduction\n\nInvoking auspiciousness: Lord Sri Kr��a is the Supreme Personality\nof Godhead, the cause of all causes, the reservoir of all rasas, or relationships, which are called neutrality (passive adoration), servitorship,\nfriendship, parenthood, conjugal love, comedy, compassion, fear, 1..\nchivalry, ghastliness, wonder and devastation. He is the supreme attractive form, and by His universal and transcendental attractive\nfeatures He has captivated all the gopis, headed by Taraka, Palika,\nSyama, Lalita, and ultimately, Srimati Radhara�i. Let His Lordship's\ngrace be on us so that there may not be any hindrance in the execution of this duty of writing The Nectar of Devotion, impelled by His\nDivine Grace Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada.\nLet. me offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Srila\nRiipa Gosvami Prabhupada and of Sril� Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati\nGosvamiPrabhupada,by whose inspiration I have been engaged in the\nmatter of compiling this summary study of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu.\nThis is the sublime science of devotional service as propounded by\nSri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who appeared 500 years ago in West Bengal, India, to propagate the movement of Kr�tla consciousness.\nSrila Riipa Gosvami begins his great book by offering his respectful obeisances unto Sri Sanatana Gosvami, who is his elder brother\nand spiritual master, and he prays that Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu may\nbe very pleasing to him. He further prays that by residing in that\nocean of nectar he may always feel transcendental pleasure in the\nservice of Radha and Kr��a.\nLet us offer our respectful obeisances to all the great devotees and\nXVll\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0028": "XVlll\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nacaryas (holy teachers), who are compared with sharks in the great\n\nocean of nectar and who do not care for the various rivers of libera­\n\ntion. Impersonalists are very fond of merging into the supreme, like\n\nrivers that come down and merge into the ocean. The ocean can be\n\ncompared with liberation and the rivers with all the different paths\nof liberation. The impersonalists are dwelling in the river water,\nwhich eventually comes to mix with the ocean. They have no infor­\n\nmation, however, that within the ocean, as within the river, there are\n\ninnumerable aquatic living entities. The sharks who dwell in the\n\nocean do not care for the rivers which are gliding down into it. The\ndevotees eternally live in the ocean of devotional service, and they\ndo not care for the rivers. In other words, those who are pure devo­\n\ntees always remain in the ocean of transcendental loving service to\n\nthe Lord and have no business with the other processes, which are\ncompared to the rivers that only gradually come to the ocean.\n\nSrila Riipa Gosvami prays to his spiritual master, Srila Sanatana Go­\n\nsvami, for the protection of Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu-the Ocean of\n\nI\n\nI\nI\n\n:I\n\nI\n\nthe Pure Nectar of Devotional Service-from the argumentative logi ­\n\ncians who unnecessarily meddle in the science of service to the Lord.\n\nHe compares their arguments and logic to volcanic eruptions in the\n\nmidst of the ocean. In the midst of the ocean such volcanic eruptions\n\ncan do very little harm, and similarly, those who are against devo­\n\ntional service to the Lord and who put forward many philosophical\ntheses about the ultimate transcendental realization cannot disturb\nthis great ocean of devotional service.\n\nThe author of Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu, Srila Riipa Gosvami, very\n\nhumbly submits that he is j ust trying to spread Kr�!la consciousness\n\nall over the world, although he humbly thinks himself unfit for this\n\nwork. That should be the attitude of all preachers of the Kr�!la con­\n\nsciousness movement, following in the footsteps of Srila Riipa Go­\n\nsvami. We should never think of ourselves as great preachers, but\nshould always consider that we are simply instrumental to the pre­\n\nvious iiciiryas, and simply by following in their footsteps we may be\n\nable to do something for the benefit of suffering humanity.\n\nBhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu is divided into four parts, j ust as the ocean\n\nI\n\nI\n\nI\n\nis sometimes divided into four parts, and there are different sections\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0029": "Introduction\n\nXlX\n\nwithin each of these four divisions. Originally in Bhakti-rasiimrta­\n\nsindhu, the ocean is divided like the watery ocean into east, west,\n\nnorth and south, while the sub-sections within these different divisions �re called waves. As in the ocean there arc always different\n\nwaves, either on the eastern side, the western side, the northern side\nor the southern side, so similarly Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu has differ­\n\nent waves. In the first part there are four waves, the first being a\ngeneral description of devotional service. The second concerns the\n\nregulative principles for executing devotional service, and the third\n\nwave devotional service in ecstasy. In the fourth is the ultimate goal,\nlove of God. These will be explicitly described along with their dif­\n\nferent symptoms.\n\nThe authorized description of bhakti, or devotional service, follow­\n\ning in the footsteps of previous iiciiryas, can be summarized in the\n\nfollowing statement by Srila Rupa Gosvam1: \"First-class devotional\n\nservice is known by one's tendency to be fully engaged in Kr9!la con­\n\nsciousness, serving the Lord favorably.\" The purport is that one may\n\nalso be in Kr9!la consciousness unfavorably, but that\n\ncannot be\n\ncounted as pure devotional service. Pure devotional service should be\n\nfree from the desire for any material benefit or for sense gratification,\n\nt\n\nas these desires are cultivated through fruitive activities and philosophical speculation. Generally, people are engaged in different activi­\n\nties to get some material profit, while most philosophers are engaged\n\nin proposing transcendental realization through volumes of word jug­\n\nglery and speculation. Pure devotional service must always be free\nfrom such fruitive activities and philosophical speculations. One has\n\nto learn Kr9�a consciousness or pure devotional service from the\n\nauthorities by spontaneous loving service.\n\n'J=.his _devotional service is a sort of cultivation. It is not simply in­\n\naction for people who like to be inactive or devote their time to\n\nsilent meditation. There arc many different methods for people who\nwant this, but cultivation of Kr9�a consciousness is different. The\n\nparticular word used by Srila Rupa Gosvam1 in this connection is\nanusilana,\n\nor\n\ncultivation\n\nby following\n\nthe predecessor teachers\n\n(iiciiryas). As soon as we say \"cultivation,\" we must refer to activity.\n\nWithout activity, consciousness alone cannot help us. All activities\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0030": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\nXX\n\nmay be divided into two classes: one class may be for achieving a\ncertain goal, and the other may be for avoiding some unfavorable\ncircumstance. In Sanskrit, these activities are called pravrtti and\nnivrtti-positive and negative action. There are many examples of\nnegative action. For instance, a diseased person has to be cautious and\ntake medicine in order to avoid some unfavorable illness.\nThose who are cultivating spiritual life and executing devotional\nservice are always engaged in activity. Such activity can be performed\n\nwith the body or with the mind. Thinking, feeling and willing are all\nactivities of the mind, and when we will to do something, the activity\n\ncomes to be manifest by the gross bodily senses. Thus, in our mental\nactivities we should always try to think of Krwa and try to plan how\nto please Him, following in the footsteps of the great iiciiiyas and the\npersonal spiritual master. There are activities of the body, activities\nof the different senses and activities of speech. A Kr��a conscious\nperson engages his words in preaching the glories of the Lord. This is\ncalled kirtana. And by his mind a Kr��a conscious person always\nthinks of the activities of the Lord-as He is speaking on the battlefield of Kuruk�etra or engaging in His various pastimes at V rndavana\nwith His devotees. In this way one can always think of the activities\nand pastimes of the Lord. This is the mental culture of Kr��a consciOusness.\nSimilarly, we can offer many services with our bodily activities. But\nall such activities must be in relationship with Kr��a. This relationship\n\nis established by con�ecting oneself with the bona fide spiritual master who is the direct representative of Kr��a in disciplic succession.\n\nTherefore, the execution of Kr��a conscious activities with the body\n\nshould be directed by the spiritual master and then performed with\nfaith. The connection with the spiritual master is called initiation.\n\nFrom the date of initiation by the spiritual master, the connection\n\nbetween\n\nKrwa and a person cultivating Kr��a consciousness is\n\nestablished. Without initiation by a bona fide spiritual master, the\nactual connection with Kr��a consciousness is never performed.\n\nThis cultivation of Krwa consciousness is not material. The Lord\n\nhas generally three energies-namely, the external energy, the internal\n\n,]\n\nL,\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0031": "Introduction\n\nXXl\n\nenergy, and the marginal energy. The living entities are called marginal energy, and the material cosmic manifestation is the action of\nthe external or material energy. Then there is the spiritual world,\nwhich is a manifestation of the internal energy. The living entities,\nwho are called marginal energy, perform material activities when\nacting under the inferior external energy. And when they engage in\nactivities under the internal spiritual energy, their activities are called\nKr�pa conscious. This means that those who are great souls or great\ndevotees do not act under the spell of material energy, but act instead under the protection of the spiritual energy. Any activities done\nin devotional service or in Kr�pa consciousness are directly under the\ncontrol of spiritual energy.\n\nIn other words, energy is a sort of\n\nstrength, and this strength can be spiritualized by the mercy of both\nthe bona fide spiritual master and Kr�tta.\nIn the Caitanya-caritiimrta by Kr�ttadasa Kaviraja Gosvam'i, Lord\nCaitanya states that it is a fortunate person who comes in contact\nwith a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kr�pa. One who is\nserious about spiritual life is given by Kr�tta the intelligence to come\nin contact with a bona fide spiritual master, and then by the grace of\nthe spiritual master one becomes advanced in Kr�tta consciousness.\nIn this way the whole jurisdiction of Kr�tta consciousness is directly\nunder the spiritual energy-Kr�tta and the spiritual master. This has\nnothing to do with the material world. When we speak of Kr�rta we\nrefer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, along with His many\nexpansions. He is expanded by His plenary parts and parcels, His dif�\n\n.:.\n\nferentiated parts and parcels and His different energies. Kr�tta, in\nother words, means everything and includes everything. Generally,\nhowever, we should understand Kr�tta to mean Kr�tta and His personal expansions. Krwa expands Himself as Baladeva, Sarikar�atta,\nVasudeva, Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Rama, Nrsimha and Varaha, as\nwell as many other incarnations and innumerable Vi�ttu expansions.\nThese are described in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam to be as numerous as the\n\nuncountable waves. So Kr�tta includes all such expansions, as well\n\nas His pure devotees. In the Brahma-samhitii it is stated that Kr�tta's\nexpansions are all complete in eternity, blissfulness and cognizance.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0032": "XXll\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nDevotional service means to prosecute Kr9!1-a conscious activities\nwhich are favorable to the transcendental pleasure of the Supreme\nLord Kr9!1-a, and any activities which are not favorable to the transcendental favor of the Lord cannot be accepted as devotional service.\nFor example, great demons like Rava!la, Kamsa and Hira!lyakasipu\nwere always thinking of Kr9!1-a, but they were thinking of Him as their\nenemy. This sort of thinking cannot be accepted as bhakti or Krwa\nconsciOusness.\nThe impersonalists sometimes misunderstand devotional service in\nsuch a way that they divide Kr9!1-a from His paraphernalia and pas times. For example, the Bhagavad-gitii is spoken on the battlefield of\nKuruk9etra, and the impersonalists say that although Kr9!1-a is of\n\ni\nIl l\nI!\n\nII\n\ninterest, the battlefield of Kuruk9etra isn't. The devotees, however,\nalso know that the battlefield of Kuruk9etra by itself has nothing to\ndo with their business, but in addition they know that \"Kr9!1-a\" does\nnot mean just Kr9!1-a alone. He is always with His associates and\nparaphernalia. For instance,\n\nif someone says,\n\n\"Give something to\n\neat to the man with the weapons,\" the eating process is done by the\nman and not by the weapons. Similarly, in Kr9!1-a consciousness, a\ndevotee may be interested in the paraphernalia and locations-such\nas the battlefield of Kuruk9etra-which are associated with Kr9pa, but\nhe is not concerned with simply any battlefield. He is concerned with\nKr9pa-His speech, His instructions, etc. It is because Kr9pa is there\nthat the battlefield is so important.\nThis is the summary understanding of what Kr�!la consciousness is.\nWithout this understanding one is sure to misunderstand why the\ndevotees are interested in the battlefield of Kuruk9etra. One who is\ninterested in Kr9!1-a becomes interested in His different pastimes and\nactivities.\nThe definition of a pure devotee, as given by Riipa Gosvami in\n\nBhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, can be summarized thus: his service is favorable and is always in relation to Kr�pa. In order to keep the purity of\nsuch Kr§!la conscious activities, one must be freed from all material\ndesires and philosophical speculation. Any desire except for the service of the Lord is called material desire. And philosophical speculation refers to the sort of speculation which ultimately arrives at a\n\n111\n\nl\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0033": "Introduction\n\nXXlll\n\nconclusion of voidism or impersonalism. This conclusion is useless\nfor a Kr9�a conscious person. Only rarely by philosophical speculation\n\ncan one reach the conclusion of worshiping Vasudeva, Kr9p.a. This is\nconfirmed in the Bhagavad-gitii itself. The ultimate end of philo­\n\nsophical speculation, then, must be Kr��a, with the understanding that\nKr9�a is everything, the cause of all causes, and that one should therefore surrender unto Him. If this ultimate goal is reached, then philosophical advancement is favorable, but if the conclusion of philo­\n\nsophical speculation is voidism or impersonalism, that is not bhakti.\nKarma or fruitive activities are sometimes understood to be ritual­\n\nistic activities. There are many persons who are very much attracted\n\nby the ritualistic activities described in the Vedas. But if one becomes\nattracted simply to ritualistic activities without understanding Kr9�a,\n\nhis activities are unfavorable to Kr9�a consciousness. Actually, Kr9�a\nconsciousness can be based simply on hearing, chanting, remembering,\n\netc. Described in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam are nine different processes,\nbesides which everything done is unfavorable to Kr9�a consciousness.\nThus, one should always be guarding against falldowns.\n\nSrila Riipa Gosvam'i has also mentioned in this definition of bhakti\n\nthe word jfiiina-karmiidi. This karmiidi (fruitive work) consists of\n\nactivities which are unable to help one attain to pure devotional\n\nservice. Many fotrns of so-called renunciation are also not favorable\nto Krwa conscious devotional service.\n\nSrila Riipa Gosvam'i has also quoted a definition from the Niirada­\n\npaficariitra, as follows: \"One should be free from all material designa­\n\ntions and must be cleansed of all material contamination by Kr9�a\nconsciousness. He should be restored to his pure identity, where he\n\nengages his senses in the service of the proprietor of the senses.\" So\n�\n\nwhen our senses are engaged for the actual proprietor of the senses,\n\nthat is called devotional service. In our conditional state, our senses\n\nare engaged in serving these bodily demands. When the same senses\nare engaged in executing the order of Kr9�a, it is called bhakti.\n\nAs long as one identifies himself as belonging to a certain family, a\n\ncertain society or a certain person, he is said to be covered with\n\ndesignations. When one is fully aware that he does not belong to any\nfamily, society or country, but is eternally related to Kr9�a, he then\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0034": "xxw\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nrealizes that his energy. should be employed not in the interests of so­\n\ncalled family, socie!:y or country, but in the interests of Kr��a:' This is\n\npurity of purpose and the platform of pure devotional service in\nKrsna consciousness .\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0035": "3NO\n\n�11Vd\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0036": "", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0037": "I I Characteristics\nof Pure Devotional Service\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Third Canto, 29th Chapter, lOth verse,\n\nSrila Kapiladeva, while instructing His mother, has given the following\n\ncharacteristics of pure devotional service: \"My dear Mother, those\n\nwho are My pure devotees, and who have no desire for material\n\nbenefit or philosophical speculation, have their minds so much en­\n\ngaged in My service that they are never interested in asking Me for\nanything-except to be engaged in that service- They do not even beg\n\nto live in My abode with Me.\"\n\nThere are five kinds of liberation, namely to become one with the\n\nLord, to live with the Supreme Lord on the same planet, to have the\n\nsame features as the Lord, to enjoy the same opulences as the Lord,\n\nand to live as a companion of the Lord. A devotee, not to speak of\nrejecting material sense gratification, does not even want any of the\n\nfive kinds of liberation. He is satisfied simply by discharging loving\nservice to the Lord. That is the characteristic of pure devotion.\n\nIn the above statement by Kapiladeva from the Srimad-Bhiigavatam,\n\nthe actual position of a pure devotee is described, and the primary\n\ncharacteristics of devotional service are also defined. Further charac­\n\nteristics· of devotional· service are described by Riipa Gosvami with\n\nevidences from different scriptures. He states that th�re are six char-\n\nacteristics of pure devotional service, which are as follows:\n\n1) Pure devotional service brings immediate relief from all kinds\nof\n'\n\nmaterial distress.\n\n2) Pure devotional service is the beginning of all auspiciousness.\n\n3) Pure devotional service automatically puts one in transcenden­\n\ntal pleasure.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0038": "2\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n4) Pure devotional service is rarely achieved.\n5) Those in pure devotional service deride even the conception of\n\nliberation.\n6) Pure devotional service is the only means to attract Kfgta.\n\nKr�tta is all-attractive, but pure devotional service attracts even\nHim. This means that pure devotional service is even transcendentally\n\nstronger than Krwa Himself, because it is Kr�tta's internal potency.\n\nRelief from Material Distress\n\nIn the Bhagavad-gitii, the Lord says that one should surrender unto\nHim, giving up all other engagements. The Lord also gives His word\nthere that He will protect such surrendered souls from the reactions\nof all sinful activities. Srila Riipa Gosvami says that the distresses\nfrom sinful activities are due both to the sins themselves and to sins\n\ncommitted in our past lives. Generally, one commits sinful activities\ndue to ignorance. But ignorance is no excuse for evading the reaction-sinful activities.\n\nSinful activities are of two kinds: those\n\nwhich are mature and those which are not mature. The sinful activities for which we are suffering at the present moment are called\nmature. The many sinful activities stored within us for which we\n\nhave not yet suffered are considered immature. For example, a man\n\nmay have committed criminal acts but is not yet arrested for them.\n\nNow, as soon as he is detected, arrest -is awaiting him. Similarly, for\n\nsome of our sinful activities we are awaiting distresses in the future,\n\nand for others, which are mature, we are suffering at the present\nmoment.\n\nIn this way there is a chain of sinful activities and their concomi­\n\ntant distresses, and the conditioned soul is suffering life after life\ndue to these sins. He is suffering in the present life the results of\n\nsinful activities from his past life, and he is meanwhile creating fur­\n\nther sufferings for his future life. Mature sinful activities are exhibited if one is suffering from some chronic disease, if one is suf­\n\nfering from some legal implication, if one is born irt a low and de­\n\ngraded family, or if one is uneducated or very ugly.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0039": "Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service\n\n3\n\nThere are many results of past sinful activities for which we are\n\nsuffering at the present moment, and we may be suffering in the fu­\n\nture due to our present sinful activities. But all of these reactions to\nsinful deeds\n\ncan\n\nimmediately be stopped if we take to Kns!la\n\nconsciousness. As evidence for this, Riipa Gosvami quotes from the\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam, Eleventh Canto, 14th Chapter, 18th verse. This\nverse is in connection with Lord Kr�pa's instruction to Uddhava,\n\nwhere He says, \"My dear Uddhava, devotional service unto Me is\n\njust like a blazing fire which can burn into ashes unlimited fuel\nsupplied to it.\" The purport is that as the blazing fire can burn any\n\namount of fuel to ashes, so devotional service to the Lord in Kr�pa\nconsciousness can burn up all the fuel of sinful activities. For\n\nexample, in the Gitii Arjuna thought that fighting was a sinful ac­\n\ntivity, but Krwa engaged him on the battlefield under His order, and\n\nso the fighting became devotional service. Therefore, Arjuna was\nnot subjected to any sinful reaction.\n\nSrila Riipa Gosvami quotes another verse from the Third Canto of\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam,\naddresses her\n\n33rd Chapter, 6th verse, in which Devahiiti\n\nson, Kapiladeva and says, \"My deG\\r Lord, there are\n\nnine different kinds of devotional service, beginning from hearing\n\nand chanting. Anyone who hears about Your pastimes, who chants\nabout Your glories, who offers You obeisances, who thinks of You\n\nand, in this way, executes any of the nine kinds of devotional service\n-even if he is born in a family of dog-eaters [the lowest grade of\n\nmankind] -becomes immediately qualified to perform sacrifices.\"\n\nAs such, for anyone who is actually engaged in devotional service in\n\nfull Kg;pa consciousness, how is it possible that he has not become\n\npurified? It is not possible. One who is engaged in Kr�pa conscious­\n\nness and devotional service has without doubt become freed from all\n\ncontaminations of material sinful activities. Devotional service there­\n\nfore has the power to actually nullify all kinds of reactions to sinful\n\ndeeds. A -devotee is nevertheless always alert not to commit any sin­\n\nful activities; this is his specific qualification as a. devotee. Thus the\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam states that by performing devotional service a\n\nperson who was born even in a family of dog-eaters may become\n\neligible to take part in the performance of the ritualistic ceremonies\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0040": "4\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nrecommended in the Vedas. It is implicit in this statement that a person born into a family of dog-eaters is generally not fit for performing\n\nyajna, or sacrifice. The priestly caste in charge of performing these\nritualistic ceremonies recommended in the Vedas is called the briih­\n\nmar-a order. Unless one is a briihmar-a, he cannot perform these\nceremomes.\n\nA person is born in a briihmar-a family or in a family of dog-eaters\ndue to his past activities. If a person is born in a family of dog-eaters\n\nit means that his past activities are all sinful. But if even such a person\ntakes to the path of devotional service and begins to chant the holy\n\nnames of the Lord-Ha re Kr§fLa, Hare Kr§fLa, Kr§r-a K[§[La, Hare Hare/\nHare Riima, Hare Riima, Riima Riima, Hare Hare-he is at once fit to\n\nperform the ritualistic ceremonies. This means that his sip.ful reactions\nhave immediately become neutralized.\nIt is stated in the Padma Puriir-a that there are four kinds of effects\n\ndue to sinful activities, which are listed as follows:\n\nl) the effect\n\nwhich is not yet fructified, 2) the effect which is lying as seed, 3) the\n\neffect which is already mature, and 4) the effect which is almost\nmature. It is also stated that all these four effects become im­\n\nmediately vanquished for those who surrender unto the Supreme\nPersonality of Godhead, Vi9�u, and become engaged in His devotional service in full l(rg1a consciousness.\nThose effects described as \"almost mature\" refer to the distress\nfrom which one is suffering at present, and the effects \"lying as seed\"\nmeans that in the core of the heart there is a certain stock of sinful\ndesires which are like seeds. The Sanskrit word kutam means that they\nare almost ready to produce the seed, or the effect of the seed. An\n\"immature effect\" refers to the case where the seedling has not begun. From this statement of Padma Puriir-a it is understood that\nmaterial contamination is very subtle. Its beginning, its fruition and\nresults, and how one suffers such results in the form of distress, are\npart of a great chain. When_ one catches some disease, it is often very\ndifficult to ascertain the cause of the disease, where it originated, and\nhow it is maturing. The suffering of a disease, however, does not\nappear all of a sudden. It actually takes time. And, as in the medical\nfield, for precaution's sake, the doctor injects a vaccination to pre-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0041": "Characteristics of Pu.re Devotional Service\n\n5\n\nvent the growing of contamination, similarly, the practical injection\n\nto stop all the fructifications of the seeds of our sinful activities is\nsimply engagement in Krwa consciousness.\n\nIn this connection, Sukadeva Gosvam1 speaks in the Sixth Canto\n\nof Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 2nd Chapter, 17th verse, about the story of\nAjamila, who began life as a fine and dutiful briihmw;w but in his\n\nyoung manhood became wholly corrupted by a prostitute. At the\n\nend of his wicked life, just by calling the name of \"Naraya�a\n[Kr��a] ,\" he was saved despite so much sin. Sukadeva points out\n\nthat austerity, charity and the performance of ritualistic ceremonies\n\nfor counteracting sinful activities are recommended processes, but\n\nthat by performing them one cannot remove the sinful desire-seed\n\nfrom the heart, as was the case with Ajiimila in his youth. This sinful\n\ndesire-seed can be removed only by achieving Kn;�a consciousness.\n\nAnd this can be accomplished very easily by chanting the mahii­\n\nmantra, or Hare Krffla mantra, as recommended by Sri Caitanya\nMahaprabhu. In other words, unless one adopts the path of devo­\n\ntional service, he cannot be one hundred percent clean from all the\n\nreactions of sinful activities.\nBy performing Vedic ritualistic activities, by giving money in\ncharity and by undergoing austerity, one can temporarily become\n\nfree from the reactions of sinful activities, but at the next moment\n\nhe must again become engaged in sinful activities. For example, a\nperson suffering from venereal disease on account of excessive\nindulgence in sex life has to undergo some severe pain in medical\n\ntreatment, and he is then cured for the time being. But because he\n\nhas not been able to remove the sex desire from his heart, he must\n\nagain indulge in the same thing and become a victim of the same\n\ndisease. So medical treatment may give temporary relief from the\n\ndistress of such venereal disease, but unless one is trained to under­\n\nstand that sex life is abominable, it is impossible to be saved from\n\nsuch repeated distress. Similarly, the ritualistic performances, charity\nand austerity which are recommended in the Vedas may temporarily\n\nstop one from acting in sinful ways, but as long as the heart is not\n\nclear, one will have to repeat sinful activities again and again.\n\nAnother example is gi ven in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam of the ele-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0042": "6\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nphant who enters into a lake and takes a bath very seriously, cleansing\nhis body thoroughly. Then as soon as he comes onto shore he\nagain takes some dust from the earth and throws it over his body.\nSimilarly,\n\na person\n\nwho is not trained in Kr�!la consciousness\n\ncannot become completely free from the desire for sinful activities.\nNeither the _yoga process, nor philosophical speculations, nor fruitive\nactivities can save one from the seeds of sinful desires. Only by being\nengaged in devotional service can this be done.\nThere\n\nis\n\nanother\n\nevidence in\n\nthe\n\nFourth\n\nCanto of Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, 22nd Chapter, 37th verse, wherein Sanat-kumara says,\n\"My dear King, the false ego of a human being is so strong that it\nkeeps him in material existence as if tied up by a strong rope. Only\nthe devotees can cut off the knot of this strong rope very easily,\nby engaging themselves in Kr�!J.a consciousness. Others, who are not\nin Kr�!la consciousness but are trying to become great mystics or\ngreat ritual-performers,cannot advance like the devotees. Therefore,\nit is the duty of everyone to engage himself in the activities of\nKr�!la consciousness in order to be freed from the tight knot of\nfalse ego and engagement in material activities.\"\nThis tight knot of false ego is due to ignorance. As long as one is\nignorant about his identification, he is sure to act wrongly and\nthereby become entangled in material contamination. This ignorance\nof factual knowledge can also be dissipated by Kr�r;ta consciousness,\n\nas is confirmed in the Padma Puriirw as follows: \"Pure devotional\nservice in Kr�!J.a consciousness is the highest enlightenment, and\nwhen such enlightenment is there, it is just like a blazing forest fire,\nkilling all the inauspicious snakes of desire.\" The example is being\ngiven in this connection that when there is a forest fire the extensive\nblazing automatically kills all the snakes in the forest. There are\nmany, many snakes on the ground of the forest, and when a fire\ntakes place, it burns the dried foliage,and the snakes are immediately\nattacked. Animals who have four legs can flee from the fire or can\nat least try to flee, but the snakes are immediately killed. Similarly, the blazing fire of Kr�!la consciousness is so strong that the\nsnakes of ignorance are immediately killed.\n\nL\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0043": "Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service\n\n7\n\nKr��a Consciousness is All-Auspicious\n\nSrila Riipa Gosvami has given a definition of auspiciousness. He\n\nsays that actual auspiciousness means welfare activities for all the\n\npeople of the world. At the present moment groups of people are\n\nengaged in welfare activities in terms of society, community or\nnation. There is even an attempt in the form of the United Nations\n\nfor world-help activity. But due to the shortcomings of limited\n\nnational activities, such a general mass welfare program for the whole\n\nworld is not practically possible. The Kr9!1a consciousness movement,\nhowever, is so nice that it can render the highest benefit to the entire\n\nhuman race. Everyone can be attracted by this movement, and every­\n\none can feel the result. Therefore, Riipa Gosvami and other learned\nscholars agree that a broad propaganda program for the Kr9!1a con­\n\nsciousness movement of devotional service all over the world is the\n\nhighest humanitarian welfare activity.\n\nHow the Kr9!1a consciousness movement can attract the attention\n\nof the whole world and how each and every man can feel pleasure in\nthis Kr9!1a consciousness is stated in the Padma Puriirw as follows: \"A\n\nperson who is engaged in devotional service in full Krwa conscious­\n\nness is to be understood to be doing the best service to the whole\n\nworld and to be pleasing everyone in the world. In addition to\n\nhuman society, he is pleasing even the trees and animals because they\n\nalso become attracted by such a movement.\" A practical example of\n\nthis was shown by Lord Caitanya when He was traveling through the\nforests of Jharikhanda in central India for spreading His sankirtana\n\nmovement. The tigers, the elephants, the deer and all other wild ani­\n\nmals joined Him and were participating, in their own ways, by\n\ndancing and chanting Hare Krwa.\n\nFurthermore, a person engaged in Kr9�a consciousness, acting\n\nin devotional service, can develop all the good qualities that are\ngenerally found in the demigods. It is said by Sukadeva Gosvami in\n\nthe Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 18th Chapter, 12th verse,\n\n\"My dear King, persons who have unflinching faith in Kr9!1a and\n\nare without any duplicity can develop all the good qualities of the\n\ndemigods. On account of a devotee's high grade of Kr9�a conscious-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0044": "The Nectar o.fDevotion\n\n8\n\nness even the demigods like to live with him, and therefore it can be\nunderstood that the qualities of the demigods have developed within\nhis body.\"\nOn the other hand, a person who is not in Kg;!J.a consciousness has\nno good qualities. He may be highly educated from the academic\npoint of view, but in the actual field of his activities he can be seen\nto be baser than the animals. Even though a person is highly educated\nacademically, if he cannot go beyond the sphere of mental activities\nthen he is sure to perform only material activities and thus remain\nimpure. There are so many persons in the modern world who have\nbeen highly educated in the materialistic universities, but it is seen\nthat they cannot take up the movement of Kr�!la consciousness\nand develop the high qualities of the demigods.\nFor example, a Kr�!la conscious boy, even if he is not very well\neducated by the university standard, can immediately give up all\nillicit sex life, gambling, meat-eating and intoxication; whereas those\nwho are not in Kr�!la consciousness, although very highly educated,\nare often drunkards, meat-eaters, sex-mongers and gamblers. These\nare practical proofs of how a Kr�!la conscious person becomes highly\ndeveloped in good qualities, whereas a person who is not in Kr�pa\nconsciousness cannot do so. We experience that even a young boy in\nKr��1a consciousness is unattached to cinemas, night clubs, naked\ndance shows, restaurants, liquor shops, etc. He becomes completely\nfreed. He saves his valuable time from being extravagantly spent in\nthe way of smoking, drinking, attending the theater and dancing.\nOne who is not in Kr�!la consciousness usually cannot sit silently\neven for half an hour. The yoga system teaches that if you become\nsilent you will realize that you are God. This system may be all right\nfor materialistic persons, but how long will they be able to keep\nthemselves silent?\n\nArtificially, they may sit down for so-called\n\nmeditation, but immediately after their yogic performance, they will\nengage themselves again in such activities as illicit sex life, gambling,\nmeat-eating and many other nonsensical things. But a Kr�!la conscious\nperson gradually elevates himself without endeavoring for this socalled silent meditation. Simply because he is engaged in Kr�!la\nconsciousness he automatically gives up all this nonsense and develops\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0045": "Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service\n\n9\n\na high character. One develops the highest character by becoming a\n\npure devotee of Kr�!la. The conclusion is that no one can truly have\nany good qualities if he is lacking Kr�!la consciousness.\n\nHappiness in Kr�!la Consciousness\nSrila Riipa Gosvami has analyzed the different sources of happi­\n\nness. He has divided happiness into three categories, which are:\n\n1)\n\nhappiness derived from material enjoyment, 2) happiness derived by\nidentifying oneself with the Supreme Brahman, and\n\nderived from Krsna consciousness.\n\n3) happiness\n\nIn the Tantra s dStra Lord Siva speaks to his wife, Sati, in this way:\n-·\n\n.\n\n\"My dear wife, a person who has surrendered himself at the lotus\n\nfeet of Govinda and who has thus developed pure Kr�!la conscious­\n\nness can be very easily awarded all the perfections desired by the\nimpersonalists; and beyond this, he can enjoy the happiness achieved\n\nby the pure devotees.\"\n\nHappiness derived from pure devotional service is the highest\n\nbecause it is eternal. But the happiness derived from material\nperfection\n\nor understanding oneself to be Brahman is inferior\n\nbecause it is temporary. There is no preventing one's falling down\n\nfrom material happiness,· and there is even every chance of falling\n\ndown from the spiritual happiness derived out of identifying oneself\n\nwith the impersonal Brahman.\nIt has been seen that great miiyiiviidi (impersonalist)\n-very\n\ntimes\n\nhighly\n\ntake\n\nto\n\neducated\n\nand\n\nalmost\n\nrealized\n\nsannyiisis\n\nsouls-may\n\nsome­\n\npolitical activities or to social welfare activities.\n\nThe reason is that they actually do not derive any ultimate tran­\n\nscendental happiness in the impersonal understanding and there­\n\nfore must come down to the material platform and take to such\n\nmundane affairs. There are many instances, especially in India,\nwhere these\n\nmiiyiiviidi sannyiisis descend to the material platform\n\nagain. But a person who is fully in Krwa consciousness will never\n\nreturn to\n\nany sort of material platform.\n\nHowever alluring and\n\nattracting they may be, he always knows that no material welfare\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0046": "10\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nactivities\n\ncan be compared with the spiritual activity of Kr��a\n\nconsciOusness.\nThe mystic perfections achieved by actually successful yogis\nare eight in number. A-t;limii-siddhi refers to the power by which one\ncan become so small that he can enter into a stone. Modern scientific\nimprovements also enable us to enter into stone because they provide\nfor excavating so many subways, penetrating the hills, etc. So,\nal}imii-siddhi, the mystic perfection of trying to enter into stone,\nhas also b�en achieved by material science. Similarly, all of the\nyoga-siddhis, or perfections, are material arts. For example, in one\nyoga-siddhi there is development of the power to become so light\nthat one can float in the air or on water. That is also being performed\nby modern scientists. They are flying in the air, they are floating on\nthe surface of the water, and they are traveling under the water.\nAfter comparing all these mystic yoga-siddhis to materialistic\nperfections it is found that the materialistic scientists try for the\nsame perfections. So actually there is no difference between mystic\nperfection and materialistic perfection. A German scholar once said\nthat the so-called yoga perfections have already been achieved by\nthe modern scientists, and so he was not concerned with them.\nHe intelligently went to India to learn how he could understand his\neternal relationship with the Supreme Lord by means of bhaktiyoga, devotional service.\nOf course, in the categories of mystic perfection there are certain\nprocesses which, the material scientists have not yet been able to\ndevelop. For instance, a mystic yogi can enter into the sun planet\nsimply by using the rays of the sunshine. This perfection is called\nlaghimii.\n\nSimilarly, a yogi can touch the moon with his finger.\n\nThough the modern astronauts go to the moon with the help of\nspaceships,\n\nthey undergo many difficulties, whereas a person with\n\nmystic perfection can extend his hand and touch the moon with his\nfinger. This siddhi is called priipti, or acquisition. With this priiptisiddhi, the perfect mystic yogi can not only touch the moon planet,\nbut he can extend his hand anywhere and take whatever he likes. He\nmay be sitting thousands of miles away from a certain place, and if\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0047": "Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service\n\nll\n\nhe likes he can take fruit from a garden there. This is priipti-siddhi.\nThe modern scientists have manufactured nuclear weapons with\nwhich they can destroy an insignificant part of this planet, but by\nthe yoga-siddhi known as isitii one can create and destroy an entire\nplanet simply at will. Another perfection is called vasitii, and by\nthis perfection one can bring anyone under his control. This is a kind\nof hypnotism which is almost irresistible. Sometimes it .is found that\n\na yogi who may have attained a little perfection in this vasitii mystic\n\npower comes out among the people and speaks all sorts of nonsense,\n\ncontrols their minds, exploits them, takes their money and then goes\n\naway.\n\nThere is another mystic perfection which is known as priikiimya\n\n(magic). By this priikiimya power one can achieve anything he likes.\n\nFor example, one can make water enter into his eye and then again\ncome out from within the eye. Simply by his will he can perform\nsuch wonderful activities.\nThe highest perfection of mystic power is called kiimiivasiiyitii.\nThis is also magic, but whereas the priikiimya power acts to create\n\nwonderful effects within the scope of nature, kiimiivasiiyitii permits\none to contradict nature-in other words, to do the impossible. Of\n\ncourse, one can derive great amounts of temporary happiness by\nachieving such yogic materialistic perfections.\n\nFoolishly, people who are enamored of the glimmer of modern\n\nmaterialistic advancement are thinking that the Kr�l).a consciousness\n\nmovement is for less intelligent men. \"I am better off being busy with\nmy material comforts-maintaining a nice apartment, family and sex\n\nlife.\" These people do not know that at any moment they can be\n\nkicked out of their material situation. Due to ignorance, they do not\n\nknow that real life is eternal. The temporary comforts of the body\n\nare not the goal of life, and it is due only to darkest ignorance that\npeople become enamored of the glimmering advancement of material\n\ncomforts.\n\nSnl.a Bhaktivinode Thakur has therefore said that the advancement\n\nof material knowledge renders a person more foolish because it causes\n\none to forget his real identification by its glimmer. This is doom for\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0048": "12\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nhim, because this human form of life is meant for getting out of the\n\nmaterial contamination. By the advancement of material knowledge,\n\npeople are becoming more and more entangled in material existence.\nThey have no hope of being liberated from this catastrophe.\n\nIn the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya it is stated that Prahlada Maharaj, a\n\ngreat devotee of the Lord, prayed to Nrsimhadeva (the half-lion half­\n\nman incarnation), as follows: \"My dear Lord, I repeatedly pray unto\nYour lotus feet that I may simply be stronger in devotional service. I\n\nsimply pray that my Krwa consciousness may be more strong and\nsteady, because happiness derived out of Kr��a consciousness and\n\ndevotional service is so powerful that with it one can have all the\n\nother perfections of religiousness, economic development, sense\n\ngratification and even the attainment of liberation from material\n\nexistence.\"\nActually, a pure devotee does not aspire after any of these per­\n\nfections because the happiness derived from devotional service in\n\nKr�pa consciousness is so transcendental and so unlimited that no\n\nother happiness can be compared with it. It is said that even one drop\n\nof happiness in Kr��a consciousness stands beyond comparison with\nan ocean of happiness derived from any other activity. Thus, any\n\nperson who has developed even a little quantity of pure devotional\nservice can very easily kick out all the other kinds of happiness derived from religiousness, economic development, sense gratification\n\nand liberation.\n\nThere was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya known as Kholaveca\n\nSridhara, who was a very poor man. He was doing a small business\n\nselling cups made from the leaves of plantain trees, and his income\n\nwas almost nothing. Still, he was spending fifty percent of his small\n\nincome on the worship of the Ganges, and with the other fifty per­\n\ncent he was somehow living. Lord Caitanya once revealed Himself to\n\nthis confidential devotee, Kholaveca Srldhara, and offered him any\n\nopulence that he liked. But Srldhara informed the Lord that he did\nnot want any material opulence. He was quite happy in his present\n\nposition and wanted only to gain unflinching faith and devotion unto\nthe lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. That is the position of the pure de-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0049": "Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service\n\n13\n\nvotees. If they can be engaged twenty-four hours each day in devotional service they do not want anything else, not even the happiness\nof liberation or of becoming one with the supreme.\nIn the Niirada-paiicariitra it is also said that any person who has\ndeveloped even a small amount of devotional service doesn't care\na fig for any kind of happiness derived from religiousness, economic\ndevelopment, sense gratification, or the five kinds of liberation.\nAny kind of happiness derived from religiousness, economic development, liberation or sense gratification cannot even dare to enter\ninto the heart of a pure devotee. It is stated that as the personal\nattendants and\n\nmaidservants\n\nof a queen follow the queen with\n\nall respect and obeisances, similarly the joys of religiousness, economic\ndevelopment, sense gratification and liberation follow the devotional\nservice of the Lord. In other words, a pure devotee does not lack any\nkind of happiness derived from any source. He does not want anything but service to Kr��a, but even if he should have another desire,\nthe Lord fulfills this without the devotee's asking.\n\nRareness of Pure Devotional Service\n\nIn the preliminary phase of spiritual life there are different kinds\nof austerities, penances and similar processes for attaining selfrealization. However, even if an executor of these processes is without any material desire, he still cannot achieve devotional service.\nAnd aspiring by oneself alone to achieve devotional service is also\nnot very hopeful because Kr��a does not agree to award devotional\nservice to merely anyone. Krwa can easily offer a person material\nhappiness or even liberation, but He does not agree very easily to\naward a person engagement in His devotional service. Devotional\nservice can in fact be attained only through the mercy of a pure\ndevotee. In the Caitanya-caritiimrta it is said: \"By the mercy of the\nspiritual master who is a pure devotee and by the mercy of Kr��a one\ncan achieve the platform of devotional service. There is no other\nway.\n\n\"\n\nThe rarity of devotional service is also confirmed in the Tantra-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0050": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n14\n\nsiistra where Lord Siva says to Sati, \"My dear Sati, if one is a very\n\nfine philosopher, analyzing the different processes of knowledge, he\ncan achieve liberation from the material entanglement. By perfor­\n\nmance of the ritualistic sacrifices recommended in the Vedas one can\n\nbe elevated to the platform of pious activities and thereby enjoy the\nmaterial comforts of life to the fullest extent. But all such endeavors\n\ncan hardly offer anyone devotional service to the Lord, not even if\n\none tries for it by such processes for many, many thousands of\n\nbirths.\"\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is also confirmed by Prahlada Maharaj\n\nthat merely by personal efforts or by the instructions of higher\nauthorities one cannot attain to the stage of devotional service. One\n\nmust become blessed by the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devotee\nwho is completely freed from the contamination of material desires.\n\nIn the Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 6th Chapter, 18th verse,\n\nNarada also says to Yudhi�thira, \"My dear King, it is Lord Kr�!la,\n\nknown as Mukunda, who is the eternal protector of the Pa!\\9-avas\n\nand the Yadus. He is also your spiritual master and instructor in\n\nevery respect. He is the only worshipable God for you. He is very\n\ndear and affectionate, and He is the director of all your activities,\n\nboth individual and familial. And what's more, He sometimes carries\n\nout your orders as if He were your messenger! My dear King, how\nvery fortunate you are, because for others all these favors given to\n\nyou by the Supreme Lord would not even be dreamt of.\" The pur­\n\nport to this verse is that the Lord easily offers liberation, but He\n\nrarely agrees to offer a soul devotional service because by devotional\n\nservice the Lord Himself becomes purchased by the devotee.\n\nThe Happiness of Becoming One with the Supreme\n\nSrila Rupa Gosvami says that if brahmiinanda, or the happiness of\n\nbecoming one with the Supreme, is multiplied by one trillionfold,\n\nstill it cannot be compared with an atomic fraction of the happiness\nderived from the ocean of devotional service.\n\nIn the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya Prahlada Maharaj, while satisfying\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0051": "Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service\n\n15\n\nLord Nrsimhadeva by his prayers, says: \"My dear Lord of the uni­\n\nverse, I am feeling transcendental pleasure in Your presence and have\n\nbecome merged in the ocean of happiness. I now consider the happi­\n\nness of brahmananda to be no more than the water in the impression\n\nleft by a cow's hoof in the earth, compared to this ocean of bliss.\"\nSimilarly, it is confirmed in the Bhavartha-dipika, Sridhara Svami's\ncommentary on the Srim ad-Bhagavatam : \"My dear Lord, some of\n\nthe fortunate persons who are swimming in the ocean of Your nectar\n\nof devotion, and who are relishing the nectar of the narration of Your\npastimes, certainly know ecstasies which immediately minimize the\n\nvalue of the happiness derived from religiousness, economic develop­\n\nment, sense gratification and liberation. Such a transcendental devo­\n\ntee regards any kind of happiness other than devotional service as no\n\nbetter than straw in the street.\"\n\nAttracting K���a\nSrila Riipa Gosvami has stated that devotional service attracts even\n\nKr��a. Kr��a attracts everyone, but devotional service attracts Kr��a.\n\nThe symbol of devotional service in the highest degree is Radhara�i.\n\nKr��a is called Madana-mohana, which means that He is so attractive\n\nthat He can defeat the attraction of thousands of Cupids. But\n\nRadharani\nis still more attractive, for She can even attract Krsna.\n. ..\n.\n\nTherefore devotees call Her Madana-mohana-mohani-the attractor of\n\nthe attractor of Cupid.\n\nTo perform devotional service means to follow in the footsteps of\n\nRadhara�i, and devotees in Vrndavana put themselves under the\ncare of Radhara�i in order to achieve perfection in their devotional\n\nservice. In other words, devotional service is not an activity of the\nmaterial world; it is directly under the control of Radhara�i. In\n\nBhagavad-gita it is confirmed that the mahatmas, or great souls, are\nunder the protection of daivi prakrti, the internal energy-Radhara�i.\nSo, being directly under the control of the internal potency of Kr��a,\n\ndevotional service attracts even Kr�!la Himself.\n\nThis fact is corroborated by Kr��a in the Eleventh Canto of\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0052": "16\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam,\n\n12th Chapter, lst verse, where He says: \"My\n\ndear Uddhava, you may know it from Me that the attraction I feel\nfor devotional service rendered by My devotees is not to be attained\neven by the performance of mystic yoga, philosophical speculation,\n\nritualistic sacrifices, the study of Vedanta, the practice of severe\n\nausterities or the giving of everything in charity. These are, of course,\nvery nice activities, but they are not as attractive to Me as the transcendental loving service rendered by My devotees.\"\nHow Kn;�a becomes attracted by the devotional service of His\n\ndevotees is described by Narada in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Seventh\nCanto,\n\nlOth\n\nChapter, 37th verse. There Narada addresses King\n\nYudhi�thira while the King is appreciating the glories of the character\nof Prahlada Maharaj. A devotee always appreciates the activities of\nother devotees. Yudhi�thira Maharaj was appreciating the qualities\nof Prahlada, and that is one symptom of a pure devotee. A pure\ndevotee never thinks himself as great; he always thinks that other\ndevotees are greater than himself. The King was thinking, \"Prahlada\nMaharaj is actually a devotee of the Lord, while I am nothing,\"\nand while thinking this he was addressed by Narada as follows:\n\"My dear King Yudhi�thira, in this world you [the Pa�9ava brothers]\nare the only fortunate people. The Supreme Personality of Godhead\nhas appeared on this planet and is presenting Himself to you as an\nordinary human being. He is always with you in all circumstances.\nHe is living with you and covering Himself from the eyes of others.\nOthers cannot understand that He is the Supreme Lord, but He is still\nliving with you as your cousin, as your friend and even as your messenger. Therefore you must know that nobody in this world is more\nfortunate than you.\"\n\nIn the Bhagava d-gitii when Krwa appeared in His universal form,\n,\n\nArjuna prayed: \"My dear Kr��a, I thought of You as my cousinbrother, and so I have shown disrespect to You in so many ways,\ncalling You Kr��a, or friend. But You are so great that I could not\nunderstand.\" So that was the position of the Pap9avas; although\nKrwa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the greatest among all\ngreats, still He remained with those royal brothers, being attracted\nby their devotion, by their friendship and by their love. That is the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0053": "Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service\n\n17\n\nproof of how great this process of devotional service is. It can attract\neven the Supreme Personality of Godhead. God is great, but devotional service is greater than God because it attracts Him. People who\nare not in devotional service can never understand what great value\nthere is in rendering service to the Lord.\n\nJ\n\n}\nI\n\n!\n\n�-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0054": "2 I The First Stages of Devotion\n\nThe three categories of devotional service which Srila Riipa Go­\n\nsvami describes in Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu are listed as devotional\n\nservice in practice, devotional service in ecstasy and devotional service\n\nin pure love of Godhead. There are many sub-headings in each of\n\nthese categories. Generally it is understood that in the category of\ndevotional service in practice there are two different qualities; de­\n\nvotional service in ecstasy has four qualities, and devotional service in\npure love of Godhead has six qualities. These qualities will be ex­\n\nplained by Srila Riipa Gosvami later on.\n\nIn this connection, Srila Riipa Gosvami suggests that the person\n\neligible for .Kr��a consciousness or devotional service can be classified\nby his particular taste. He says that devotional service is a continual\nprocess from one's previous life. No one can take to devotional service unless he has had some previous connection with it. For example,\n\nsuppose in this life I practice devotional service to some extent. Even\n\nthough it is not one hundred percent perfectly performed, still what­\n\never I have done will not be lost. In my next life, from the very point\n\nwhere I stopped in this life, I shall begin again. In this way there is\nalways a continuity. But even if there is no continuity, if only by\n\nchance a person takes interest in a pure devotee's instruction, he can\n\nbe accepted and advance in devotional service. Anyway, for persons\nwho have a natural taste for understanding books like the Bhagavad­\n\ngitii and Srimad-Bhiigavatam, devotional service is easier than for those\nwho are simply accustomed to mental speculation and argumentative\n\nprocesses.\n\nTo support this statement there are many authoritative assertions\n18\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0055": "The First Stages of Devotion\n\n19\n\nby the learned scholars of bygone ages. According to their general\nopinion, a person may become governed by certain convictions derived by his own arguments and decisions. Then another person, who\nmay be a greater logician, will nullify these conclusions and establish\n\nanother thesis. In this way the path of argument will never be safe\n\nor conclusive. The Srimad-Bhiigavatam recommends, therefore, that\n\none follow in the footsteps of the authorities.\n\nHere is a general description of devotional service given by Sri\n\nRiipa Gosvami in his Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu. Previously, it has been\n\nstated that devotional service can be divided into three categories­\n\nnamely, devotional service in practice, devotional service in ecstasy,\nand devotional service in pure love of God. Now Sri Riipa Gosvami\nproposes to describe devotional service in practice.\nPractice means employing our senses in some particular type of\nwork. Therefore devotional service in practice means utilizing our\ndifferent sensory organs in service to Kr�rta. Some of the senses are\nmeant for acquiring knowledge, and some are meant for executing\nthe conclusions of our thinking, feeling and willing. So practice\nmeans employing both the mind and the senses in practical devotional service. This practice is not for developing something artificial.\nFor example, a child learns or practices to walk. This walking is not\nunnatural. The walking capacity is there originally in the child, and\nsimply by a little practice he walks very nicely. Similarly, devotional\n\nservice to the Supreme Lord is the natural instinct of every living\n\nentity. Even uncivilized men like the aborigines offer their respectful\nobeisances to something wonderful exhibited by nature's law, and\n\nthey appreciate that behind some wonderful exhibition or action\n\nthere is something supreme. So this consciousness, though lying\ndormant in those who are materially contaminated, is found in\nevery living entity. And, when purified, this is called Kr�rta con­\n\nsciOusness.\nThere are certain prescribed methods for employing our senses and\n\nmind in such a way that our dormant consciousness for loving Kr�rta\nwill be invoked, as much as the child, with a little practice, can begin\nto walk. One who has no basic walking capacity cannot walk by\n\npractice. Similarly, Kr�rta consciousness cannot be aroused simply by\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0056": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n20\n\npractice. Actually there is no such practice. When we wish to develop\nour innate capacity for devotional service there are certain processes\nwhich, by our accepting and executing them, will cause that dormant\n\ncapacity to be invoked. Such practice is called sadhana-bhakti.\n\nEvery living entity under the spell of material energy is held to be\n\nin an abnormal condition of madness. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it\n\nis said: \"Generally, the conditioned soul is mad because he is always\nengaged in activities which are the causes of bondage and suffering.\"\nSpirit soul in its original condition is joyful, blissful, eternal and full\nof knowledge. Only by his implication in material activities has\nhe become miserable, temporary and full of ignorance. This is due\nto vikarma. Vikarma means actions which should not be done. Therefore,\n\nwe\n\nmust\n\npractice\n\nsadhana-bhakti-which\n\nmeans\n\nto offer\n\nmangala-aratrika (Deity worship) in the morning, to refrain from\ncertain material activities, to offer obeisances to the spiritual master\nand to follow many other rules and regulations which will be discussed here one after another. These practices will help one to become cured of madness. As a man's mental disease is cured by the\ndirections of a psychiatrist, so this sadhana-bhakti cures the condi­\n\ntioned soul of his madness under the spell of maya, material illusion.\nNarada\n\nMuni\n\nmentions\n\nthis\n\nsadhana-bhakti\n\nin the Srimad­\n\nBhagavatam, Seventh Canto, lst Chapter, 30th verse. He says there\nto King Yudhi�thira: \"My dear King, one has to fix his mind-on Kr��a\nby any means.\" That is called Kr��a consciousness. It is the duty of\n\nthe acarya, the spiritual master, to find the ways and means for his\n\ndisciple to fix his mind on Krwa. That is the beginning of sadhanab!Jakti.\n\nSri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given us an authorized program for\n\nthis purpose, centered around the chanting of the Hare Kr§!W\nmantra.\n\nThis chanting has so much power that it immediately\n\nattaches one to Kr��a. That is the beginning of sadhana-bhakti.\n\nSomehow or other, one has to fix his mind on Kr��a. The great\nsaint Ambar'i�a Maharaj, although a responsible king, fixed his mind\non Kr��a, and similarly anyone who tries to fix his mind in this way\nwill very rapidly make progress in successfully reviving his original\nKr��a consciousness.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0057": "The First Stages of Devotion\n\n21\n\nNow this siidhana-bhakti, or practice of devotional service, can also\n\nbe divided into two parts. The first part is called regulative principles:\n\none has to follow these different regulative principles by the order\nof the spiritual master, or on the strength of authoritative scriptures,\n\nand there can be no question of refusal. That is called vaidhi, or\n\nregulated. One has to do it without any argument. Another part of\n\nsiidhana-bhakti is called riigiinugii. Riigiinugii refers to the point at\n\nwhich, by following the regulative principles, one becomes a little\nmore attached to Kr��a\n\nand executes devotional service out of\n\nnatural love. For example, a person engaged in devotional service may\n\nbe ordered to rise early in the morning and offer iiriitrika, which is\n\na form of Deity worship. In the beginning, by the order of his\n\nspiritual master, one rises early in the morning and offers iiriitrika,\n\nbut then he develops real attachment. When he gets this attachment,\n\nhe automatically tries to decorate the Deity and prepare different\nkinds of dresses and thinks of different plans to execute his devo­\n\ntional service nicely. Although it is within the category of practice,\nthis offering of loving service is spontaneous. So the practice of devo­\n\ntional service, siidhana-bhakti, can be divided into two parts-namely,\n\nregulative and spontaneous.\nRiipa Gosvami defines the first part of devotional practice, or\n\nvaidhi-bhakti, as follows: \"When there is no attachment or no\n\nspontaneous loving service to the Lord, and one is engaged in the\nservice of the Lord simply out of obedience to the order of the\n\nspiritual master or in pursuance of the scriptures, such obligatory\nservice is called vaidhi-bhakti.\"\n\nThese principles of vaidhi-bhakti are also described in the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, Second Canto, lst Chapter, verse 35, where Sukadeva\n\nGosvami instructs the dying Maharaj Parik�it as to his course of\n\naction. Maharaj Parik�it met Sukadeva Gosvami just a week before\n\nhis death, and the King was perplexed as to what should be done\n\nbefore he was to pass on. Many other sages also arrived there, but\nno one could give him the proper direction. Sukadeva Gosvami,\n\nhowever, gave this direction to him as follows: \"My dear King, if you\n\nwant to be fearless in meeting your death next week (for actually\n\neveryone is afraid at the point of death), then you must immediately\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0058": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n22\n\nbegin the process of hearing and chanting and remembering God.\"\n\nIf one can chant and hear Hare K:r��a and always remember Lord\n\nK:r��a, then he is sure to become fearless of death, which may come\n\nat any moment.\n\nIn the statements of Sukadeva Gosvami it is said that the Supreme\n\nPersonality of Godhead is K:r��a. Therefore Sukadeva recommends\nthat one should always hear about K:r��a. He does not recommend\n\nthat one hear and chant about the demigods. The\n\nmiiyiiviidis\n\n(impersonalists) say that you can chant any name, either that of\nK:r��a or those of the demigods, and the result will be the same.\n\nBut actually this is not a fact. According to the authorized version\n\nof Srimad-Bhiigavatam, one has to hear and chant abou't Lord\nVi��u (K:r��a) only.\n\nSo Sukadeva Gosvami has recommended to Parik�it Maharaj that\n\nin order to be fearless of death one has to hear and chant and remem­\n\nber the Supreme Personality of Godhead, K:r��a, by all means. He\nalso mentions that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is sarviitmii.\n\nSarviitmii means \"the supersoul of everyone.\" K:r��a is also men- .\ntioned as isvara, the supreme controller who is situated in everyone's\n\nheart. Therefore, if some way or other we become attached to K:r��a,\n\nHe will make us free from all danger. In the Bhagavad-gitii it is said\n\nthat anyone who becomes a devotee of the Lord is never vanquished.\nOthers, however, are always vanquished. Vanquished means\n\nthat\n\nafter getting this human form of life, a person does not come out of\n\nthe entanglement of birth and death and thus misses his golden op­\n\nportunity. Such a person does not know where he is being thrown by\n'\nthe laws of nature.\n\nSuppose one does not develop K:r��a consciousness in this human\n\nform of life. He will be thrown into the cycle of birth and death involving 8,400,000 species of life, and his spiritual identity will re­\n\nmain lost. One does not know whether he is going to be a plant, or a\nbeast, or a bird, or something like that, because there are so many\nspecies of life. The recommendation of Riipa Gosvami for reviving\n\nour original Kr��a consciousness is that somehow or other we should\n\napply our minds to Kr��a very seriously. and thus also become fear­\n\nless of death. After death we do not know our destination, because\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0059": "The First Stages of Devotion\n\n23\n\nwe are completely under the control of the laws of nature. Only\nKr��a, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is controller over the\nlaws of nature. Therefore, if we take shelter of Kr��a seriously, there\nwill be no fear of being thrown back into the cycle of so many species of life. A sincere devotee will surely be transferred to the abode\nof Kr��a, as affirmed in the Bhagavad-gitii.\nIn the Padma Puriir;w also the same process is advised. There it is\nsaid that one should always remember Lord V i� �u. This is called\ndhyiina, or meditation-always remembering Kr��a. It is said that one\n\nhas to meditate with his mind fixed upon Vi��u. Padma Puriir;w\nrecommends that one always fix his mind on the form of Vi��u by\nmeditation and not forget Him at any tnoment. And this state of\nconsciousness is called samiidhi, or trance.\nWe should always try to mold the activities of our lives in such a\nway that we will constantly remember Vi��u, or Kr��a. That is Kr��a\nconsciousness. Whether one concentrates his mind on the four-.\nhanded form of Vi��u or on the form of two-handed Kr��a, it is the\nsame. The Pad m a Puriirza recommends: somehow or other, always\nthink of Vi�l)U without forgetting Him under any circumstances.\nActually, this is the most basic of all regulative principles. For, when\nthere is an order from a superior about doing something, there is\nsimultaneously a prohibition. When the order is that one should always remember Krwa, the prohibition is that one should never forget\nHim. Within this simple order and prohibition all regulative principles\nare found complete.\n\nThis regulative principle is applicable to all varrzas and iisramas, the\ncastes and occupations of life. There are four varrzas, namely, the\nbriihmarzas (priests and intellectuals), the k§atriyas (warriors and\n\nstatesmen), the vaisyas (businessmen and farmers) and the siidras\n(laborers and servants). There are also four standard iisramas, namely\nbrahmacarya (student life), grhastha (householder), viinaprastha (re­\n\ntired) and sannyiisa (renounced). The regulative principles are not\nonly for the brahmaciiris (celibate students) to follow, but are applicable for all. It doesn't matter whether one is a beginner-a brahmaciiri-or if one is very advanced-a sannyiisi. The principle of remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly and not for-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0060": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n24\n\ngetting Him at any moment is meant to be followed by everyone\nwithout fail.\nIf this injunction is followed, then all other rules and regulations\nwill automatically fall into line. All other rules and regulations\nshould be treated as assistants or servants to this one basic principle.\nThe injunctions of rules and regulations and the resultant reactions\n\nare mentioned in the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 5th\nChapter, 1st and 2nd verses. Camasa Muni, one of the nine sages who\ncame to instruct King Nimi, addressed the King and said, \"The four\n\nsocial orders, namely the briihma!las, the k§atriyas, the vaisyas, and\nthe siidras, have come out of the different parts of the universal form\n\nof the Supreme Lord as follows: the briihmaflaS have come out from\n\nthe head, the k§atriyas have come out from the arms, the vaisyas have\ncome out from the waist, and the siidras have come out from the legs.\n\nSimilarly, the sannyiisis have come out from the head, the viinapras­\n\nthas from the arms, the grhasthas from the waist, and the b ra h ma­\n\nciiris from the legs.\"\n\nThese different orders of society and grades of spiritual advancement are conceived in terms of qualification. It is confirmed in the\n\nBhagavad-gitii that the four social orders and the four spiritual orders\n\nare created by the Lord Himself, in terms of different individual\nqualities. As the different parts of the body have different types of\nactivities, so the social orders and spiritual orders also have different\ntypes of activities in terms of qualification and position. The target\nof these activities, however, is always the Supreme Personality of\nGodhead. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gitii, \"He is the supreme en­\n\njoyer.\" So whether one is a briihma!la or a siidra, he has to satisfy the\nSupreme Lord by his activities. This is also confirmed in the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam by a verse which reads: \"Everyone must be engaged in\nhis particular duty, but the perfection of such work should be tested\nby how far the Lord is satisfied with such activities.\" The injunction\nherein is that one has to act according to his position, and by such\nactivities one must either satisfy the Supreme Persorality or else fall\ndown from his position.\n\nFor example, a briihma!la who is born out of the head of the Lord\n\nhas as his business to preach the transcendental Vedic sounds, or sabda-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0061": "\\\nThe First Stages of Devotion\n\n25\n\nbrahman. Because the briihmar.a is the head, he has to preach the\n\ntranscendental sound, and he also has to eat on behalf of the Supreme\nLord. According to Vedic injunctions, when a briihmar.a eats it is to\nbe understood that the Personality of Godhead is eating through him.\nIt is not, however, that the briihmal)a should simply eat on behalf of\nthe Lord and not preach the message of the Bhagavad-gitii to the\nworld. Actually, one .who preaches the message of the Gitii is very\ndear to Kr��a, as is confirmed in the Gitii itself. Such a preacher is\nfactually a briihmar.a and thus by feeding him\n\none feeds the Su­\n\npreme Lord directly.\nSimilarly, the k§atriya has to protect people from the onslaughts\nof miiyii. That is his duty. For example, as soon as Maharaj Parik�it\nsaw that a black man was attempting to kill a cow, he immediately\ntook his sword, wanting to kill the black man, whose name was Kali . *\n\nThat is a k§atriya's duty. Violence is required in order to give protection. In the Bhagavad-gitii, Lord Kr��a directly gave His order to\nArjuna to commit violence on the battlefield of Kuruk�etra, just to\ngive protection to the people in general.\nThe vaisyas are meant for producing agricultural products, trading\nthem and distributing them. And the working class, or sudras, are\nthose who haven't the intelligence of the briihmal)as or the k§atriyas\nor the vaiSyas, and therefore they are meant to help these higher\nclasses by bodily labor. In this way, there is full cooperation and\nspiritu:tl advancement amongst all the different orders of society.\nAnd when there is no such cooperation, the members of society will\nfall down. That is the present position in the kali-yuga, this age of\nquarrel. Nobody is doing his duty, and everyone is simply puf ed-up\nby calling himself a briihmal)a (intellectual) or a k§atriya (soldier or\n\nstatesman). But actually, such people are without status. They are\nout of touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead because they\nconsciousness moveconscious. Therefore the Krsna\nare not Krsna\n.\n.\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nment is intended to set the whole of human society in proper condi*Not to be confused with Kali, the demigoddess who is the devastating feature\nof material nature. The latter is actually pronounced kiih-lee, whereas the Kali\nunder discussion here (as in the age of kali) is pronounced kuh-ly.\n\nu,\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0062": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n26\n\ntion so that everyone will be happy and take profit from developing\nKrsna consciousness.\n.\nLord Sri Kr��a instructed Uddhava that by following the injunc­\n\ntions of the social and spiritual orders of human society one can\n\nsatisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as a result of such\n\nsatisfaction the whole society gets all the necessities of life amply and\n\nwithout difficulty. This is because, after all, the Supreme Personality\nof Godhead maintains all other living entities. If the whole society\n\nperforms its respective duties and remains in Kr��a consciousness\"'\"\nhl.\nthere is no doubt that all of its members will live very peacefully and\nhappily. Without wanting the necessities of life, the wh�le world will\nbe turned into\n\nVaiku!'-tha, a spiritual abode. Even without being\n\ntransferred to the kingdom of God, by following the injunctions of\nthe Srimad-Bhiigavatam and prosecuting the duties of Kr��a consciousness, all human society will be happy in all respects.\n\nThere is a similar statement by Sri Kr��a Himself to Uddhava in\n\nthe Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 5th Chapter, 2nd verse.\nThe Lord says there, \"My dear Uddhava, all persons are engaged in\nactivities, whether those indicated in the revealed scriptures or ordi­\n\nnary worldly activities. If by the result of either of such activities\n\nthey worship Me in Kr��a consciousness, then automatically they be­\n\ncome very happy within this world as well as in the next. Of this\n\nthere is no doubt.\" We can conclude from this statement by Kn;�a\nthat activities in Kr��a consciousness will give everyone all perfection\n\nin their desires.\n\nThus the Kr��a consciousness movement is so nice that there is no\nneed of even designating oneself briihma!'-a, k§atriya, vaisya, siidra,\n\nbrahmaciiri, grhastha, viinaprastha or sannyiisi. Let everyone be engaged in whatever occupation he now has. Simply let him worship\n\nLord Kr��a by the result of his activities in Krwa consciousness. That\nwill adjust the whole situation,and everyone will be happy and peaceful within this world. In the Niirada-paiicariitra the regulative princi­\n\nples of devotional service are described as follows: \"Any activities\nsanctioned in the revealed scriptures and aiming at the satisfaction of\nthe Supreme Personality of Godhead are accepted by saintly teachers\nas the regulative principles of devotional service. If somebody regu-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0063": "...\n\nThe First Stages of Devotion\n\n27\n\nlarly executes such service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead\nunder the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, then gradually he\nrises to the platform of serving in pure love of God.\"\n\nl\n\nr\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0064": "3 I Eligibility of the Candidate\nfor Accepting Devotional Service\n\nOn account of his association with mahatmas, or great souls one\n\nhundred percent in the devotional service of the Lord, one may at­\n\ntain a little bit of attraction for Sri' Kr��a. But at the same time one\n\nmay remain very much attached to fruitive activities and material\n\nsense enjoyment and not be prepared to undergo the different types\nof renunciation. Such a person, if he has unflinching attraction to\n\nKr��a,\n\nserVIce.\n\nbecomes an eligible candidate for discharging devotional\n\nThis attraction for K{��a consciousness in association with pure\n\ndevotees is the sign of great fortune. It is confirmed by Lord Caitanya\n\nthat only the fortunate persons, by the mercy of both a bona fide\nspiritual master and Kr��a, will get the seed of devotional service. In\nthis connection, Lord Kr��a says in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Eleventh\nCanto, 20th Chapter, verse 8: \"My dear Uddhava, only by excep­\n\ntional fortune does someone\n\nbecome attracted to Me (Kr��a).\n\nAnd even if one is not completely detached from fruitive activities,\n\nor is not completely attached to devotional service, such service is\nquickly effective.\"\n\nDevotees can be divided into three classes. The first or uppermost\n\nclass is described as follows: one is very expert in the study of rele­\n\nvant scriptures, and he is also expert in putting forward arguments in\n\nterms of those scriptures. He can very nicely present conclusions\nwith perfect discretion and can consider the ways of devotional ser­\n\nvice in a decisive way. He understands perfectly that the ultimate\n\ngoal of life is to attain to the transcendental loving service of Kr��a,\n\nand he knows that Kr��a is the only object of worship and love. This\n28\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0065": "Eligibility of the Candidate for Accepting Devotional Service\n\n29\n\nfirst-class devotee is one who has strictly followed the rules and regulations under the training of a bona fide spiritual master and has sincerely obeyed him in accord with revealed scriptures. Thus being\nfully trained to preach and become a spiritual master himself, he is\nconsidered first-class. A first-class devotee never ·deviates from the\nprinciples of higher authority, and he attains firm faith in the scriptures\nby understanding with all reasons and arguments. When we speak of\narguments and reason, it means arguments and reason on the basis of\nrevealed scripture. The first-class devotee is not interested in dry\nspeculative methods meant for wasting time. In other words, one\nwho has attained a mature determination in the matter of devotional\nservice can be accepted as the first-class devotee.\nThe second-class de�otee has been defined by the following symptoms: he is not very expert in arguing on the strength of revealed\nscripture, but he has firm faith in the objective. The purport of this\ndescription is that the second-class devotee has firm faith in the procedure of devotional service unto Kr��a, but he may sometimes fail\nto offer arguments and decisions on the strength of revealed scripture to an opposing party. But at the same time he is still undaunted\nwithin himself as to his decision that Kr��a is the supreme object of\nworship.\nThe neophyte or third-class devotee is one whose faith is not\nstrong and, at the same time, does not recognize the decision of the\nrevealed scripture. The neophyte's faith can be changed by someone\nelse with strong arguments or by an opposite decision. Unlike the\nsecond-class devotee, who also cannot put forward arguments and\nevidences from the scripture, but who still has all faith in the objective, the neophyte has no firm faith in the objective. Thus he is called\nthe neophyte devotee.\nFurther classification of the neophyte devotee is made in the\n\nBhagavad-gitii. It is stated there that four classes of men-namely\nthose who are distressed, those who are in need of money, those who\nare inquisitive and those who are wise-begin devotional service and\ncome to the Lord for relief in the matter of their respective selfsatisfaction. They go into some place of worship and pray to God for\nmitigation <;>f material distress, or for some economic development,\n\n�,.,.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0066": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n30\n\nor to satisfy their inquisitiveness. And a wise man who simply realizes\nthe greatness of God is also counted amongst the neophytes. Such\nbeginners can be elevated to the second-class or first-class platform\nif they associate with pure devotees.\n\nAn example of the neophyte class is Maharaj Dhruva. He was in\n\nneed of his father's kingdom and therefore engaged himself in devo­\n\ntional service to the Lord. Then in the end when he was completely\n\npurified he declined to accept any material benediction from the\nLord. Similarly, Gaj endra was also distressed and prayed to Krgm\n\nfor protection, after which he became . a pure devotee. Similarly,\n\nSanaka, Sanatana, Sananda and Sanat-kumara were all in the category\n\nof wise, saintly persons, and they were also attracted by devo­\n\ntional service. A similar thing happened to the assemblage in the\nN aimi�ara!lya forest, headed by the sage Saunaka. They were inquisi­\n\ntive and were always asking Siita Gosvami about Kr9!1a. Thus they\n\nachieved the association of a pure devotee and became pure devotees\n\nthemselves. So that is the way of elevating oneself. In whatever con­\n\ndition one may be, if he is fortunate enough to associate with pure\n\ndevotees, then very quickly he is elevated to the second-class or firstclass platform.\n\nThese four types of devotees have been described i'n the Seventh\n\nChapter of the Bhagavad-gitii, and they have all been accepted as\n\npious. Without becoming pious no one can come to devotional ser­\n\nvice. It is explained in the Bhagavad-gitii that only one who has con­\n\ntinually executed pious activities and whose sinful reactions in life\n\nhave completely stopped can take to Kr9!1a consciousness. Others\n\ncannot. The neophyte devotees are classified into four groups-the\n\ndistressed, those in need of money, the inquisitive and the wise-ac­\n\ncording to their gradations of pious activities. Without pious activi­\n\nties, if a man is in a distressed condition h_e becomes an agnostic,\n\ncommunist or something like that. Because he does not firmly believe\n\nin God, he thinks that he can adj ust his distressed condition by\ntotally disbelieving in Him.\n\nLord Kr9!!a, however, has explained in the Gitii that out of these\n\nfour types of neophytes, the one who is wise is very dear to Him be­\n\ncause a wise man, if he is attached to Kr9p.a, is not seeking an ex-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0067": "Eligibility of the Candidate for Accepting Devotional Service\n\n31\n\nchange of material benefits. A wise man who becomes attached to\nKrwa does not want any return from Him, neither in the form of relieving distress, nor in gaining money. This means that from the very\nbeginning his basic principle of attachment to Kr�pa is, more or less,\nlove. Furthermore, due to his wisdom and study of siistras (scriptures), he can understand also that Kr�pa is the Supreme Personality\nof Godhead.\nIt is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gitii that after many, many births,\nwhen one becomes actually wise, he surrenders unto Vasudeva,\nknowing perfectly well that Kr�!la (Vasudeva) is the origin and cause\nof all causes. Therefore,\n\nhe sticks to the lotus feet of Krwa and\n\ngradually develops love for Him. Although such a wise man is very\ndear to Kr�!la, the others are also accepted as very magnanimous\nbecause even though they are distressed or in need of money, they\nhave come to Kr�!la for satisfaction. Thus they are accepted as liberal, broad-minded mahiitmiis.\nWithout being elevated to the position of a jiiiini, or wise man,\nno one can stick to the principle of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Others who are less intelligent, or those whose\nintelligence has been taken away by the spell of miiyii, are attached\nto different demigods, on account of the influence of the modes of\nnature. The wise man is he who has thoroughly understood that he is\nspirit soul and not simply a body. Because he realizes that he is spirit\nand that Kr�!la is the supreme spirit, he knows that his intimate\nrelationship should be with Krwa, not with this body. The distressed\nand the man in want of money are in the material concept of life\nbecause distress and need of money are both in relationship with this\nbody. One who is inquisitive may be a little above the distressed and\nthe man in need of money, but still he is on the material platform.\nBut a wise man who seeks Kr�!la knows perfectly well that he is spirit\nsoul, or Brahman, and that Kr�!la is the supreme spirit soul, or Param­\n\nBrahman. He knows that the spirit soul, being subordinate and finite,\nshould always dovetail himself with the infinite and supreme soul,\nKrwa. That is the relationship of the wise man with Kr�pa.\nIt can be concluded that a person who is freed from the bodily\nconcept of life is an eligible candidate for pure devotional service. It\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0068": "32\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nis also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gitii that after Brahman realization,\n\nwhen one is freed from material anxieties and can see every living\nentity on an equal level, he is eligible to enter into devotional service.\nAs has been stated before, there are three kinds of happiness:\n\nmaterial, spiritual and devotional. Devotional service and the happi­\n\nness due to its execution are not possible so long as one is materially\n\naffected. If someone has desire for material enjoyment or for be­\n\ncoming one with the supreme, these are both considered material concepts. Because the impersonalists cannot appreciate the spiritual hap­\n\npiness of association and the exchange of loving affairs with the Su­\n\npreme Personality of Godhead, their ultimate goal is to hecome one\nwith the Lord. This concept is simply an extension of the material\n\nidea. In the material world, everyone is trying to be the topmost head­\n\nman amongst all his fellow men or neighbors. Either communally,\n\nsocially or nationally, everyone is competing to be greater than all\n\nothers, in the material concept of life. This greatness can be extended\nto the unlimited, so that one actually wants to become one with the\ngreatest of all, the Supreme Lord. This is also a material concept,\n\nalthough maybe a little more advanced.\n\nHowever, the perfect spiritual concept of life is complete know­\n\nledge of one's constitutional position, and thus one knows enough to\n\ndovetail himself in the transcendental loving service to the Lord. One\n\nmust know that he is finite and that the Lord is infinite. Thus it is\nnot possible to actually become one with the Lord even if one aspires\n\nfor this. It is simply not possible. Therefore, anyone who has any\ndesire or aspiration for satisfying his senses by becoming more and\n\nmore important, either in the material sense or in the spiritual sense,\n\ncannot actually relish the really sweet taste of devotional service.\nSnl.a Rupa Gosvami has therefore compared possessing these bhukti\n\n(material) and mukti (liberation) desires with being influenced by the\n\nblack art of a witch: in both cases one is in trouble. Bhukti means\n\nmaterial enjoyment, and mukti means to become freed from material\n\nanxiety and to become one with the Lord. These desires are compared\n\nto being haunted by ghosts and witches, because while these aspira­\n\ntions for material enjoyment or spiritual oneness with the supreme\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0069": "Eligibility of the Candidate for Accepting Devotional Service\n\n33\n\nremain, no one can relish the actual transcendental taste of devo­\n\ntional service.\n\nA pure devotee never cares for liberation. Lord Caitanya Maha­\n\nprabhu prayed to Kr�:ra: \"My dear son of Nanda, I do not want any\nmaterial happiness in the shape of many followers, nor immense\n\nopulence in wealth, nor any beautiful wife, nor do I want cessation\nfrom material existence. I may take birth many times, one after\n\nanother, but what I pray from You is that my devotion unto You\nmay always remain unflinching.\"\n\nThe attention of a pure devotee is so much attracted to glorifica­\n\ntion of the pastimes, name, qualities, forms, etc., of the Lord that\nthe devotee does not care for mukti. Sri Bilvamailgala Thakur has\n\nsaid, \"If I am engaged in devotional service unto You, my dear\nLord, then very easily can I perceive Your presence everywhere.\n\nAnd as far as liberation is concerned, I think liberation stands at my\ndoor with folded hands waiting to serve me.\" To pure devotees,\ntherefore, liberation and spiritual emancipation are not very impor­\n\ntant things.\n\nIn this connection, in the Third Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam,\n\nChapter 25, verse 23, Kapiladeva has advised His mother, Devahuti,\n\nas follows: \"My dear Mother, My pure devotees are charmed by\n\nseeing My different forms, the beauty of My face, the structure of\n\nMy body so enchanting. My laughing, My pastimes and My glance\nappear to them so beautiful that their minds are always absorbed\n\nin thoughts of Me, and their lives are dedicated fully unto Me. Al­\n\nthough such people do not desire any kind of liberation or any kind\n\nof material happiness, still I give them a place amongst My associates\nin the supreme abode.\"\n\nThis evidence from Srimad-Bhiigavatam gives assurance to the pure\n\ndevotee of being elevated to association with the Supreme Personality\n\nof Godhead. Snl.a Rupa Gosvami remarks in this connection that\n\none who is actually attracted by the beauty of the lotus feet of\n\nSri Kr�:ra or His service, and whose heart, by such attraction, is\n\nalways full with transcendental bliss, will naturally never aspire after\nthe liberation which is so valuable to the impersonalists.\n\nA similar passage is also there in the Third Canto, 15th Chapter, of\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0070": "34\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nthe same book, wherein Uddhava addresses Lord Kr�t;ta and says,\n\"My dear Lord, for persons who are engaged in Your transcendental\nloving service there is nothing worth obtaining from religiousness,\neconomic development, sense gratification or liberation-although\nhappiness from these different sources can be very easily had by\nthem. In spite of such facilities, my dear Lord, I do not aspire to\nachieve any such results. My only prayer is that I may have unflinching faith and devotion unto Your lotus feet.\"\nA similar passage appears in the Third Canto, 25th Chapter, 31st\nverse, wherein Kapiladeva instructs His mother and says, \"My dear\nMother, devotees whose hearts are always filled in the service of My\nlotus feet, and who are prepared to do anything for My satisfaction,\nespecially those who assemble together to understand My qualities,\npastimes and form, and thus glorify Me congregationally and derive\ntranscendental pleasure therefrom, such fortunate devotees never desire to become one with Me. And not to speak of becoming one with\nMe, if they are offered a post like Mine in My abode, or opulence\nlike Mine, or even personal association with Me with similar bodily\nfeatures, they refuse to accept because they are satisfied simply by\nbeing engaged in My devotional service.\"\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Fourth Canto, 9th Chapter, lOth verse,\n\nKing Dhruva says, \"My dear Lord, the transcendental pleasure derived by meditation upon Your lotus feet, which is enjoyed by the\npure devotees, cannot be approached by the transcendental pleasure\nderived by the impersonalists through self realization. So how can the\nfruitive workers, who at most can aspire to promotion to the higher\nheavenly planets, understand You, and how can they be described as\nenjoying a happiness similar to the devotees' happiness?\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0071": "4 I Devotional Service\nSurpasses All Liberation\n\nHow much a devotee is seriously attached to the devotional service\n\nof the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be understood from the\n\nstatement of Mahariij Prthu (Adiraja) which is described in Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, Fourth Canto, 20th Chapter, 21st verse. He prays to\nthe Supreme Personality of Godhead thusly: \"My dear Lord, if after\n\ntaking liberation I have no chance of hearing the glories of Your\nLordship, glories chanted by pure devotees from the core of their\n\nhearts in praise of Your lotus feet, and if I have no chance for this\nhoney of transcendental bliss, then I shall never ask for liberation\n\nor this so-called spiritual emancipation. I shall simply always pray\n\nunto Your Lordship that You may give me millions of tongues and\n\nmillions of ears so that I can constantly chant and hear of Your\n\ntranscendental glories.\"\n\nThe impersonalists desire to merge into the existence of the su­\n\npreme, but without keeping their individuality they have no chance\n\nof hearing and chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord. Because\nthey have no idea of the transcendental form of the Supreme Lord\n\nthere is no chance of their chanting and hearing of His transcendental\n\nactivities. In other words, unless one is already beyond liberation,\n\none cannot relish the transcendental glories of the Lord, nor can one\n\nunderstand the transcendental form of the Lord.\n\nA similar statement is found in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Fifth Can­\n\nto, 14th Chapter, 43rd verse. Sukadeva Gosvami addresses\n\nParik�it\n\nMahiiriij there and says, \"The great soul of King Bharata was so much\nattached to the service of the lotus feet of Krwa that he very easily\n\ngave up his lordship over the earthly planet and his affection for his\n\n35\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0072": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n36\n\nchildren, society, friends, royal opulence and beautiful wife. He was\nso very lucky that the goddess of fortune was pleased to offer him all\nkinds of material concessions, but he never accepted any of these ma­\n\nterial opulences.\" Sukadeva Gosvami' eulogizes this behavior of King\nBharata very highly. He says, \"Any person whose heart is attracted\nby the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Madhusiidana, not to speak of material opulences, does not\ncare even for that liberation which is aspired to by many great sages.\"\n\nIn the Bhiigavatam, Sixth Canto, 11th Chapter, 23rd verse, there is\n\na similar statement by Vrtrasura, who addresses the Lord as follows:\n\"My dear Lord, by leaving Your transcendental service I may be promoted to the planet called Dhruva-loka [the Pole Star], or I may\ngain lordship over all the planetary systems of the universe. But I do\n\nnot aspire to this. Nor do I wish the mystic perfections of yoga prac­\n\ntice, nor do I aspire to spiritual emancipation. All I wish for, my\nLord, is Your association and transcendental service eternally.\"\nThis statement is confirmed by Lord Siva in the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, Sixth Canto, 17th Chapter, 52nd verse, wherein Lord\nSiva addresses Sati' thusly: \"My dear Sati', persons who are devoted to\nNaraya�a [ Kr��a] are not afraid of anything. If they are elevated to\nthe higher planetary systems, or if they get liberation from material\ncontamination, or if they are pushed down to the hellish condition\nof life-or, in fact, in any situation whatever-they are not afraid of\nanything. Simply because they have taken shelter of the lotus feet of\nNaraya�a, for them any position in the material world is as good as\nanother.\"\nThere is a similar statement by Indra, the King of heaven, in\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam, Sixth Canto, 18th Chapter, 52nd verse. There\nIndra addresses his mother in this manner: \"My dear Mother [Aditi],\n\npersons who have given up all kinds of desire and are simply engaged\nin devotional service to the Lord know what is actually their selfinterest. Such persons are actually serving their self-interests and are\nconsidered first-class experts in the matter of advancing to the perfectional stage of life.\"\n\nIn the Seventh Canto of the Bhiigavatam, 6th. Chapter, 23rd verse,\n\nMaharaj Prahlada says: \"My dear friends who are born into atheistic\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0073": "--.::\n\nDevotional Service Surpasses All Liberation\n\n37\n\nfamilies, if you can please the Supreme Personality of Godhead,\nKr�!la, then there is nothing more rare in this world. In other words,\nif the Supreme Lord Kr�!la is pleased with you, then any desire that\nyou may have within the core of your heart can be fulfilled without\nany doubt. As such, what is the use of elevating yourself by the results of fruitive activities, which are automatically achieved in all\nevents by the modes of material nature? And what is the use for you\nof spiritual emancipation or liberation from material bondage? If you\nare always engaged in chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord and\n- always relishing the nectar of the lotus feet of the Lord, then there is\nno necessity for any of these.\" By this statement of PrahHida Maharaj it is clearly understood that one who takes pleasure in chanting\nand hearing the transcendental glories of the Lord has already surpassed all kinds of material benedictions, including the results of\npious fruitive activities, sacrifices and even liberation from material\nbondage.\nSimilarly, in the same Seventh Canto, 8th Chapter, 39th verse,\nwhen the demigQdS are offering prayers to Lord Nrsi:rhha, lndra, the\nKing of heaven, says, \"0 Supreme One, these demons talk of our\nshare of participation in the performances of ritualistic sacrifices, but\nsimply by Your appearance as Lord Nrsi:rhhadeva You have saved us\nfrom terrible fears. Actually, our shares in the sacrificial performances\nare due to You only, because You are the supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices. You are the su persoul of every living entity, and therefore\nYou are the actual owner of everything. Long were our hearts always\nfilled with fear of this demon, Hira!lyakasipu. But You are so kind\ntowards us that, by killing him, You have removed that fear from\nwithin our hearts and have given us the chance to place Your Lordship within our hearts again. For persons who are engaged in the\ntranscendental loving service of Your Lordship, all the opulences\nwhich were taken away from us by the demons are counted as nothing. Devotees do not care even for liberation, not to speak of these\nmaterial opulences. Actually, we are not enjoyers of the fruits of sacrifices. Our only duty is to always be engaged in Your service, for\nYou are the enjoyer of everything.\"\nThe purport of this statement by lndra is that, beginning from\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0074": "38\n\nThe Nectar of DevQtion\n\nBrahma down to the insignificant ant, no living entities are meant for\nenjoying the material opulences. They are simply meant for offering\neverything to the supreme proprietor, the Personality of Godhead.\nBy doing so, they automatically enjoy the benefit. The example can\nbe cited again of the different parts of the body collecting foodstuffs\nand cooking them so that ultimately a meal may be offered to the\nstomach. After it has gone to the stomach, all the parts of the body\nequally enjoy the benefit of the meal. So, similarly, everyone's duty\nis to satisfy the Supreme Lord, and then automatically everyone will\nbecome satisfied.\nA similar verse is found in the Eighth Canto, 3rd Chapter, of\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam, verse 20. Gajendra says there, \"My dear Lord, I\nhave no experience in the transcendental bliss derived from Your de­\n\nvotional service, so therefore I have asked from You some favor. But\nI know that persons who are pure devotees and have, by serving the\nlotus feet of great souls, become freed from all material desires, are\nalways merged in the ocean of transcendental bliss and, as such, are\nalways satisfied simply by glorifying Your auspicious characteristics.\nFor them there is nothing else to aspire to or pray for.\"\n\nIn the Ninth Canto of the Bhiigavatam, 4th Chapter, 49th verse,\n\nthe lord of Vaiku�tha replies to Durvasa Muni thusly: \"My pure devotees are always satisfied being engaged in devotional service, and\ntherefore they do not aspire even after the five liberated stages,\nwhich are l) to be one with Me, 2)to achieve residence on My planet,\n\n3) to have My opulences, 4) to possess bodily features similar to\n\nMine and 5) to gain personal association with Me. So, when they are\nnot interested even in these liberated positions, you can know how\nlittle they care for material opulences or material liberation.\"\n\nThere is a similar prayer b y the niigapatni (wives of the Kaliya serpent), in the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 16th Chapter, verse\n\n33. The niigapatni say there, \"My dear Lord, the dust of Your lotus\nfeet is very wonderful. Any person who is fortunate enough to achieve\nthis dust does not care for heavenly planets, lordship over all the plan­\n\netary systems, the mystic perfections of yoga or even liberation from\nmaterial existence. In other words, anyone who adores the dust of\nYour lotus feet does not care a fig for all other perfectional stages.\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0075": "1\nDevotional Service Surpasses All Liberation\n\n39\n\nThere is a similar statement in the Tenth Canto, 87th Chapter,\n\n17th verse, when the Srutis, the Vedas personified, prayed to the\nLord as follows: \"My dear Lord, it is very difficult to understand\n\nspiritual knowledge.\n\nYour appearance here just as You are, is to\n\nexplain to us this most difficult subject of knowledge of the spirit.\n\nAs such, Your devotees who have left their domestic comforts to\nassociate with the liberated iiciiryas [teachers] are now fully merged\n\nin the devotional service of Your Lordship, and thus they do not\ncare for any so-called liberation.,-\n\nIn explaining this verse it should be noted that spiritual knowledge\n\nmeans understanding the self and the supersoul, or superself. The\n\nindividual soul and the supersoul are qualitatively one, and therefore\n\nboth of them are known as Brahman, or spirit- But knowledge of\n\nBrahman is very difficult to understand. There are so many philoso­\n\nphers engaged in the matter of understanding the soul, but they are\n\nunable to make any tangible advancement. It is confirmed in the\n\nBhagavad-gitii that out of many millions of persons, only one may\ntry to understand what is spiritual knowledge, and out of many\n\nsuch persons who are trying to understand, only one or a few may\nknow what is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So this verse\n\nsays that spiritual knowledge is very difficult to achieve, and so\n\nin order to make it more easily attainable, the Supreme Lord Himself\ncomes in His original form as Sri Kr��a and gives His instruction\n\ndirectly to an associate like Arjuna, just so that the people in general\n\nmay take advantage of this spiritual knowledge. This verse also\nexplains that\n\nliberation means having completely\n\ngiven\n\nup all\n\nthe material comforts of life. Those who are impersonalists are\n\nsatisfied by simply being liberated from the material circumstances,\n\nbut those who are devotees can automatically give up material life\n\nand also enjoy the transcendental bliss of hearing and chanting the\n\nwonderful activities of Lord Krsna.\n\nIn the Eleventh Canto of Srf�q,d-Bhiigavatam; 20t� Chapter, 34th\n\nverse, Lord Kr��a says to Uddhava as follows: '\\My dear Uddhava,\n\nthe devotees who have completely taken shelter of My service are so\n\nsteadfast in devotional service that they have no other desire. Even\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0076": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n40\n\nif they are offered the four kinds of spiritual opulences,* they will\n\nrefuse to accept them. So what to. speak of their desiring anything\n\nwithin the material world!\" Similarly, Lord Krgta says in another\npassage of the Bhiigavatam, Eleventh Canto, 14th Chapter, 13th\n\nverse, \"My dear Uddhava, a person whose consciousness is completely\n\nabsorbed in My thought and activities does not aspire even to occupy\nthe post of Brahma, or the post of Indra, or the post of lordship over\nthe planets, or the eight kinds of mystic perfections, or even liberation itself.\" In the Twelfth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam,\n\nlOth\n\nChapter, verse 6, Lord Siva says to Devi: \"My dear Devi, this great\nbriihmar-a\n\nsage Marka��eya has\n\nattained unflinching\n\nfaith and\n\ndevotion unto the S�preme Personality of Godhead, and as such\n\nhe does not aspire after any benedictions, inctuding liberation from\n\nthe material world.\"\n\nSimilarly, there is a statement in Padma Purar-a describing the\nritualistic function during the month of Kiirttika (October-Novem­\n\nber). During this month, in Vrndavana it is the regulative principle\n\nto pray daily to Lord Kr��a in His Damodara form. The Damodara\n\nform refers to Kr��a in His childhood when He was tied up with rope\nby His mother, Yasoda. Diima means ropes, and udara means the\n\nabdomen. So Mother Y asoda, being very disturbed by naughty\n\nKr��a, bound Him round the abdomen with a rope, and thus Krwa\n\nis named Diimodara. During the month of Kiirttika, Damodara is\n\nprayed to as follows: \"My dear Lord, You are the Lord of all,\nthe giver of all benedictions.\" There are many demigods like Lord\n\nBrahma and Lord Siva who sometimes offer benedictions to their\n\nrespective devotees. For example, Ravana was blest with many\n\nbenedictions by Lord Siva, and Hira�yakasipu was blest by Lord\n\nBrahma. But even Lord Siva and Lord Brahma depend upon the\nbenedictions of Lord Kr��a, and therefore Krwa is addressed as the\n\nLord of all benefactors. As such, Lord Kr��a can offer His devotees\n\nanything they want, but still, the devotee's prayer continues, \"I do\n\nnot ask You for liberation or any material facility up to the point\nof liberation. What I want as Your favor is that I may always think of\n*The fifth kind of liberation, merging with the Supreme, is not considered an\n\nopulence in spiritual variegated existence.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0077": "Devotional Service Surpasses All Liberation\n\n41\n\nYour form as I see You now as Damodara. You are so beautiful and\nattractive that my mind does not want anything else besides this\nwonderful form.\" In this same prayer, there is another passage in\nwhich it is said, \"My dear Lord Damodara, once when You were\nplaying as a naughty boy in the house of Nanda Maharaj, You broke\nthe box containing yogurt, and because of that Mother Yasoda\nconsidered You an offender and tied You with rope to the household\ngrinding mortar. At that time You delivered two sons of Kuvera,\nNalakiivara and Manigriva, who were staying there as two arjuna\ntrees in the yard of Nanda Maharaj. My only request is that by\nYour merciful pastimes You may similarly deliver me.\"\nThe story behind this verse is that the two sons of Kuvera (the\ntreasurer of the demigods) were puffed up on account of the opulence of their father, and so once on a heavenly planet they were\nenjoying themselves in a lake with some naked damsels of heaven.\nAt that time the great saint Narada Muni was passing on the road and\nwas sorry to see the behavior of the sons of Kuvera. Seeing Narada\npassing by, the damsels of heaven covered their bodies with cloth,\nbut the two sons, being drunkards, did not have this decency. Narada\nbecame angry with their behavior and cursed them thusly: \"You have\nno sense, so it is better if you become trees instead of the sons of\nKuvera.\" Upon hearing this, the boys came to their senses and begged\nNarada to be pardoned for their offenses. Narada then said, \"Yes,\nyou shall become trees, arjuna trees, and you will stand at the\ncourtyard of Nanda Maharaj. But Kr�t�-a Himself will appear in time\nas the foster son of Nanda, and He will deliver you.\" In other words,\nthe curse of Narada was a benediction to the sons of Kuvera because\nindirectly it was foretold that they would be able to receive the\nfavor of Lord Kr�tJ.a. After that, Kuvera's two sons stood as two\nbig arjuna trees in the courtyard of Nanda Maharaj until Lord\nDamodara, in order to fulfill the desire of Narada, dragged the·\nmilling pestle to which He was tied and struck the two trees,\nviolently causing them to fall down. From out of these fallen trees\ncame Nalakiivara and Mat�-igriva, who had by then become great\ndevotees of the Lord.\nThere is a passage in the llayasir§a Puriir-a which states, \"My\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0078": "42\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ndear Lord, 0 Supreme Personality of Godhead, I do not want any\nresultant benediction from my religious life, nor do I want any\neconomic development, nor do I want to enjoy sense gratification,\n\nnor liberation. I simply pray to he an eternal servant at Your lotus\n..\nfeet. Kindly oblige me and give me this benediction.\"\n\nIn the same Hayasir§a Purii:l)a, after Nrsimhadeva wanted to give\n\nbenediction to\n\nPrahHida\n\nMahiiraj,\n\nPrahlada\n\ndid not accept any\n\nmaterial benediction and simply asked the favor of the Lord to\n\nremain His eternal devotee. In this connection, Prahlada Maharaj\ncited\n\nthe\n\nexample of\n\nHanuman,\n\nthe eternal servitor of\n\nLord\n\nRamacandra, who also set an example by neve� asking any material\n\nfavor from the Lord. He always remained engaged in His service.\nThat is the ideal character of Hanuman, for which he is still wor­\n\nshiped by all devotees. Prahlada Maharaj also offered his respectful\n\nobeisances unto Hanuman. There is a well-known verse spoken by\nHanuman in which he says, \"My dear Lord, if You like You can give\n\nme salvation from this material existence, or the privilege of merging\ninto Your existence, but I do not wish any of these things. I do\n\nnot want anything which diminishes my relationship with You as\n\nmaster and servant, even after liberation.\"\n\nIn a similar passage in Niirada-paficariitra it is stated, \"My dear\n\nLord, I do not wish any perfectional stage by performing the ritualis­\n\ntic religious ceremonies or by economic development or by sense\n\ngratification or liberation. I simply pray that You grant me the favor\n\nof keeping me under Your lotus feet. I do not wish any kind of\n\nliberation such as siilohya, to reside on Your planet, or siiriipya, to\n\nhave the same bodily features as You. I simply pray for Your favor\n\nthat I may be always engaged in Your loving service.\"\n\nSimilarly, in the Sixth Canto, 14th Chapter, 4th verse of Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, l\\'laharaj Parilqit inquires from Sukadeva Gosvami:, \"My\n\ndear briihmara, I understand that the demon Vrtrasura was a great\n\nsinful person and that his mentality was completely absorbed in the\nmodes of passion and ignorance. How did he develop to such a\nperfectional stage of devotional service to Naraya�a? I have heard\n\nthat even great persons who have undergone severe austerities and\n\nwho are _liberated with full knowledge must strive to become\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0079": "Devotional Service Surpasses All Liberation\n\n43\n\ndevotees of the Lord. It is understood that such persons are very\nrare and almost never to be seen, so I am astonished that V rtrasura\nhas become such a devotee!\"\nIn the above verse, the most important thing to be noted is that\nthere may be many liberated persons who might have merged into\n\nthe existence of the impersonal Brahman, but a devotee of the\nSupreme\n\nPersonality\n\nof Godhead, Narayat:la, is very, very rare.\n\nEven out of millions of liberated persons, only one is fortunate\nenough to become a devotee.\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhiigavatam,\n\nFirst\n\nCanto, 7th Chapter, Queen\n\nKunti is praying to Lord Kr�t:la at the time of His departure: \"My\ndear Kr�t:la, You are so great that You are inconceivable even to great\n\nstalwart scholars and paramaharhsas [fully liberated souls]. So if\nsuch great sages, who are transcendental to all the reactions of\nmaterial existence, are unable to know You, then as far as we are\n\nconcerned, belonging to the less intelligent woman class, how is it\npossible for us to know Your glories? How can we understand You?\"\nIn this verse, the particular thing to be noted is that the Personality\nof Godhead is not understood by great liberated persons, but only\nby devotees such as Queen Kunti in her humbleness. Although\nshe was a woman and considered less intelligent than a man, still\nshe realized the glories of Kr�t:la. That is the purport of this verse.\npassage which is very important is in the Srimad·\nBhiigavatam, First canto, 6th Chapter, lOth verse, and is called the\nAnother\n\n\"iitmiiriima verse.\" In this iitmiiriima verse it is stated that even those\n\nwho are completely liberated from material contamination are attracted by the transcendental qualities of Lord Kr�I;la. * The purport\nof this verse is that a liberated soul has absolutely no desire at all for\nmaterial enjoyment; he is wholly freed from all kinds of material\ndesires, yet still he is irresistibly attracted by the desire to hear and\n\"\nunderstand the pastimes of the Lord. We can therefore conclude that\nthe glories and pastimes of the Lord are not material. Otherwise, how\n*This atmiiriima verse was once nicely explained by Lord Caitanya to Sanatana\nGosvami. There is a detailed explanation of this verse in the author's Teachings\nof Lord Caitanya.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0080": "44\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ncould the liberated persons known as iitmiiriimas be attracted by\nsuch pastimes? That is the important point in this verse.\nFrom the above statement it is found that a devotee is not after\nany of the stages of liberation. There are five stages of liberation,\n\"\n\nI\n\nalready explained as being\n\nl) to b.,ecome one with the Lord, 2) to\n\nlive on the same planet as the Lord, 3) to obtain the same bodily\nfeatures as the Lord, 4) to have the same opulences as the Lord and\n\n5) to have constant association with the Lord. Out of these five\nliberated stages the one which is known as siiyujya, or to merge\ninto the existence of the Lord, is the last to be accepted by a\ndevotee. The other four liberations, although not desired by devotees,\nstill are not against the devotional ideals. So.me of the liberated\npersons who have achieved these four stages of liberation may also\ndevelop affection for Kr9!la and be promoted to the Goloka Vrndavana planet in the spiritual sky. In other words, those who are\nalready promoted to the Vaiku!ltha planets and possess the four kinds\nof liberation may also sometimes develop affection for Kr9!la and\nbecome promoted to Kr9!la-loka.\nSo those who are in the four liberated states may still be going\nthrough different stages of existence. In the beginning they may\nwant the opulences of Kr9!la, but at the mature stage the dormant\nlove for Kr9!la exhibited in Vrndavana becomes prominent in their\nhearts. As such, the pure devotees never accept the liberation of\n\nsiiyujya, to become one with the supreme, though sometimes they\n\nmay accept as favorable the other four liberated states.\n\nOut of many kinds of devotees of the Supreme Personality of God­\n\nhead, the one who is attracted to the original form of the Lord, Krwa\n\nin Vrndavana, is considered to be the foremost, first-class devotee.\n\nSuch a devotee is never attracted by the opulences of Vaiku!ltha, nor\n\neven of Dvaraka, the royal city where KH!la ruled. The conclusion of\nSri Riipa Gosvami is that the devotees who are attracted by the pas­\n\ntimes of the Lord in Gokula, or Vrn davana,* are the topmost devotees.\n\n*Vrndavana is the transcendental place where Krwa enj oys His eternal pastimes\nas\n\na boy, and it is considered the topmost sphere in all existence. When this is ex­\n\nhibited in the material world the place is called Gokula, and in the spiritual world\nit is called Goloka or Goloka Vrndavana.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0081": "Devotional Service Surpasses All Liberation\n\n45\n\nA devotee who is attached fo a particular form of the Lord does\nnot wish to change his devotion to other forms. For example,\nHanuman, the devotee of Lord Ramacandra, knew that there is no\ndifference between Lord Ramacandra and Lord Naraya�a, and yet\nhe still wanted to render service only unto Lord Ramacandra. That is\ndue to the specific attraction of a particular devotee. There are\nmany, many forms of the Lord, but Kr��a is still the original form.\nThough all of the devotees of the different forms of the Lord are in\nthe same category, still it is said that those who are devotees of Lord\nKr��a are the topmost in the list of all devotees.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0082": ":\n\n5 I Purity of Devotional Service\n\nAll of the previous instructions imparted by S rila Riipa Gosvami in\nhis broad statements can be summarized thusly: as long as one is materially inclined or desirous to merge into the. spiritual effulgence,\none cannot enter into the realm of pure devotional service. Next,\nRiipa Gosvami states that devotional service is transcendental to all\nmaterial considerations and that it is not limited to any particular\ncountry, class, society or circumstance. As is stated in the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, devotional service is transcendental and has no cause.\n\nDevotional service is executed without any hope for gain, and it cannot be checked by any material circumstances. It is open for all,\nwithout any distinction, and it is the constitutional occupation of the\n·\n\nliving entities.\n\nIn the Middle Ages, after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya's\ngreat associate Lord Nityananda, a class of priestly persons claimed\nto be the descendents of Nityananda, calling themselves the gosviimi\ncaste. They further claimed that the practice and spreading of devotional service belonged only to their particular class, which was\nknown as Nityiinanda-vamsa. In this way, they exercised their arti­\n\nficial power for some time, until\n\nS rila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati\n\nThakur, the powerful iiciirya of the Gaufliya Vai§rtava sampradiiya,\n\ncompletely smashed their idea. There was a great hard struggle for\nsome time, but it has turned out successfully, and it is now correctly\nand practically established that devotional service is not restricted to\na particular class of men. Besides that, anyone who is engaged in\ndevotional service is already on the status of being a high-class briih­\n\nmar-a. So\n\nS rila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur's struggle for this\n\nmovement has come out successful.\n46\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0083": "Purity of Devotional Service\n\n47\n\nIt is on the basis of his position that anyone can now become a\n\nGaw}iya Vai§r-ava, from any part of the world or any part of the uni­\n\nverse. Anyone who is a pure Vai§r-ava is situated transcendentally,\n\nand therefore the highest qualification in the material world, namely,\n\nto be in the modes of goodness, is already achieved by such a person.\nOur Krsna consciousness movement in the Western world is based on\n·\nthe ab ��e-mentioned proposition of Snla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati\n\nGosvami Prabhupada, our spiritual master. On his authority, we are\n\nclaiming members from all sections of the Western countries. The so­\n\ncalled briihmar-as claim that one who is not born into a briihmar-a\n\nfamily cannot receive the sacred thread and cannot become a high­\n\ngrade Vai§r-ava. But we do not accept such a theory because it is not\n\nsupported by Rupa Gosvami nor by the strength of the various scriptures.\n\nSnla Ri1pa Gosvami specifically mentions herein that every man\n\nhas the birthright to accept devotional service and to become Kr��a\n\nconscious. He has given many evidences from many scriptures, and\n\nhe has especially quoted one passage from Padma Puriirw, wherein\n\nsage Vasi�tha tells King Dilipa: \"My dear King, everyone has the right\n\nto execute devotional service, just as he has the right to take early\n\nbath in the month of Miigh [December-} anuary].\" There is more\n\nevidence in Padma Puriir-a, in the Kiisikhar-�a portion, where it is\n\nsaid: \"In the country known as Mayuradhvaja, the lower caste people\n\nwho are considered less than sudras are also initiated in the Vai§r-ava\ncult of devotional service. And when. they are properly dressed, with\ntilaka on their bodies and beads in their hands and on their necks,\n\nthey appear to be coming from Vaiku�tha. In fact, they look so very\nbeautiful that immediately they surpass the ordinary briihmar-as.\"\n\nThus a Vai§r-ava automatically becomes a briihmar-a. This idea is also\n\nsupported by Sanatana Gosvami iu his book Hari-bhakti-viliisa, which\n\nis the Vai§r-ava guide. Therein he has clearly stated that any person who\nis properly initiated into the\n\nVai§r-ava cult certainly becomes a\n\nbriihmar-a, as much as the metal known as kamsa (bell metal) is turned\n\ninto gold by the mixture of mercury. A bona fide spiritual master, under\n\nthe guidance of authorities, can turn anyone to the Vai§r-ava cult so\nthat naturally he may come to the topmost position of a briihmar-a.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0084": "48\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\nSrila Riipa Gosvami warns, however, that if a person is properly\n\ninitiated by a bona fide spiritual master, he should not think that sim­\n\nply by the acceptance of such initiation his business is then finished.\n\nOne still has to follow the rules and regulations very carefully. If\n\nafter accepting the spiritual master.,and being initiated one does not\n\nfollow the rules and regulations of devotional service, then he is again\n\nfallen. One must be very vigilant to remember that he is the part and\nparcel of the transcendental body of Krwa, and it is his duty as part\n\nand parcel to give service to the whole, or Kr��a. If we do not render\nservice to Kn;�a then again we fall down. In other words, simply be­\n\ncoming initiated does not elevate one to the position of a high-class\n\nbriihmar-a. One also has to discharge the duties and follow the regu­\n\nlative principles very rigidly.\n\nSri Riipa Gosvami also says that if anyone is regularly discharging\n\ndevotional service there will be no question of a falldown. But even\n\nif circumstantially there is some falldown, the Vai§r-ava need have\n\nnothing to do with the priiyascitta, the ritualistic ceremony for purification. If someone falls down from the principles of devotional\nservice, he need not take to the priiyascitta performances for refor­\n\nmation. He has simply to execute the rules and regulations for dis­\n\ncharging devotional service, and that is sufficient for his reinstate­\n\nment. This is the mystery of the Vai§rwva (devotional) cult.\n\nPractically there are three processes for elevating one to the plat­\n\nform of spiritual consciousness. These processes are called karma,\n\njniina and bhakti. Ritualistic performances are in the field of karma.\n\nSpeculative processes are in the field of jniina. One who has taken to\n\nbhakti, the devotional service of the Lord, need have nothing to do\nwith karma or jniina. It has been already explained that pure devo­\n\ntional service is without any tinge of karma or jniina. Bhak ti should\nhave no tinge of philosophical speculation or ritualistic performances.\nIn this connection\n\nSrila Riipa Gosvami gives evidence from\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam, Eleventh Canto, in which it is said by Lord\nKr��a to Uddhava, \"The distinction between qualification and dis­\n\nqualification may be made in this way: persons who are already elevated in discharging devotional service will never again take shelter of\n\nthe processes of fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. If one\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0085": "Purity of Devotional Service\n\n49\n\nsticks to devotional service and is conducted by regulative principles\n\ngiven by the authorities and iiciiryas, that is the best qualification.\"\n\nThis statement is supported in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, First Can­\n\nto, 5th Chapter, 17th verse, wherein Sri Narada Muni advises Vyasa­\n\ndeva thusly: \"Even if one does not execute his specific occupational\n\nduty, but immediately takes direct shelter of the lotus feet of Hari\n\n[ Kr�rta] , there will be no fault on his part, and in all circumstances\n\nhis position is secure. Even if, by some bad association, he falls down\nwhile executing devotional service, or if he doesn't finish the com­\n\nplete course of devotional service and dies untimely, still he is not at\na loss. A person who is simply discharging his occupational duty in\n\nvarrw and iisrama, however, with no Kr� rta consciousness, practically\n\ndoes not gain the true benefit of human life.\" The purport is that all\nconditioned souls who are engaged very frantically in activities for\nsense gratification, without knowing that this process will never help\nthem to get out of material contamination, are awarded only with\nrepeated births and deaths.\n\nIn the Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is clearly stated by\n\nJ;t�abhadeva to his sons: \"Persons engaged in fruitive activities are re­\n\npeatedly accepting birth and death, and until they develop a loving\nfeeling for Vasudeva, there will be no question of getting out from\nthese stringent laws of material nature.\" As such, any person who\n\nis very seriously engaged in his occupational duties in the vaqws and\n\niisramas, and who does not develop love for the Supreme Personality\n\nof Godhead, Vasudeva, is to be understood as simply spoiling his\nhuman form of life.\nThis\n\nis\n\nconfirmed\n\nalso\n\nin\n\nthe\n\nEleventh\n\nCanto\n\nof Srimad­\n\nBhagavatam, llth Chapter, 32nd verse, in which the Lord says to\n\nUddhava, \"My dear Uddhava, any person who takes shelter of Me in\n\ncomplete surrender and followg; My instructions, giving up all occupa­\n\ntional duties, is to be considered the first-class man.\" In this state­\n\nment of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is understood that\npeople who are generally attracted to philanthropic, ethical, moral,\n\naltruistic, political and social welfare activities may be considered\nnice men only in the calculation of the material world. From Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam and other authentic Vedic scriptures we learn further\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0086": "50\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nthat if a person simply acts in Kr��a consciousness and discharges\n\ndevotional service, he is considered to be far, far better situated than\nall of those persons engaged in philanthropic, ethical, moral, altruistic\nand social welfare activities.\n\nThe same thing is still more emphatically confirmed in the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, Eleventh Canto, 5th Chapter, 37th verse, in which\n\nKarabhajana Muni addresses Maharaj Nimi as follows: \"My dear\nKing, if somebody gives up his occupational duties as they are pre­\n\nscribed for the different varr-as and iisramas, but takes complete shelter, surrendering himself unto the lotus feet of the Lord, such a per­\n\nson is no more a debtor, nor has he any obligation to perform the\n\ndifferent kinds of activities we render to the great sages, ancestors,\n\nliving entities and family and society members. Neither has he any\nneed to bother executing the five kinds of yajiias [sacrifices] for be­\n\ncoming free from sinful contamination. Simply by discharging devo­\n\ntional service he is freed from all kinds of obligations.\" The purport\n\nis that as soon as a man takes his birth, he is immediately indebted\n\nto so many sources. He is indebted to the great sages because he\nprofits by reading their authoritative scriptures and books. For exam­\n\nple, we take advantage of the books written by Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva has left for us all the\n\nVedas. Before Vyasadeva's writing, the\n\nVedic literature was simply heard, and the disciples would learn the\n\nmantras quickly by hearing and not by reading. Later on, Vyasadeva\n\nthought it wise to write down the Vedas because in this age people\n\nare short-memoried and unable to remember all the instructions\ngiven by the spiritual master. Therefore, he left all the Vedic know­\n\nledge in book form, such as the Puriirws, Vedanta, Mahiibhiirata and\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam.\nThere are many other sages, like Sankaracarya, Gautama Muni,\n\nNarada Muni, etc., to whom we are indebted because we take\n\nadvantage of their knowledge. Similarly, we are obliged to our\n\n.forefathers\nwhere we\n\nbecause we\n\ntake all\n\ntake\n\nour\n\nadvantages\n\nbirth\n\nin a\n\nparticular\n\nfamily,\n\nand inherit property. Therefore,\n\nwe are indebted to the forefathers and have to offer them piflfla\n\n(prasiidam) after they are dead. Similarly, to the people in gen­\n\neral we are also indebted, as well as to our relatives, friends and\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0087": "Purity of Devotional Service\neven\n\nanimals\n\nsuch\n\nas\n\n51\n\ncows and dogs who render us so much\n\nservice.\nIn this way, we are indebted to the demigods, to the forefathers,\nto the sages, to the animals and to society in general. It is our duty\nto repay them all by proper discharge of service. But by the one\nstroke of devotional service, if someone gives up all obligations and\nsimply surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is no\nlonger a debtor, nor obliged to any other source of benefit.\n\nIn the Bhagavad-gitii also the Lord says: \"Give up all your occu­\n\npations and just become surrendered unto Me. I give you assurance\nthat I shall give you protection from all sinful reactions.\" One may\nthink that because he is surrendering unto the Supreme Personality\nof Godhead, he will not be able to perform all of his other obligations. But the Lord says repeatedly, \"Don't hesitate. Don't consider\nthat because you are giving up all other engagements there will be\nsome flaw in your life. Don't think like that. I will give you all pro­\n\ntection.\" That is the assurance of Lord Kr��a in the Bhagavad-gitii.\n\nThere is additional evidence in the Agastya-samhitii: \"As the regu­\n\nlative principles of scripture are not required by a liberated person,\nsimilarly a person who is engaged duly in the service of Lord Ramacandra is also not required to discharge the ritualistic principles\nwhich are indicated in the Vedic supplimentaries.\" In other words,\nthe devotees of L.ord Ramacandra, or Krwa, are already liberated\npersons and are not required to follow all the regulative principles\nmentioned in the ritualistic portions of the Vedic literature.\n\nSimilarly, in the Eleventh Canto of Snmad-Bhiigavatam, 5th Chap­\n\nter, Karabhajana Muni addresses King Nimi and says, \"My dear King,\na person who has given up the worship of the demigods and has completely concentrated his energy in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhelld has become very, very dear to the\nLord. As such, if by chance or mistake he does something which is\nforbidden, there is no need for him to perform any purificatory\nceremonies. Because the Lord is situated within his heart, He takes\ncompassion for the devotee's accidental mistake and corrects him\n\nfrom within.\" It is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gitii in many\n\nplaces that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kr��a, takes a\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0088": "...\n\n52\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nspecial interest in His devotees and declares emphatically that nothing can cause His devotees to fall dowri. He is always protecting\nthem.\n\n_.._._._._L\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0089": "6 I How to Discharge\nDevotional Service\n\nSrila Rfi.pa Gosvami states that his elder brother (Sanatana Go­\n\nsvami) has compiled Hari-bhakti-viliisa for the guidance of the Vai§­\n\nr-avas, and therein has mentioned many rules and regulations to he\n\nfollowed by the Vai§r-avas_ Some of them are very important and\n\nprominent, and he will now mention these very important items for\n\nour benefit. The purport of this statement is that Srila Rupa Gosvami\nproposes to mention only basic principles, not details. For example,\n\na basic principle is that one has to accept a spiritual master. Exactly\n\nhow one follows the instructions of his spiritual master is considered\n\na detail. For example, if one is following the instruction of his spiri­\n\ntual master and that instruction is different from the instructions of\n\nanother spiritual master, this is called detailed information. But the\n\nbasic principle of acceptance of a spiritual master is good everywhere,\n'\nalthough the details may be different. Srila Rupa Gosvami does not\nwish to enter into details here, but he wants to place before us only\nthe principles.\n\nHe mentions the basic principles as follows: l) accepting the shel­\n\nter of the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master, 2) becoming initiated by the spiritual master and learning how to discharge devo­\n\ntional service from him, 3) obeying the orders of the spiritual master\n\nwith faith and devotion,\niiciiryas (teachers)\n\n5)\n\n4) following in the footsteps of great\n\nunder the direction of the spiritual master,\n\ninquiring from the spiritual master how to advance in Kr�!la\n\nconsciousness,\n\n6) being prepared to give up anything material for\n\nthe satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Kr�!la\n\n(This means that when we are engaged in the devotional service of\n\n53\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0090": "54\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nKrwa, we must be prepared to give up something which we may not\nlike to give up, and also we have to accept something which we may\nnot like to accept.), 7) residing in a sacred place of pilgrimage like\n\nDvaraka or Vrndavana, 8) dealing with the material world only as\n\nfar as necessary, 9) observing the fasting day on Ekiidasi, and 10)\nworshiping sacred trees like the banyan tree and others.\n\nThese ten items are preliminary necessities for beginning the\ndischarge of devotional service in regulative principles. In the be­\n\nginning, if a neophyte devotee observes the above-mentioned ten\nprinciples, surely he will quickly make good advancement in Kr�!la\n\nconsciOusness.\nThe next set of instructions is listed as foll o ws: 1) One should\n\nrigidly give up the company of nondevotees. 2) One should not instruct a person who is not desirous of accepting devotional service.\n\n3) One should not be very enthusiastic about constructing costly\ntemples or monasteries. 4) One should not try to read too many\nbooks, nor should one develop the id e a of earning his livelihood by\n\nlecturing on or by professionally reciting Srimad-Bhiigavatam or the\n\nBhagavad-gitii. 5) One should not be neglectful in ordinary dealings.\n\n6) One should not be under the spell of lamentation in loss or tribulation in gain. 7) One should not disrespect the demigods. 8) One should\nnot give unnecessary trouble to any living entity. 9) One should\ncarefully avoid the various offenses in chanting the holy name of the\nLord, or in worshiping the Deity in the temple. 10) One should be\n\nvery intolerant towards the blasphemy of the Supreme Personality of\nGodhead, Kr�tta, or His devotees.\n\nWithout following the above-mentioned ten principles, one cannot\n\nproperly elevate himself to the platform of siidhana-bhakti, or devo­\n\ntional service in practice. Altogether, Srila Riipa Gosvami mentions\ntwenty items, and all of them are very important. Out of the twenty,\n\nthe first three-namely, accepting the shelter of a bona fide spiritual\nmaster, taking initiation from him and serving him with respect and\nreverence-are the most important.\n\nThe next important items are as follows: 1) One should decorate\n\nthe body with tilaka, which is the sign of the Vai§[lavas. (The idea is\n\nthat as soon as a person sees these marks on the body of the Vai§[lava,\n\n•\n'\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0091": "How to Discharge Devotional Service\n\n55\n\nhe will immediately remember Kr��a. Lord Caitanya said that a\nVai§r-ava is he whom, when seen, reminds one of Kr��a. Therefore,\nit is essential that a Vai§r-ava mark his body with tilaka to remind\n\n2) In marking such tilaka, sometimes one may\nwrite Ha re Kr§r-a on the body. 3) One should accept flowers and\n\nothers of Kr��a.)\n\ngarlands that have been offered to the Deity and the spiritual master\nand put them on his body. 4) One should learn to dance before the\nDeity.\n\n5) One should learn to bow down immediately upon seeing\nthe Deity or the spiritual master. 6) As soon as one visits a temple of\nLord Kr��a, one must stand up. 7) When the Deity is being borne for\na stroll in the street, a devotee should immediately follow the\nprocession. (In this connection it may be noted that in India, especially in Vi��u, temples, the system is that apart from the big Deity\nwho is permanently situated in the main area of the temple, there\nis another set of smaller Deities which are taken in procession in the\nevening. In some temples it is the custom to hold a big procession\nin the evening with a band playing and a nice big. umbrella over the\nDeities, who sit on decorated thrones on the cart or palanquin which\nis carried by devotees. The Deities come out onto the street and\ntravel in the neighborhood while the people of the neighborhood\ncome out to offer prasiidam. The residents of the neighborhood all\nfollow the procession so that it is a very nice scene. When the\nDeity is coming Ol!t, the servitors in the temple put forward the\ndaily accounts before Them: so much was the collection, so much\nwas the expenditure. The whole idea is that the Deity is considered\nto be the proprietor of the whole establishment, and all the priests\nand other people taking care of the temple are considered to be the\nservants of the Deity. This system is very, very old and is still\nfollowed. So, therefore, it is mentioned here that when the Deity\nis on stroll the people should follow behind.) 8) A devotee must\nvisit a Vi��u temple at least once or twice every day, morning and\nevening. (In Vrndavana this system is followed very strictly. All the\ndevotees in town go every morning and evening to visit different\ntemples. Therefore during these times there are considerable crowds\nall over the city. There.are about 5,000 temples in Vrndavana City.\nOf course it is not possible to visit all the temples, but there are at\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0092": "56\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nleast one dozen very big and important temples which were started\nby the Gosvamis and which should be visited.)\n\n9) One must cir­\n\ncumambulate the temple building at least three times. (In every\ntemple there is an arrangement to go around the temple at least\nthree times. Some devotees go around more than three times:\nten times, fifteen times-according to their vows. The Gosvamis\nused to circumambulate Govardhan Hill.) 10) One should circumambulate the whole Vrndavana area. ll) One must worship the Deity\nin the temple according to\n\nthe regulative principles. (Offering\n\niiriitrika, prasiidam, decorating the Deity, etc.-these things must be\nobserved regularly.) 12) Rendering personal service to the Deities.\n\n13) Singing. 14) Sankirtana. 15) Chanting. 16) Offering prayers.\n17) Reciting notable prayers. 18) Tasting mahii-prasiidam (food from\nthe very plate offered before the Deities). 19) Drinking carar-amrtam\n(water from the bathing of the Deities which is offered to guests).\n\n20) One must smell the incense and flowers offered to the Deity.\n21) One must touch the lotus feet of the Deity. 22) One must see the\nDeity with great devotion. 23) One must offer iiriitrika at different\ntimes. 24) One must hear about the Lord and His pastimes from\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam, the Bhagavad-gitii, and similar books. 25) One\nmust pray to the Deity for His mercy. 26) One should remember the\nDeity. 27) One should meditate upon the Deity. 28) One should\nrender some voluntary service. 29) One should thipk of the Lord as\nhis friend. 30) One should offer everything to the Lord. 31) One\nshould offer a favorite article (as food or a garment). 32) One should\ntake all kinds of risks for Kr�!ia's benefit. 33) In every condition, be\na surrendered soul. 34) Pour water on the tulasi tree. 35) Regularly\nhear Srimad-Bhiigavatam and similar literature. 36) Live in a sacred\nplace like Mathura, Vrndavana or Dvaraka. 37) Offer service to\nVai§r-avas (devotees). 38) Arrange your devotional service according\nto your means. 39) In the month of Kiirttika (October and November),\nmake arrangements for special services. 40) During ]anmii§tami (the\ntime of Kr�!ia's appearance in this world) observe a special service.\n\n41) Do whatever is done with great care and devotion for the Deity.\n42) Relish the pleasure of Bhiigavatam reading amongst devotees and\nnot amongst outsiders. 43) Associate with devotees who are considered more advanced. 44) Live in the jurisdiction of Mathura.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0093": "How to Discharge Devotional Service\n\n57\n\nNow, the total regulative principles come to an aggregate of sixty­\n\nfour items. As we have mentioned, the first are the primary ten\n\nregulative principles. Then come the secondary ten regulative princi­\n\nples, and added to these are forty-four other activities. So altogether\nthere are sixty-four items for discharging the regulative practice of\n\ndevotional service. Out of these sixty-four items, five items-namely,\n\noffering water to the tulasi tree, hearing Srimad-Bhiigavatam, asso­\n\nciating amongst the devotees, smikirtana and living in Mathura-are\n\nvery important.\n\nThe sixty-four items of devotional service should include all of our\n\nactivities of body, mind and speech. As it was stated in the beginning,\n\nthe regulative principle of devotional service enjoins .that all of our\n\nsenses must be employed in the service of the Lord. Exactly how they\ncan be thus employed is described in the above sixty-four items. Now,\n\nSnla Rilpa Gosvami will give evidences from different scriptures\n\nsupporting the authenticity of many of these points.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0094": "7 I Evidence\nRegarding Devotional Principles\n\nIn the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Prabuddha tells\nMaharaj Nimi: \"My dear King, please know for certain that in the\nmaterial world there is no happiness. It is simply a mistake to think\nthat there is happiness here, because this plac� is full of nothing but\nmiserable conditions. Any person who is seriously desirous of achieving real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take\nshelter of him by initiation. The qualification of a spiritual master is\nthat he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberation and arguments and thus be able to convince others of these\nconclusions. Such great personalities who have taken shelter of the\nSupreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, are to be\nunderstood as bona fide spiritual masters. Everyone should try to\nfind such a bona fide spiritual master in order to fulfill his mission\nof life, which is to transfer himself to the plane of spiritual bliss.\"\nThe purport is that one should not accept as a spiritual master\nsomeone who is Fool Number One, who has no direction according\nto the scriptural inj unctions, whose character is doubtful, who does\nnot follow the principles of devotional service, or who has not conquered the influence of the six sense gratifying agents. The six agents\nof sense gratification are the tongue, the genitals, the belly, anger,\nthe mind and words. Anyone who has practiced controlling these six\nis permitted to make disciples all over the world. To accept such a\nspiritual master is the crucial point for advancement in spiritual life.\nOne who is fortunate enough to come under the shelter of a bona\nfide spiritual master is sure to traverse the path of spiritual salvation\nwithout any doubt.\n58\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0095": "Evidence Regarding Devotional Principles\n\n59\n\nTo Accept Initiation from the Spiritual Master\nand Receive Instructions from Him\n\nSage Prabuddha continued to speak to the King as follows: \"My\ndear King, a disciple has to accept the spiritual master not only as\nspiritual master, but also as the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the supersoul. In other words, the disciple\nshould accept the spiritual master as God because he is the external\nmanifestation of Kr�tJ.a.\" This is confirmed in every scripture, and a\ndisciple should accept the spiritual master as such. One should learn\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam seriously and with all respect and veneration for\n\nthe spiritual master. Hearing and speaking Srimad-Bhiigavatam is the\nreligious process which elevates one to the platform of serving and\n\nloving the Supreme Personality of Godhead.\nThe attitude of the disciple should always be to satisfy the bona\nfide spiritual master. Then it will be very easy for him to understand\n\nspiritual knowledge. This is confirmed in the Vedas, and it will be\nfurther explained by Riipa Gosvami that, for a person who has un­\n\nflinching faith in God and the spiritual master, everything becomes\nrevealed very easily.\n\nTo Serve the Spiritual Master with Faith and Confidence\n\nRegarding accepting initiation from the spiritual master, in the\n\nEleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 17th Chapter, 22nd verse, it\nis stated by Lord Kr�tta: \"My dear Uddhava, the spiritual master must\nbe accepted not only as My representative but as My very self. He\nmust never be considered on the same level with an ordinary human\nbeing. One should never be envious of the spiritual master, as one\nmay be envious of an ordinary man. The spiritual master should always be seen as the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and by serving the spiritual master, one is able to serve all the\ndemigods.\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0096": "60\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nTo Follow in the Footsteps of Saintly Persons\nIn the Skanda Puriirw it is advised that a devotee follow the past\n\niiciiryas and saintly persons because by such following one can achieve\n\nthe desired results, with no chance of lamenting or being baffled in\n\nhis progress.\n\nIn the scripture known as Brahma-yiimala it is stated as follows:\n\n\"If someone wants to pose himself as a great devotee without follow­\n\ning the authorities of the revealed scriptures, then his activities will\n\nnever help him to make progress in devotional service. Instead, he\n\nwill simply create disturbances for the sincere students of devotional\n\nservice.\" Those who do not strictly follow the principles of revealed\n\nscriptures are generally called sahajiyii, those who have imagined\n\neverything to be cheap, and who have their own concocted ideas, and\nwho do not follow the scriptural injunctions. Such persons are simply\n\ncreating disturbances in the discharge of devotional service.\n\nIn this connection, an objection may be raised by those who are\n\nnot in devotional service and who do not care for the revealed scrip­\n\ntures. An example of this is seen in Buddhist philosophy. Lord\n\nBuddha appeared in the family of a high-grade k�atriya king, but his\n\nphilosophy was not in accord with the Vedic conclusions and there­\n\nfore was rejected. Under the patronage of a Hindu king, Maharaj\n\nAsoka, the Buddhist religion was spread all over India and the adjoin­\n\ning countries. However, after the appearance of the great stalwart\n\nteacher, Sa:rikaracarya, this Buddhism was driven out beyond the\n\nborder of India.\n\nThe Buddhists or other religionists who do not care for revealed\n\nscriptures sometimes say that there are many devotees of Lord\n\nBuddha who show devotional service to Lord Buddha and who there­\n\nfore should be considered devotees. In answer to this argument, Riipa\n\nGosvami says that the followers of Buddha cannot be accepted as\n\ndevotees. Although Lord Buddha is accepted as an incarnation of\n\nKr�!!a, the followers of such incarnations are not very advanced in\ntheir knowledge of the Vedas. To study the Vedas means to come to\nthe conclusion of the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead.\n\nTherefore any religious principle which denies the supremacy of the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0097": "Evidence Regarding Devotional Principles\n\n61\n\nPersonality of Godhead is not accepted and is called atheism. Atheism\nmeans defying the authority of the Vedas and decrying the great\n\niiciiryas who teach Vedic scriptures for the benefit of the people in\ngeneral.\nLord Buddha is accepted as an incarnation of Kr��a in the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, but in the same Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is stated that\nLord Buddha appeared in order to bewilder the atheist class of men.\nTherefore his philosophy is meant for bewildering the atheists and\nshould not be accepted. If someone asks, \"Why should Kr��a propagate atheistic principles'(\" the answer is that it was the desire of the\nSupreme Personality of Godhead to end the violence which was then\nbeing committed in the name of the Vedas. The so-called religionists\nwere falsely using the Vedas to justify such violent acts as meat­\n\neating, and Lord Buddha came to lead the fallen people away from\nsuch a false interpretation of the Vedas. Also, for the atheist class,\nLord Buddha preached atheism so that they would follow him and\nthus be tricked into devotional service to Lord Buddha, or Kr��a.\n\nInquiring about External Religious Principles\n\nIn the Niiradiya Puriirw it is said: \"If one is actually very serious\nabout devotional service, then all of his purposes will be served without any delay.\"\n\nResiding in a Sacred Place\n\nIn the Padma Puriirw it is stated: \"For one who has given up his\nmaterial sense enjoyment and has accepted the principles of devotional service, the opulence of Vi��u-loka [the kingdom of God] is\nawaiting.\" In the same Padma Puriir-a it is also said that for a person\nwho has lived in Dvaraka for six months, for one month, or even for\none fortnight, there is awaiting elevation to the Vaiku�tha-lokas and\nall the profits of siiriipya-mukti (the privilege of having the same\nfour-handed bodily features as Naraya�a ).\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0098": "62\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nIn the Brahma Purii[La it is said: \"The transcendental significance\n\nof Puru§ottama-k§etra, which is the 80-square-mile field of Lord\n\nJagannatha, cannot be properly described. Even the demigods from\n\nhigher planetary systems see the inhabitants of this Jagannatha Piiri\nas having exactly the same features of body as are possessed by one\n\nin V aiku�tha. That is, the demigods see the inhabitants of J agannatha\nPiiri as being four-handed.\"\n\nWhen there was a meeting of great sages at N aimi�ara�ya, Siita\n\nGosvami was reciting Srimad-Bhiigavatam, and the importance of the\nGanges was stated as follows: \"The waters of the Gan ges are always\ncarrying the flavor of tulasi offered at the lotus feet of Sri Krwa, and\n\nas such the waters of the Ganges are ever flo..wing, spreading the\nglories of Lord Kr��a. Wherever the waters of the Ganges are flowing,\nall will be sanctified, both externally and internally.\"\n\nTo Accept Only What is Necessary\n\nIn the Niiradiya Purii[La it is directed: \"One should not accept\nmore than necessary if he is serious about discharging devotional service.\" The purport is that one should not neglect following the prin­\n\nciples of devotional service, nor should one accept the rulings of\ndevotional service which are more than what he can easily perform.\n\nFor example, it may be said that one should chant the Hare K[§[La\n\nmantra at least 100,000 times daily on his beads. But if this is not\n\npossible, then one must minimize his chanting according to his own\ncapacity. Generally, we recommend our disciples to chant at least 16\n\nrounds on their japa beads daily, and this should be completed. But\n\nif one is not even able to chant 16 rounds, then he must make it up\n\nthe next day. He must be sure to keep his vow. If he does not strictly\n\nfollow this out, then he is sure to be negligent. That is offensive in\nthe service of the Lord. If we encourage offenses, we shall not be\nable to make progress in devotional service. It is better if one fixes up\na regulative principle according to his own ability and then follows\n\nthat vow without fail. That will make him advanced in spiritual life.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0099": "Evidence Regarding Devotional Principles\n\n63\n\nObserving Fasting on Ekiidasi\n\nIn the Brahma-vaivarta Puriir;w it is said that one who observes\nfasting on Ekiidasi day is freed from all kinds of reactions to sinful\nactivities and advances in pious life. The basic principle is not j ust to\nfast, but to increase one's faith and love for Govinda, or Kr�!la. The\nreal reason for observing fasting on Ekiidasi is to minimize the demands of the body and to engage our time in the service of the Lord\nby chanting or performing similar service. The best thing to do on\nfasting days is to remember the pastimes of Govinda and to hear His\nholy name constantly.\n\nTo Offer Respect to the Banyan Trees\n\nIn the Skanda Puriir;ta it is directed that a devotee should offer\nwater to the tulasi plant and iimalaka trees. He should offer respect\nto the cows and to the briihmar;tas and should serve the Vai§r;tavas by\noffering them respectful obeisances and meditating upon them. All\nof these processes will help the devotee to diminish the reactions to\nhis past sinful activities.\n\nTo Give Up the Company of Nondevotees\n\nLord Caitanya was once asked by one of His householder devotees\nwhat the general behavior of a Vai§r-ava should be. In this connection,\nLord Caitanya replied that a Vai§r;tava should always give up the com'\n\npany of nondevotees. Then He explained that there are two kinds of\nnondevotees: one class is against the supremacy of Kr�!\\a, and another class is too materialistic. In other words, those who are after\nmaterial enj oyment and those who are against the supremacy of the\nLord are called avai§r-ava, and their company should be strictly\navoided.\nIn the Kiityiiyana-samhitii it is stated that even if one is forced to\nlive within a cage of iron or in the midst of a blazing fire, he should\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0100": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n64\n\naccept this position rather than live with nondevotees who. are\nthrough and through against the supremacy of the Lord. Similarly,\n\nin Vi�[lu-rahasya, there is a statement to the effect that one should\n\nprefer to embrace a snake, a tiger or an alligator rather than associate\n\nwith persons who are worshipers of various demigods and who are .\n\nimpelled by material desire.\n\nIn the scriptures it is instructed that one may worship a certain\n\ndemigod if he is desirous of achieving some material gain. For exam-\n\n\\\n\nple, one is advised to worship the sun god if he is desirous of getting ,_,.,;':\nrid of a diseased condition. For a beautiful wife, one can worship\n\nUma, the wife of Lord Siva, and for advanced education ont< may\n\nworship Sarasvati. Similarly, there is a list in tqe Srimad-Bhiigavatam\nfor worshipers of all demigods, according to different material de­\n\nsires. But all of these worshipers, although they appear to be very\n\ngood devotees of the demigods, are still considered to be nondevotees. They cannot be accepted as devotees.\nThe miiyiiviidis\n\n(impersonalists) say that one can worship any\n\nform of the Lord and that it doesn't matter because one reaches the\n\nsame destination anyway. But it is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gi tii\n\nthat those who are worshipers of the demigods will ultimately reach\nonly the planets of those demigods, while those who are devotees of\n\nthe Lord Himself will be promoted to the Lord's abode, the kingdom\n\nof God. So actually these persons who are worshipers of demigods\nhave been condemned in the Gitii. It is described that due to their\nlusty desires\n\nthey have lost their intelligence, and therefore they\n\nhave taken to worshiping the different demigods. So in the Vi�[lU­\n\nrahasya these demigod worshipers are forcefully condemned by the\n\nstatement that it is better to live with the most dangerous animals\nthan to associate with these persons.\n\nAnother stricture is that a person may have many disciples, but he\n\nshould not act in such a way that he will be obliged to any of them\nfor some particular action or some favor. And one should also not be\n\nvery enthusiastic about constructing new temples, nor should one be\n\nenthusiastic about reading various types of books, save and except\nthe ones which lead to the advancement of devotional service. Prac-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0101": "/\n\n;/•\n\nti\n\nEvidence Regarding Devotional Principles\n\n�lly, if one very carefully reads the Bhagavad gitii\n-\n\n65\n,\n\nSrimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, Teachings of Lord Caitanya and' this Nectar of Devo­\n\ntzon, that will give him suffici�rit knowledge tb understand the sci­\n\nence of Kn;�a consciousness. One need not take the trouble of reading other books.\n\nj·\n\n�\n\n�\n\n�\n\n�\n\n3th Ch apt�r, 7th\nanto of rima -Bhii avatam\nIn th Seventh\n?\n�\n� _\n_\nYudh1�thua the\na]\nMahar\nWith\ndiscilsSI!Ig\nwhile\nverse, N arada Mum,\nvarious functions of the different orders in society, especially men­\n\ntions rules for the sannyiisis-those persons who have renounced this\n\nmaterial world. One who has accepted the sannyiisa order of life is\n\nforbidden to accept as a disciple anyone who is not fit. A sannyiisi\n\nshould first of all examine whether a prospective student is sincerely\n\nseeking Kr��a consciousness. If he is not, he should not be accepted.\nHowever, Lord Caitanya 's causeless mercy is such that He advised\nall bona fide spiritual masters to speak about Kr��a consciousness\neverywhere. Therefore, in the line of Lord Caitanya, even the san­\n\nnyiisis can speak about Kr��a consciousness everywhere, and if someone is seriously inclined to become a disciple, the sannyiisi always\naccepts him.\n\nThe one point is that without increasing the number of disciples,\n\nthere is no propagation of the cult of Kr��a consciousness. Therefore,\n\nsometimes even at a risk, a sannyiisi in the line of Caitanya Maha­\n\nprabhu may accept· even a person who is not thoroughly fit to be­\n\ncome a disciple. Later on, by the mercy of such a bona fide spiritual\nmaster, the disciple is gradually elevated. However, if one increases\n\nthe number of disciples simply for some prestige or false honor, he\nwill surely fall down in the matter of executing Krwa consciousness.\n\nSimilarly, a bona fide spiritual master has no business to read\n\nmany books simply to show his proficiency or to get popularity by\n\nlecturing in different places. One should avoid all these things. It is\n\nalso stated that a sannyiisi should not be enthusiastic about con­\n\nstructing tern ples. We can see in the life of various iiciiryas in the line\n\nof Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that they are not very enthusiastic about\nconstructing temples. However, if somebody comes forward to offer\n\nsome service, the same reluctant iiciiryas will encourage the building\nof costly temples by such servitors. For example, Riipa Gosvami was\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0102": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n66\n\noffered a favor by Maha dij\n\nMansingh , the commander-in-chief of\n\nEmperor Akbar, and Rupa Gosvami instructed him to construct a\nlarge temple for Govindaj i, which cost vast amounts of money.\n\nSo a bona fide spiritual master should not personally take any re­\n\nsponsibility for constructing temples, but if someone has money\nand wants to spend it in the service of Kr��a, an iiciirya like Rupa\nGosvami may utilize the devotee's money to construct a nice costly\ntemple for the service of the Lord. Unfortunately, it happens that\n\nsomeone who is not fit to become a spiritual master may approach\nwealthy persons to contribute for temple constructions. If such\nmoney is utilized by unqualified spiritual masters to live comfortably\n\nin costly temples without actually doing any preaching work, this is\n\nnot acceptable. In other words, a spiritual master needn't be very\nenthusiastic for constructing temple buildings simply in the name of\n\nso-called spiritual advancement. Rather, his first and foremost activi­\n\nty should be to preach. In this connection, Snla Bhaktisiddhanta\n\nSarasvati Gosvami Maharaj recommended that a spiritual master print\n\nbooks. If one has money, instead of constructing costly temples,\n\none should spend his money for the publication of authorized books\nin different languages for propagating the Kr��a consciousness movement.\n\nStraightforwardness in Ordinary Dealings\nThere is a statement in the Padma Puriir-a: \"Persons who are\nengaged in Kr��1a consciousness should never be disturbed by some\nmaterial gain or loss. Even if there is some material loss, one should\n\nnot be perturbed, but should always think of Kr��a within Himself.\"\n\nThe purport is that every conditioned soul is always absorbed in\n\nthinking of materialistic activities; he has to make himself freed from\nsuch thoughts and transfer himself completely to Kr��1a conscious­\n\nness. As we have already explained, the basic principle of Kr��a consciousness is to always think of Kr��a. One should not be disturbed\nin material loss, but, rather, should concentrate his mind upon the\n\nlotus feet of the Lord.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0103": "Evidence Regarding Devotional Principles\n\n67\n\nA devotee should not be subjected to lamentation or illusion.\n\nThere is the following statement in the Padma Purar-a: \"Within the\n\nheart of a person who is overpowered by lamentation or anger, there\nis no possibility of Krwa being manifested.\"\n\nThe Demigods\n\nOne should not become neglectful to offer due respect to the\n\ndemigods. One may not be a devotee of demigods, but that does not\n\nmean that he should be disrespectful to them. For example, a Vai§­\n\nr-ava is not a devotee of Lord Siva or Lord Brahma, but he is duty­\n\nbound to offer all respects to such highly-positioned demigods. Ac­\n\ncording to Vai§r-ava philosophy, one should offer respect even to an\n\nant, so then what need is there to speak of such exalted persons like\nLord Siva and Lord Brahma?\n\nIn the Padma Purar-a it is said, \"Krwa, or Hari, is the master of all\n\ndemigods, and therefore He is always worshipable. But this does not\n\nmean that one should not offer respect to the demigods.\"\n\nNot Giving Pain to Any Living Entity\n\nThis is the statement of Mahiibhiirata: \"A person who does not\n\ndisturb or cause painful action in the mind of any living entity, who\n\ntreats everyone just like a loving father does his children, whose heart\nis so pure, certainly very soon becomes favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.\"\n\nIn so-called civilized society there is sometimes agitation against\n\ncruelty to animals, but at the same time regular slaughterhouses are\nalways maintained. A Vai§r-ava is not like that. A Vai§r-ava can never\nsupport animal slaughter nor even give pain to any living entity.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0104": "8 I Offenses to be Avoided\n\nIn the supplementary Vedic literature, there is the following list of\n\n32 offenses in the matter of serving the Lord: 1) One should not\n\nenter the temple of the Deity in a car or palanq'uin or with shoes on\n\nthe feet. 2) One should not fail to observe the various festivals for\nthe pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, such as ./an­\n\nmii§tami, Ratha-yiitrii, etc. 3) One should not avoid bowing down before the Deity. 4) One should not enter the temple to worship the\nLord without having washed his hands and feet after eating. 5) One\n\nshould not enter the temple in a contaminated state. (According to\nVedic scripture, if someone dies in the family the whole family be­\n\ncomes contaminated for some time, according to its status. For ex­\n\nample, if the family is briihma[La their contamination period is 12\n\ndays, for the k§atriyas and vaisyas it is 15 days, and fo� siidras 30\n\ndays.) 6) One should not bow down on one hand. 7) One should not\n\ncircumambulate in front of Sri Kr��a. (The process of circumam­\n\nbulating the temple is that one should begin circumambulating from\nthe Deity's right-hand side of the temple and come round. Such cir­\n\ncumambulation should be performed outside the temple structure at\nleast three times daily.) 8) One should not spread his legs before the\nDeity. 9) One should not· sit before the Deity holding the ankles,\nelbows or knees with his hands. 10) One should not lie down before\nthe Deity of Kr��a. 11) One should not accept prasiidam before the\nDeity. 12) One should never speak a lie before the Deity. 13) One\n\nshould not talk very loudly before the Deity. 14) One should not\ntalk with others before the Deity. 15) One should not cry or howl\nbefore the Deity.\n\n16) One should not quarrel or fight before the\n68\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0105": "Offenses to be A voided\n\n69\n\nDeity. 17) One should not chastise anyone before the Deity. 18)\nOne should not be charitable to beggars before the Deity. 19) One\nshould not speak very harshly to others before the Deity. 20) One\nshould not wear a fur blanket before the Deity. 21) One should not\neulogize or praise anyone else before the Deity. 22) One should not\nspeak any ill names before the Deity. 23) One should not pass air before the Deity. 24) One should not fail to worship the Deity according to his means. (In the Bhagavad-gitii it is stated that the Lord is\nsatisfied even if some devotee offers him a leaf or a little water. This\nformula prescribed by the Lord is universally applicable, even for the\npoorest man. But that does not mean that one who has sufficient\nmeans to worship the Lord very nicely should also adopt this method\nand try to satisfy the Lord simply by offering water and a leaf. If he\nhas sufficient means, he should offer nice decorations, nice flowers,\nnice foodstuffs and observe all ceremonies. It is not that one should\ntry to satisfy the Supreme Lord with a little water and a leaf, and for\nhimself spend all his money in sense gratification.) 25) One should\nnot eat anything which is not offered first to Krwa. 26) One should\nnot fail to offer fresh fruit and grains to Krgta, according to the season. 27) After cooking, no one should be offered any foodstuff unless it is first offered to the Deity. 28) One should not sit with his\nback towards the Deity. 29) One should not offer obeisances silently\nto the spiritual master; or in other words, one should recite aloud the\nprayers to the spiritual master while offering obeisances. 30) One\nshould not fail to offer some praise in the presence of the spiritual\nmaster. 31) One should not praise himself before the spiritual master.\n32) One should not deride the demigods before the Deity.\nThis is a list of 32 offenses. Besides these, there are a number of\noffenses which are mentioned in the Variiha Puriir-a. They are as follows: 1) One should not touch the Deity in a dark room. 2) One\nshould not fail to strictly follow the rules and regulations in worshiping the Deity. 3) One should not enter the temple of the Deity\nwithout first making some sound. 4) One should not offer any foodstuff to the Deity which has been seen by dogs or other lower animals. 5) One should not break the silence while worshiping. 6) One\nshould not pass urine or evacuate while engaged in worshiping. 7) One\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0106": "70\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nshould not offer incense without offering some flower. 8) Useless\n\nflowers without any fragrance should not be offered. 9) One should\n\nnot fail to wash his teeth very carefully every day. 10) One should\n\nnot enter the temple directly after sexual intercourse. 11) One should\n\nnot touch a woman during her menstrual period. 12) One should not\n\nenter the temple after touching a dead body. 13) One should not en­\n\nter the temple wearing garments of red or blue color, or which are\n\nunwashed. 14) One should not enter the temple after seeing a dead\n\nbody. 15) One should not pass air within the temple. 16) One should\nnot be angry within the temple. 17) One should not enter the temple\nafter visiting a crematorium. 18) One should not belch before the\nDeity. So, until one has fully digested his food, he should not enter\n\nthe temple. 19) One should not smoke marijuana or gafija.\n\nshould not take opium or similar intoxicants.\n\n20) One\n21) 0 ne should not\n\nenter the Deity room or touch the body of the Deity after having\n\nsmeared oil over his body. 22) One should not show disrespect to a\nscripture teaching about the supremacy of the Lord. 23) One should\n\nnot introduce any opposing scripture. 24) One should not chew betel\n\nbefore the Deity. 25) One should not offer a flower which was kept in\n\nan unclean pot. 26) One should not worship the Lord while sitting on\nthe bare floor: one must have a sitting place or carpet. 27) One\nshould not touch the Deity before he has completed taking bath.\n28) One should not decorate his forehead with the three-lined tilaka.\n\n29) One should not enter the temple without washing his hands and\n\nfeet.\n\nOther rules are that one should not offer foodstuff which is\n\ncooked by a non- Vair!wva. One should not worship the Deity before\n\na nondevotee. One should not engage himself in the worship of the\n\nLord while seeing a nondevotee. One should begin the worship of the\n\ndemigod Ga�apati, who drives away all impediments in the execution\nof devotional service. In the Brahma-sarhhitii it is stated that Ga�apati\n\nworships the lotus feet of Lord Nrsimhadeva, and in that way he has\nbecome auspicious for the devotees in clearing out all impediments.\n\nTherefore, all devotees should worship Ga�apati. The Deities should\nnot be bathed in water which has been touched by the nails or fin­\n\ngers. When a devotee is perspiring, he should not engage himself in\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0107": "..\n\nOffenses to be A voided\n\n71\n\nworshiping the Deity. Similarly, there are many other prohibitions,\nsuch as one should not cross or step over the flowers offered to the\n\nDeities, nor should one take a vow in the name of God. These are all\n\ndifferent kinds of offenses in the matter of executing devotional service, and one should be careful to avoid them.\n\nIn the Padma Purii[la it is stated that even a person whose life is\n\ncompletely sinful will be completely protected by the Lord if he sim­\n\nply surrenders unto Him. So it is accepted that one who surrenders\nunto the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes freed from all\nsinful reactions. And even when a person becomes an offender unto\n\nthe Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, he can still be delivered\n\nsimply by taking shelter of the holy names of the Lord: Hare K[§l)a,\nHare K[§l)a, Kr§fla K[§l)a, Hare Hare/ Hare Riima, Hare Riima, Riima\nRiima, Hare Hare. In other words, the chanting of Hare Kr§fla is\n\nbeneficial for eradicating all sins; but if one becomes an offender to\nthe holy names of the Lord, then he has no chance of being delivered.\nThe offenses against the chanting of the holy name are as follows:\n\nl) To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives for\npropagating the holy name of the Lord. 2) To consider the names of\n\ndemigods like Lord Siva or Lord Brahma to be equal to, or indepen­\n\ndent of, the name of Lord Vi�!lu. (Sometimes the atheistic class of\n\nmen take it that any demigod is as good as the Supreme Personality\nof Godhead, Vi�!lu. But one who is a devotee knows that no demigod, however great ·he may be, is independently as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore if someone thinks that he\n\ncan chant Kiili,\n\nKiili! or Durgii, Durgii! and it is the same as Hare\nK[§l)a, that is the greatest offense.) 3) To disobey the orders of the\nspiritual master. 4) To blaspheme the Vedic literature or literature\nin pursuance of the Vedic version. 5) To consider the glories of\nchanting Hare K[§[la as imagination. 6) To give some interpretation\non the holy name of the Lord. 7) To commit sinful activities on the\nstrength of the holy name of the Lord. (Because by chanting the\nholy name of the Lord one can be freed from all kinds of sinful re­\n\nactions, it should not be taken that one may continue to act sinfully\nand after that chant Hare Kr§fla to neutralize his sins. Such a danger­\n\nous mentality is very offensive and should be avoided. 8) To consider\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0108": "72\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nthe chanting of Hare Kr§\"!W as one of the auspicious ritualistic activities which are offered in the Vedas as fruitive activities (karma­\n\nkiir-�a). 9) To instruct a faithless person about the glories of the holy\nname. (Anyone can take part in chanting the holy name of the Lord,\nbut in the beginning one should not be instructed about the transcendental potency of the Lord. Those who are too sinful cannot appreciate the transcendental glories of the Lord, and therefore it is\nbetter not to instruct them in this matter.) 10) To not have complete\nfaith in the chanting of the holy names and to maintain material attachments, even after understanding so many instructions on this\nmatter.\nEvery devotee who claims to be a Vai§r-ava must guard against\nthese offenses in order to quickly achieve the desired success.\n\nl-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0109": "9 I Further Consideration\nof Devotional Principles\n\nBlasphemy\nOne should not tolerate blaspheming of the Lord or His devotees.\n\nIn this connection, in the Tenth Canto, 70th Chapter, 25th verse, of\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam, Sukadeva Gosvami tells Parik�it Maharaj: \"My\n\ndear King, if a person, after hearing blasphemous propaganda against\n\nthe Lord and His devotees, does not go away from that place, he\nbecomes bereft of the effect of all pious activities.\"\n\nIn one of Lord Caitanya's Sik§ii§!aka verses it is stated: \"The\n\ndevotee should be more tolerant than the tree and more submissive\nthan the grass. He should offer all honor to others, but may not\n\naccept any honor for himself.\" In spite of Lord Caitanya's being so\n\nhumble and meek a.s a devotee, when He was informed about injuries\n\ninflicted on the body of Sri Nityananda, He immediately ran to the\nspot and wanted to kill the offenders, J agai and Madhai. This behav­\n\nior of Lord Caitanya is very significant. It shows that a Vai§[WVa may\n\nbe very tolerant and meek, foregoing everything for his personal\nhonor, but when it is a question of the honor of Kr�tta or His devotee,\n\nhe will not tolerate any insult.\n\nThere are three ways of dealing with such insults. If someone is\n\nheard blaspheming by words, one should be so expert that he can\n\ndefeat the opposing party by argument. If he is unable to defeat the\n\nopposing party, then the next step is that he should not just stand\n\nthere meekly, but should give up his life. The third process is followed\nif he is unable to execute the above-mentioned two processes, and\n\nthis is that one must leave the place and go away. If a devotee does\n73\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0110": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n74\n\nnot do any of the above-mentioned three processes, he falls down\nfrom his position of devotion.\n\nTilaka, Tulasi Beads and Flower Garlands\nIn the Padma Puriirw there is a statement describing how a\n\nVai§\"[WVa should decorate his body with tilaka and beads: \"Persons\n\nwho put tulasi beads on the neck, who mark twelve places of\n\ntheir body as Vi��u temples with Vi��u's symbolic representations\n[the four items held in the four hands of Lord Vi��u-conch, mace,\ndisk and lotus] , and who have Vi��u tilaka on their forehead, are to\nbe understood as the devotees of Lord Vi��u in this world. Their\npresence makes the world purified, and anywhere they remain they\nmake that place as good as V aiku�tha.\"\n\nA similar statement is in the Skanda Purii[La, which says: \"Per­\n\nsons who are decorated with tilaka or gopi-candana [a kind of clay\nresembling fuller's earth which is produced in certain quarters of\nV rndavana ], and who mark their bodies all over with the holy names\n\nof the Lord, and on whose neck and breast there are tulasi beads, are\n\nnever approached by the Yama-diitas.\" The Yama-diitas are the con­\n\nstables of King Yama (the Lord of death), who punishes all sinful\nmen. Vai§[Lavas are never called for by such constables of Yamaraj.\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, in the narration of Ajamila's deliverance,\n\nit is said that Yamaraj gave clear instructions to his assistants not to\n\napproach the Vai§[Lavas. Vai§[Lavas are beyond the jurisdiction of\nI\n\n�I\nI\n\n·I\n\nYamaraj's activities.\n\nIn the Padma Puriira it is also mentioned: \"A person whose body\n\nis decorated with the pulp of sandalwood, with paintings of the\nholy name of the Lord, is delivered from all sinful reactions, and after\nhis death he goes directly to Kr��a-loka to live in association with the\nSupreme Personality of Godhead.\"\nThe next instruction is that one should put on flower garlands\nwhich are offered to the Deity. In this connection, in the Eleventh\n\nCanto, 6th Chapter, 31st verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Uddhava says\n\nto Kr��a, \"My dear Kr��a, I have taken things which You have used\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0111": "Further Consideration of Devotional Principles\n\n75\n\nand enjoyed, such as garlands of flowers, saintly articles, garments\nand ornaments, and I eat only the remnants of Your foodstuff because I am Your menial servant. So, therefore, I am sure that I shall\nnot be attacked by the spell of material energy.\" The purport of this\nverse is that for any person who simply follows these rules and regulations of decorating the body with the marks of tilaka of gopicandana or sandalwood pulp, and who puts on the garlands which\nwere offered to Kr��a, there is no question of being conquered by\nthe spell of material energy. At the time of death, there is no question\nof such a person being called by the constables of Yamaraj. Even if\none does not accept all the Vai§r.ava principles, but still takes the\nremnants of foodstuff offered to Krwa, or Kr§r-a-prasiidam, he will\ngradually become qualified to rise to the platform of a Vai§r.ava.\nSimilarly, in the Skanda Puriir-a Lord Brahma tells Narada: \"My\ndear Narada, anyone who puts on his neck the flower garland which\nwas formerly used by Kr��a becomes relieved from all disease and\nreactions to sinful activities, and gradually he gets liberated from the\ncontamination of matter.\"\n\nDancing before the Deity\nIn the Dviirahii-miihiitmya the importance of dancing before the\nDeity is stated by Lord Kr��a as follows: \"A person who is in a jubilant spirit, who feels profound devotional ecstasy while dancing before Me, and who manifests different features of bodily expression,\ncan burn away all the accumulated sinful reactions he has stocked up\nfor many, many thousands of years.\" In the same book there is a\nstatement by Narada wherein he asserts: \"From the body of any\nperson who claps and dances before the Deity, showing manifestations of ecstasy, all the birds of sinful activities fly away upwards.\"\nJust as by clapping the hands one can cause many birds to fly away,\nsimilarly the birds of all sinful activities which are sitting on the body\ncan be made to fly away simply by dancing and clapping before the\nDeity of Kr��a.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0112": "76\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nBowing Down and Standing Up in Honor of the Deity\n\nIn the Niiradiya Puriirw there is a statement about bowing down\nand offering respect to the Deity. It is said there: \"A person who has\nperformed a great ritualistic sacrifice and a person who has simply\noffered his respectful obeisances by bowing down before the Lord\ncannot be held as equals.\" The person who has executed many great\nsacrifices will attain the result of his pious activities, but when such\nresults are finished, he has to take birth again on the earthly planet;\nwhereas the person who has once offered respect�, bowing down before the Deity, will not again come back to this world, because he\nwill go directly to the abode of Kr��a.\nIn the Brahmii1y}a Puriirw it is said: \"A person who sees the Lord's\nRatha-yiitrii car festival and then stands up to receive the Lord can\n\npurge all kinds of sinful results from his body.\" A similar statement\nis there in the Bhavi§ya Puriirw, in which it is said: \"A person who\nfollows the Ratha-yiitrii car when the Rathas [Deities] pass in front\nor from behind, even if born of a lowly family, will surely be elevated\nto the position of achieving equal opulence with Viwu.\"\n\nGoing to the Temple of Vi§rtU or to Places of Pilgrimage\n\nIt is stated in the Puriirtas: \"Persons who attempt to visit the\nholy places of pilgrimage, like Vrndavana, Mathura or Dvaraka, are\nactually glorified. By such traveling activities, they can pass over the\ndesert of material existence.\"\nIn the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya, there is a statement about the benefit of visiting the temples of Lord Krwa. As we have explained previously, in Vrndavana, Mathura and Dvaraka the system is that all the\ndevotees take advantage of visiting various temples situated in those\nholy places. It is stated in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya: \"Persons who\nare impelled by pure devotional service in Kr��a consciousness and\nwho therefore go to see the Deities of Vi��u in the temple will surely\nget relief from entering again into the prison house of a mother's\nwomb.\" The conditioned soul forgets the trouble of living within the\n\n�:\n\nI\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0113": ".':\n\nFurther Consideration of Devotional Principles\n\n77\n\nmother's womb during birth, but it is a very painful and terrible experience. In order to make an escape from this material condition,\none is advised to visit a temple of Vi�!J.U with devotional consciousness. Then one can very easily get out of the miserable condition of\nmaterial birth.\n\nCircumambulating the Temple of Vi§[lU\nIt is said in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya: \"A person who is circumambulating the Deity of Viwu can counteract the circumambulation\nof repeated birth and death in this material world.\" The conditioned\nsoul is circumambulating through repeated births and deaths on account of his material existence, and this can be counteracted simply\nby circumambulating the Deity in the temple.\n\nThe Caturmasya ceremony is observed during the four months of\n\nthe rainy season in India, be ginning from Sravar-a (approximately\nJuly, August, September and October). During these four months,\nsaintly persons who are accustomed to travel from one place to another to propagate Kr�!la consciousness remain at one place, usually\na holy place of pilgrimage. During these times, there are certain special rules and regulations which are strictly followed. It is stated in\nthe Skanda Purar-a that during this period, if someone circumambu­\n\nlates the temple of Vi�!J.U at least four times, it is understood that he\nhas traveled all over the universe. By such circumambulation, one is\nunderstood to have seen all the holy places where the Ganges water is\n\nflowing, and by following the regulative principles of Caturmasya one\ncan very quickly be raised to the platform of devotional service.\n\nArcana\nArcana means to worship the Deity in the temple. By executing\nthis process one confirms himself as not body but spirit soul. In the\nTenth Canto, 8lst Chapter, 16th verse, of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, it\n\nis told how Sudama, an intimate friend of Kr�!J.a, while going to the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0114": "78\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nhouse of a briihma[la murmured to himself, \"Simply by worshiping\nKr9pa one can easily achieve all the results of heavenly opulence, lib­\n\neration, supremacy over the planetary systems of the universe, all the\nopulences of this material world, and the mystic power of performing\n\nthe yoga system.\"\n\nThe events leading to Sudama's murmuring this statement are as\n\nfollows: Sri Kr�pa had ordered His friend Sudama to go to a briih­\n\nma[la's house and ask for some food. The briihma[laS were performing\n\na great sacrifice, and Sri Krwa told Sudama to plead with them\nthat He and Balarama were feeling hungry and needed some food.\n\nWhen Sudama went there, the briihma[las refused to offer anything,\n\nbut the wives of the briihma[laS, upon hearing that Sri Kr9pa wanted\n\nsome foodstuff, immediately took many palatable dishes and went to\n\noffer them to Sri Kr�pa. In the Vi§[lU-rahasya also, it is stated: \"Any\n\nperson within this world who is engaged in the worship of Vi�pu can\nvery easily achieve the ever-blissful kingdom of God, known as\nVaikuptha.\"\n\nRendering Service to the Lord\n\nIt is stated in the Vi§\"[lU-rahasya: \"Any person who can arrange for\n\nservice to the Lord in the same way that a king is given service by his\nattendants is surely elevated to the abode of Kr9pa after death.\"\n\nActually, in India, the temples are just like royal palaces. They are\nnot ordinary buildings because the worship of Kr9pa should be per­\n\nformed in just the way that a king is worshiped in his palace. So in\nVrndavana there are many hundreds of temples wherein the Deity is\n\nworshiped exactly like a king. In the Niiradiya Purii[la it is stated:\n\n\"If a person stays in the Lord's temple even for a few moments, he\n\ncan surely achieve the transcendental kingdom of God.\"\n\nThe conclusion is that those who are rich men in society should\n\nconstruct beautiful temples and arrange for the worship of Vi9pu, so\n\nthat people may be attracted to visit such temples and thereby be\n\noffered the opportunity of dancing before the Lord, or chanting the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0115": "Further Consideration of Devotional Principles\n\n79\n\nholy name of the Lord, or else of hearing the holy name of the Lord.\nIn this way, everyone will be given the chance to elevate himself to\nthe kingdom of God. In other words, even a common man, simply by\nvisiting such a temple, will be able to attain the highest benedictions,\nnot to mention the devotees who are constantly engaged in the service of the Lord in full Kr�rta consciousness.\nIn this connection, there is a statement in the Fourth Canto of the\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam, wherein King J>rthu says to his subjects: \"My\ndear citizens, please note that the Supreme Personality of Godhead,\nHari, is actually the deliverer of all fallen conditioned souls. No demigod can perform this act of delivering the conditioned souls, because\nthe demigods themselves are conditioned. A conditioned soul cannot\ndeliver another conditioned soul. Only Krwa or His bona fide representative can deliver him. The Ganges water which is flowing down\n\nfrom the toe of Lord Vi�rtu falls upon the earthly planet and other\nplanets and thereby delivers all the conditioned sinful living entities.\nSo what need is there to speak of the deliverance of persons who are\nalways engaged in the service of the Lord? There is no doubt about\ntheir liberation, even if they have stocks of sinful activities from\nmany, many births.\" In other words, a person who is engaged in the\nworship of the Deities can minimize his stock of sinful reactions coming from many, many previous births. This process of worshiping the\nDeity has already been described, and one should try to follow these\nrules and regulations seriously.\n\nIn the Linga Puriira there is a statement about glorifying and sing­\n\ning about the Lord. It is said there: \"A briihmara who is constantly\nengaged in singing the glories of the Lord is surely elevated to the\nsame planet as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Kr�rta appreciates this singing even more than the prayers offered by Lord\nc;.\n\n;,Iva.\n\n\"\n\nWhen a person loudly chants the glories of the Lord's activities,\nqualities, form, etc., it is called sankirtana. Sankirtana also refers to\nthe congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord.\n\nIn the Vi§ru-dharma there is a statement glorifying this process of\n\ncongregational chanting: \"My dear King, this word 'Kr�rta' is so auspicious that anyone who chants this holy name immediately gets rid\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0116": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n80\n\nof the resultant actions of sinful activities from many, many births.\"\nThat\n\nis a\n\nfact.\n\nThere\n\nis\n\nthe\n\nfollowing statement in\n\nCaitanya­\n\nCaritamrta: \"A person who chants the holy name of Kr��a once can\n\ncounteract the resultant actions of more sinful activities than he is\nable to perform.\" A sinful man can perform many, many sinful activities, but he is unable to perform so many that they cannot be\nwiped out by one single uttering of \"Kr��a.\"\nIn the\n\nSeventh\n\nCanto,\n\n9th\n\nChapter,\n\n17th verse, of Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, Maharaj Prahlada offers the following prayers to the\nLord: \"My dear Lord Nrsimha, if I can be elevated to the position of\nYour servant, then it will be possible for me to hear about Your activities. You are the supreme friend, the suprerpe worshipable Deity.\nYour pastimes are transcendental, and simply by hearing of them one\ncan counteract all his sinful activities. Therefore, I shall not care for\nall those sinful activities because simply by hearing about Your pastimes I shall get out of all the contamination of material attachment.\"\nThere are many songs about the Lord's activities. For example,\nthere\n\nis\n\nthe\n\nBrahma-samhitii,\n\nsung\n\nby\n\nLord Brahma, Niirada­\n\npaficariitra, sung by Narada Muni, and Srimad-Bhiigavatam, sung by\n\nS ukadeva Gosvami. If these songs are heard by any person, he can\neasily get out of the clutches of material contamination. There should\nbe no difficulty in hearing these songs of God. They are coming\ndown from many, many millions of years ago, and people are still\ntaking advantage of them. So why, at this time, should one not take\nfull advantage and thus become liberated?\n\nGlorifying the Lord's Transcendental Activities\nIn the First Canto, 5th Chapter,\n\n22nd verse, of the Srimad-\n\n. Bhiigavatam, Narada Muni tells his disciple, Vyasadeva, \"My dear\nVyasa, you should know that persons who are engaged in executing\nausterities and penances, studying the\n\nVedas, performing big sacri­\n\nfices, chanting the hymns of the Vedas, speculating on transcendental\n\nknowledge and performing charitable functions have for all their\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0117": "Further Consideration of Devotional Principles\n\n81\n\nauspicious activities simply to gain a place in the association of devotees and to chant the glories of the Lord.\" It is indicated here that\nchanting and glorifying the Lord is the ultimate activity of the living\nentity.\n\n]apa\nWhen a mantra or hymn is chanted softly and slowly, that is called\n\njapa. The same mantra, when chanted loudly, is called kirtana. For\nexample, the mahii-mantra (Hare K[§[W, Hare K[§[la, K[§[la K[§[la,\n\nHare Hare/ Hare Riima, Hare Riima, Riima Riima, Hare Hare) when\nuttered very softly only for one's own hearing is called japa. The\nsame mantra, when chanted loudly for being heard by all others, is\ncalled kirtana. The mahii-mantra can be used for japa and kirtana also.\nWhen japa is practiced it is for the personal benefit of the chanter,\nbut when kirtana is performed it is for the benefit of all others who\nmay hear.\nIn the Padma Purii[la there is a statement: \"For any person who is\nchanting the holy name either softly or loudly, the paths to liberation\nand even heavenly happiness are at once open.\"\n\nSubmission\nIn the Skanda Purii[la there is a statement about submission unto\nthe lotus feet of the Lord. It is said there that those who are sober\ndevotees can offer their submission to Kr��a in the following three\nways:\n\nl)\n\nsampriithaniitmikii,� very\n\nfeelingly\n\ndainyavodhikii, humbly submitting oneself;\n\noffering prayers;\n\n2)\n\n3) liilasiimayi, desiring\n\nsome perfectional stage. This desiring some perfectional stage in\nspiritual life is not sense gratification. When one realizes something\nof his constitutional relationship with the Supreme Personality of\nGodhead, he understands his original position and wants to be reinstated in this position, either as friend, servant, parent or conjugal\nlover of Kr��a. That is called liilasiimayi, or very eagerly desiring to\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0118": "I\n\n82\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ngo to one's natural position. This liilasamayi stage of submission\ncomes in the stage of perfect liberation, which is technically called\nsvariipa-siddhi, when the living entity understands, by perfect spiritual advancement and revelation, his original relationship with the\nLord.\n\nSubmission in Feeling\nIn the Skanda Purar-a there is a statement by devotees praying to\nthe Lord: \"My Lord, I know that young girls have natural affection\nfor young boys, and that young boys have .natural affection for\nyoung girls. I am praying at Your lotus feet that my mind may become attracted unto You in the same spontaneous way.\" The example is very appropriate. When a young boy or girl sees a member of\nthe opposite sex there is a natural attraction, without the need for\nany introduction. Without any training there is a natural attraction\ndue to the sex impulse. This is a material example, but the devotee is\npraying that he may develop a similar spontaneous attachment for\nthe Supreme Lord, free from any desire for profit and without any\nother cause. This natural attraction for the Lord is the perfectional\nstage of self realization.\nIn the same Skanda Purar-a there is a statement about submission\nand humbleness. It is stated there: \"My dear Lord, there is no sinful\nliving entity who is more of a sinner than myself. Nor is there a\ngreater offender than myself. I am so greatly sinful and offensive that\nwhen I come to confess my sinful activities before You, I am\nashamed.\" This is a natural position for a devotee. As far as the conditioned soul is concerned, there is no wonder that he has some sinful activities in his past life, and this should be admitted and confessed before the Lord. As soon as this is done the Lord excuses the\nsincere devotee. But that does not mean that one should take advantage of the Lord's causeless mercy and expect to be excused over and\nover again, while he commits the same sinful activities. Such a mentality is only for shameless persons. Here it is clearly said, \"When I\ncome to confess my sinful activities I become ashamed.\" So if a per-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0119": "Further Consideration of Devotional Principles\n\n83\n\nson is not ashamed of his sinful activities and continues to commit\nthe same sinful activities with the knowledge that the Lord will ex­\n\ncuse him, that is a most nonsensical proposition. Such an idea is not\n\naccepted in any part of the Vedic literature. It is a fact that by\n\nchanting the holy name of the Lord one becomes washed clean of\n\nall sinful activities from his past life. But that does not mean that\nafter being washed off, one should again begin sinful activities and\n\nexpect to be washed again. These are nonsensical propositions and\n\nare not admitted in the devotional service. Someone may think: \"For\n\na whole week I may commit sinful activities, and for one day I will go\n\nto the temple or church and admit my sinful activities so that I can\n\nbecome washed off and again begin my sinning.\" This is most non­\n\nsensical and offensive and is not acceptable to the author of Bhakti­\n\nrasiimrta-sindhu.\n\nIn the Niirada-paiicariitra there is a statement of submission ac­\n\ncompanied by the desire for perfection. The devotee says, \"My dear\n\nLord, when shall that day come when You will ask me to fan Your\n\nbody, and according to Your pleasure, You will say, 'You just fan Me\n\nin this way'?\" The idea in this verse is that the devotee is desiring to\npersonally fan the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.\n\nThat means that he is desiring to become the personal associate of\n\nthe Supreme Lord. Of course, any devotee in any capacity, either as\n\nservant, friend or c<;>njugal lover, always has direct association with\n\nthe Lord. But according to his different individual taste, a person de­\n\nsires for just one of these relationships. Here the devotee is desiring\n\nto become a servant of the Lord and desires to fan the Lord, as does\nHis internal energy, Lak�mi, the goddess of fortune. He also wishes\n\nthat the Personality of Godhead will be pleased to give him direc­\n\ntions as to how to fan. This submission with transcendental desire, or\n\nliilasiimayi vijiiapti, is the highest perfectional stage of spiritual realization.\n\nIn the same Niirada-paiicariitra, there is another expression of sub­\n\nmission, wherein the devotee says, \"My dear Lord, 0 lotus-eyed one,\n\nwhen will that day come when on the bank of the Yamuna, I shall\n\nbecome just like a madman and continue to chant Your holy name\nwhile incessant tears flow from my eyes?\" This is another perfec-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0120": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n84\n\ntional stage. Lord Caitanya also desired that \"a moment will appear\nunto Me as twelve years of time, and the whole world will appear to\n\nMe as vacant on account of not seeing You, My dear Lord.\" One\nshould feelingly pray artd bel;:ome eager to render his particular type\n\nof service to the Lord�· THis Is the teaching of all great devotees, espe­\n\ncially Lord Caitanya.\n\n,.\n\nIn other words, one should learn how to cry for the Lord. One\n\nshould learn this smafl technique, and he should be very eager and\n\nactually cry to become engaged in some particular type of service.\n\nThis is called laulyam, and such tears are the price for the highest\n\nperfection. If one develops this laulyam, or excessive eagerness for\n\nmeeting and serving the Lord in a particular way, that is the price to\nenter into the kingdom of God. Otherwise, there is no material calcu­\n\nlation for the value of the ticket by which one can enter the kingdom\n\nof God. The only price for such entrance is this laulyam liilasiimay�\nor desire and great eagerness.\n\nPrayers\nAccording to great learned scholars, the whole Bhagavad-gitii con­\n\ntains many authorized prayers, especially in the Eleventh Chapter,\n\nwhere Arjuna prays to the universal form of the Lord. Similarly, in\n\nthe Gautamiya Tantra all the verses are called prayers. Again in the\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam, there are hundreds of prayers to the Lord. So a\n\ndevotee should select some of these prayers for his recitation. In the\n\nSkanda Purii[la the glories of these prayers are stated as follows:\n\n\"Devotees whose tongues are decorated always with prayers to Lord\n\nKr�!la are always given respect even by the great saintly persons and\nsages, and such devotees are actually worshipable by the demigods.\"\n\nThose who are less intelligent want to worship different demigods\n\nfor some material gain rather than worship Kr�!la. But here it is stated\n\nthat a devotee who is always engaged in offering prayers to the Lord\n\nis worshipable even by the demigods themselves. The pure devotees\nhave nothing to ask from any demigod, but rather the demigods are\n\nanxious to offer prayers to the pure devotees.\n\nr\n\nlL\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0121": "Further Consideration of Devotional Principles\n\n85\n\nIn the Nrsirhha Puriirw it is stated: \"Any person who comes before\nthe Deity of Lord Krwa and begins to chant different prayers is\nimmediately relieved from all the reactions of sinful activities and becomes eligible, without any doubt, to enter into the Vaiku�tha-loka.\"\n\nPartaking of Prasiidam\nThere is this specific statement in the Padma Puriirw: \"A person\nwho honors the prasiidam and regularly eats it, not exactly in front\nof the Deity, along with carartiimrtam [the water offered to the lotus\nfeet of the Lord, which is mixed with seeds of the tulasi tree], immediately can achieve the results of pious activities which are obtained through ten thousand performances of sacrificial rites.\"\nCarartiimrtam is obtained in the morning while the Lord is being\nwashed before dressing. Scented with perfumes and flowers, the\nwater comes gliding down through His lotus feet and is collected and\nmixed with yogurt. In this way this carartiimrtam not only becomes\nvery tastefully flavored, but it also has tremendous spiritual value. It\nis described in the Padma Puriirta that even a person who has never\nbeen able to give in charity, who has never been able to perform a\ngreat sacrifice, who has never been able to study the Vedas, who has\nnever been able to �orship the Lord-or, in other words, even one\nwho has never done any pious activities-if he simply drinks the\ncarartiimrtam which is kept in the temple, he will become eligible to\nenter into the kingdom of God. In the temple it is the custom that\nthe carartiimrtam be kept in a big pot. The devotees who come to visit\nand offer respects to the Deity very submissively take three drops of\ncarartiimrtam and feel themselves happy in transcendental bliss.\n\nSmelling the Incense\n, In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya there is a statement about the incense which is offered in the temple: \"When the devotees smell the\ngood flavor of the incense which is offered to the Deity, they thus\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0122": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n86\n\nbecome cured of the poisonous effects of material contamination, as\nmuch as one becomes cured of a snake bite by smelling the prescribed\nmedicinal herbs.\" The explanation of this verse is that there is an\nherb which is found in the j ungles which expert persons know how\nto use to revive the consciousness of one who is bitten by a snake.\nSimply by smelling that herb one becomes immediately relieved of\nthe poisonous effects of the snake bite. The same example is applicable: when a person comes to visit the temple and smells the incense offered to the Deity, he is cured at that time from all his material contamination.\nAny devotee coming into the temple should always offer something to the Deity-fruit, flowers, incense, etc. If one cannot offer\nanything in cash, something else must be offered. In India the system\n\nis that all the ladies and gentlemen who come in the morning to\n\nvisit the temple bring so many things. Even one morsel of rice or one\nmorsel of flour can be offered. It is a regulative principle that one\nshould not go to see a saintly person or the Deity in the temple\nwithout any offering. The offering may be very hu'mble, or it may be\npriceless. Even a flower, a little fruit, a little water-whatever is possible-must be offered. So when a devotee comes to offer something\nto the Deity in the morning, he is sure to smell the good flavor of the\nincense, and then at once he will become cleansed of the poisonous\neffect of material existence.\n\nIt is stated in the Tantra-siistra: \"If the smell of the garland which\n\nwas offered to the Deity in the temple enters into the nostril of a\nperson, immediately his bondage to sinful activities becomes cleared.\nAnd even if one has no sinful activities, still, by smelling such rem­\n\nnants of flowers, one can advance from miiyiiviidi (impersonalist) to\ndevotee.\" There are several instances of this, a prime one being the\nadvancement of the four Kumaras. They were impersonalist miiyiiviidis,\n\nbut after smelling the remnants of flowers and incense in the temple,\nthey turned to become devotees. From the above verse it appears\n\nthat the miiyiiviidis or impersonalists are more or less contaminated.\nThey are not pure.\n\nIt is confirmed in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam: \"One who has not\nwashed off all reactions of sinful activities cannot be a pure devotee.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0123": "Further Consideration of Devotional Principles\n\n87\n\nA pure devotee has no more doubts about the supremacy of the Per­\n\nsonality of Godhead, and thus he engages himself in Kr��a conscious­\n\nness and �evotional service.\" A similar statement is in the Agastya­\n\nsarhhitii: Just to purify the impurities of our nostrils, we should try\nto smell the remnants of flowers offered to Kr��a in the temple.\n\nTouching the Deity\nIn the Vi§[tu-dharmottara there is a statement about touching the\n\nlotus feet of the Lord. It is said: \"Only a person who is initiated as a\nVai§r-ava and is executing devotional service in Kr��a consciousness\n\nhas the right to touch the body of the Deity.\" In India there was\n\nagitation during Gandhi's political movement because the lowborn\n\nclasses of men like street-sweepers and car-fliilas are prohibited, ac­\n\ncording to the Vedic system, from entering the temple. Due to their\n\nunclean habits they are prohibited, but at the same time they are\ngiven other facilities so they may be elevated to the highest grade of\n\ndevotional service by association with pure devotees. A man born in\nany family is not barred, but he must be cleansed. That cleansing pro­\n\ncess must be adopted. Gandhi wanted to make them clean simply by\nstamping them with a fictitious name, Hari-jana (children of God),\n\nand so there was a great tug of war between the temple owners and\nGandhi's followers.\n\nBut anyway, the present law is the law of all scripture-that if\n\nanyone is purified he can enter into the temple. Actually, that is the\n\nposition. Only one who is properly initiated, who is properly follow­\n\ning the rules and regulations, can enter and touch the Deity-not all.\nAnd one who touches the body of the Deity, following such regula­\n\ntive principles, is immediately delivered from the contamination of\n\nmaterial sins, and all of his desires become fulfilled without delay.\n\nIn the Variiha Puriir-a, also, there is a statement praising the touching\n\nof the D�ity of Sri Kr��a in the temple. A devotee says there: \"My dear\nVasundharii, any person who goes to Vrndavana and sees the Deity of\n\nGovindadeva is free from the courthouse of Y amaraj and is allowed\n\nto enter into the highest planetary system, in which reside the demi-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0124": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n88\ngods.\"\n\nThis means that even an ordinary person who goes to\n\nVrndavana out of inquisitiveness and by chance sees the temple,\nespecially that of Govindadeva, even if he is not elevated to the\nspiritual kingdom, is still assured promotion to the higher planetary systems. This means that simply by visiting the Deity of Govinda\nin Vrndavana one becomes highly elevated in pious life.\n\nObserving Ariitrika and Celebrations of the Lord\nIn the Skanda Puriir;w there is the following description of the result of seeing iiriitrika (worship) of the Deity: \"If someone sees the\nface of the Lord while iiriitrika is going on, he can be relieved of all\nsinful reactions coming from many, many thousands and millions of\nyears past. He is even excused from the killing of a briihmar;w or similar prohibited activities.\"\nAs we have already explained, there are different ceremonies to be\nobserved, such as the birthday of Kr��a, the birthday of Lord Ramacandra, the birthday of some prominent Vai§r:tavas, the ceremony of\n\n]hulan-yiitrii with the Lord sitting on a swing, Dola-yiitrii (the Lord's\nactivities in the month of March), and so on. In all festivals the Lord\nis seated on the car, and the car moves through different streets of\nthe city so that people may take advantage of visiting the Lord. In the\n\nBhavi�ya Puriir;w it is said: \"In such a ceremony, if even a car;tf/iila\n[dog-eater], simply out of curiosity, sees the Lord on the cart, he\nbecomes counted as one of the associates of Viwu.\"\nIn the Garufla furiir;w it is stated: \"Any person who in gladness\nsees the worship of the Deity in the temple will obtain the results of\n\nkriyii-yoga which are described in the Paiicariitra scripture.\" Kriyiiyoga is a system of practice much like practical devotional service,\nbut it is especially m�ant for the mystic yogis. In other words, by\nthis gradual process, the mystic yogis are eventually elevated to the\ndevotional service of the Lord.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0125": "10 I Techniques of Hearing\nand Memorizing\nThe beginning of Kr9�a consciousness and devotional service is\nhearing, in Sanskrit called .�ravar-am. All people should be given the\nchance to come and join devotional parties so that they may hear.\nThis hearing is very important for progressing in Kr9va consciousness.\nWhen one links his ears to give aural reception to the transcendental\nvibrations he can quickly become purified and cleansed in the heart.\nLord Caitanya has affirmed that this hearing is very important. It\ncleanses the heart of the contaminated soul so that he becomes quickly qualified to enter into devotional service and to understand Kr9�a\nconsciOusness.\nIn the Garufla Puriil)a the stress on hearing is expressed very nicely.\nIt is said there: \"The state of conditioned life in the material world\nis just like a man lying unconscious, having been bitten by a snake.\nThis is because bo�h such unconscious states can be ended by the\nsound of a mantra.\" When a man is snake-bitten he does not die\nimmediately, but first becomes unconscious and remains in a comatose condition. Anyone who is in the material world is also sleeping,\nas he is ignorant of his actual self or his actual duty and his relationship with God. So materialistic life means that one is bitten\nby the snake of miiyii, illusion, and thus, without any Kr9!la consciousness, he is almost dead. Now the so-called dead man bitten by\na snake can be brought back again to life by the chanting of some\nmantra. There are expert chanters of these mantras who can perform\n\nthis feat. Similarly, one can be brought back into Kr9!la consciousness from the deadly unconscious state of material life by hearing of\nthe mahii-mantra: Hare K[§fla, Hare K[§fla, K[§fla K[§fla, Hare Hare/\nHare Riima, Hare Riima, Riima Riima, Hare Hare.\n\n89\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0126": "90\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\nIn the Fourth Canto of Srimad-Bhii.gavatam, 29th Chapter, 37th\n\nverse, the importance of hearing of the pastimes of the Lord is stated\n\nby Sukadeva Gosvami to Maharaj Parik�it: \"My dear King, one\nII\n\nshould stay at a place where the great acaryas [holy teachers] speak\n\nabout the transcendental activities of the Lord, and one should give\n\naural reception to the nectarean river flowing from the moonlike\n\nfaces of such great personalities. If someone eagerly continues to hear\n\nsuch transcendental sounds, then certainly he will become freed from\n\nall material hunger, thirst, fear and lamentation, as well as all illusions of material existence.\"\n\nSri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also recommended this process of hear­\n\ning as a means of self realization in the present.age ofKali. In this age\n\nit is very difficult to follow thoroughly the regulative principles and\nstudies of the Vedas which were formerly recommended. However, if\n\none gives aural reception to the sound vibrated by great devotees and\n\nacaryas, that alone will give him relief from all material contamina­\n\ntion. Therefore it is the recommendation of Caitanya Mahaprabhu\n\nthat one should simply hear from authorities who are actually devo­\n\ntees of the Lord. Hearing from professional men will not help. If we\n\nhear from those who are actually self realized, then the nectarean\nrivers, like those which are flowing on the moon planet, will flow into\n\nour ears. This is the metaphor used in the above verse.\n\nAs is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, \"A materialistic person can give\n\nup his material hankerings only by becoming situated in Kr�!la consciousness.\" Unless one finds a superior engagement he will not be\nable to give up his inferior engagement. In the material world every­\n\none is engaged in the illusory activities of inferior energy, but when\none is given the opportunity rt'\\!�lish the activities of the superior\n\nenergy performed by Kr�!la, then he forgets all his lesser pleasures.\n\nWhen Kr�!la speaks on the battlefield of Kuruk�etra, to the materialistic person it appears that this is simply talk between two friends,\n\nbut actually it is a river of nectar flowing down from the mouth of\nSri Kr�!la. Arjuna gave aural reception to such vibrations, and thus\n\nhe became freed from all the illusions of material problems.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0127": "Techniques of Hearing and Memorizing\n\n91\n\nIn the Twelfth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 3rd Chapter, 12th\nverse, it is stated: \"A person who desires unalloyed devotional service to Lord Kf�l).a, who is praised by transcendental sound vibrations, should always hear about His glorification and transcendental\nqualities. This will surely kill all kinds of inauspiciousness in the\nheart.\"\nAlso, in the Tenth Canto, 14th Chapter, 8th verse, it is said: \"My\ndear Lord, any person who is constantly awaiting Your causeless\nmercy to be bestowed upon him, and who goes on suffering the re·\nsultant actions of his past misdeeds, offering You respectful obeisances from the core of his heart, is surely eligible to become liberated, for it has become his rightful claim.\"\n\nThis statement of Srimad-Bhiigavatam should be the guide of all\n\ndevotees. A devotee should not expect immediate relief from the re·\nactions of his past misdeeds. No conditioned soul is free from such\nreactionary experiences because material existence means continued\nsuffering or enjoying of past activities. If one has finished his rna·\nterial activities then there is no more birth. This is only possible\nwhen one begins Kr�l).a conscious activities, because such activities\ndo not produce reaction. Therefore, as soon as one becomes perfect\nin l<f�l).a conscious activities, he is not going to take birth again in\nthis material world. A devotee who is not perfectly freed from the\nresultant actions shquld therefore continue to act in Kr�l).a consciousness seriously, even though there may be so many impediments.\nWhen such impediments arise he should simply think of Krwa and expect His mercy. That is the only solace. If the devotee passes his days\nin that spirit, it is certain that he is going to be promoted to the\nabode of the Lord. By such activities, he earns his claim to enter into\n\nthe kingdom of God. The exact word used in this verse is diiyabhiik.\n\nDiiyabhiik refers to a son's becoming the lawful inheritor of the\nproperty of the father. In a similar way, a pure devotee who is prepared to undergo all kinds of tribulations in executing Kr�l).a consciousness duties becomes lawfully qualified to enter into the transcendental abode.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0128": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n92\n\nRemembrance\nI'\n\nSome way or other, if someone establishes in his mind his continuous relationship with Kr�9-a, this relationship is called remembrance. About this remembrance there is a nice statement in the\nVi§\"[lU Purii[la, where it is said: \"Simply by remembering the Supreme\nPersonality of Godhead all living entities become eligible for all kinds\nof auspiciousness. Therefore let me always remember the Lord, who\nis unborn and eternal.\" In the Padma Purii!la the same remembrance\nis explained as follows: \"Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto\nthe Supreme Lord Kr�9-a, because if someone remembers Him, either\nat the time of death or during his span of life, he becomes freed from\nall sinful reactions.\"\n\nMeditation\nMeditation means to engage the mind in thinking of the form of\nthe Lord, of the qualities of the Lord, of the activities of the Lord\nand of the service of the Lord. Meditation does not mean anything\nimpersonal or void. According to Vedic literature, meditation is\nalways on the form of Vi�9-u.\nIn the Nrsimha Purii[la there is a statement about meditation on\nthe form of the Lord. It is said there: \"Meditation focusing on the\nlotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead has been accepted\nas transcendental and beyond the experience of material pain and\npleasure. By such meditation even one who is grossly miscreant can\nbe delivered from the sinful reactions of his life.\"\nIn the Vi§\"[lu-dharma there is a statement about meditation on the\ntranscendental quality of the Lord. It is said, \"Persons who are constantly engaged in Kr�9-a consciousness, and who remember the\ntranscendental qualities of the Lord, become free from all reactions to sinful activities, and after being so cleansed they become\nfit to enter into the kingdom of God.\" In other words, no one\ncan enter into the kingdom of God without being freed from\nall sinful reactions.\n\nSinful reactions can be avoided simply by\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0129": "Techniques of Hearing and Memorizing\n\n93\n\nremembering the form, qualities, pastimes, etc., of the Lord.\nIn the Padma Puriirw there is a statement about remembering the\nactivities of the Lord: \"A person who is always engaged in meditation on the sweet pastimes and wonderful activities of the Lord\nsurely becomes freed from all material contamination.\"\n\nMeditation on Executing Devotional Service\n\nIn some of the Puriirws the evidence is given that if someone is\nsimply meditating on devotional activities, he has achieved the desired result and has seen face to face the Supreme Personality of\nGodhead. In this connection, there is a story in the Brahma-vaivarta\n\nPuriirw that in the city of Prati�thanapura in South India there was\nonce a briihmar-a who was not very well-to-do, but who was nevertheless satisfied in himself, thinking that because of his past misdeeds,\nand by the desire of Kr��a, he did not get sufficient money and opulence. So he was not at all sorry for his poor material position, and\nhe used to live very peacefully. He was very openhearted, and sometimes he went to hear some lectures delivered by great realized souls.\nAt one such meeting, while he was very faithfully hearing about\nVai§r-ava activities, he was informed that these activities can be per­\n\nformed even by meditation. In other words, if a person is unable to\nactually perform\n\nVai§r-ava activities physically, he can meditate\n\nupon the Vai§r-ava activities and thereby acquire all of the same results. Because the briihmar-a was not very well-to-do financially, he\ndecided that he would simply meditate on grand, royal devotional\nactivities, and he began this business thusly:\nSometimes he would take his bath in the river Godavari. After\ntaking his bath he would sit in a secluded place on the bank of the\nriver, and, by practicing the yoga exercises of prii[liiyiima, the usual\nbreathing exercise, he would concentrate his mind. This breathing\nexercise is meant to mechanically make the mind fixed upon a particular subject. That is the result of the breathing exercise and also of\nthe different sitting postures of yoga. Formerly, even quite ordinary\npersons used to know how to fix the mind upon the remembrance of\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0130": "94\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nthe Lord, and so the briihmar-a was doing this. When he had fixed the\nform of the Lord in his mind, he began to imagine in his meditations\nthat he was dressing the Lord very nicely in costly clothing, with\nornaments, helmets and other paraphernalia. Then he offered his respectful obeisances by bowing down before the Lord. After finishing\nthe dressing he began to imagine that he was cleaning the temple very\nnicely. After cleansing the temple, he imagined that he had many\nwater jugs made of gold and silver, and he took all those jugs to the\nriver and filled them with the holy water. Not only did he collect\nwater from Godavari, but he collected from the Ganges, Yamuna,\nNarmada and Kaveri. Generally a Vai§r-ava, while worshiping the\nLord, collects water from all these rivers by \"!-antra chanting. This\nbriihmar-a, instead of chanting some mantra, imagined that he was\n\nphysically securing water from all these rivers in golden and silver\nwater pots. Then he collected all kinds of worshipful paraphernaliaflowers, fruits, incense and sandalwood pulp. He collected everything\nto place before the Deity. All these waters, flowers and scented articles were then very nicely offered to the Deities to Their satisfaction.\nThen he offered iiriitrika, and with the regulative principles he\nfinished all these activities in the correct worshiping method.\nHe would daily execute similar performances as his routine work,\nand he continued to do so for many, many years. Then one day the\nbriihmar-a imagined in his meditations that he had prepared some\n\nsweet rice with milk and sugar and offered the preparation to the\nDeity. However, he was not very satisfied with the offering because\nthe sweet rice had been prepared recently and it was still very hot.\n(This preparation, sweet rice, should not be taken hot. The cooler\nthe sweet rice, the better its taste.) So because the sweet rice was prepared by the briihmar-a very recently, he wanted to touch it so that\nhe could know whether it was fit for eating by the Lord. As soon as\nhe touched the sweet rice pot with his finger, he immediately was\nburnt by the heat of the pot. In this way, his meditation broke. Now,\nwhen he looked at his finger, he saw that it was burnt, and he was\nwondering in astonishment how this could have happened. Because\nhe was simply meditating on touching the hot sweet rice, he never\nthought that his finger would actually become burnt.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0131": "Techniques of Hearing and Memorizing\n\n95\n\nWhile he was thinking like this, in V aikutltha Lord Narayatla,\nseated with the goddess of fortune, Lak�mi, began to smile humorously. On seeing this smiling of the Lord, all the goddesses of fortune\nwho were attending the Lord became very curious and asked Lord\nNarayatla why He was smiling. The Lord, however, did not reply to\ntheir inquisitiveness, but instead immediately sent for the briihma[La.\nAn airplane sent from Vaikutltha immediately brought the briihma[La\ninto Lord Narayatla 's presence. When the briihma[La was thus present\nbefore the Lord and the goddesses of fortune, the Lord explained the\nwhole story. The briihma[La was then fortunate enough to get an\neternal place in Vaikutltha in the association of the Lord and His\nLak�mis. This shows how the Lord is all-pervading, in spite of His\nbeing locally situated in His abode. Although the Lord was present\nin Vaikutltha, He was present also in the heart of the briihma[La when\nhe was meditating on the worshiping process. Thus, we can understand that things offered by the devotees even in meditation are accepted by the Lord, and they help one achieve the desired result.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0132": "ll I Aspects of Transcendental Service\n\nServitorship\n\nIn the opinion of the harmis (fruitive workers), offering the results\nof karma is called servitorship. But according to Vai§rwva iiciiryas like\nRupa Gosvami, servitorship means to be constantly engaged in some\nkind of service to the Lord.\nIn the Shanda Puriirw it is said that those who are attached to\nritualistic activities, the four orders of social life and the four orders\nof spiritual life, are considered devotees. But when devotees are actually engaged in offering service to the Lord directly, these must be\nbhiigavatas, or pure devotees. Those who are engaged in fruitive activi­\n\nties, or prescribed duties according to the four orders of social and\nspiritual life, are not actually pure devotees. But still, because they\nare offering the result to the Lord, they are accepted as devotees.\nWhen one has no such desire, but acts spontaneously out of love of\nGod, such a person must be accepted as a pure devotee. The conditioned souls who have come into contact with the material world are\nall more or less desirous of lording it over material nature. The system of va'!liisrama and the prescribed duties under this system are so\ndesigned that the conditioned soul may enjoy in the material world\naccording to his desire for sense gratification and at the same time\ngradually become elevated to spiritual understanding. Under these\nprescribed duties of varr-a and iisrama there are many activities which\nbelong to devotional service in Kr��a consciousness. Those devotees\nwho are householders accept Vedic ritualistic performances as well as\nthe prescribed duties of devotional service, because both are meant\n96\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0133": "Aspects of Transcendental Service\n\n97\n\nfor satisfying .Kr9�a. When householder devotees perform some Vedic\n\nritualistic duties, they do so to satisfy Kr9�a. As we have previously\n\ndiscussed, any activity aiming at satisfying the Supreme Personality\nof Godhead is considered devotional service.\n\nSrila Riipa Gosvami describes one who is fit for becoming engaged\nin devotional service. He says that persons who are neophytes and\n\nwho have developed a little love of Godhead are not interested in the\nactivities of sense gratification, in proportion to their devotion. But\nif there is still some attraction for sense gratifying activities, then the\n\nresult of such activities should be offered to Kr9�a. This is also called\nengagement in the service of the Lord, with the Lord as the master\nand the worker as the servant.\nIn the Niiradiya Puriir-a there is a statement of how this servitorship is transcendental. It is said there that a person who is constantly\n\nengaged in devotional service by his body, mind and words, or even a\nperson who is not practically engaged but is simply desiring to be so,\nis considered to be liberated.\n\nDevotional Service in Friendship\n\nDevotional service in friendship can be divided into two categories:\none is to act as the confidential servant of the Lord, and the other is\n\nto act as the well-wisher of the Lord. The devotee who has confi­\n\ndence in devotional service to the Lord systematically follows the\nrules and regulations, with the faith that he will achieve the platform\n\nof transcendental life. The second type of devotional friendship is to\n\nbecome a well-wisher of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the\nBhagavad-gita it is said that the Lord accepts a preacher as the most\ndear servant. Anyone who is preaching the confidential message of\n\nthe Gitii to the people in general is so dear to Kr9�a that no one can\n\nbe equal with him in human society.\n\nIn the Mahiibhiirata, Draupadi says, \"My dear Govinda, Your promise is that Your devotee can never be vanquished. I believe in that\nstatement, and therefore in all kinds of tribulations I simply remem­\n\nber Your promise, and thus I live.\" The purport is that Draupadi and\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0134": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n98\n\nher five husbands, the Pa�9avas, were put into severe tribulations by\ntheir cousin-brother, Duryodhana, as well as by others. The tribula­\n\ntions were so severe that even Bhi�madeva, who was both a lifelong\n\nbrahmaciiri and a great warrior, would sometimes shed tears thinking\n\nof them. He was always surprised that, although the Pa�9avas were\nso righteous and Draupadi practically the goddess of fortune, and\n\nalthough Kr��a was their friend, still they had to undergo such severe\ntribulations.\n\nThough their\n\ntribulations\n\nwere not ordinary, still\n\nDraupadi was not discouraged. She knew that because Kr��a was\n\ntheir friend, ultimately they would be saved.\nA· similar statement is there in the Eleventh Canto of Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, 2nd Chapter, 5th verse, where Havi, the son of King\n\nJ;l�abha, addresses Maharaj Nimi: \"My dear King, a person who never\ndeviates even for a moment from engagement in service at the lotus\n\nfeet of the Supreme Person (engagement which is sought after even\nby great demigods like Indra) with firm conviction that there is no­\n\nthing more worshipable or desirable than this, is called the first-class\n\ndevotee.\"\n\nSri Riipa Gosvami says that a neophyte devotee who has simply\n\ndeveloped a slight love of Godhead is certainly a prospective candi­\n\ndate for devotional service. When he becomes firmly fixed in such\ndevotional service, that assured status becomes a confidential part of\n\nhis devotional service.\n\nSometimes it is found that a pure devotee lies down in the temple\n\nof the Lord in order to serve Him as a confidential friend. Such\nfriendly behavior of a devotee may be accepted as riigiinugii, or spon­\n\ntaneous. Although, according to regulative principles, no one can lie\n\ndown in the temple of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this\n\nspontaneous love of Godhead can be grouped under devotional service in friendship.\n\nRegarding complete self-surrender, there is a nice description in\n\nthe Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 29th Chapter, 32nd verse,\n\nwhere the Lord says: \"A person who has completely surrendered\n\nunto Me and has completely given up all other activities is pr otected\n\nby Me personally, both in this life and in the next. In other words, I\n\nwish to help him become more and more advanced in spiritual life.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0135": "Aspects of Transcendental Service\n\n99\n\nSuch a person is to be understood as having already achieved siir�ti\n\n[having equal opulences with the supreme] .\" It is also confirmed in\n\nthe Bhagavad-gitii that as soon as a person surrenders unto the lotus\n\nfeet of Kr�r;ta, Krwa takes charge of him and gives him a guarantee\n\nof protection from all sinful reactions. He also instructs from within,\n\nso that the devotee may very quickly make advancement towards\nspiritual perfection.\n\nThis self-surrender is called iitma-nivedana. According to different\n\nauthorities, \"self\" is differently defined. \"Self\" is sometimes con­\n\nsidered to refer to the spirit self, or soul, and \"self\" is sometimes\nconsidered to refer to the mind or to the body. Full self-surrender,\n\ntherefore, means not only surrendering one's self as spirit soul, but\n\nalso surrendering one's mind and body to the service of the Lord.\n\nSrila Bhaktivinode Thakur has sung a nice song in this connection.\n\nWhile offering himself as a fully surrendered soul, he said, \"My mind,\n\nmy household affairs, my body, whatever is in my possession, my\n\ndear Lord, I offer to You for Your service. Now You can do with\n\nthem as You like. You are the supreme possessor of everything, so if\nYou like You can kill me, or if You like You can give me protection.\n\nAll authority belongs to You. I have nothing to claim as my own.\"\n\nSri Yamunacarya, in his prayers to the Lord, has expressed a simi­\n\nlar idea in the following words: \"My dear Lord, I may be living with­\n\nin some body as a human being or as a demigod, but whatever mode\n\nof life, I do not mind, because these bodies are simply by-products of\n\nthe three modes of material nature, and I, who am in possession of\n\nthese bodies, am surrendering myself unto You.\"\n\nIn the Hari-bhakti-viveka, there is a statement regarding how one\n\ncan offer his body in self-surrender. There the devotee says, \"My\ndear Lord, as a sold-out animal has no need to think about his main­\n\ntenance and sustenance, so, because I have given U(>' my body and\n\nsoul unto You, I am no longer concerned with my maintenance and\nsustenance.\" In other words, one should not bother about his personal or family maintenance or sustenance. If one is actually surren­\n\ndered in body and soul, he should always remember that his only\nconcern is to be engaged in the service of the Lord.\n\nSrila Rupa Gosvami says that devotional service in friendship and\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0136": "100\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ndevotional service in self-surrender are two difficult processes. Therefore such relationships with the Lord can very rarely be seen. Only\nfor the advanced devotees are these two processes easily executed.\nThe purport is that it is very rare to see surrender which is mixed\nwith sincere ecstatic devotion. One must give himself completely to\nthe will of the Lord.\n\nIn the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 40th verse, llth\n\nChapter, Lord Kr��a tells Uddhava: \"My dear friend, if someone\noffers Me the best thing in his possession, or anything which is very\npleasing to him, he will be eternally benefitted.\"\n\nIn the Niirada-paiicariitra there is a statement of how one can act\n\nin all spheres of life for the satisfaction of the Lord. It is stated there\nthat a person who is actually in devotional service must be engaged\nin all kinds of activities, those prescribed in the revealed scriptures\nand also those which are accepted for livelihood. In other words, a\ndevotee should engage himself not only in the prescribed duties of\ndevotional service which are mentioned in the revealed scriptures, but\nhe should also perform the duties of his practical life in Kr��a consciousness. For example, a devotee who has a great establishment, or\nfactory, may offer the fruits of such a material possession for the service of the Lord.\n\nIn the Hari-bhakti-viliisa there is the following statement about\n\nself-surrender: \"My dear Lord, a person who has surrendered himself\nunto You, and who is in firm conviction that he is Yours, and actually acts in that way by his body, mind and words, can actually\nrelish transcendental bliss.\"\n\nIn the Nrsirhha Puriir.a, Lord Nrsimhadeva says: \"Anyone who\n\nprays unto Me and takes shelter from Me becomes My ward, and I\nprotect him always from all sorts of calamities.\"\n\nServing Trees such as the Tulasi\nIn the Skanda Puriir.a there is a statement eulogizing the tulasi tree\n\nas follows: \"Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the tulasi\n\ntree, which can immediately vanquish volumes of sinful activities.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0137": "Aspects of Transcendental Service\n\n101\n\nSimply by seeing or touching this tree one can become relieved from\nall distresses and diseases. Simply by offering obeisances to and pouring water on the tulasi tree, one can become freed from the fear of\nbeing sent to the court of Y amaraj [the King of death, who punishes\nthe sinful] \" If someone sows a tulasi tree somewhere, certainly he\n.\n\nbecomes devoted to Lord K{��a. And when the tulasi leaves are offered in devotion at the lotus feet of Kr��a, there is the full development of love of Godhead.\nIn India every Hindu, even those not belonging to the Vai§!lava\ngroup, take special care of the tulasi tree. Even in great cities where\nit is very difficult to keep a tulasi tree, people are to be found very\ncarefully keeping this plant. They water it and offer obeisances to it,\nbecause worship of the tulasi tree is very important in devotional\nserVIce.\nIn the Skanda Purii!la there is another statement about tulasi, as\nfollows: \"Tulasi is auspicious in all respects. Simply by seeing, simply\nby touching, simply by remembering, simply by praying to, simply\nby bowing before, simply by hearing about or simply by sowing this\ntree, there is always auspiciousness. Anyone who comes in touch\nwith the tulasi tree in the above-mentioned ways lives eternally in\nthe V aiku�tha world.\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0138": "12 I Revealed Scriptures\n\nAccording to Srila Riipa Gosvami, any book which gives enlightenment in the matter of advancing devotional service is considered to\n\nbe revealed scripture. Srila Madhvacarya has also defined revealed\nscriptures as referring to books such as the Riimiiyar-a, Mahiibhiirata,\n\nPuriir-as, Upani§ads, Ve diinta and any other literature which is written in pursuance of such revealed scriptures.\n-\n\nIn the Skanda Puriir-a there is the statement, \"A person who is\n\nconstantly engaged in reading literature enunciating the cultivation\nof V ai�pava devotional service is always glorious in human society,\n\nand certainly Lord Krwa becomes pleased with him. A person who\nvery carefully keeps such literature at home and offers respectful\nobeisances to it\n\nbecomes freed from all sinful reactions and ulti­\n\nmately becomes worshipable by the demigods.\"\n\nIt is also said to Narada Muni: \"My dear Narada, a person who\n\nwrites V aiwava literature and keeps such literature at home has Lord\nNarayapa always residing in his house.\"\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Twelfth Canto, 12th Chapter, 12th\nverse, it is stated: \"Srimad-Bhiigavatam is the essence of all Vedanta\n\nphilosophy. Any person who has become attached in some way or\n\nother to the reading of Srimqd-Bhiigavatam cannot have any taste for\n\nreading any other literature.\n\nIn other words, a person who has\n\nrelished the transcendental bliss of Srimad-Bhiigavatam cannot be\nsatisfied with mundane writings.\"\n\nIn the Variiha Puriir-a there is a statement praising the residen­\n\ntial quarters of Mathura. Lord V araha tells the men of earth: \"Any\n102\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0139": "Revealed Scriptures\n\n103\n\nperson who becomes attracted to places other than Mathura will\ncertainly be captivated by the illusory energy.\" In the Brahmiirtfla\n\nPuriirw it is said that all the results of traveling on all the pilgrimages\n\nwithin the three worlds can be achieved simply by touching the holy\n\nland of Mathura. In many siistras (scriptures) it is said that simply by\nhearing, remembering, glorifying, desiring, seeing, or touching the\nland of Mathura, one can achieve all desires.\nIn the Padma Purii[ta, there is a nice statement praising the ser­\n\nvice of the Vai§rtavas or devotees. In that scripture Lord Siva tells\nParvati, \"My dear Parvati, there are different methods of worship,\n\nand out of all such methods the worship of the Supreme Person is\nconsidered to be the highest. But even higher than the worship of the\nLord is the worship of the Lord's devotees.\"\n\nA similar statement is in the Third Canto, 7th Chapter, 19th verse,\n\nof the Srimad-Bhiigavatam: \"Let me become a sincere servant of the\ndevotees\n\nbecause by serving them one can achieve unalloyed devo­\n\ntional service unto the lotus feet of the Lord. The service of devotees\n\ndiminishes all miserable material conditions and develops within one\n\na deep devotional love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.\"\n\nIn the Skanda Puriirta there is a similar statement: \"Persons whose\n\nbodies are marked with tilaka, symbolizing the conchshell, wheel,\n\nclub and lotus-and who keep the leaves of tulasi on their heads, and\n\nwhose bodies are always decorated with g opi- c anda na\n\n-\n\neven seen\n\nonce, can help the seer be relieved from all sinful activities.\"\n\nA similar statement is found in the First Canto, 19th Chapter, 30th\n\nverse, of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam: \"There is no doubt about one's be­\n\ncoming freed from all reactions to sinful activities after visiting. a\n\ndevotee or touching his lotus feet or giving him a sitting place. Even\n\nby remembering the activities of such Vai§rtavas, one becomes puri­\n\nfied, along with his whole family. And what, then, can be said of ren­\n\ndering direct service to him?\"\nIn the Adi Puriirta there is the following statement by Lord Kr�l).a\nHimself, addressed to Arj una: \"My dear Partha, one who claims to\n\nbe My devotee is not so. Only a person who claims to be the devotee\nof My devotee is actually My devotee.\" No one can approach the\nSupreme Personality of Godhead directly. One must approach Him\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0140": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n104\n\nthrough His pure devotees. Therefore, in the system of Vai§rz,ava\nactivities, the first duty is to accept a devotee as spiritual master and\nthen to render service unto him.\n\nSri Riipa Gosvami affirms that all the quotations given in the\nBhakti-rasamrta-sindhu from different scriptures are accepted by the\ngreat acaryas and devotees of the Lord.\n\nIn the Padma Purarz,a there is a statement that one should perform\nthe ceremonies for the Lord according to one's financial position.\nEveryone should observe the different ceremonies and celebrations\nof the Lord by all means. One of the most important of these ceremonial functions is called Vrja-vrata. Urja-vrata is observed in the\nmonth of Karttika (October-November); especially in V rndavana,\nthere is a specific program for temple worship of the Lord in His\nDamodara form. Damodara refers to Kr��a's being bound with rope\nby His mother, Yasoda. It is said that just as Lord Damodara is very\ndear to His devotees so the month known as Damodara or Karttika\nis also very dear to them.\nThe execution of devotional service during Orja-vrata in the month\nof Karttilw is especially recommended to be p.erformed at Mathura.\nThis system is still followed by many devotees. They go to Mathura\nor Vrndavana and stay there during the month of Karttika specifically\nto perform devotional services during this period.\nIn the Padma Purarz,a it is said: \"The Lord may offer liberation or\nmaterial happiness to a devotee, but after some devotional service has\nbeen executed, particularly in Mathura during the month of Karttika,\nthe devotees want only to attain pure devotional service unto the\nLord.\" The purport is that the Lord does not award devotional service to ordinary persons who are not serious about it. But even such\nunserious persons who execute devotional service according to the\nregulative principles during the month of Karttika, and within the .\njurisdiction of Mathura in India, are very easily awarded the Lord's\npersonal service.\nIn the Bhavi§ya Purarz,a there is a statement about observing different ceremonies celebrating the Lord's appearance (birthday) and\nother\n\ntranscendental\n\nactivities. It\n\nis said, \"My Lord Janardana\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0141": "Revealed Scriptures\n\n105\n\n(Kr�!la], please let us know the date when Your mother Devaki\ndevi gave birth to You. If You kindly inform us about this, then\nwe shall observe a\n\ngreat celebration on this date. 0 killer of\n\nKesi, we are souls one hundred percent surrendered unto Your\nlotus feet, and we wish only to please You with our ceremonies.\"\n\nThis statement of the Bhavi§ya Purii[la gives evidence that by ob­\n\nserving different functions in relationship with the Lord one is sure\nto become pleasing to the Lord. It is said in the Adi Purii[ta: \"A per­\n\nson who is constantly engaged in chanting the holy name and who\nfeels transcendental pleasure, being engaged in devotional service, is\ncertainly awarded the facilities of devotional service, and is never\n\ngiven just mukti [liberation].\n\n\"\n\nMukti means liberation from material contamination; when lib­\n\nerated, one does not have to take birth again in the material world. The\nimpersonalists desire to merge into the spiritual existence, to end\n\ntheir individual existence, but according to Srimad-Bhiigavatam,\n\nmukti is only the beginning of one's becoming situated in his normal\ncondition. The normal condition of every living entity is to be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. From the statement of\n\nthe .ifdi Purii[la it appears that a devotee is satisfied simply with being\n\nengaged in devotional service. He does not aspire for any liberation\nfrom material conditional life. In other words, anyone who is engaged in devotional service is not in the material condition of life,\nalthough he may appear so.\n\nR e ci t ati o n of Srimad-Bhiigavatam\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam is the desire-tree of Vedic wisdom. Veda itself\nmeans the aggregate of knowledge. And whatever knowledge is re­\n\nquired for human society is perfectly presented in the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam. There are different branches of knowledge in the Vedic\nwritings, including sociology, politics, medicine and military art. All\nthese and other branches of knowledge are perfectly described in the\n\nVedas. So, as far as spiritual knowledge is concerned, that is also per­\n\nfectly described there, and Srimad-Bhiigavatam is considered to be\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0142": "106\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nthe ripened fruit of this desire-fulfilling tree of the Vedas. A tree is\nhonored by the production of its fruit. For example, a mango tree is\n\nconsidered very valuable because it produces the king of all fruits, the\n\nmango. When the mango fruit becomes ripened it is the greatest gift\n\nof that tree, and Srimad-Bhiigavatam is similarly held to be the ripened\nfruit of the Vedic tree. And, as ripened fruit becomes more relish­\n\nable when first touched by the beak of a parrot, or suka, so SrimadBhagavatam has become more relishable by being delivered through\nthe transcendental mouth of Sukadeva Gosvami.\n\nSrimad-Bhagavatam should be received in disciplic succession with­\n\nout any breakage. When a ripened fruit comes from the upper part of\n\nthe tree onto the ground by the process of being handed down from\n\na higher branch to a lower branch by persons in the tree, the fruit\n\ndoes not break. Srimad-Bhiigavatam, when received in the paramparii\n\nsystem, or disciplic succession, will likewise remain unbroken. It is\nstated in the Bhagavad-gitii that the disciplic succession, or paramparii,\n\nis the way of receiving transcendental knowledge. Such knowledge\n\nmust come down through the disciplic succession, through authorized\npersons who know the real purpose of the siistra.\n\nSri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended that one learn Srimad­\n\nBhagavatam from the mouth of the self realized person called bhiigavatam. Bhiigavata means \"in relationship with the Personality of Godhead (Bhagaviin ) . \" So the devotee is sometimes called bhiigavatam,\n\nand the book which is in relationship with devotional service to the\nSupreme Personality of Godhead is also called Bhiigavatam. Sri\n\nCaitanya Mahaprabhu recommended that in order to relish the real\n\ntaste of Srimad-Bhagavatam, one should take instruction from the\nperson bhiigavatam. Srimad-Bhiigavatam is relishable even by a lib­\n\nerated person. It was admitted by Sukadeva Gosvami that although\n\nhe was liberated fro_m within the very womb of his mother, it was\nonly after relishing Srzmad-Bhiigavatam that he became a great devotee. Thus, one who is desirous of advancing in Kr�l).a consciousness\nshould relish the purport of\n\nSrima d-Bhagavatam through the dis­\n\ncussions of authorized devotees.\nIn the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Second Canto, lst Cha pter, 9th verse,\n\nS ukadeva Gosvami admits that although he was very much attracted\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0143": "Revealed Scriptures\n\n107\n\nby the impersonal Brahman, when he heard the transcendental pas­\n\ntimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead from the mouth of his\n\nfather, Vyasadeva, he became more attracted to Srimad-Bhagavatam.\n\nThe idea is that Vyasadeva was also a self realized soul, and his mature\n\ncontribution of transcendental knowledge was delivered directly to\nSukadeva Gosvam'i in the manner indicated.\n\nThe importance of discussing Srimad-Bhagavatam in the society of\n\npure devotees is explained by Saunaka Muni during the meeting at\nNaimi9ara�ya, in the presence of Silta Gosvam'i. Silta Gosvami confirmed that if someone is fortunate enough to associate with a pure\n\ndevotee of the Lord even for a moment, that particular moment is so\n\nvaluable that even those pious activities which can promote one to\n\nthe heavenly planets or give liberation from material miseries cannot\n\ncompare with it. In other words, those who are attached to Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam do not care for any kind of benefit derived from elevation to the higher planetary kingdoms, or for the liberation which is\nconceived of by the impersonalists. As such, the association of pure\n\ndevotees is so transcendentaliy valuable that no kind of material\nhappiness can compare with it.\n\n.\n\nIn the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya there is a conversation between\n\nPrahlada Maharaj and his father, Hira�yakasipu, in which HiraQ.ya­\n\nkasipu addresses Prahlada in this way: \"My dear son, association is\nvery important. It acts just like a crystal-stone which will reflect any­\n\nthing which is put before it.\" Similarly, if we associate with the\n\nflowerlike devotees of the Lord, and if our hearts are crystal clear,\n\nthen certainly the same action will be there. Another example given\n\nin this connection is that if a man is potent and if a woman is not\ndiseased, then by their conjugation there will be conception. In the\n\nsame way, if the recipient of spiritual knowledge and the deliverer of\n\nspiritual knowledge are sincere and bona fide, there will be good\n\nresults.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0144": "13 I The Maha-mantra\n\nThe importance of chanting Hare K[§!W, Hare K[§!W, K[§fla K[§!W,\n\nHare Hare/ Hare Riima, Hare Riima, Riima Riima, Hare Hare is very\n\nstrongly stressed in the Second Canto, lst Chapter, 11th verse, of the\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam in the following way:\n\nS ukadeva Gosvami tells\n\nMaharaj Parik�it: \"My dear King, if one is spontaneously attached to\n\nthe chanting of the Hare K[§[W mahii-mantra, it is to be understood\n\nthat he has attained the highest perfectional stage.\" It is specifically\n\nmentioned that the karmis who are aspiring after the fruitive results\nof their activities, the salvationists who are aspiring to become one\nwith the Supreme Person, and the yogis who are aspiring after mystic\nperfections can achieve the results of all perfectional stages simply\n\nby chanting the mahii-mantra.\n\nS ukadeva uses the word ni'[litam,\n\nwhich means \"it is already decided.\" He was a liberated soul and\ntherefore could not accept anything which was not conclusive. So\n\nS ukadeva Gosvami especially stresses that it is already concluded that\n\none who has come to the stage of chanting the Hare K[§!W mantra\nwith determination and steadiness must be considered as having already passed the trials of fruitive activities, mental speculation and\n\nmystic yoga.\nThe same thing is confirmed in the .ifdi Puriirta by Kg;!la. While\naddressing Arjuna He says, \"Anyone who is engaged in chanting My\n\ntranscendental name must be considered to be always associating\nwith Me. And I may tell you frankly that for such a devotee I become\neasily purchased.\"\n\nIn the Padma Puriirta also it is stated: \"The chanting of the Hare\nr§rta\nmantra is present only on the lips of a person who has for\nK\n108\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0145": "The Mahii-mantra\n\n109\n\nmany births worshiped Vasudeva.\" It is further said in the Padma\n\nPuriir-a: \"There is no difference between the holy name of the Lord\nand the Lord Himself. As such, the holy name is as perfect as the\nLord Himself in fullness, purity and eternity. The holy name is\nno material sound vibration, nor has it any material contamination.\"\nThe holy name cannot, therefore, be chanted offenselessly by one\nwho has failed to purify his senses. In other words, materialistic\nsenses cannot properly chant the holy names of the Hare Kr�r-a\n\nmahii-mantra. But, by adopting this chanting process, one is given a\nchance to actually purify himself so that he may very soon chant\noffenselessly.\nCaitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended that everyone chant the\n\nHare Kr�r-a mantra just to cleanse the dust from the heart. If the dust\nof the heart is cleansed away, then one can actually understand the\nimportance of the holy name. For persons who are not inclined to\nclean the dust from their heart and want to keep things as they are,\nit is not possible to derive the transcendental result of chanting the\n\nHare Kr�r-a mantra. One should, therefore, be encouraged to develop\nhis service attitude toward the Lord, because this will help him to\nchant without any offense. And so, under the guidance of a spiritual\nmaster, the disciple is trained simultaneously to render service and\nat the same time to chant the Hare Kr�r-a mantra. As soon as one\ndevelops his spontaneous service attitude, he can immediately understand the transcendental nature of the holy names of the mahii­\n\nmantra.\nIn the Padma Puriir-a there is a statement about the importance of\nliving at holy places like Mathura or Dvaraka. It is stated there: \"To\ntravel to different places of pilgrimage means to attain emancipation\nfrom material bondage. This emancipation, however, is not the high·\nest perfectional stage. After attaining this liberated stage, one has to\nbecome engaged in devotional service to the Lord. After attainment\nof the brahma-bhiita (liberation] stage one can further advance to\nengagement in devotional service. So this attainment of transcendental loving devotional service to the Lord is the goal of life, and it can\nbe achieved very easily for one who lives in Mathura-ma��ala even\nfor a few seconds.\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0146": "llO\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nIt is further said: \"Who is that person who will not agree to worship the land of Mathura? Mathura can deliver all the desires and\nambitions of the fruitive workers and of the salvationists, who desire\nto become one with the supreme Brahman. Certainly Mathura will\n\ndeliver the desires of the devotees, who simply aspire to be engaged\nin the devotional service of the Lord.\" In the Vedic literature it is\nalso stated: \"How wonderful it is that simply by residing in Mathura\neven for one day, one can achieve a transcendental loving attitude\ntoward the Supreme Personality of Godhead! This land of Mathura\nmust be more glorious than Vaiku�tha-dhama, the kingdom of God!\"\nRiipa Gosvami has stated that the five kinds of devotional activities\n-namely, residing in Mathura, worshiping the Deity of the Lord,\n\nreciting Srimad-Bhiigavatam,\n\nserving a devotee, and chanting the\n\nHare K[§!W ma n t ra -are so potent that a small attachment for any\n\none of these five items can arouse devotional ecstasy even in a neophyte.\nRegarding worship of the form of the Lord, or Deity, Riipa Gosvami has written the following verse: \"My dear friends, if you still\nhave any desire to enjoy the company of your friends within this\nmaterial world, then don't look upon the form of Kr��a, who is\nstanding on the bank of Kesi-ghat [a bathing place in Vrndavana] .\nHe is known as Govinda, and His eyes are very enchanting. He is\nplaying upon His flute, and on His head there is a peacock feather.\nAnd His whole body is illuminated by the moonlight in the sky.\"\nThe purport of this verse is that if someone becomes attached to\n\nthe Sri Miirti, or Deity of Kr��a, by worshiping at home, then he will\nforget his relationship of so-called friendship, love and society. Thus\nit is the duty of every householder to install Deities of the Lord at\nhome and to begin the process of worshiping along with all of his\nfamily members. This will save everyone from such unwanted activities as going to clubs, cinemas, dancing parties, smoking; drinking,\netc. All such nonsense will be forgotten if one stresses the worship of\nthe Deities at home.\n\n·\n\nRiipa Gosvami further writes, \"My dear foolish friend, I think that\n\nyou have already heard some of the auspicious Srimad-Bhiigavatam,\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0147": "The Mahii-mantra\n\n111\n\nwhich decries seeking the results of fruitive activities, economic de­\n\nvelopment and liberation_ I think now it is certain that gradually the\n\nverses of the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, describing the\npastimes of the Lord, will enter your ears and go into your heart.\"\n\nIn the beginning of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is said that unless\n\none has the capacity to throw out, just like garbage, the fruitive\nresults of ritualistic ceremonies, economic development and becoming\n\none with the supreme (or salvation), one cannot understand SrimadBhiigavatam. The Bhiigavatam deals exclusively with devotional service. Only one who studies Srimad-Bhiigavatam in the spirit of\nrenunciation can understand the pastimes of the Lord which are de­\n\nscribed in the Tenth Canto. In other words, one should not try to\n\nunderstand the topics of the Tenth Canto, such as the riisa-lilii (love\ndance), unless he has spontaneous attraction for Srimad-Bhiigavatam.\n\nOne must be situated in pure devotional service before he can relish\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam as it is.\n\n·\n\nIn the above two verses of Rupa Gosvami there ar:e some metaphorical analogies, which indirectly condemn the association of ma­\n\nterialistic society, friendship and love. People are generally attracted\n\nto society, friendship and love, and make elaborate arrangements and\n\nstrong endeavors to develop these material contaminations; but to\nsee the Sri Miirtis of Radha and Kr�!la is to forget such endeavors for\n\nmaterial association. Rupa Gosvami composed his verse in such a way\nthat he was seemingly praising the material association of friend­\n\nship, love, etc., and was condemning the audience of Sri Miirti or\nGovinda. This metaphorical analogy is constructed in such a way that\n\nthings which seem to be eulogized are condemned, and things which\n\nare to be condemned are eulogized. The actual import of the verse is\nthat one must see the form of Govinda if one at all wants to forget\n\nthe nonsense of material friendship, love and society.\nSrila Rupa Gosvami has similarly described the transcendental na··\n\nture of relishing topics which. concern Kr�!J.a. A devotee once said,\n\n\"It is very astonishing that since I have seen this Personality of Godhead who is washed by the tears of my eyes, there is shivering of my\n\nbody, and He has made me a failure in executing my material duties.\n\nSince seeing Him I cannot remain silently at home. I wish to go out\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0148": "112\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nto Him always.\" The purport of this statement is that as soon as one\nis fortunate enough to contact a pure devotee, he must be anxious\nimmediately to hear about Kr�!J.a, to learn about Kr�!J.a, or, in other\nwords, to become fully Kr�!la conscious.\nSimilarly, there· is a statement about hearing and chanting the\nmahii-mantra: \"It is said that saints have been able to hear the vibrating strings of the virtii in the hands of Narada, who is always\nsinging the glories of Lord Kr�!J.a. Now this same sound vibration has\nentered my ears, and I am always feeling the presence of the Supreme\nPersonality. Gradually I am becoming bereft of all attachment for\nmaterial enjoyment.\"\nAgain, he has described Mathura\"ma!J.I).ala: \"I remember the Lord\nstanding by the banks of the Yamuna River, so beautiful amidst the\nkadamba trees, where many birds are chirping in the gardens. And\nthese impressions are always giving me transcendental realization of\nbeauty and bliss.\" This feeling about Mathura-ma!J.I).ala and Vrndavana by Riipa Gosvami can actually be felt even by nondevotees. The\nplaces in the eighty-four-square-mile district of Mathura are so beautifully situated on the banks of the river Yamuna that anyone who\ngoes there will never want to return to this material world. These\nstatements by Riipa Gosvami are factually realized descriptions of\nMathura and Vrndavana. All these qualities prove that Mathura and\nVrndavana are situated transcendentally. Otherwise, there is no possibility of invoking our transcendental sentiments in these places.\nSuch transcendental feelings are aroused immediately and without\nfail after one arrives in Mathura or Vrndavana.\nIn these statements about devotional service, sometimes it may\nappear that the results have been overestimated; but actually there is\nno overestimation. Some devotees, as is evidenced from revealed\nscriptures, have had immediate results by such association, although\nthis is not possible for all. For example, the Kumaras immediately\nbecame devotees simply by smelling the incense in the temple.\nBilvamailgala Thakur simply heard about Kr�!la and then immediately\ngave up his beautiful girl friend and started out for Mathura and\nVrndavana, where he became a perfect Vai§rtava. So these statements\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0149": "The Mahii-mantra\n\n113\n\nare not overestimations, nor are they stories. They are actual facts,\nbut are true for certain devotees and do not necessarily apply to all.\nThese descriptions, even if considered overestimations, must be taken\nas they are in order to divert our attention from the fleeting material\nbeauty to the eternal beauty of Kr�!la consciousness. And for a person who is already in contact with Kr�!!a consciousness, the described\nresults are not unusual.\nSome scholars argue that simply by following the principles of\n\nva'?la and iisrama one can gradually rise up to the perfections reached\n\nby practicing devotional service, but this argument is not accepted by\nthe great authorities. Lord Caitanya also condemned this idea while\nHe was talking with Ramananda Rai about the gradual development\nof devotional service. He rejected the idea of the importance of\n\nvar[tiisrama-dharma when it was put forward by Ramananda Rai. He\nsaid that this advancement of va'?la and iisrama is merely external.\n\nThere is a higher principle. In the Bhagavad-gitii also the Lord says\n\nthat one has to give up all other principles of elevation and take\nsimply to the method of Kr�!!a consciousness. That will help him in\nachieving the highest perfection of life.\n\nIn _the Eleventh Canto, 20th Chapter, 8th verse, of the SrimadBhiigavatam the Lord Himself says: \"One should execute the prescribed duties of vaqw and iisrama as long as he has not developed\n\nspontaneous attachment for hearing about My pastimes and activities.\" In other words, the prescribed forms of vaqw and iisrama are\n\nritualistic ceremonies of reli gion intended for economic development,\n\nsense gratification or for salvation. All of these things are recommended for persons who have not developed Krwa consciousness; in\n\nfact, all such activities are recommended in the revealed scriptures\nonly to bring one to the point of Kr�!la consciousness. But one who\n\nhas already developed spontaneous attachment for Krwa does not\nrequire to execute the duties prescribed in the scriptures.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0150": "14 I Devotional Qualifications\n\nSome scholars recommend that knowledge and renunciation are\n\nimportant factors for elevating oneself to devotional service. But\n\nactually that is not a fact. Actually, the cultivation of knowledge or\n\nrenunciation, which are favorable for achieving a footing in Kr�!la\n\nconsciousness, may be accepted in the beginning, but ultimately they\n\nmay also come to be rejected, for devotional service is dependent on\nnothing other than the sentiment or desire for such service. It requires nothing more than sincerity.\nIt is the opinion of expert devotees that mental speculation and\nthe artificial austerities of yoga practice may be favorable for becoming liberated from material contamination, but they will also\nmake one's heart harder and harder. They will not help at all in the\nprogress of devotional service. These processes are, therefore, not\nfavorable for entering into. the transcendental loving service of the\nLord. Actually Krwa consciousness-devotional service itself-is the\nonly way of advancing in devotional life. Devotional service is absolute; it is both the cause and the effect. The Supreme Personality\n\nof Godhead is the cause and effect of all that be, and to approach\nHim, the absolute, the process of devotional service-which is also\nabsolute-has to be adopted.\n\nThis is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gitii by the Lord Himself: \"One\n\ncan understand Me only through devotional service.\" In beginning\nHis teaching of the Gitii, the Lord said to Arjuna, \"Because you are\n\nMy devotee I shall teach these secrets to you.\" Vedic knowledge\n\nmeans ultimately to understand the Supreme Lord, and the process\nof entering into His kingdom is devotional service. That is accepted\n114\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0151": "Devotional Qualifications\n\n115\n\nby all authentic scriptures. Mental speculators neglect the' process of\ndevotional service, and by simply trying to defeat others in philosophical research they fail to develop the ecstasy of devotion.\n\nIn the Eleventh Canto, 20th Chapter, 31st verse, of the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, Kr�J).a says, \"My dear Uddhava, for persons who are\n\nseriously engaged in My service, the cultivation of philosophical specu­\n\nlation and artificial renunciation are not very favorable. When a person becomes My devotee he automatically attains the fruits of the\nrenunciation of material enjoyment, and he gets sufficient know­\n\nledge to understand the absolute truth.\" That is the test of advance­\n\nment in devotional service. A devotee cannot be in darkness because\nthe Lord shows him special favor and enlightens him from within.\n\nIn the Eleventh Canto, 20th Chapter, 32nd and 33rd verses, of the\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam the Lord further instructs Uddhava: \"My dear\nfriend, the profits derived from fruitive activities, austerities, the cul­\n\nture of philosophical knowledge, renouncement, the practice of\n\nmystic yoga, charity and all similar auspicious activities are auto­\n\nmatically �chieved by My devotees-those who are simply attached\nto Me by loving service. These devotees have everything at their dis­\n\nposal, but they desire nothing outside of My devotional service. If\n\never a devotee should desire some material profit-to be promoted\nto the heavenly planets-or some spiritual profit-to go to the Vai­\n\nkul).thas-by My causeless mercy their desires are very easily fulfilled.\"\n\nActually a person who is developing l(r�J).a consciousness and still\n\nhas some attachment to material enjoyment will soon be freed from\n\nsuch a tendency by regularly discharging devotional service under the\n\ninstruction of a bona fide spiritual master.\nSrila Rilpa Gosvam1, then, recommends that one should not be at­\n\ntached to material sense enjoyment, but accept everything enjoyable\n\nwhich is in relationship to Kr�J).a. For example, eating is necessary,\n\nand one wants some palatable dishes to satisfy his sense of taste.\n\nSo in that case, for the satisfaction of Krsna\n... rather than for the\nsatisfaction of the tongue, some palatable dishes may be prepared\nand offered to Kr�J).a. Then it is renunciation. Let the palatable\n\ndishes be prepared, but unless they are offered to Kr�J).a one should\n\nnot accept them for eating. This vow of rejecting anything which is\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0152": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n116\n\nnot offered to Kr�!la is actually renunciation. And by such reimnciation one is able to satisfy the demands of the senses.\nThe impersonalists who try to avoid everything material may undergo severe austerities, but they miss the opportunity of being engaged in the service of the Lord. Thus their renunciation is not sufficient for perfection. There are many instances where, following such\nartificial renunciation without any contact with devotional service,\nthe impersonalist again fell down and became attracted to the material contamination. There are many supposed renouncers even at\nthe present moment who officially become sannyiisis or renouncers\nand outwardly claim that spiritual existence is truth and material\nexistence untruth. In this way, artificially they make a show of renunciation of the material world. However, because they cannot\nreach the point of devotional service, they fail to achieve the goal and\nagain come back to material activities, such as philanthropic work,\npolitical agitation, etc. There are many instances of so-called sannyiisis who gave up the world as untruth, but again came to the ma­\n\nterial world because they were not seeking their real repose at the\nlotus feet of the Lord.\nOne should not give up anything which can be utilized in the service of the Lord. That is a secret of devotional service. Anything that\ncan be utilized in advancing Kr�!la consciousness and devotional service should be accepted. For instance, we are using many machines for\n\nthe advancement of our present Kr�!la consciousness movement, machines like typewriters, dictaphones, tape recorders, microphones and\nairplanes. Sometimes people ask us, \"Why are you utilizing material\nproducts if you condemn the advancement of material civilization?\"\nBut actually we do not condemn. We simply ask people to do whatever they are doing in Krgta consciousness. This is the same principle\non which, in the Bhagavad-gitii, Kr�!la advised Arjuna to utilize his\nfighting abilities in devotional service. Similarly, we are utilizing these\nmachines for Krsna's service. With such sentiment for Krsna, or Krsna\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nconsciousness, we can accept everything. If the typewriter can be\nutilized for advancing our Kr�!la consciousness movement, we must\naccept it. Similarly, the dictaphone or any other machine must be\nused. Our vision is that Kr�!la is everything. Kr�!la is the cause and\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0153": "Devotional Qualifications\n\n117\n\neffect, and nothing belongs to us. Krwa's things must be used in the\nservice of Kr�!la. That is our vision.\n\nThis does not mean, however, that we should give up the principles\n\nof discharging devotional service or neglect abiding by the rules and\nregulations prescribed therein. In the neophyte stage of devotion one\n\nmust follow all the principles, regulated by the authority of the spiritual master. The acceptance and rejection of things should always be\nin pursuance of the devotional principles; not that one can indepen­\n\ndentl y manufacture some idea of what should be accepted or rej�cted.\n\nThe spiritual master as the visible manifestation of Kr�!la is necessary,\n\ntherefore, to direct the devotee on behalf of the Supreme Personality\n\nof Godhead.\n\nThe spiritual master must never be carried away by an accumula­\n\ntion of wealth or a large number of followers. A bona fide spiritual\nmaster will never become like that. But sometimes, if a spiritual mas­\n\nter is not properly authorized, and only on his own initiative becomes\na spiritual master, he may be carried away by an accumulation of\nwealth and large numbers of disciples. His is not a very high grade of\n\ndevotional service. If a person is carried away by such achievements,\nthen his devotional service becomes slackened. One should, therefore,\nstrictly adhere to the principles of disciplic succession.\n\nA Krwa conscious person, being naturally purified, has no need\n\nof developing any other purificatory process of thought or action.\n\nOn account of his being highly elevated in Kr�!la consciousness, he\n\nhas already acquired all the good qualities and is following the rules\n\nand regulations prescribed for the mystic yogic process. Such rules\nare automatically practiced by the devotees. A concrete example is\nthe quality of nonviolence, which is considered a good qualification.\n\nA devotee is naturally nonviolent and therefore doesn't have to prac­\n\ntice nonviolence separately. Some people seek purification by joining\na vegetarian movement, but a devotee is automatically a vegetarian.\nHe doesn't need to .practice separately in this matter or to join any\n\nsociety for vegetarians. He is automatically a vegetarian.\n\nThere are many other instances showing that a devotee needn't\n\npractice anything but Kr�!la consciousness; all the good qualities of\n\nthe demigods automatically develop within him. Those who are in-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0154": "118\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ntentionally practicing to be vegetarians or to become nonviolent may\nhave good qualifications by a material estimation, but these qualifications are not sufficient to make them devotees. A vegetarian is not\nnecessarily a devotee, nor is a nonviolent person. But a devotee is\nautomatically both vegetarian and nonviolent. We must conclude,\ntherefore, that vegetarianism or nonviolence is not the cause of devotion.\n\nIn this connection, there is a story in the Shanda Purar-a about a\n\nhunter who was converted into a great devotee under the instruction\nof Narada Muni. When the hunter became a perfect devotee, he was\nnot prepared even to kill an ant. Parvata Muni, a friend of Narada's,\nsaw the wonderful transformation of the hunter by devotional service, and remarked: \"My dear hunter, your unwillingness to kill even\n\nan ant is not very astonishing. Any person who develops the devotional attitude has all the good qualities automatically manifested in\nhis person. A devotee is never a cause of distress to anyone.\"\n\nSri Rupa Gosvami affirms herein that purification of consciousness,\n\npurification of bodily activities, austerities, peace of mind, etc., all\nbecome automatically manifest in the person who is engaged in devotional service.\n\nS ri Rupa Gosvami affirms herein that there are nine different kinds\n\nof devotional service, which are listed as hearing, chanting, remembering, serving, worshiping the Deity in the temple, praying, carrying\nout orders, serving Him as a friend and sacrificing everything for Him.\nEach and every one of these processes is so powerful that if anyone\nfollows even one single one of them, he can achieve the desired perfection without fail. For example, if one is attached simply to hearing\nabout the Lord, and another is attached to chanting the glories of the\nname, both will achieve their desired goal in devotional service. In the\n\nCaitanya�caritamrta this has been explained. One may execute one,\n\ntwo, three or all the different processes of devotional service, and at\nthe ultimate end he will achieve the desired goal of being established\nin devotional service.\nThere are concrete examples of how a devotee discharged one of\nthese services and achieved perfection. King Parik�it achieved the\n\ndesired goal of life simply by hearing Srimad-Bhiigavatam. S ukadeva\n\nl\n\n-\n\n-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0155": "Devotional Qualifi<;ations\n\n119\n\nGosvami achieved the desired goal of life simply by reciting Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam. PrahHi.da Mahadi.j became successful in his devotional\nservice by always remembering the Lord. Lak9mi, the goddess of for­\n\ntune, was successful by engaging herself in massaging the lotus feet of\n\nthe Lord. King Prthu became successful by worshiping in the temple.\nAkrura became successful by offering prayers. Hanuman became suc­\n\ncessful by rendering personal service to Lord Ramacandra. Arjuna\n\nbecame successful by being a friend of Krwa. And Bali Maharaj became successful simply by offering all of his possessions to Kr9!1a.\n\nThere are also examples of devotees who discharged all the differ­\n\nent items together. In the Ninth Canto, 4th Chapter, 15th, 16th and\n17th verses, of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, there is a statement about\n\nMaharaj Ambari9a, who followed every one of the devotional process­\n\nes. In these verses, Sukadeva Gosvami says, \"King Ambari9a first of\n\nall concentrated his mind on the lotus feet of Lord Kr9!1a and then\n\nengaged his speech in describing the pastimes and activities of the\nLord. He engaged his hands in washing the temple of the Lord. He\n\nengaged his ears in hearing of the transcendental glories of the Lord.\nHe engaged his eyes in seeing the beautiful Deity in the temple. He\n\nengaged his body in associating with the pure devotees of the Lord.\n[When you associate with someone you have to sit down together,\n\neat together, etc.-and in this way the touch of your body with their\nbody is inevitable. Ambari9a l\\1aharaj made his association only with\npure devotees and did not allow his body to be touched by anyone\n\nelse.] He engaged his nostrils in smelling the flowers and tulasi which\n\nwere offered to Kr9!!a, and he engaged his tongue in tasting Kr�!!a­\n\nprasiidam [food prepared specifically for offering to the Lord, the\n\nremnants of which are taken by the devotees] . Maharaj Ambari9a was\n\nable to offer very nice prasiidam to Krwa because he was a king and\nhad no scarcity of finance. He used to offer Kr9!1a the most royal\n\ndishes and would then taste the remnants as Kr9!!a-prasiidam. There\nwas no scarcity in his royal style because he had a very beautiful\n\ntemple wherein the Deity of the Lord was decorated with costly\nparaphernalia and offered high grade food. So everything was avail­\n\nable, and his engagement was always completely in Kr9!1a conscious­\n\nness.\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0156": "120\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nThe idea is that we should follow in the footsteps of great devotees. If we are unable to execute all the different items of devotional\nservice� we must try to execute at least one of them, as exemplified\nby previous iiciiryas. If we are engaged in the execution of all the\nitems of devotional service, as was Maharaj Ambari�a, then the perfection of devotional service is guaranteed from each one of these\nitems. With the first complete engagement, one becomes automatically detached from material contamination, and liberation becomes the\nmaidservant of the devotee. This idea is confirmed by Bilvamangala\nThakur: If one develops unalloyed devotion to the Lord, liberation\nwill follow the devotee as his maidservant.\n\n:\n\nSrila Rupa Gosvami says that the regulative principles of devo­\n\ntional service are sometimes described by authorities as the path of\nserving tht Lord in opulence.\n\n;\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0157": "�\n\n15 I Spontaneous Devotional Service\n\nThe examples of spontaneous devotional service can be easily seen\nin Kr�J)a's direct associates in V rndavana. The spontaneous dealings\nof the residents of V rndavana in relationship with Kr�J)a are called\n\nriigiinugii. These beings don't have to learn anything about devotional\nservice; they are already perfect in all regulative principles and have\nachieved the spontaneous loving service of the Supreme Personality\nof Godhead. For example, the cowherd boys who are playing with\nKr�J)a do not have to learn by austerities or penances or yogic practice how to play with Him. They have passed all tests of regulative\nprinciples in their previous lives, and as a result they are now elevated\nto the position of direct association with Kr�J)a as His dear friends.\nTheir spontaneous attitude is called riigiinugii-bhakti.\nSri Riipa Gosvami has defined riigiiilUgii-bhakti as spontaneous attraction for something while completely absorbed in thoughts of it,\nwith an intense desire of love. Devotional service executed with such\nfeelings of spontaneous love is called riigiinugii-bhakti. Devotional\nservice under the heading of riigiinugii can be further divided into two\ncategories: one category is called sensuous attraction, and the other is\ncalled relationship.\nIn this connection, there is a statement by Narada Muni to Yudhi�­\n\nthira in the Seventh Canto, lst Chapter, 29th verse, of the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam. There Narada says, \"My dear King, there are many devotees who first become attracted to the Personality of Godhead for\npurposes of sense gratification, from being envious of Him, out of\nfear of Him, or from desiring to associate affectionately with Him.\nUltimately these attractions become freed from all material contami121\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0158": "122\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nnation, and gradually the wo'rshipcr develops spiritual love and\n\nachieves that ultimate goal of life which is desired by the pure devo­\n\ntee.\"\n\nThe gopis may be considered to be examples of spontaneous love\n\nin sensual attraction. The gopis are young girls, and Krgta is a young\n\nboy. Superficially it seems that the gopis are attracted to Kr��a on\n\ngrounds of sex. Similarly, King Kamsa was attracted to Kr��a because\n\nof fearfulness. Kamsa was always fearful of Kr��a because it had been\n\nforetold that his sister's son, Krgta, would kill him. Sisupala was also\n\nalways envious of Kr��a. And the descendants of King Yadu, due to\n\ntheir family relationship with Kr��a, are always thinking of Him as\n\none of their members. All of these different kinds of devotees have a\n\nspontaneous attraction for Kr��a, in different categories, and they\nachieve the same desired goal of life.\n\nThe attraction of the gopis for Kr��a and the affection of the\n\nmembers of the Y adu dynasty are both accepted as spontaneous, or\n\nriigiinugii. The attraction of Kamsa to Kr��a in fearfulness and the\n\nattraction of Sisupala in enviousness are not accepted as devotional\n\nservice, however, because their attitudes are not favorable. Devotional\nservice should be executed only in a favorable frame of mind. There­\n\nfore, according to Sn,a Rupa Gosvami, such attractions are not con­\n\nsidered to be in devotional service. Again, he analyzes the affection\nof the Yadus: If it is on the platform of friendship, then it is spon­\n\ntaneous love, but if it is on the platform of regulative principles, then\nit is not. And only when affection comes to the platform of spontaneous love is it counted in the category of pure devotional service.\n\nThere may be some difficulty in understanding that both the gopis\n\nand Kamsa achieved the same goal, so this point should be clearly\nunderstood, because the attitudes of Kamsa and Sisupala were dif­\n\nferent from that of the gopis. Although in all these cases the focus\n\nis on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all of the devotees\n\nare elevated to the spiritual world, there is still a distinction between\n\nthese two classes of souls. In the First Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam\n\nit is said that the absolute truth is one, and He is manifested as im­\n\npersonal Brahman, Paramiitmii (supcrsoul), and Bhagaviin (the Supreme Personality of Godhead). Here is a spiritual distinction. AI-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0159": "�\n\nSpontaneous Devotional Service\n\n123\n\nthough Brahman, Paramiitmii and Bhagaviin arc the same and one\n\nabsolute truth, still devotees like Karilsa or Sisupala could attain only\nto the Brahman effulgence. They could not have realization of\n\nParamiitmii or Bhagaviin. That is the distinction.\n\nAn analogy can be given with the sun globe and the sunshine: to\n\nremain in the sunshine does not mean one has gone to the sun globe.\n\nThe temperature of the sun globe is different from the temperature\n\nof the sunshine. One who has gone through the sunshine in jet planes\n\nor in space ships has not necessarily gone to the sun globe. Although\n\nthe sunshine and the sun globe are actually one and the same, still\n\nthere is a distinction, for one is the energy and one is the energetic\n\nsource. The absolute truth and His bodily effulgence are in the same\nway simultaneously one and different. Karilsa and Sisupala attained\n\nto the absolute truth, but they were not allowed to enter into the\nGoloka Vrndavana abode. lmpersonalists and the enemies of the\n\nLord are, because of attraction to God, allowed to enter into His\nkingdom, but they are not allowed to enter into the V aiku':Jtha plan­\n\nets or the Goloka V rndavana planet of the Supreme Lord. To enter\nthe kingdom and to enter the king's palace are not the same thing.\n\nSrila Riipa Gosvami\" is trying here to describe the different achieve­\n\nments of the impersonalists and the personalists. Generally, those\nwho are impersonalists and inimical to the Supreme Personality of\nGodhead get entrance only into the impersonal Brahman, when and\n\nif they reach spiritual perfection. The impersonalist philosophers are\n\nin one sense like the enemies of the Lord because the out-and-out\n\nenemies of the Lord and the impersonalists are both allowed to enter\nonly into the impersonal effulgence of the brahma-jyoti. So it is to\n\nbe understood that they are of similar classification. And actually the\nimpersonalists are enemies of God because they cannot tolerate the\n\nunparallelled opulence of the Lord. They try always to place them­\n\nselves on the same level with the Lord. That is due to their envious\nattitude. Sri\" Caitanya Mahaprabhu has proclaimed the impersonalists\n\nto be offenders of the Lord. The Lord is so kind, however, that even\n\nthough they are His enemies, they are still allowed to enter into the\n\nspiritual kingdom and remain in the impersonal brahma-jyoti, the undifferentiated light of the absolute_\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0160": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n124\n\nSometimes an impersonalist may gradually elevate himself to the\npersonal conception of the Lord. The Bhagavad-gitii confirms this:\n\"After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge\nsurrenders unto Me.\" By such surrender, an impersonalist can be elevated to the Vaiku�tha-loka (spiritual planet) where, as a surrendered\nsoul, he attains bodily features like the Lord.\nIn the Brahmiirt!fa Purii[La it is stated: \"Those who have achieved\nliberation from material contamination, and those who are demons\nand are killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, become absorbed in the Brahman concept of life and reside in the spiritual sky\nof the brahma-jyoti.\" That spiritual sky is far beyond the material\nsky, and it is confirmed also in the Bhagavad-gitii that beyond this\nmaterial sky there is another, eternal sky. The enemies and the impersonalists may be allowed to enter into this Brahman effulgence,\nbut the devotees of Kr9�a are promoted all the way to the spiritual\nplanets. Because the pure devotees have developed their spontaneous\nlove for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are allowed to\nenter into the spiritual planets to enj oy spiritual bliss in association\nwith the Supreme Personality of Godhead.\nIn\n\nthe\n\nTenth\n\nCanto,\n\n87th\n\nChapter,\n\n19th verse, of\n\nSrimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, the Vedas personified address the Lord in this way:\n\"My dear Lord, yogis meditate upon Your localized features, and\nthus they achieve the spiritual perfection of being merged in the impersonal brahma-jyoti. Persons who treat You as an enemy achieve\nthe same perfection without meditating. The gopis, who are embraced by Your serpentine hands and who have such lusty attitudes,\nalso achieve the same perfection. And, as far as we ar� concerned,\n\nbeing different demigods in charge of the different parts of Vedic\nknowledge, we are always following in the footsteps of the gopis.\nThus we hope to attain the same perfection.\" By \"the same perfection\" we must always remember the example of the sun and the\nsunshine. Those who are impersonalists can merge into the sunshinelike brahma-jyoti, whereas those who are in love with the Supreme\nPerson enter into the supreme abode of the Lord, Goloka V rndavana.\nThe \"lusty attitude\" of the gopis does not refer to any sort of sex\n\nindulgence. Srila Riipa Gosvami explains that this \"lusty desire\" re-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0161": "Spontaneous Devotional Service\n\n125\n\nfers to the devotee's particular attitude of association with Kr�!la.\nEvery devotee in his perfectional stage has a spontaneous attraction\nto the Lord. This attraction is sometimes called the \"lusty desire\" of\nthe devotee. The lust is the devotee's excessive desire to serve the\nLord in a particular capacity. Such desire may seem to be a desire for\nenjoying the Lord, but actually the endeavor is to serve the Lord in\nthat capacity. For example, a devotee may be desiring to associate\nwith the Personality of Godhead as His cowherd friend. He will want\nto serve the Lord by assisting Him in controlling the cows in the pasturing ground. This may appear to be a desire to enjoy the company\nof the Lord, but actually it is spontaneous love, serving Him by\nassisting in managing the transcendental cows.\nThis extreme desire to serve the Lord is manifest in the transcendental land of Braja. And it is specifically manifested amongst the\ngopis. The gopis' love for Kr�!la is so elevated that for our understanding it is sometimes explained as being \"lusty desire.\"\n\nThe author of Sri Caitanya-caritiimrta, Kaviraja Kr�!ladas, has ex­\n\nplained the distinction between lusty desire and the service attitude\nin this statement: \"Lusty desire refers to the desire to gratify one's\npersonal senses, and transcendental desire refers to the desire for\nserving the senses of the Lord.\" In the material world there is no\nsuch thing as a lover wanting to please the senses of his beloved.\nActually, in the material world, everyone wants mainly to gratify his\nown personal senses. The gopis, however, wanted nothing at all but\nto gratify the senses of the Lord, and there is no instance of this in\nthe material world. Therefore the gopis' ecstatic love for Kr�!la is\nsometimes described by scholars as being like the \"lusty desire\" of\nthe material world, but actually this should not be taken as a literal\nfact. It is simply a way of trying to understand the transcendental\nsituation.\nGreat devotees up to the standard of Uddhava are very dear\nfriends of the Lord, and they desire to follow in the footsteps of the\ngopis. So the gopis' love for Kr�!la is certainly not material lusty desire. Otherwise, how could Uddhava aspire to follow in their footsteps? Another instance is Lord Caitanya Himself. After accepting\nthe sannyiisa order of life, He was very, very strict about avoiding\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0162": "126\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nassociation with women, but still He taught that there is no better\n\nmethod of worshiping Kr��a than that conceived by the gopis. Thus\nthe gopis' method of worshiping the Lord, as if impelled by lusty\n\ndesire, was praised very highly even by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.\nThis very fact means that although the attraction of the gopis for\n\nKr��a appears to be lusty, it is not in the least bit material. Unless\none is fully situated in the transcendental position, it is very difficult\nto understand the relationship of the gopis with Kr��a. But because\n\nit appears to be just like ordinary dealings of young boys and girls, it\nis sometimes misinterpreted to be like the ordinary sex of this ma­\n\nterial world. Unfortunately, persons who cannot understand the tran­\n\nscendental nature of the love affairs of the gopis and Kr��a take it\n\nfor granted that Kr��a 's love affairs with the gopis are mundane\ntransactions, and therefore they sometimes indulge in painting licen­\n\ntious pictures in some modernistic style.\n\nOn the other hand, the lusty desire of Kubja is described by\n\nlearned scholars as being \"almost lusty desire.\" Kubja was a hunch­\n\nback woman who also wanted Kr��a with a great ecstatic love. But\nher desire for Kr��a was almost mundane, and so her love cannot be\ncompared with the love of the gopis. Her loving affection for Kr��a\n\nis called kiima-priiyii, or almost like the gopis' love for Krwa.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0163": "16 I Varieties of Love for Krsna\n•\n\n•\n\n•\n\nParental Relationship\nIn the attitude of the denizens of Vrndavana, such as Nanda Maharaj and Mother Y asoda, is to be found the ideal transcendental concept of becoming the father and mother of Kr�!la, the original Personality of Godhead. Factually, no one can become the father or\nmother of Krwa; but a devotee's possession of such transcendental\nfeelings is called love of Kr�!la in parental relationship. The Vr�¢s\n(Kr�!la's relatives at Dvaraka) also felt like that. So spontaneous love\nof Kr9!1a in the parental relationship is found both amongst those\ndenizens of Dvaraka who belonged to the dynasty of V r�!li, as well\nas amongst the inhabitants of Vrndavana.\nSpontaneous love of Kr�!la as exhibited by the Vr�!lis and the\ndenizens of Vrndavana is eternally existing in them. In the stage of\ndevotional service where regulative principles are followed, there is\nno necessity of discussing this love, for it must develop of itself at a\nmore advanced stage.\nPersons desiring to follow in the footsteps of such eternal devotees\nof the Lord as the Vr�!lis and Vrndavana denizens are called riigiinugii\ndevotees, which means that they are trying to attain to the perfection\nof those devotees. These riigiinugii devotees do not follow the regulative principles of devotional service very strictly, but by spontaneous\nnature they become attracted to some of the eternal devotees such as\nNanda or Yaso da, and they try to follow in their footsteps spontaneously. There is a gradual development of the ambition to become\nlike a particular devotee, and this activity is called riigiinugii.\n\n127\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0164": "128\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nWe must always remember, however, that such eagerness to follow\nin the footsteps of the denizens of Braja (Vrndavana) is not possible\nunless one is freed from material contamination. In following the\nregulative principles of devotional service, there is a stage which is\ncalled anartha-nivrtti, which means the disappearance of all material\ncontamination.\n\nSometimes it is found that someone is imitating\n\nsuch devotional love, but factually he is not freed from anarthas, or\nunwanted habits. It has been seen that a so-called devotee proclaims\nhimself a follower of Nanda, Yasoda or the gopis, while at the same\ntime his abominable attraction for mundane sex life is visible. Such a\nmanifestation of divine love is mere imitation and has no value. When\none is actually spontaneously attracted to the loving principles of the\ngopis, there will be found no trace of any mundane contamination\n\nin his character.\nTherefore, in the beginning, everyone should strictly follow the\nregulat ive principl es of devotional service, a ccording to the injunc­\n\ntions of the scriptures and the spiritual master. Only after the stage of\nliberation from material contamination can one actually aspire to follow in the footsteps of the devotees in Vrndavana.\n\n.\nIt is said by Sri Riipa Gosvami: \"When one is actually liberated\n\nfrom material contamination, he can always remember an eternal\ndevotee in Vrndavana in order to love Kr��a in the same capacity.\nAnd developing such an aptitude, one will always live in Vrndavana,\neven within his mind.\" The purport is that, if it is possible, one should\ngo and physically be present at Braj abhiimi, Vrndavana, and be engaged always in the service of the Lord, following the devotees in\nBraj adhama, the spiritual realm of Braj a. If it is not possible, however, to be physically present at Vrndavana, one can meditate anywhere upon living in that situation. Wherever he may be, one must\nalways think about life in Braj adhama\n\nand about following in the\n\nfootsteps of a particular devotee in the service of the Lord.\n\nA devotee who is actually advanced in Kr��a consciousness, who is\nconstantly engaged in devotional service, should not manifest himself\neven though he has attained perfection. The idea is that he should\nalways continue to act as a neophyte devotee as long as his material\nbody is there. Activities in devotional service under regulative princi-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0165": "Varieties of Love for Knr:a\n\n129\n\nples must be followed even by the pure devotee. But when he realizes\n\nhis actual position in relationship with the Lord, he can, along with\nthe discharging of regulative service, think within himself of the Lord,\n\nunder the guidance of a particular associate of the Lord, and develop\nhis transcendental sentiments in following that associate.\n\nIn this connection, we should be careful about the so-called\n\nsiddha-prarwi. The siddha-prarwi process is followed by a class of\n\nmen who are not very authorized and who have manufactured their\nown way of devotional service. They imagine that they have become\nassociates of the Lord simply by thinking of themselves like that.\n\nThis external behavior is not at all according to the regulative princi­\n\nples. The so-called siddha-prarai process is followed by the pralqta\n\nsahajiyii, a pseudo-sect of so-called Vai§ravas. In the opinion of Rilpa\nGosvami, such activities are simply disturbances to the standard way\n\nof devotional service.\n\nSri Rilpa Gosvami says that learned iiciiryas recommended that we\n\nfollow the regulative principles even after the development of spon­\n\ntaneous love for Kr�-!la. According to the regulative principles, there\n\nare nine departmental activities, as described above, and one should\n\nspecifically engage himself in the type of devotional service for which\nhe has a natural aptitude. For example, one person may have a par­\n\nticular interest in hearing, another may have a particular interest in\nchanting, and another may have a particular interest in serving in the\n\ntemple. So these, or any of the other six different types of devo­\n\ntional service (remembering, serving, praying, engaging in some par­\n\nticular service, being in a friendly relationship or offering everything\n\nin one's possession) should pe executed in full earnestness. In this\n\nway everyone should act according to his particular taste .\n\nConjugal Love\nDevotional service following in the footsteps of the gopis of\n\nV rndavana or the queerts at Dvaraka is called devotional service in\n\nconjugal love. This devotional service in conjugal love can be divided\n\ninto two categories. One is indirect conjugal love, the other direct. In\n\n�\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0166": "130\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nboth of these categories one has to follow the particular gopi who is\nengaged in such service in Goloka Vrndavana. To be directly attached\nto the Supreme Personality of Godhead in conjugal love is technically\ncalled keli. This keli performance means to directly join with the Su·\npreme Personality of Godhead. There are other devotees who do not\nwish direct contact with the Supreme Person, but who relish the conjugal love affairs of the Lord with the gopis. Such devotees enjoy\nsimply by hearing of the activities of the Lord with the gopis.\nThis development of conjugal love can only be possible only with\nthose who are already engaged in following the regulative principles\nof devotional service, specifically in the worship of Radha and Krwa\nin the temple. Such devotees gradually develop a spontaneous love\nfor the Deity, and by hearing of the Lord's exchange of loving affairs with the gopis, they gradually become attracted to these pastimes. After this spontaneous attraction becomes highly developed,\nthe devotee is placed in either of the above-mentioned categories.\nThis development of conjugal love for Kr�l).a is not manifested in\nwomen only. The material body has nothing to do with spiritual\nloving affairs. A woman may develop an attitude for becoming a\nfriend of Kr�l).a, and, similarly, a man may develop the feature of\nbecoming a gopi in Vrndavana. How a devotee in the form of a man\ncan desire to become a gopi is stated in the Padma Puriir-a as follows:\n\"In days gone by there were many sages in Dal).9akaral).ya. Dal).9akaral).ya is the name of the forest where Lord Ramacandra lived after\nbeing banished by his father for fourteen years. At that time there\nwere many advanced sages who were captivated by the beauty of\nLord Ramacandra and who desired to become women in order to\nembrace the Lord. Later on these sages appeared in Goloka Vrndavana when Kr�l).a advented Himself there, and they were born as\n\ngopis or girl friends of Krwa. In this way they attained the perfection\nof spiritual life.\"\nThe story of the sages of Dal).9akaral).ya can be explained as follows: When Lord Ramacandra was residing in Dal).9akaral).ya, the\nsages who were engaged in devotional service there became attracted\nby His beauty and immediately thought of the gopis at Vrndavana\nwho enjoyed conjugal loving affection with Kr�J).a. In this instance it\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0167": "Varieties of Love for Kr�r:a\n\n131\n\nis clear that the sages of Da�9akara�ya desired conjugal love in the\nmanner of the gopis, although they were well aware of the Supreme\nLord as both Kr��a and Lord Ramacandra. They knew that Ramacandra was an ideal king and could not accept more than one wife;\nbut Lord Krwa, being the full-fledged Personality of Godhead, could\nfulfill the desires of all of them in Vrndavana. These sages also concluded that the form of Lord Kr��a is more attractive than that of\nLord Ramacandra, and so they prayed to become gopis in their future lives to be associated with Kr��a. Lord Ramacandra remained\nsilent, and His silence shows that He accepted the prayers of the\nsages. Thus they were blest by Lord Ramacandra to have association\nwith Lord Kr��a in their future lives. As a result of this benediction,\nthey all took birth as women in the wombs of gopis at Gokula, and,\nas they had desired in their previous lives, they enjoyed the company\nof Lord Kr��a, who was present at that time in Gokula V rndavana.\nThe perfection of their human form of life was thus achieved by\ntheir generating a transcendental sentiment to share conjugal love\nwith Lord Krsna.\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nConjugal love is divided into two classifications-namely, conjugal\nlove as husband and wife and conjugal love as lover and beloved. One\nwho develops conjugal love for Kr��a as a wife is promoted to\nDvaraka, where the devotee becomes the queen of the Lord. Those\nwho develop conjugal love for Kr��a as a lover are promoted to Goloka Vrndavana, to associate with the gopis and enjoy loving affairs\nwith Kr��a there. We should note carefully, however, that this conjugal love for Kr��a, either as gopi or queen, is not limited only to\nwomen. Even men can develop such sentiments, ilS was evidenced by\nthe sages of Da�9akara�ya. If someone simply desires conjugal love\nbut does not follow in the footsteps of the gopis, he is promoted to\nassociation with the Lord at Dvaraka.\nIn the Mahii-kurma Purii[La it is stated: \"Great sages who were the\nsons of fire gods rigidly followed the regulative principles in their desire to have conjugal love for Kr�!la. As such, in their next lives they\nwere able to associate with the Lord, the origin of all creation, who\nis known as Vasudeva, or Kr�!la. Every one of them got Him as their\nhusband.\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0168": "132\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nParenthood or Friendship\nDevotees who are attracted to Kr��a as parents or as friends\nshould follow in the footsteps of Nanda Maharaj or Subala, respectively. Nanda Maharaj is the foster father of Kr��a, and out of all of\nthe friends of Kr��a, Subala is the most intimate in Brajabhiimi.\nIn the development of becoming either the father or friend of the\nLord, there are two varieties. One method is that one may try to\nbecome the father of the Lord directly, and the other is that one\nmay follow Nanda Maharaj and cherish the ideal of being Kr��a's\nfather. Out of these two, the attempt to directly become the father\nof Kr�!la is not recommended. Such a development can become\npolluted with miiyiiviida (impersonal) philosophy. The miiyiiviidis or\nmonists think that they themselves are Kr�!la, and if one thinks that\nhe himself has become Nanda Maharaj, then his parental love will become contaminated with the miiyiiviida philosophy. The miiyiiviida\nphilosophical way of thinking is offensive, and no offender can enter\ninto the kingdom of God to associate with Kr��a.\n\n·\n\nIn the Skanda Puriir.a there is a story of an old man residing in\nHastinapur, capital of the kingdom of the Pa��us, who desired Kr��a\nas\n\nhis beloved son. This old man was instructed by Narada to follow\n\nin the footsteps of Nanda Maharaj, and thus success was achieved by\nhim.\nThere is a statement in the Niiriiyar.a-vyilha-stava prayers that persons who are always engaged in thinking of the Lord as their husband, friend, father or well-wisher are always worshipable by everyone. This spontaneous love for Kr��a can only be developed by the\nspecial mercy of Kr��a or His pure devotee. This process of devotional service is sometimes called pu§ti-miirga. Pu§ti means nourishing\nand miirga means path. Such development of sentiment nourishes devotional service to the highest standard. Thus it is called the path of\nnourishment, or pu§ti-miirga. The V allabha-sampradiiya, which belongs to the Vi�!lu-svami sect of Vai§r.ava religion, worships Kr��a in\nthis pu§ti-miirga. Generally devotees in Gujerat worship Bala-Kr��a,\nunder this heading of pu§ti-miirga.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0169": "17 I Ecstatic Love\n\nBy the process of executing regulated devotional service, one is actually elevated onto the transcendental stage, beyond the material\nmodes of nature. At that time one's heart becomes illuminated like\nthe sun. The sun is far above the planetary systems, and there is no\npossibility of its being covered by any kind of cloud; similarly, when\na devotee is purified like the sun, from his pure heart there is a diffusion of ecstatic love which is more glorious than the sunshine. Only\nat that time is the attachment to Kr�!la perfect. Spontaneously, the\ndevotee becomes eager to serve the Lord in his ecstatic love. At this\nstage the devotee is on the platform of uttama adhikiiri, perfect devo­\n\ntion. Such a devotee has no agi tation from material affections and is\nonly interested in the service of Radha and Kr�!J.a.\nTo clarify, in the previous chapters, the symptoms of devotional\nservice were explained along with instructions as to how they can be\nexecuted with our present senses, gradually rising to the platform of\necstasy of spontaneous love. And the two kinds of devotional service\n-namely devotional service through regulative principles and through\nspontaneous love-were discussed. Within the stage of the regulative\nprinciples of devotional service there are two divisions-namely executive and effective. This effective portion of devotional service is\ncalled bhiiva, or ecstasy. In this connection, there is a statement in\nthe Tantras that ecstasy is the first symptom of pure love for the\nPersonality of Godhead, and in that stage one is sometimes found\nshedding tears or shivering. Not always are these symptoms manifest,\nbut occasionally. When King Ambar'i�a was put into difficulty by\nDurvasa, he began to think of the lotus feet of the Lord, and thus\n133\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0170": "134\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nthere were some changes in his body, and tears were falling from his\neyes. These symptoms are activities of ecstasy. They are visible in the\nshivering of the body and the shedding of tears. After the outward\nappearance of these ecstatic symptoms, they stay within the mind,\n\nand continuation of the ecstasy is called samiidhi. This stage of appreciation becomes the cause of future exchanges of loving affairs\nwith Kr�tta.\nElevation to this stage of ecstasy can be possible in two ways. One\nway is constant association with pure devotees. The other way is by\nthe special mercy of Kr�tta, or by the mercy of a pure devotee of\nKr�tta. Elevation to the ecstatic stage of life is generally attained\nthrough association with pure devotees, while elevation to that stage\nby the special mercy of Kr�tta or His devotee is very rare. The purport is that one should execute devotional service rigidly in the association of devotees so that there will be certainty in raising oneself\nto that ecstatic position. In special cases, of course, there is special\nfavor from Kr�tta, and although we should always expect that, we\nshould not sit idly and simply wait for Kr�tta's special mercy; the\nregular duties must be performed. It is just as when, sometimes, it\nis found that a person who never attended school or college may be\nrecognized as a great scholar, or an honorary degree from great universities may be offered to him. But this does not mean that one\nshould avoid school and expect to automatically receive an honorary\ndegree from some university. Similarly, one should devoutly execute\nthe regulative principles of devotional service and at the same time\nhope for Kr�tta's favor or for His devotee's favor.\nAn example of rising to the stage of ecstatic love by executing the\nregulative principles of devotional service is given in the life story of\nNarada, which is described to Vyasadeva in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam.\n\nNarada tells there of his previous life and how he developed to the\nstage of ecstatic love. He was engaged in the service of great devotees\nand used to hear their talks and songs. Because he had the opportunity to hear these pastimes and songs of Kr�tta from the mouths of\npure devotees, he became very attracted within his heart. Because he\nhad become so eager to hear these topics, he gradually developed\nwithin himself an ecstatic love for Kr�tta. This ecstatic love is prior\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0171": "Ecstatic Love\n\n135\n\nto the pure love of Kr�!!a, because in the next verse Narada confirms\nthat by, the gradual process of hearing from the great sages he developed love of Godhead_ In that connection, Narada continues to say\nin the First Canto, 5th Chapter, 28th verse, of the Bhiigavatam: \"Fir::;t J\n\npassed my days in the association of the great sages during the rainy\nautumn season. Every morning and evening I heard them while they\nwere singing and chanting the Hare K[§!W mantra, and thus gradually\nmy heart became purified. As soon as I heard them with great attention, the influence of the modes of material ignorance and passion\ndisappeared, and I became firmly fixed in devotional service to the\nLord.\"\nThese are practical examples of how one can develop to the stage\nof ecstatic love simply by the association of pure devotees. It is essential, therefore, that one constantly associate with pure devotees who\n\nare engaged morning and evening in chanting the Hare K[§[W mantra.\n\nIn this way one will get the chance to purify his heart and develop\nthis ecstatic pure love for Kr�!la.\nThis statement is also confirmed in the Third Canto, 25th Chapter,\n\n22nd verse, of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, where Lord Kapila says, \"My\ndear Mother, when a person is actually in association with pure devotees, the sublime potency of My devotional service can be experi­\n\nenced.\" In other words, when a pure devotee speaks, his words act\nupon the hearts of the audience. What is the secret of hearing and\nchanting? A professional speaker cannot impress transcendental ecstasy within the hearts of the listeners. However, when a realized\nsoul who is engaged in the service of the Lord is speaking, he has the\npotency to inject spiritual life within the audience. One should, therefore, seek the association of such pure unalloyed devotees, and by\nsuch association and service a neophyte devotee will certainly develop\nattachment, love and devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.\n\nIn the Padma Purii[ta there is the story of a neophyte devotee who,\n\nin order to raise himself to the ecstatic platform, danced all night to\ninvoke the Lord's grace upon him.\nSometimes, however, it is found that without undergoing any devotional process, one all of\n\na\n\nsudden develops devotion for Lord\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0172": "136\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nKr�!J.a. This sudden development of the devotional attitude in a per·\n\nson must be understood as a special mercy of Kr�!la or of His devotee.\n\nThis apparently accidental development of ecstatic feelings\n\nthrough the causeless mercy of Kr�!la can be divided into three\ngroups: simply by speaking, simply by glancing and simply by good\n\nwishes.\n\nIn the Niiradiya Puriirw there is a statement about development of\n\necstatic love simply by speaking. Lord Kr�!la said to Narada, \"0 best\n\nof the briihma[laS, I wish that you may develop unalloyed devotional\nservice to Me, which is full of transcendental bliss and all auspicious­\n\nness.\"\n\nIn the Skanda Purii[la there is a statement about developing ec­\n\nstatic love towards Krwa simply by glancing. It is stated there:\n\n\"When the inhabitants of J angala Province saw the Personality of\n\nGodhead, Kr�!J.a, they were so stricken with feeling that they could\n\nnot withdraw their glance from Him.\"\n\nAs far as heartfelt wishes are concerned, there is a statement in the\n\nSuka-samhitii where Narada tells Srila Vyasadeva, \"You have a son\n\nwho is the greatest devotee of the Personality of Godhead, and I can\n\nobserve that without any following of the regulative principles of de­\n\nvotional service, he is already enriched with many of the symptoms\nachieved by the execution of devotional service after many, many\n\nbirths.\"\n\nAs for ecstatic love of Kr�!J.a, there is a statement in the Seventh\n\nCanto, 4th Chapter, 26th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam in which\n\nNarada addresses King Yudhi�thira: \"My dear King, it is very difficult\n\nto describe the character of PrahHida. He developed a natural attrac­\n\ntion for Kr�!J.a, and whatever I can explain about his character will\nsimply be an arrangement of words; his actual character is impossible\n\nto describe.\" This means Narada himself admitted that the natural\n\ndevelopment of Prahlada 's ecstatic love was by the grace of Lord\nKr�!J.a.\n\nThis natural attraction for Kr�!la on the part of Prahlada was de­\n\nveloped simply by the mercy of Narada. When Prahlada Maharaj was\nwithin the womb of his mother, she was being sympathetically in­\n\nstructed by Narada about the science of devotional service, and at the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0173": "Ecstatic Love\n\n137\n\nsame time Narada was wishing that the child within the womb could\nalso take advantage of the instructions. Because Narada, an authorized\ndevotee and great associate of the Personality of Godhead, was desiring auspiciousness for Prahlada Maharaj, he developed all the characteristics of a high-grade devotee. This is called natural attraction. It\nis caused by the special grace of the Personality of Godhead or by the\nspecial grace of a great devotee like Narada.\n\nThere is a statement in the Skanda Puriirta wherein Patvata Muni\n\ntells Narada: \"My dear Narada, of all saintly persons you are so great\nand glorious that simply by your good wishes a lowborn hunter also\nhas become a great, elevated devotee of Lord Kr��a.\"\nThis ecstatic love for Kr��a can be divided into five divisions,\n\nwhich will be described by Sri Riipa Gosvami later on.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0174": "18 I Character\nof One in Ecstatic Love\n\nRiipa Gosvami next describes the characteristics of a person who\nhas actually developed his ecstatic love for Kr�tJ.a. The characteristics\nare as follows:\n\nl) He is always anxious to utilize his time in the devotional service of the Lord. He does not like to be idle. He wants service always,\ntwenty-four hours a day without deviation.\n\n2) He is always reserved and perseverant.\n3) He is always detached from all material attraction.\n4) He does not long for any material respect in return for his·\nactivities.\n\n5) He is always certain that Kr�tJ.a will bestow His mercy upon\nHim.\n\n6) He is always very eager to serve the Lord faithfully.\n7) He is very much attached to the chanting of the holy names of\nthe Lord.\n\n8) He is always eager to describe the transcendental qualities of\nthe Lord.\n\n9) He is very pleased to live in a place where the Lord's pastimes\nare performed, e.g., Mathura, Vrndavana, or Dvaraka.\n\nUtilization of Time\nAn unalloyed devotee who has developed ecstatic love for Kr�tJ.a is\nalways engaging his words in reciting prayers to the Lord. Within the\nmind he is always thinking of Kr��a, and with his body he is either\n\n138\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0175": "Character of One in Ecstatic Love\n\n139\n\noffering obeisances by bowing down before the Deity or is engaging\nin some other service. During these ecstatic activities he sometimes\nsheds tears. In this way his whole life is engaged in the service of the\nLord, with not a moment wasted on any other engagement.\n\nPerseverance\nWhen a person is undisturbed even in the presence of various\ncauses of disturbance, he is called reserved and perseverant. An example of this perseverance and reservation is found in the behavior of\nKing Parik�it, as described in the First Canto, 19th Chapter, 13th\n\nverse,of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. The King says there to all the sages\npresent before him at the time of his death, \"My dear brahmar;ws, you\nshould always accept me as your surrendered servant. I have come to\nthe bank of the Ganges just to devote my heart and soul unto the\nlotus feet of Lord Kr�!J.a. So please bless me, that Mother Ganges may\nalso be pleased with me. Let the curse of the brahmar;w 's son fall\nupon me-l do not mind. I only request that at the last moment of\nmy life all of you will kindly chant the holy name of Vi�!J.U, so that I\nmay realize His transcendental qualities.\"\nThis example of Maharaj Parik�it's behavior, his remaining patient\neven at the last point of his life, his undisturbed condition of mind, is\nan example of reservation. This is one of the characteristics of a devotee who has developed ecstatic love for Kr�!J.a.\n\nDetachment\nThe senses are always desiring sense enjoyment, but when a devotee develops transcendental love for Kn;!la his senses are _no longer\nattracted by material desires. This state of mind is called detach­\n\nment. There is a nice example of this detachment in connection with\nthe character of King Bharata. In the Fifth Canto, 14th Chapter, 43rd\n\nverse, of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated: \"Emperor Bharata was so\n\nattracted by the beauty of the lotus feet of Kr�!la that even in his\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0176": "140\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nyouthful life he gave up all kinds of attachments to family, children,\nfriends, kingdom, etc., as though they were untouchable stools.\"\nEmperor Bharata is a typical example of detachment. He had everything enjoyable in the material world, but he left it. This means\nthat detachment does not mean artificially keeping oneself aloof and\napart from the allurements of attachment. Even in the presence of\nsuch allurements, if one can remain unattracted by material attachments, that is called detachment. In the beginning, of course, a neophyte devotee must try to keep himself apart from all kinds of alluring attachments, but the real position of a mature devotee is that\neven in the presence of all allurements, he is not at all attracted. This\nis the actual criterion of detachment.\n\nPridelPss nPss\nWhen a devotee, in spite of possessing all the qualities of pure\nrealization, is not proud of his position, that is called pridelessness.\nIn the Padma PuriiT;w it is stated that King Bhagiratha was the emperor above all other kings, yet he developed such ecstatic love for Krwa\nthat he became a mendicant and went out begging even to the homes\nof his political enemies and untouchables. He was so humble that he\nrespectfully bowed down before them.\nThere are many similar instances in the history of India. Even very\nrecently, about 200 years ago or less, one big landlord known as\nLalababu, a Calcutta landholder, became a Vaisnava and lived in\n.\n\n.\n\nVrndavana. He was also begging from door to door, even at the homes\nof his political enemies. Begging involves being ready to be insulted\nby persons at whose home one has come. That is natural. But one has\nto tolerate such insults for the sake� of Krsna.\nThe devotee of Krsna\n.\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\ncan accept any position in the service of Kr�!la.\n\nGreat HopP\n\nThe strong conviction that one will certainly receive the favor of\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0177": "Character of One in Ecstatic Love\n\n141\n\nthe Supreme Personality of Godhead is called in Sanskrit iisii-bandha.\nAsii-bandha means to continue to think, \"Because I'm trying my best\nto follow the routine principles of devotional service, I am sure that I\nwill go back to Godhead, back to home.\"\nIn this connection, one prayer by Riipa Gosvami is sufficient to\nexemplify this hopefulness. He says, \"I have no love for Kr��a nor for\nthe causes of developing love of Kr��a-namely, hearing and chanting.\nAnd the process of bhakti-yoga, by which one is always thinking of\nKr��a and fixing His lotus feet in the heart, is also lacking in me. As\nfar as philosophical knowledge or pious words are concerned, I don't\nsee any opportunity for me to execute such activities. But above all, I\nam not even born of a nice family. Therefore I must simply pray\nto You, Gopi-jana-vallabha [Kr��a, maintainer and beloved of the\n\ngopis]. I simply wish and hope that some way or other I may be able\nto approach Your lotus feet, and this hope is giving me pain, because\nI think myself quite incompetant to approach that transcendental\ngoal of life.\" The purport is that under this heading,of iisii-bandha,\none should continue to hope against hope that some way or other he\nwill be able to approach the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.\n\nEagerness for Achieving the Desired Success\n\nWhen one is sufficiently eager to achieve success in devotional service, that is called samutkarthii. This means complete eagerness. Actually this eagerness is the price for achieving success in Kr��a consciousness. Everything has some value, and one has to pay the value\nbefore obtaining or possessing it. It is stated in the Vedic literature\nthat to purchase the most valuable thing, Kr��a consciousness, one\nhas to develop intense eagerness for achieving success. This intense\neagerness is very nicely expressed by Bilvamangala Thakur in his\nbook K[§T}a-harT}iimrta. He says, \"I am eagerly waiting to see that boy\nof Vrndavana whose bodily beauty is captivating the whole universe,\nwhose eyes are always bounded by black eyebrows and expanded like\nlotus petals, who is always eagerly glancing over His devotees and\ntherefore moving slightly here and there. His eyes are always moist,\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0178": "142\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nand His lips are colored like copper, and through those lips there\n\ncomes a sound vibration which drives one madder. than a mad elephant. I want so much to see Him at Vrndavana!\"\n\nIn the same Karr-iimrta there is another statement about the chant­\n\ning of Radhara!li It is said by one of the associates of Radhara!li: \"0\n\nLord Govinda, the girl who is daughter of King V r�abhanu is now\n\nshedding tears, and She is anxiously chanting Your holy nameKr�!la! Kr�!la!\"\n\nThis attachment for chanting the glories of the Lord is also stated\n\nin the Karr-amrta as follows: \"What shall I do for Kr�!la, who is pleas­\n\ning beyond all pleasurable conceptions, and who is naughtier than all\nrestless boys? The idea of Kr�!la's beautiful activities is attracting my\n\nheart, and I do not know what I can do!\"\n\nAttraction for Living in a Place Where K[§[la Has His Pastimes\n\nIn the book Padyiivali by Riipa Gosvami there is the following\n\nstatement about Vrndavana: \"In this place the son of Maharaj Nanda\n\nused to live with His father, who was king of all cowherd men. In\n\nthis place Lord Kr�!la broke the cart in which the Sakatasura demon\n\nwas concealed. At this place Damodara, who can cut the knot of our\nmaterial existence, was tied up by His mother Y asoda.\"\n\nA pure devotee of Lord Kr�!la resides in the district of Mathura or\n\nVrndavana and visits all the places where Kr�!la's pastimes were per­\n\nformed. At these sacred places Kr�!la displayed His childhood activi­\n\nties with the cowherd boys and Mother Y asoda. The system of cir­\n\ncumambulating all these places is still current among devotees of\nLord Kr�!la, and those coming to Mathura and Vrndavana always feel\n\ntranscendental pleasure. Actually, if someone goes to Vrndavana, he\n\nwill immediately feel separation from Kr�!la, who performed such\nnice activities when He was present there.\n\nSuch attraction for remembering Kr�!la's activities is known as at­\n\ntachment for Kr�!la. There are impersonalist philosophers and mys­\n\ntics, however, who by a show of devotional service want ultimately\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0179": "Character of One in Ecstatic Love\n\n143\n\nto merge into the existence of the Supreme Lord. They sometimes\ntry to imitate a pure devotee's sentiment for visiting the holy places\nwhere Kr��a had His pastimes, but they simply have a view for salvation, and so their activities cannot be considered attachment.\nIt is said by Rupa Gosvami that the attachment exhibited by pure\ndevotees for Kr��a cannot possibly be perfected in the heart of\nfruitive workers (karmis) or mental speculators because such attachment in pure Kr�!la consciousness is very rare and not possible to\nachieve even for many liberated persons. As is stated in the Bhagavadgitii, liberation from material contamination is the stage at which devotional service can be achieved. For a person who simply wants to\nhave liberation and to merge into the impersonal brahma-jyoti, it is\nnot possible to acquire attachment to Kr�!la. This attachment is very\nconfidentially kept by Kr��a and is only bestowed upon pure devotees. Even ordinary devotees cannot have such pure attachment for\nKrwa. Therefore, how is it possible for success t-o be achieved by persons whose hearts are contaminated by the actions and reactions of\nfruitive activities and who are entangled by various types of mental\nspeculation?\nThere are many so-called devotees who artificially think of Kr��a's\npastimes, which are known as a§ta-kiilika-lilii. Sometimes one may artificially imitate these, pretending that Kr��a is talking with him in the\nform of a boy, or else one may pretend that Radhara!J.i and Kr�!la\nboth have come to him and are talking with him. Such characteristics\nare sometimes exhibited by the impersonalist class of men, and they\nmay captivate some innocent persons who have no knowledge in the\nscience of devotional service. However, as soon as an experienced devotee sees all of these caricatures, he can immediately evaluate such\nrascaldom. If such a pretender is sometimes seen possessing imitative\nattachment to Kr��a, that will not be accepted as real attachment.\nIt may be said, however, that such attachment is like giving a future\nhope to the pretender, so that he may eventually rise onto the actual\nplatform of pure devotional service.\nThis imitative attachment can be divided into two headings-namely, shadow attachment and para (transcendental) attachment. If\nsomeone, without undergoing the regulative principles of devotional\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0180": "144\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nservice or without being guided by a bona fide spiritual master, shows\nsuch imitative attachment, it is called shadow attachment. Sometimes it is found that a person actually attached to material enj oyment or salvation has the good fortune to associate with pure devotees while they are engaged in chanting the holy name of the Lord.\n\nBy the good grace of the Lord one may also cooperate and j oin in the\nchanting. At that time, simply by the association of such pure devotees, the moonlike rays from their hearts reflect on him, and by the\n\ninfluence of the pure devotees he may show some likeness of attachment caused by inquisitiveness, but this is very flickering. And, if by\nthe manifestation of such shadow attachment one feels the disappearance of all m aterial pangs, then it i s called para attachment;\n\nSuch shadow attachment or para attachment can develop by\nassociating with a pure devotee or by visiting holy places like V rndavana or Mathura; or if an ordinary man develops such attachment\nfor Kr��a and fortunately performs devotional activities in the association of pure devotees, he can also rise up to the platform of pure\ndevotional service. The conclusion is that transcendental attachment\nis so powerful that even if such attachment is seen manifested in\nsome common man, by the association of a pure devotee it can bring\none to the perfectional stage. But such attachment for Kr��a cannot\nbe invoked in a person without his being sufficiently blessed by the\nassociation of pure devotees.\nAs attachment can be invoked by the association of pure devotees,\nso attachment can also be extinguished by committing offenses at\nthe lotus feet of pure devotees. To be more clear, by the association\nof pure devotees attachment for Kr��a can be aroused, but if one\ncommits offenses at the lotus feet of a devotee, his shadow attachment or para attachment can be extinguished. This extinguishing is\nlike the waning moon, which gradually decreases and at last becomes\ndarkness. One should therefore be very careful while associating with\npure devotees to guard against committing an offense at their lotus\nfeet.\nTranscendental attachment, either shadow or para, can be nullified\nby different degrees of offenses at the lotus feet of pure devotees. If\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0181": "Character of One in Ecstatic Love\n\n145\n\nthe offense is very serious, then one's attachment becomes almost\nnil, and if the offense is not very serious, one's attachment can become second-class or third-class.\nIf someone becomes attached to the principles of salvation or to\nmerging into the existence of the brahma-jyoti, his ecstasies gradually\ndiminish into shadow and para attachment\n\nor else transform into\n\nthe principles of ahangrahopiisanii. This ahangrahopiisanii describes\na living entity when he begins· spiritual realization by identifying himself with the Supreme Lord. This state of self realization is technically\nknown as monism. The monist thinks himself one with the Supreme\nLord. Thus, without differentiating between himself and the Supreme\nLord, it is his view that by worshiping himself he is worshiping the\nsupreme whole.\nSometimes it is found that a neophyte is taking part in chanting\nand dancing very enthusiastically, but within himself he is under the\nimpression that he has become one with the supreme whole. This\nconception of monism is completely different from pure transcendental devotional service. If, however, it is seen that a person has\ndeveloped a high standard of devotion without having undergone\neven the regulative principles, it is to be understood that his status of\ndevotional service was achieved in a former life. For some.reason or\nanother it had been temporarily stopped, most probably by committing an offense at the lotus feet of a devotee. Now, with a good second chance, it has again begun to develop. The conclusion is that\nsteady progress in devotional service can be attained only in the association of pure devotees.\nIf one can gradually advance his status in devotional service, it is\nto be understood that it is due to the causeless mercy of Krwa Himself. If a person is completely detached from material enjoyment and\nhas developed pure ecstatic devotion, even if he is sometimes accidentally found not to be living up to the standard of devotional service, one should not be envious of him. It is confirmed also in the\n\nBhagavad-gitii that a devotee who has unflinching faith in and devotion to the Lord, even if he is sometimes found to be accidentally\ndeviated from pure devotional characteristics, should still be counted\namongst the pure. Unflinching faith in devotional service, in Lord\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0182": "146\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nKr�!la and in the spiritual master makes one highly elevated in the\nactivities of devotional service.\nIn the Nrsimha Puriir-a it is stated: \"If a person has completely engaged his mind, body and activities in the service of the Supreme\nGodhead, and externally he is found to be engaged in some abominable activities, these abominable activities will surely be very quickly\nvanquished by the influence of his staunch devotional force.\" The\nexample is given that on the full moon there are some spots which\nmay appear to be pockmarks. Still, the illumination spread by the\nfull moon cannot be checked. Similarly, a little fault in the midst of\nvolumes of devotional service is not at all to be counted as fault. Attachment for Krwa is transcendental bliss. Amidst unlimited volumes of transcendental bliss, a spot of some material defect cannot\nact in any way.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0183": "\\:\n\n19 I Devotional Service\nin Love of God\n\nWhen one's desire to love Krwa in his particular relationship becomes intensified, this is known as pure love of Godhead. In the beginning a devotee is engaged in the regulative principles of devotional\nservice by the order of his spiritual master. When one thereby becomes completely purified of all material contamination, there develops an attachment and taste for devotional service. This taste and\nattachment, when gradually intensified in the course of time, becomes love. The word \"love\" can only be actually applied in relationship with the Personality of Godhead. In the material world, love is\nnot applicable at all. What goes on under the name of love in the\nmaterial world is nothing but lust. There is a gulf of difference between love and lust, like the difference between gold and iron. In the\nNiirada-paiicariitra it is clearly stated that when lust is completely\n\ntransferred to the Supreme Godhead and the concept of kinship is\ncompletely reposed in Him, such is accepted as pure love of God by\ngreat authorities like Bhi�ma, PrahHida, Uddhava and Narada.\nA great authority like Blu�ma has explained that love of Godhead\nmeans completely giving up all so-called love for any other person.\nAccording to Bhi�ma, love means to repose one's affection completely upon one person, withdrawing all affinities for any other person.\nThis pure love can be transferred to the Supreme Personality of Godhead under two conditions-out of ecstasy and out of the causeless\nmercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.\nEcstatic love of Godhead can be potently invoked simply by following the rules and regulations of devotional service as they are prescribed in scriptures, under the direction of a bona fide spiritual mas147\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0184": "148\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nter. In the Eleventh Canto, 2nd Chapter, 38th verse, of the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam this ecstatic love, born of the execution of regulative devotional service, is explained: \"A devotee, in the course of executing\nthe regulative principles of devotional service, develops his natural\nKr�!la consciousness, and being thus softened at heart he chants and\ndances like a madman. While performing chanting of the holy name\nof the Lord, he sometimes cries, sometimes talks wildly, sometimes\nsings, and sometimes-without caring for any outsider-dances like a\nmadman.\"\n\nIn the Padma Puriir-a there is a statement about ecstatic love born\n\nof spontaneous affection. Candrakanti, a celebrated fair-faced girl,\nrigidly observed celibacy in order to obtain Kr�!J.a as her husband.\nShe always engaged herself in meditating on the transcendental form\nof the Lord and always chanted the glories of the Lord. She did not\ndesire to accept anyone else as her husband. She had firmly decided\nthat only Lord Kr�!la would be her husband.\n\nThe Lord's Extraordinary Mercy\nWhen a devotee is found to be always associated with the Lord in\necstatic love, it is to be understood that such a position is awarded by\nthe Lord Himself out of His causeless extraordinary mercy. An example of such extraordinary mercy is given in the Eleventh Canto, 12th\nChapter, 6th verse, of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, wherein Lord Kr�!la\n\ntells Uddhava: \"The gopis in Vrndavana did not study-the Vedas to\n\nachieve Me. Nor had they ever been in holy places of pilgrimage. Nor\ndid they devoutly execute any regulative principle. Nor did they undergo any kind of austerity. It is simply by My association that they\nhave attained the highest perfection of devotional service.\"\n\nFrom the example of Candrakanti as found in the Padma Puriir-a\n\nand from the\n\nexample\n\nof\n\nthe gopis\n\nas found in the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, it appears that a devotee who always thinks of Kr�!la\nand who always chants His glories in ecstatic love, regardless of his\ncondition, will attain the highest perfection of unalloyed devotional\nlove due to Lord Kr�!J.a's extraordinary mercy. This is confirmed in\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0185": "Devotional Service in Love of God\n\n149\n\nthe Srimad-Bhiigavatam: \"If Hari, the Supreme Lord, is worshiped,\nadored and loved by a person, it should be understood that the person has finished all kinds of austerities, penances and similar processes for self realization. On the other hand, if after undergoing all\ntypes of austerities, penances and mystic yoga practices, one does not\ndevelop such love for Hari, then all his performances are to be considered a useless waste of time. If someone always sees Kr�rta inside\nand out, then it is to be understood that he has surpassed all austerities and penances for self realization. And if, after executing all kinds\nof penances and austerities, one cannot always see Kr�rta inside and\nout, then he has executed his performances uselessly.\"\nSpontaneous attraction to Kr�fla, which is said to be due to the\nextraordinary mercy of the Lord, can be placed under two headings:\none is profound veneration for the greatness of the Lord, and the\nother may be one's automatically being attracted to Kr�rta without\nany extraneous consideration. In the Niirada-paficariitra it is said that\nif on account of profound veneration for the greatness of the Supreme Lord, one attains a great affection and steady love for Him,\none is certainly assured of attaining the four kinds of Va�r-ava liberation-namely, achieving the same bodily features as tpe Lord, achieving the same opulence as the Lord, dwelling on the planet where the\nLord is residing, and attaining eternal association with the Lord. The\nVai�r-ava liberation is completely different from the miiyiiviida liberation, which is simply a matter of being merged into the effulgence of\nthe Lord.\nIn the Niirada-paficariitra pure unalloyed devotional service is explained as being without any motive for personal benefit. If a devotee\nis continuously in love with Lord Kr�rta and his mind is always fixed\nupon Him, that devotional attitude will prove to be the only means\nof attracting the attention of the Lm:d. In other words, a Vai�r-ava\nwho is incessantly thinking of the form of Lord Krwa is to be known\nas a pure\n\nVa�r-ava.\n\nGenerally, a devotee who has achieved the causeless mercy of the\nLord on account of following the strict rules and regulations of devotional service becomes attracted by the supreme greatness of the\nLord, by the transcendental beauty of the Lord and by the spon-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0186": "150\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ntaneous execution of devotional service. To be more clear, by exe­\n\ncuting the regulative principles of devotional service, one can fully\n\nappreciate the transcendental beauty of the Lord. In any case, such\nexalted positions are only possible by the extraordinary mercy of the\nLord upon the devotee.\n\nAssociation with Pure Devotees\n\nAlthough many different processes for developing love of Godhead\n\nhave been explained so far, Srila Riipa Gosvami now gives us a general\ndescription of how one can best achieve such a high position. The\n\nbeginning of ecstatic love of Godhead is basically faith. There are\nmany societies and associations of pure devotees, and if someone\nwith just a little faith begins to associate with such societies, his advancement to pure devotional service is rapid.\n\nThe influence of a pure devotee is such that if someone comes to\n\nassociate with him with a little faith, he gets the chance of hearing\n\nabout the Lord from authoritative scriptures like the Bhagavad-gitii\n\nand Srimad-Bhiigavatam. Thus, by the mercy of the Lord, who is\n\nsituated in everyone's heart, one gradually develops his faith in the\ndescriptions of such authoritative scriptures. This is the first stage of\nassociation with pure devotees. In the second stage, after one be­\n\ncomes a little advanced and mature, he automatically offers to follow\n\nthe principles of devotional service under the guidance of the pure\n\ndevotee and accepts him as the spiritual master. In the next stage,\nunder the guidance of the spiritual master, the devotee executes regu­\n\nlative devotional service, and, as a result of such activities, he becomes\nfreed from all unwanted occupations. When he is freed from unwant­\n\ned occupations, his faith becomes steadily fixed, and he develops a\ntranscendental taste for devotional service, then attachment, then ec­\n\nstasies, and in the last stage there is pure love of Godhead. These are\nthe different stages of the development of pure love.\n\nOnly the most fortunate persons can achieve such success in life.\nThose who are simply academic students of the Vedic scriptures can­\n\nnot appreciate how such a development takes place. In the Niiriiya[ta\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0187": "Devotional Service in Love of God\n\n151\n\nPaficariitra Lord Siva therefore tells Parvati: \"My dear supreme god­\n\ndess, you can know from me that any person who has developed the\necstasy of love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and who is\n\nalways merged in transcendental bliss on account of this love, cannot\n\neven perceive the material distress or happiness coming from the body\n\nor mind.\"\n\nAffection and the dealings of love are different branches of the\n\noriginal tree of love preceding the many varieties of affectionate\n\nmanifestations, which will no t be discussed here. These different\nmanifestations have been described by Sanatana Gosvami in his\n\nBhiigavatiimrta. Although the subject of such affections and dealings\n\nof love are very confidential, Sanatana Gosvami has described them\n\n•\n\nvery explicitly.\n\nSri Riipa Gosvami thus concludes the first division of the Bh a kti­\n\nrasamrta-sindhu, offering up his treatise for the transcendental plea­\n\nsure of Sanatana Gosvami, who has established the transcendental\n\nbeauty, and of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Raghuniitha Bhatta Go­\n\nsvam'i and Raghuniithadas Gosvami It appears from this statement\nthat the great Srila .J'iva Gosviimi was not yet active when Bhakti­\n\nrasamrta-sindhu was written.\n\nThus ends the Bhaktivedanta summary study of the first division\nof Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, up to the descriptions of ecstatic love of\nGodhead, which are to follow next.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0188": "", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0189": "PART TWO\n\n20 I Transcendental Mellow\n\nIn this second division of Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu the author offers\nhis respectful obeisances unto \"Saniitana.\" This Saniitana can be in­\n\nterpreted as either Sri Kr�!la Himself or as Sanatana Gosvami, the\nelder brother and spiritual master of Riipa Gosvami. In the case where\n\nSaniitana is accepted to mean Sri Kr�!la, the obeisances are offered to\n\nKr�!la because He is naturally so beautiful and because He is the killer\nof the demon Agha. If it is interpreted to mean Sanatana Gosvami,\nthen it is because he is so greatly favored by Riipa Gosvami, being\nalways served by him, and because he is the annihilator of all kinds\nof sinful activities. In this division of Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu the author wants to describe the general symptoms of the transcendental\nmellow (loving mood) of discharging devotional service.\nIn this division of Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu there are five general\n\ntopics: 1) vibhiiva-special symptoms of ecstasy, 2) anubhiiva-sub­\n\nsequent ecstasy, 3) siittvika-bhiiva-constitutional ecstasy, 4) vyabhi­\n\naggressive ecstasy and 5) sthiiyi bhiiva fervent ecstasy.\nThe word rasa, used in the Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu, is understood\n\ncii ri bhiiva\n-\n\n-\n\n-\n\n-\n\nby different persons differently because the exact English equivalent\nis very difficult to find. But as we have seen our spiritual master\ntranslate this word rasa into \"mellow,\" we shall follow in his footsteps and also translate the word in that way.\nThe particular loving mood or attitude relished in the exchange of\nlove with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called rasa, or mellow. The different types of rasa, when combined together, help one\nto taste the mellow of devotional service in the highest degree of\ntranscendental ecstasy. Such a position, although entirely transcen-\n\n152\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0190": "153\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ndental to our experience, will be explained in this section as far as\npossible, following in the footsteps of Srila Riipa Gosvami.\n\nWithout relishing some sort of mellow or loving mood in one's\n\nactivities, no one can continue to perform such activities. Similarly,\n\nin the transcendental life of Kr��a consciousness and devotional ser­\n\nvice there must be some mellow or specific taste from the service.\nGenerally this mellow is experienced by chanting, hearing, worship­\n\ning in the temple and being engaged in the service of the Lord. So\n\nwhen a person feels transcendental bliss, that is called \"relishing the\n\nmellow.\" To be more clear, we may understand that the various feel­\n\nings of happiness derived from discharging devotional service may be\ntermed the \"mellows\" of devotional service.\n\nThis relishing of transcendental mellow in discharging devotional\n\nservice cannot be experienced by all classes of men because this\n\nsweet loving mood is developed only from one's previous life's activi­\n\nties, or by the association of unalloyed devotees. As explained above,\n\nassociation with pure devotees is the beginning of faith in devotional\n\nservice. Only by developing such faith in the association of a pure\ndevotee, or by having in one's previous life executed devotional activities, can one actually relish the mellow of devotional service. In other\n\nwords, this transcendental bliss is not to be enj oyed by any common\nman unless he is so extraordinarily fortunate as to be in association\n\nwith devotees or to be continuing his previous birth's devotional activities.\nThe gradual process of development to the stage of devotional\n\nservice is explained in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, First Canto: \"The beginning is to hear about Lord Kr��a in the association of devotees\n\nwho have themselves cleansed their hearts by association. Hearing\n\nabout the transcendental activities of the Lord will result in one's\n\nfeeling transcendental bliss always.\" It is also explained in the\n\nBhagavad-gitii that for one who has actually come to the spiritual\nplatform, the first symptom visible will be that he is always j oyful.\nThis joyous life is attained by one's reaction to reading the Bhagavadgitii or Srimad-Bhiigavatam, or else from associating with persons\nwho are very interested in the spiritual life of Kr��a consciousness­\n\nspecifically those who have made the determination to achieve the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0191": "Transcendental Mellow\n\n154\n\nfavor of Govinda by being engaged in transcendental loving service at\nHis lotus feet. Being encouraged by such a feeling, one who is con­\n\nstantly engaged in dischargi ng the regulative principles of devotional\nservice in such a way as to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead develops two principles of compelling force, which come under\nthe heading of vibhiiva. Thus one enj oys transcendental bliss.\n\nThere are several origins or causes for this compulsive love of\n\nKr��a, such as Kr��a Himself, the devotees of Krwa, Kr��a's playing\n\non the flute, etc. The effect is sometimes loving and sometimes\n\nstunted.\n\nThere are eight transcendental symptoms found in the body during\necstasy, and all of them are possible only by a mixture of the abovementioned five ecstatic divisions. Without some mixture of these five\n\necstatic principles, one cannot relish transcendental bliss. The cause\n\nor basis for relishing transcendental mellow is exactly what we mean\n\nby vibhiiva. This vibhiiva is divided into two-namely, basic and im­\n\npetuous. In the Agni Puriirw the description of vibhiiva is given as fol­\n\nlows: \"The basis from which ecstatic love is born is called vibhiiva,\n\nwhich is divided into two-basic and impetuous.\" In other words,\n\nthere are two kinds of ecstatic love. The object of basic ecstatic love\nis Kr��a and His devotee. Lord Kr��a is the object of basic ecstatic\n\nlove, and His pure devotee, a reservoir of such love, is the object of\n\nimpetuous ecstatic love. Impetuous ecstatic love, then, is that love\n\nwhich develops when one sees an object which reminds him of Kr�pa.\n\nLord Kr�pa, who is the possessor of inconceivable potencies and\n\nqualities of transcendental knowledge and bliss, is the basic cause of\n\necstatic love. Lord Kr��a also becomes the reservoir (impetus) of\n\necstatic love by His different incarnations and expansions. In the\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam there is a statement in connection with the\nbrahma-vimohana-lilii, which demonstrates something of this impetu­\n\nous feature of ecstatic love. When Brahma was deluded by Kr�pa, who\nexpanded Himself into so many cowherd boys, calves and cows,\n\nKr��a's elder brother, Sri Baladeva (a direct expansion of Kr��a Him­\n\nself), felt astonishment and said, \"How wonderful it is that my ec­\n\nstatic love for Kr��a is again being attracted to so many cowherd\nboys, calves and cows!\" He was struck with wonder by thinking in\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0192": "155\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nthis way. This is one of the examples in which Kr��a Himself becomes\nthe object and:reservoir of ecstatic love in the impetuous aspect.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0193": "21 I Qualities of Sri Kr��a\n\nPersonal features can be divided into two: one feature is covered,\n\nand the other feature is manifested. When Krwa is covered by dif­\n\nferent kinds of dress, His personal feature is covered. There is an\n\nexample of His covered personal feature in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam in\nconnection with His Dvaraka filii (His residence in Dvaraka as its\n\nking). Sometimes Lord Kr��a began to play by dressing Himself like\n\na woman. Seeing this form, Uddhava said, \"How wonderful it is that\n\nthis woman is attracting my ecstatic love exactly as Lord Kr��a does.\nI think she must be Kr��a covered by the dress of a woman!\"\n\nOne devotee praised the bodily features of Kr��a when he saw\n\nthe Lord in His manifested personal feature. He exclaimed, \"How\n\nwonderful is the personal feature of Lord Kr��a! How His neck is just\n\nlike a conchshell! His eyes are so beautiful, as though they themselves\n\nare encountering the beauty of a lotus flower. His body is j ust like\n\nthe tiimala tree, very blat:kish. His head is protected with a canopy of\n\nhair. There are the marks of srivatsa on His chest, and He is holding\n\nHis conchshell. By such beautiful bodily features, the enemy of the\ndemon Madhu has appeared so pleasing that He can bestow upon me\ntranscendental bliss simply by my seeing His transcendental qualities.\"\n\nSrila Rupa Gosvami, after consulting various scriptures, has enu­\n\nmerated the transcendental qualities of the Lord as follows:\n\n1)\n\nbeautiful features of the entire body; 2) marked with all auspicious\ncharacteristics; 3) extremely pleasing; 4) effulgent; 5) strong; 6) ever­\n\nyouthful; 7) a wonderful linguist; 8) truthful; 9) talks pleasingly; 10)\n\ncan speak fluently in all languages; ll) highly learned; 12) highly in­\n\ntelligent; 13) a genius; 14) artistic; 15) extremely clever; 16) expert;\n156\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0194": "157\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\n17) grateful; 18) firmly determined; 19) an expert judge of time and\nci rcumstances ; 20) sees and speaks on the authority of Vedas, or\nscriptures; 21) pure; 22) self-controlled; 23) steadfast; 24) forebearing; 25) forgiving; 26) grave; 27) self-satisfied; 28) possesses equilibrium; 29) magnanimous; 30) religious; 31) heroic; 32) compassionate;\n33) respectful; 34) gentle; 35) liberal; 36) shy; 37) the protector of\nsurrendered souls; 38) happy; 39) the well-wisher of devotees; 40)\ncontrolled by love; 41) all-auspicious; 42) most powerful; 4 3) allfamous; 44) popular; 45) partial to devotees; 46) very attractive to\nall women; 47) all-worshipable; 48) all-opulent; 49) all-honorable;\n50) the supreme controller. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has\nall these fifty transcendental qualities in fullness as deep as the ocean.\n\nIn other words, the extent of His qualities is inconceivable.\nAs parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, the individual living en­\n\ntit i es can also possess all of these qua liti es in minute q uan t i t ies, pro­\n\nvided they become pure devotees of the Lord. In other words, all of\n\nthe above transcendental qualities can be present in the devotees in\n\nminute quantity, whereas the qualities in fullness are always present\nin the Supreme Personality of Godhead.\n\nBesides these, there are other transcendental qualities which are\n\ndescribed by Lord Siva to Parvati in the Padma Puriirw and in the\n\nFirst Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, in connection with a conversation\n\nbetween the demigod of the earth and the King of religion, Yamaraj.\nIt is said therein: \"Persons who are desirous of becoming great per­\n\nsonalities must be decorated with the following qualities: truthful­\n\nness, cleanliness, mercy, perseverence, renunciation, peacefulness,\n\nsimplicity, control of the senses, equilibrium of the mind, austerity,\nequality, forbearance, placidity, learning, knowledge, opulence, chiv­\n\nalry, influence, strength, memory, independence, tactfulness, luster,\npatience, ability to talk, gravity, steadiness, faithfulness, fame, re­\n\nspectfulness and lack of false egotism.\" Persons who are desiring to\n\nbecome great souls cannot be without any of the above qualities, so\nwe can know for certain that these qualities are found in Lord Kr�!la,\n\nthe supreme soul.\n\nBesides all of the above-mentioned fifty qualities, Lord Kr�!la pos­\n\nsesses five more, which are sometimes partially manifested in the per-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0195": "Qualities of Sri K[§[W\n\n158\n\nsons of Lord Brahma or Lord Siva. These transcendental qualities are\nas follows: 51) changeless; 52) all-cognizant; 53) ever-fresh; 54) sac­\n\ncid-iinanda (possessing an eternal blissful body); 55) possessing all\nmystic perfection.\n\nKr�.pa also possesses five other qualities, which are manifest in the\n\nbody of Naraya.pa, and they are listed as follows: 56) He has inconceivable potency. 57) Uncountable universes generate from His body.\n\n58) He is the original source of all incarnations. 59) He is the giver of\n\nsalvation to the enemies whom He kills. 60) He is the attractor of lib­\n\nerated souls. All these transcendental qualities are manifest wonderfully in the personal feature of Lord Kr�.pa.\n\nBesides these sixty transcendental qualities, Kr�.pa has four more,\n\nwhich are not manifest even in the Naraya.pa form of Godhead, not\nto speak of the demigods or living entities. They are as follows: 61)\n\nHe is the performer of wonderful varieties of pastimes (especially His\n\nchildhood pastimes). 62) He can attract all living entities all over the\n\nuniverses by playing on His flute. 63) He is surrounded by devotees\n\nendowed with wonderful love of Godhead. 64) He has a wonderful\nexcellence of beauty which cannot be rivalled anywhere in the\ncreation.\n\nAdding to the list these four exceptional qualities of Kr�.pa, it is to\n\nbe understood that the aggregate number of qualities of Kr�l!a is sixtyfour. Snla Rupa Gosvami has attempted to give evidences from various\nscriptures about all sixty-four qualities present in the person of the\nSupreme Lord.\n1. Beautiful Bodily Features\n\nAny comparison of the different parts of the Lord's body to\n\ndifferent material objects cannot factually be a complete comparison.\n\nOrdinary persons, who cannot understand how exalted\n\nare the bodily features of the Lord, are simply given a chance\nto understand by a material comparison. It is said that Kn�a's\n\nface is as beautiful as the moon, His thighs are powerful, just\nlike the trunks of elepha n t s\n\n,\n\nHis arms are just like two pillars,\n\nHis palms are expanded like lotus flowers, His chest is just like\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0196": "159\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\na doorway, His hips are dens, and the middle of His body\n\nIS\n\na\n\nterrace.\n\n2. Auspicious Characteristics\nThere are certain characteristics of different limbs which are considered to be very auspicious and are fully present in the body of the\nLord. In this connection, one friend of Nanda Maharaj , speaking\nabout Lord Kr�tJ.a's auspicious bodily symptoms, said, \"My dear King\nof the cowherds, I can find 32 auspicious symptoms on the body of\nyour son! I am wondering how this boy could have taken his birth in\nthe family of cowherd men.\" Generally, when Lord Kr�tla appears\nHe does so in a family of k§atriyas (kings), as did Lord Ramacandra,\nand sometimes in a family of briihmar;ws. But Kr9�a accepted the\nrole of son to Maharaj Nanda, despite the fact that Nanda belonged\nto the vaisya community. The business of the vaisya community is\ntrade, commerce and the protection of cows. Therefore his friend,\nwho may have been born into a briihmar-a family, expressed his wonder at how such an exalted child could take birth in a family of\n\nvaisyas. Anyway, he pointed out the auspicious signs on the body of\nKr9�a to the boy's foster father.\nHe continued: \"This boy has a reddish luster in seven places-His\neyes, the ends of His hands, the ends of His legs, His palate, His lips,\nHis tongue and His nails. A reddish luster in these seven places is considered to be auspicious. Three parts of His body are very broad: His\nwaist, forehead and chest. Three parts of His body are short: His neck,\nthighs and genitals. Three parts of His body are very deep: His voice,\nintelligence and navel. There is highness in five parts of His body: His\nnose, arms, ears, forehead and thighs. In five parts of His body there\nis fineness- His skin, the hairs on His head and on the other parts of\nHis body, His teeth and finger tips. The aggregate of all these bodily\nfeatures are manifest only in the bodies of great personalities.\"\nThe fate lines on the palm are also considered to be auspicious\nbodily symptoms. In this connection, one old gopi informed King\nNanda:\n\n\"Your son possesses various wonderful fate lines on His\n\npalms. There are the signs of lotus flowers and wheels on His palms,\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0197": "Qualities of Sri K[§!la\n\n160\n\nand on His soles there are the signs of a flag, thunderbolt, fish, rod\nfor controlling elephants and a lotus flower. Please observe how auspicious these signs are!\"\n3. Pleasing\n\nBeautiful bodily features which automatically attract the eyes are\ncalled rncira (pleasing). Kr�!!a possesses this attractive feature of\nrncira in His personal features. In the Third Canto, 2nd Chapter, 13th\n\nverse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam there is a statement about this. \"The\n\nSupreme Personality of Godhead, in His pleasing dress, appeared at\nthe scene of the sacrificial arena when King Yudhi�thira was perform­\n\ning the riija-siiya sacrifice. All important personalities from different\nparts of the universe had been invited to the sacrificial arena, and all\n\nof them, upon beholding Kr�!la there, considered that the Creator\nhad ended all of His craftsmanship in the creation of this particular\nbody of Kr�!!a.\"\nIt is said that the transcendental body of Kr�!la resembles the lotus\nflower in eight parts-namely, His face, His two eyes, His two hands,\n\nHis navel, and His two feet. The gop is and inhabitants of V rndavana\n\nused to see the luster of lotus flowers everywhere, and they could\nhardly withdraw their eyes from such a vision.\n4. Effulgent\n\nThe effulgence pervading the universe is considered to be the rays\nof the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The supreme abode of Krwa\nis always throwing off the effulgence known as\n\nbrahma-jyoti, and\n\nthat effulgence is emanating from His body.\nThe luster of the hosts of jewels fixed on the chest of the Lord can\ndefeat even the luster of the sun, and still, when compared with the\nbodily luster of the Lord, that crest of jewels appears to be only as\nbright as one of the stars in the sky. Therefore the transcendental\ninfluence of Kr�!la is so great that it can defeat anyone. When Kr�!la\nwas present in the sacrificial arena of His enemy, King Kamsa, the\nwrestlers present, although appreciating the softness of the body of\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0198": "161\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nSri Kr�!la, were nevertheless afraid and perturbed when they thought\nof engaging with Him in battle.\n5. Strong\nA person who has extraordinary bodily strength is called baliyiin.\n\nWhen Kr�!la killed Ari�tasura, some of the gopis said, \"My dear\nfriends, just see how Kr�!la has killed Ari�tasura! Although he was\nstronger than a mountain, Kr�!!a plucked him up just like a piece of\ncotton and threw him away without any difficulty!\" There is another\npassage wherein it is said: \"0 my dear devotees of Lord Krwa, may\n\nthe left hand of Lord Kr�!!a, which has lifted Govardhana Hill like a\nball, save you from all dangers.\"\n6. Ever-youthful\n\nKr��a is beautiful at His different ages-namely, His childhood, His\nboyhood and His youth. Out of these three, His youth is the reservoir\nof all pleasures and is the time when the highest varieties of devotional service are acceptable. At that age, Kr��a is full with all transcendental qualities and is engaged in His transcendental pastimes.\nTherefore, devotees have accepted the beginning of His youth as the\nmost attractive feature in ecstatic love.\nAt this age Kr��a is described as follows: \"The force of Kr��a's\nyouth was combined with His beautiful smile, which defeated even\nthe beauty of the full moon. He was always nicely dressed, in beauty\nsurpassing even Cupid, and He was always attracting the minds of the\ngopis, who were thereby always feeling pleasure.\"\n7. Wonderful Linguist\n\nRiipa Gosvami says that a person who knows the languages of different countries, especially the Sanskrit language, which is spoken in\nthe cities of the demigods-as well as other worldly languages, including those of the animals-is called a wonderful linguist. It appears\nfrom this statement that Kr�!la can also speak and understand the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0199": "Qualities of Sri Kr§!W\n\n162\n\nlanguages of the animals. An old woman in Vrndavana, present at the\ntime of Kg;J)a's pastimes, once stated in surprise: \"How wonderful it\nis that Kr§if)a, who owns the hearts of all the young girls of Braja·\nbhiimi, can nicely speak the language of Brajabhiimi with the gopis,\nwhile in Sanskrit He speaks with the demigods, and in the language\nof the animals He can even speak with the cows and buffalo! Similar·\nly, in the language of the Kashmere Province, and with the parrots\nand other birds, as well as in most common languages, Kr�J)a is so ex·\npressive!\" She inquired from the gopis as to how Kr�J)a had become\nso expert in speaking so many different types of languages.\n8.\n\nTruthful\nA person whose word of honor is never broken is called truthful.\n\nK.r�J)a once promised Kunti, the mother of the PaJ)«).avas, that He\nwould bring her five sons back from the battlefield of Kuruk�etra.\nAfter the battle was finished, when all the Pandavas had come home,\nKunti praised Kr�J)a because His promise was so nicely fulfilled.\n\nShe said, \"Even the sunshine may one day become cool and the\nmoonshine may one day become hot, but still Your promise will not\nfail. Similarly, when K.r�J)a, along with Bhima and Arjuna, went to\nchallenge Jarasandha, He plainly told Jarasandha that He was the\neternal. l<.r§if)a, present along with two of the Paf)«).avas. The story is\nthat both Krwa and the Paf)«).avas-in this case Bhima and Arjunawere k§atriyas (warrior-kings). Jarasandha was also a k§atriya and was\nvery charitable toward the briihmartas. Thus Kr�J)a, who had planned\nto fight with J arasandha, went to him with Bhima and Arjuna in the\ndress of briihmartas. J arasandha, being very charitable toward the\n\nbriihmm;ws,\n\nasked them\n\nwhat they wanted, and they expressed\n\ntheir desire to fight with him. Then Kr�J)a, dressed as a briihmm;w,\n\ndeclared Himself to be the same Kr§if)a who was the King's eternal\nenemy.\n9. Pleasing Talker\n\nA person who can speak sweetly even with his enemy just to paci-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0200": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n163\n\nfy him is called a pleasing talker. Kr��a was such a pleasing talker\nthat after defeating His enemy, Kaliya, in the water of Yamuna,\nHe said: \"My dear King of the snakes, although I have given you so\nmuch pain, please do not be dissatisfied with Me. It is My duty to\nprotect these cows, which are worshiped even by the demigods. Only\nin order to save them from the danger of your presence have I been\nobliged to banish you from this place.\"\n\nKaliya was residing within the water of the Yamuna, and as a result the back portion of that river had become poisoned. Thus so\nmany cows who had drunk the water had died. Therefore Kr�pa, even\nthough He was only four or five years old, dipped Himself into the\nwater, punished Kaliya very severely and then asked him to leave the\nplace and go elsewhere.\nKrwa said at that time that the cows are worshiped even by\nthe demigods, and He practically demonstrated how to protect the\n\ncows. At least people who are in Krwa consciousness should follow\nin His footsteps and give all protection to the cows. Cows are worshiped not only by the demigods. Kr� �a Himself worshiped the cows\non several occasions, especially on the days of Gopii§tami and Govar­\n\ndhana FUjii.\n10. Fluent in All Languages\nA person who can speak meaningful words and with all politeness\n\nand good qualities is called viivaduka, or fluent. There is a nice state­\n\nment in the Snmad-Bhiigavatam regarding Kr��a's speaking politely.\nWhen Kr��a politely bade His father, N anda Maharaj, to stop the\n\nritualistic offering of sacrifice to the raingod, lndra, a wife of one village cowherd man became captivated. She later thus described the\nspeaking of Kr��a to her friends: \"Kr�pa was speaking to His father\n\nso politely and gently that it was as if He were pouring nectar into\nthe ears of all present there. After hearing such sweet words from\nKrsna, who will not be attracted to Him?\"\n.\nKr�pa's speech, which contains all good qualities in the universe, is\n.\n\n.\n\ndescribed in the following statement by Uddhava: \"The words of\nKr��a are so attractive that they can immediately change the heart of\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0201": "Qualities of Sri K[§!W\n\n164\n\neven His opponent. His words can immediately solve all of the questions and problems of the world. Although He does not speak very\nlong, each and every word from His mouth contains volumes of\nmeaning. These speeches of Krwa are very pleasing to my heart.\"\n11. Highly Learned\n\nWhen a person is highly educated and acts strictly on moral principles, he is called highly learned. A person conversant in different\ndepartments of knowledge is called educated, and because he acts on\nmoral principles, he is called morally stout. Together, these two factors constitute learning.\nKr�.p.a's receiving education from Sandipani Muni is described by\n\nSri Narada Muni as follows: \"In the beginning, Lord Brahma and\nothers are as clouds of evaporated water from the great ocean of\nKr�.p.a. In other words, Brahma first received the Vedic education\nfrom Kr�.p.a, as the clouds receive water from the ocean. That Vedic\neducation or instruction which was spoken by Brahma to the world\nwas then reposed upon the mountain of Sandlpani Muni. Sandipani\nMuni's instructions to Kr�.p.a are like a reservoir of water on the\nmountain, which flows as a river and goes again to mix with the\nsource, the ocean of Kr�.p.a.\" To be more clear, the idea is that Kr�.p.a\nactually cannot be instructed by anyone, just as the ocean does not\nreceive water from any source but itself. It only appears that the\nrivers are pouring water into the ocean. So it is clear that Brahma\nreceived his education from Kr�.p.a, and from Brahma, via the disciplic succession, this Vedic instruction was distributed. Sandlpani\nMuni is likened to the river which is flowing down again to that same\n\noriginal ocean of Kr�.p.a.\nThe Siddhas, the inhabitants of Siddha-loka (where all are born\nwith fully developed mystic powers), and the Ciirar-as, the inhabitants of a similar planet, pray to Kr�.p.a as follows: \"My Lord Govinda,\nthe goddess of learning, who is decorated with fourteen kinds of\neducational ornaments, whose intelligence is all-pervading within the\n\nfour departments of the Vedas, whose attention is always on the\nlawbooks given by great sages like Manu, and who is appareled in six\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0202": "165\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nkinds of expert knowledge-namely Vedic evidence, grammar, astrolo­\n\ngy, rhetoric, vocabulary, and logi c, and whose constant friends are\n\nthe supplements of the\n\nVedas and Purii[laS, decorated with the\n\nfinal conclusion of all education-has now acquired an opportunity\nto sit with You as a class friend in school, and she is now engaged in\nYour service.\"\nKr�r;ta, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, does not require any\neducation, but He gives a chance to the goddess of learning to serve\nHim. Being self-sufficient, Kr�r;ta does not require the service of any\n\nliving entity, although He has many devotees. It is because Kr�pa\n\nis so kind and merciful that He gives the opportunity to everyone to\nserve Him, as though He requires the service of His devotees.\nRegarding\n\nHis moral principles, it is stated in the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam that Kr�r;ta is ruling over V rndavana as death personified\nto the thieves, as pleasing bliss to the pious, as the most beautiful\nCupid to the young girls and as the most munificent personality to\n\nthe poor men. He is as refreshing as the full moon to His friends, and\n\nto His opponents He is the annihilating fire generated from Lord\nSiva. Kr�r;ta is therefore the most perfect moralist in His reciprocal\ndealings with different kinds of persons. When He is death personified\n\nto the thieves, it is not that He is without moral principles or that He\nis cruel; He is still kind, because to punish thieves with death is to\nexhibit the highest quality of moral principles. In the Bhagavad-gitii,\n\nalso, Kr�r;ta says that He deals with different kinds of persons accord­\n\ning to their dealings with Him. Kr�r;ta's dealings with devotees and\nwith nondevotees, although different, are both equally good. Because\nKr�r;ta is all good, His dealings with everyone are always good.\n12. Highly Intelligent\n\nA man is called intelligent if he has a sharp memory and fine\ndiscretion. As far as Krwa 's memory is concerned, it is said that\n\nwhen He was studying in the school of S andip ani Muni in Avantipur,\n\nHe showed such a sharp memory that by once taking instructions\n\nfrom the teacher He immediately became perfect in any subject. Ac­\n\ntually, His going to the school of Sandipani Muni was to show the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0203": "Qualities of Sri K[§[W\n\n166\n\npeople of the world that however great or ingenious one may be, he\nmust go to higher authorities for general education. However great\none may be, he must accept a teacher or spiritual master.\n\nKrwa's fine discretion was exhibited when He was fighting with\n\nthe untouchable king who attacked the city of Mathura. According\n\nto Vedic rites, those who are untouchable are not to be touched by\nthe k§atriya kings, not even for killing. Therefore, when the untouch­\n\nable king seized the city of Mathura, Kr�tta did not think it wise to\nkill him directly with His own hand. Still the king had to be killed,\n\nand therefore Kr�ra decided with fine discretion that He should flee\n\nfrom the battlefield so that the untouchable king would chase Him.\nHe could then lead the king to the mountain where Mucukunda was\n\nlying asleep. Mucukunda had received a benediction from Lord Siva\n\nto the effect that when he awoke from his sleep, whomever he might\n\nsee would at once be burnt to ashes. Therefore Kr�tta thought it wise\n\nto lead the untouchable king to that cave so that the king's presence\nwould awaken Mucukunda, and he would at once be burnt to ashes.\n13. Genius\n\nA person is called a genius when he can refute any kind of oppos­\n\ning element with newer and newer arguments. In this connection\n\nthere is a statement in Padyavali which contains the following con­\n\nversation between Kr�tta and Radha: One morning, when Kr�tta came\nto Radha, Radha asked Him, \"My dear Kesava, where is Your vasa at\n\npresent?\" The Sanskrit word vasa has three meanings: one meaning\nis residence, one meaning is fragrance, and another meaning is dress.\n\nActually Radharatti inquired from Kr�tJ.a, \"Where is Your dress?\"\n\nBut Krwa took the meaning as residence, and He replied to Radha­\n\nratJ.i, \"My dear captivated one, at the present moment my residence\nis in Your beautiful eyes.\"\n\nTo this Radharatti replied, \"My dear cunning boy, I did not ask\n\nYou about Your residence. I inquired about Your dress.\"\nKr�tta then took the meaning of vasa as fragrance and said, \"My\n\ndear fortunate one, I have just assumed this fragrance in order to be\n\nassociated with Your body.\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0204": "167\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nSrimati Radhara�i again enquired from Kr��a, \"Where did You\n\npass Your night?\" The exact Sanskrit word used in this connection\n\nwas yiiminyiimu§ita\"{!,. Yiiminyiim means at night, and U§ita\"{!, means\n\npass. Kr��a, however, divided the word yiiminyiimu§ita\"{!, into two\n\nseparate words, namely yiiminyii and mu§ita\"{!,. By dividing this word\n\ninto two, it came out to mean that He was kidnapped by Yamini, or\n\nnight. Kr��a therefore replied to Radhara�i, \"My dear Radharapi, is\n\nit possible that night can kidnap Me?\" In this way He was answering\n\nall of the questions of Radhara�i so cunningly that He gladdened this\ndearest of the gopis.\n14. Artistic\n\nOne who can talk and dress himself very artistically is called\n\nvidagdha. This exemplary characteristic was visible in the person­\n\nality of Sri Kr��a. It is spoken of by Radhara�i as follows: \"My\n\ndear friend, just see how Kr��a has nicely composed songs and how\n\nHe dances and speaks funny words and plays on His flute, wearing\n\nsuch nice garlands. He has dressed Himself in such an enchanting way,\n\nas though He has defeated all kinds of players at the chessboard. He\n\nlives wonderfully at the topmost height of artistic craftsmanship.\"\n15. Clever\n\nA person who can perform various types of work at once is called\n\nclever. In this connection one of the gopis said: \"My dear friends,\n\njust see the clever activities of Sri Kr��a! He has composed nice songs\n\nabout the cowherd boys and is pleasing the cows. By the movement\nof His eyes He is pleasing the gopis, and at the same time, He is fight­\n\ning with demons like Ari�tasura and others. In this way, He is sitting\nwith different living entities in different ways, and He is thoroughly\n\nenjoying the situation.\"\n16. Expert\n\nAny person who can quickly execute a very difficult task is called\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0205": "Qualities of Sri Knrw\n\n168\n\nexpert. About the expertise of Kr�!ia there is a statement in the Tenth\nCanto, 59th Chapter, 13th verse, of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, wherein\n\nSukadeva Gosvami tells Maharaj Parik�it: \"0 best of the Kurus, Sri\n\nKrwa cut into pieces all the different weapons used by different\nfighters.\" Formerly, fighting was done by releasing different kinds of\n\narrows. One party would release a certain arrow, and the other party\n\nhad to defeat it by counteracting it with another arrow. For ex­\n\nample, one party might release an arrow which would cause water to\npour from the sky, and to counteract this, the opposing party would\nhave to release an arrow which could immediately turn the water into\nclouds. So from this statement it appears that Kr�!la was very\n\nexpert in counteracting the enemy's arrows. Similarly, at the riisa\ndance, each and every gopi requested that Kr�!la individually become\nher partner, and Kr�!la immediately expanded Himself into so many\n\nKr�!ias in order to be coupled with each and every gopi. The result\nwas that each gopi found Kr�!la by her side.\n1 7.\n\nGrateful\n\nAny person who is conscious of his friend's beneficent activities\n\nand never forgets his service is called grateful. In the Mahiibhiirata,\n\nKr�!ia says, \"When I was away from Draupadi, she cried with the\n\nwords, 'Hey, Govinda!' This call for Me has put Me in her debt, and\n\nthat indebtedness is gradually increasing in My heart.\" This statement\n\nby Kr�!ia gives evidence of how one can please the Supreme Lord\nsimply by addressing Him: \"Hey, Krwa! Hey, Govinda!\"\nThe\n\nmahii-mantra (Hare Kn!w, Hare Kr§fla, K[§[la Kr§fla, Hare\nHare/ Hare Riima, Hare Riima, Riima Riima, Hare Hare) is also simply\nan address to the Lord and His energy. So to anyone who is constant­\n\nly engaged in addressing the Lord and His energy, we can imagine how\nmuch the Supreme Lord is obliged. It is impossible for the Lord to\n\never forget such a devotee. It is clearly stated in this verse that anyone\n\nwho addresses the Lord immediately attracts the attention of the\nLord, who always remains obliged to him.\n\nAnother instance of Kr�!la's feeling of obligation is stated in con­\n\nnection with His dealings with Jambavan. When the Lord was present\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0206": "169\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nas Lord Ramacandra, Jambavan, the great king of the monkeys, rendered very faithful service to Him. When the Lord again appeared as\nLord Kr��a, He married Jambavan 's daughter and paid him all the\nrespect that is usually given to superiors. Any honest person is\nobliged to his friend if some service has been rendered unto Him.\nSince Kr��a is the supreme honest personality, how can He forget an\nobligation to His servitor?\n\n18. Determined\nAny person who observes regulative principles and fulfills his promises by practical activity is called determined. As far as the Lord's\ndetermination is concerned, there is an example in His dealings in the\n\nHarivamsa. This is in conue..cJion with Lord Kr��a's fighting the King\nof heaven, lndra, who was forcibly bereft of the piirijiita flower.\nPiirijiita is a kind of lotus flower grown on the heavenly planets. Once,\nSatyabhama, one of Krwa's queens, wanted that lotus flower, and\nKr��a promised to deliver it; but Indra refused to part with his\n\npiirijiita flower. Therefore there was a great fight, with Kr��a and the\nPa�9avas on one side and all of the demigods on the other. Ultimately, Kr��a defeated all of them and took the piirijiita flower, which He\npresented to His queen. So, in regard to that occurrence, Kr��a told\nNarada Muni, \"My dear great sage of the demigods, now you can\ndeclare to the devotees in general, and to the nondevotees in particular, that in this matter of taking the piirijiita flower, all the demigods\n-the Gandharvas, the Nagas, the demon Rak�asas, the Yak�as, the\nPannagas-tried to defeat Me, but none could make Me break My\npromise to My queen.\"\nThere is another promise by Kr��a in the Bhagavad-gitii to the effect that His devotee will never be vanquished. So a sincere devotee\nwho is always engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord\nshould know for certain that Kr��a will never break His promise. He\nwill always protect His devotees in every circumstance.\nKr��a showed how He fulfills His promise by delivering the piirijiita\nflower to Satyabhama, by saving Draupadi from being insulted and\nby freeing Arjuna from the attacks of all enemies.\n\ntil\n\n!1\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0207": "Qualities of Sri Kmw\n\n170\n\nThe promise of l<fwa that His devotees are never vanquished had\nalso previously been admitted by Indra when he was defeated in the\nGovardhana-Zila. When Kr��a stopped the villagers of Braja (Vrndavana) from worshiping Indra, Indra became angry and therefore inundated Vrndavana with continual rain. Kr��a, however, protected all\nof the citizens and animals of Vrndavana by lifting Govardhan Hill,\nwhich served as an umbrella. After the incident was over, Indra surrendered to Kr��a with many prayers, in which he admitted, \"By\nYour lifting Govardhan Hill and protecting the citizens of Vrndavana,\nYou have kept Your promise that Your devotees are never to be vanquished.\"\n19. Expert Judge of Time and Circumstances\nKr��a was very expert in dealing with people according to circumstances, country, time and paraphernalia. How He could take advantage of a particular time, circumstance and person is expressed by\nHim while talking to U ddhava about His riisa dance with the gopis. He\n\nsays: \"The most opportune time is the full moon night in autumn,\nlike tonight. The best place within the universe is Vrndavana, and the\nmost beautiful girls are the gopis. So, My dear friend U ddhava, I\nthink I should now take advantage of all these circumstances and engage Myself in the riisa dance.\"\n\n20. Seer by the Authority of the Scriptures\nA person who acts exactly according to the tenets of scripture is\n\ncalled siistra-cak�us. Siistra-cak�us means one who sees through the eyes\nof the authorized scriptures. Actually, any man of knowledge and experience should see everything through these books. For example,\nwith our naked eye we perceive the sun globe simply as some glaring\nsubstance, but when we see through authorized books of science and\nother literature, we can understand how much greater the sun globe\nis than this earth and how powerful it is. So seeing things through the\nnaked eye is not actually seeing. Seeing things through the authorized\nbooks or authorized teachers is the correct way to see. So, although\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0208": "171\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nKr��a is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and can see all that is\n\npast, present and future, to teach the people in general He used to\nalways refer to the scriptures. For example, in the Bhagavad-gitii, al­\n\nthough Kr��a was speaking as the supreme authority, He still men­\n\ntioned and quoted Vediinta-siitra as authority. There is a statement\nin the Srimad-Bhiigavatam wherein a person j okingly says that Krwa,\n\nthe enemy of Kamsa, is known as the seer through the siistras. In\n\norder to establish His authority, however, He is now engaged in seeing\nthe gopis, whereby the gopis are becoming maddened.\n\n21. Pure\n\nThere are two kinds of supreme purity. When one type is possessed,\none is able to deliver a sinful person. When the other type is\n\npossessed, one does not do anything which is impure. A person who\n\npossesses either of these qualities is called supremely pure. Kr��a is\n\nboth; He can deliver all sinful conditioned souls, and at the same\ntime, He never does anything by which He can be contaminated.\n\nIn this connection, Vidura, while trying to detach his elder brother,\n\nDhrtara�tra, from his familial attachments, said, \"My dear brother,\n\nyou just fix your mind on the lotus feet of Kr��a, who is worshiped\n\nwith beautiful erudite verses by great sages and saintly persons. Kr��a\nis the supreme deliverer amongst all other deliverers. Undoubtedly\n\nthere are great demigods like Lord Siva and Lord Brahma, but their\npositions as deliverers depend always upon the mercy of Kr��a.\"\n\nTherefore Vidura advised his elder brother Dhrtara�tra to concentrate\nhis mind and worship only Kr��a. If one simply chants the holy name\n\nof Kr��a, this holy name will rise within one's heart like the powerful\nsun and will immediately dissipate all the darkness of ignorance.\nVidura advised Dhrtara�tra to therefore think always of Kr��a so that\n\nthe volumes of contaminations due to sinful activities would be\nwashed off immediately. In the Bhagavad-gitii also Kr��a is addressed\nby A rj una as param brahma param dhiimapavitram-the supreme pure.\nThere are many other instances exhibiting Kr�!!a's supreme purity.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0209": "Qualities of Sri Knr;w\n\n172\n\n22. Self-controlled\nA person who can control his senses fully is called vasi, or self­\n\ncontrolled. In this connection it is stated in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam:\n\n\"All the 16,000 wives of Kr�tta were so exquisitely beautiful that\n\ntheir smiling and shyness were able to captivate the minds of great\n\ndemigods like Lord Siva. But still they could not even agitate the\n\nmind of Kr�tta, in spite of their attractive feminine behavior.\" Every\n\none of the thousands of wives of Kr�tta was thinking that Kr�tta was\n\ncaptivated by her feminine beauty, but this was not the case. Kr�tta is\ntherefore the supreme controller of senses, and this is admitted in the\n\nBhagavad-gitii, where He is addressed as Hr§ikesa-the master of the\nsenses.\n\n.\n\n23. Steadfast\nA person who continues to work until his desired goal is achieved\nis 'called steadfast.\nThere was a fight between Kr�tta and King Syamantaka, and Krwa\n\nwas to take a valuable j ewel from the King. The King tried to hide\n\nhimself in the forest, but Kr�tta would not become discouraged.\nKr�tta finally got the j ewel b y seeking out the King with great stead­\n\nfastness.\n\n24. Forbearing\nA person who tolerates all kinds of troubles, even though such\n\ntroubles appear to be unbearable, is called forbearing.\n\nWhen Kr�tta was residing at the place of His spiritual master, He\n\ndid not mind taking all troubles in rendering service to His guru, al­\n\nthough His body was very soft and delicate. It is the duty of the\ndisciple to execute all services unto the spiritual master, despite all\n\nkinds of difficulties. The disciple living at the residence of the spiritual master has to go begging from door to door and bring everything\nback to the spiritual master. When prasiidam is being served, the spiritual master is supposed to call each and every disciple to come eat.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0210": "173\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nIf by chance the spiritual master forgets to call a disciple to partake\n\nof the prasiidam, it is enjoined in the scriptures that the student\n\nshould fast on that day rather than accept food on his own initiative.\nThere are many such strictures. Sometimes, also, Kr��a went to the\n\nforest to collect dry wood for fuel.\n25. Forgiving\n\nA person who can tolerate all kinds of offenses from the opposite\n\nparty is known to be forgiving.\n\nLord Kr��a's forgiving quality is described in the Mahiibhiirata in\n\nconnection with His forbidding the killing of Sisupala. King Sisupala\n\nwas the monarch of the Cedi Kingdom, and although he happened to\n\nbe a cousin of Kr��a 's, he was always envious of Him. Whenever they\n\nwould meet, Sisupala would try to insult Kr��a and call Him ill names\n\nas much as possible. In the arena of the riija-suya sacrifice of Maharaj\n\nYushi�Jhira, when Sisupala began to call Lord Kr��a ill names, Kr��a\n\ndid not care and remained silent. Some of the people at the arena\n\nwere prepared to kill Sisupala, but Kr��a restricted them. He was so\n\nforgiving. It is said that when there is a thundering sound in the\nclouds, the mighty lion immediately replies with his thundering roar.\n\nBut the lion doesn't care when all the foolish jackals begin to make\n\ntheir less important sounds.\n\nSri Yamunacarya praises Kr��a's power of forgiveness with the\n\nfollowing statement: \"My dear Lord Ramacandra, You are so merciful to have excused the crow's clawing on the nipples of Hmaki sim­\n\nply because of his bowing down before You.\" Once Indra, the King\n\nof heaven, assumed the form of a crow and attacked Sita (Janaki),\n\nLord Ramacandra's wife, by striking her on the breast. This was\n\ncertainly an insult to the universal mother, Sita, and Lord Rama­\n\ncandra was immediately prepared to kill the crow. But because later\non the crow bowed down before the Lord, He excused his offense.\n\nSri Yamunacarya further says in his prayer that the forgiving power\n\nof Lord Kr��a is even greater than that of Lord Ramacandra, because\n\nSisupala was always in the habit of insulting Kr��a-not only in one\n\nlifetime, but continually throughout three lives. Still, Kr��a was so\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0211": "Qualities of Sri Knrw\n\n174\n\nkind that He gave Sisupala the salvation of merging into His existence.\n\nFrom this we can understand that the goal of the monist to merge\n\ninto the effulgence of the supreme is not a very difficult problem.\n\nPersons like Sisupala who are consistently inimical to Kr��a can also\n\nget this liberation.\n26.\n\nGrave\n\nA person who does not express his mind to everyone, or whose\n\nmental activity and plan of action are very difficult to understand, is\ncalled grave. After Lord Sri Kr��a had been offended by Brahma,\n\nBrahma prayed to Him to be excused. But in spite of his offering nice\n\nprayers to Kr��a, Brahma could not understand whether Kr��a was\nsatisfied or still dissatisfied. In other words, Kr��a was so grave that\nHe did not take the prayers of Brahma very seriously. Another in­\n\nstance of Kr��a 's gravjty is found in connection with His love affairs\n\nwith Radhara�i. Kr��a was always very silent about His love affairs\n\nwith Radhara�i, so much so that Baladeva, Kr��a 's elder brother and\nconstant companion, could not understand the transformations of\nKr��a on account of His gravity.\n27. Self-satisfied\nA person who is fully satisfied in himself, without any hankering,\n\nand who is not agitated even in the presence of serious cause for\n\ndistress, is called self-satisfied.\n\n.\nAn example of Kr9�a's self-satisfaction was exhibited when He,\n\nArjuna and Bhima went to challenge Jarasandha, the formidable king\n\nof Magadha, and Kr��a gave all credit to Bhima for the killing of\nJarasandha. From this we can understand that Krsna\nnever cares at\n.\n\nall for fame, although no one can be more famous.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nAn example of His not being disturbed was shown when Sisupala\n\nbegan to call Him ill names. All the kings and briihmar-as assembled\nat the sacrificial arena of Maharaj Yudhi�thira became perturbed and\nimmediately wanted to satisfy Kr��a by offering nice prayers. But\n\nall these kings and briihmm;zas could not discover any disturbance in\nKr��a 's person.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0212": "175\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\n28. Possessing Equilibrium\n\nA person who is unaffected by attachment and envy is said to\npossess equilibrium.\nAn example of Kr��a's equilibrium is given in the Tenth Canto,\n\n16th Chapter, 29th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam in connection with\nHis chastising Kaliya, the hundred-headed serpent. While Kaliya was\nbeing severely punished, all of his wives appeared before the Lord\nand prayed as follows: \"My dear Lord, You have descended to punish\nall kinds of demoniac living creatures. Our husband, this Kaliya, is a\ngreatly sinful creature, and so Your punishment for him is quite\nappropriate. We know that Your punishment for Your enemies and\nYour dealings with Your sons are both the same. We know that it is\nin thinking of the future welfare of this condemned creature that\nYou have chastised him.\"\nIn another prayer it is said, \"My dear Lord Kr��a, best of all the\nKuru dynasty, You are so impartial that even if Your enemy is qualified, You will reward him; and if one of Your sons is a culprit, You\nwill chastise him. This is Your business, because You are the supreme\nauthor of universes. You have no partiality. If anyone finds any partiality in Your characteristics, he is surely mistaken.\"\n29. Magnanimous\n\nAny person who is very charitably disposed is called magnanimous.\nWhen Kr��a was reigning over Dvaraka, He was so magnanimous\nand charitably disposed that there was no limit to His charity. In\nfact, so great was His charity in Dvaraka that even the spiritual kingdom, with all of its opulence of cintiimarti (touchstone), desire trees\nand surabhi cows, was surpassed. In the spiritual kingdom of Lord\nKr��a, named Goloka Vrndavana, there are surabhi cows which give\n\nunlimited quantities of milk. There are desire trees from which anyone can take all kinds of fruits, as much as he may desire. The land\nis made of touchstone, which when touched to iron will transform it\ninto gold. In other words, although in the spiritual kingdom, the\nabode of Kr��a, everything is wonderfully opulent, still when Kr��a\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0213": "Qualities of Sri K!§[La\n\n176\n\nwas in Dvaraka His charity exceeded the opulence of Goloka Vrndavana. Wherever Kr�l).a is present, the limitless opulence of Goloka\nVrndavana is automatically present.\nIt is also stated that while Lord Krwa was living in Dvaraka, He\nexpanded Himself into 16,108 forms, and each and every expansion\nresided in a palace with a queen. Not only was Krwa happily living\nwith His queens in those palaces, but He was giving in charity from\neach palace an aggregate number of 13,054 cows completely decorated with nice clothing and ornaments. From each of Kr�l).a's 16,108\npalaces, these cows were given daily. This means that 13,054 multiplied by 16,108 cows were being given in charity by Kr�l).a every day.\nNo one can estimate the value of such a large number of cows given\nin charity, but that was the system of Kr�l).a's daily affairs while He\nwas reigning inDvaraka.\n\n30. Religious\nA person who personally practices the tenets of religion as they\nare enjoined in the siistras and who also teaches others the same principles is called religious. Simply professing a kind of faith is not a sign\nof religiousness. One must act according to religious principles, and\nby his personal example he should teach others. Such a person is to\nbe understood as religious.\nWhen Kr�l).a was present on this planet there was no irreligion. In\nthis connection, Narada Muni once addressed Kr�l).a jokingly: \"My\ndear Lord of the cowherd boys, Your bulls [bulls are the representation of religion] , while eating grass from the pasturing ground and\nmoving on their four legs, have certainly eaten up all the grass of irreligion!\" In other words, by the grace of Kr�l).a, religious principles\nwere so well cared for that hardly any irreligious activities could be\nfound.\nIt is said that because Kr�l).a was constantly performing various\ntypes of sacrifices and was inviting the demigods from the higher\nplanetary systems, the demigods were almost always absent from\ntheir consorts. Therefore the wives of the demigods, regretting the\nabsence of their husbands, began to pray for the appearance of Lord\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0214": "177\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nBuddha, the ninth incarnation of Krgta in the age of Kali. In other\nwords, instead of being pleased that Lord Kr�':la had come, they began to pray for Lord Buddha, who is the ninth incarnation, because\nLord Buddha stopped the ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices recommended in the Vedas in order to discourage animal killing. The demigods' wives thought that if Lord Buddha appeared, all kinds of sacrifices would be stopped, and thus their husbands would not be invited\nto such ceremonies and thus would not be separated from them.\nSometimes it is enquired, \"Why don't the demigods from higher\nplanetary systems come to this earth planet nowadays?\" The plain\nanswer is that since Lord Buddha appeared and began to deprecate\nthe performance of sacrifice in order to stop animal killing on this\nplanet, the process of offering sacrifices has been stopped, and the\ndemigods do not care to come here anymore.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0215": "22 I Qualities of Kr��a\nFurther Explained\n\n31. Heroic\nA person who is very enthusiastic in military activities and expert\nin releasing different kinds of weapons is called heroic.\nRegarding Kr�!ia's heroism in fighting, there is the following statement: \"My dear killer of the enemy, just as the elephant while taking\nbath in the lake destroys all the lotus stems within the water by\nswinging its trunk, so· simply by moving Your arms, which are compared to the trunks of elephants, You have killed so many lotus-like\n.\n\nenemies.\n\n\"\n\nRegarding Kr�!ia's expertise in releasing weapons, when J arasandha,\nalong with thirteen divisions of soldiers, attacked Kr�!la's army, they\nwere unable to hurt even one soldier on the side of Kr�!la. This was\ndue to Kr�!la 's expert military training. This is unique in the history\nof military art.\n\n32. Compassionate\nA person who is unable to bear another's distress is called compassionate.\nKr�!la's compassion for distressed persons was exhibited when He\nreleased all of the kings imprisoned by Magadhendra. While dying,\nGrandfather Bhi�ma prayed to Kr�!la and described Him as the sun\nwhich eradicated darkness. The kings who were imprisoned by\nMagadhendra were put into dark cells, and when Kr�!la appeared\nthere, the darkness immediately disappeared, just as if the sun had\n\n178\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0216": "179\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nrisen. In other words, although Magadhendra was able to imprison\n\nso many kings, upon the appearance of Kr��a they were all released.\nKr��a did this out of His sincere compassion for the kings.\n\nKr��a's compassion was also exhibited when Grandfather Bhi�ma\n\nwas lying on the bed of arrows which had been shot through his body.\n\nWhile lying in this position, Bhi�ma was very anxious to see Kr��a,\n\nand thus Krwa appeared there. Upon seeing the pitiable condition of\n\nBhi�ma, Kr��a began speaking with tears in His eyes. Not only was\nHe shedding tears, but He also forgot Himself in His compassion.\n\nTherefore, instead of offering obeisances to Krwa directly, devotees\n\noffer obeisances to His compassionate nature. Actually, because\n\nKr��a is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is very difficult to\napproach Him. But the devotees, taking advantage of His compassion­\n\nate nature, which is represented by Radhara�i, always pray to\n\nRadhara�i for Kr��a's compassion.\n\n33. Respectful\nA person who shows adequate respect to a spiritual master, a\nbriihmar;w and an old person is to be understood as being respectful.\n\nWhen superior persons assembled before Krwa, Kr��a first of all\n\noffered respect to His spiritual master, then to His father and then to\nHis elder brother, Balarama. In this way Lord Kr��a, the lotus-eyed,\n\nwas completely happy and pure at heart in all of His dealings.\n\n34. Gentle\nAny person who neither becomes impudent nor exhibits a puffed­\n\nup nature is called gentle.\n\nThe example of Kr��a's gentle behavior was manifested when He\nwas coming to the arena of the riija-siiya sacrifice arranged by\n\nMaharaj Yudhi�thira, Kr��a's older cousin. Maharaj Yudhi�thira knew\nthat Kr��a was the. Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he was\n\nattempting to get down from his chariot to receive Kr��a. But before\nYudhi�thira could get down, Lord Kr��a got down from His own\nchariot and immediately fell at the feet of the King. Even though\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0217": "Qualities of K[§!la Further Explained\n\n180\n\nKr�!la is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He never forgets to\nshow social etiquette in His dealings.\n\n35. Liberal\nAny person who is by his natural behavior very mild is called liberal.\nA statement by Uddhava after the Syamantaka jewel plundering\nconfirms that Kr�!la is so kind and favorable that if a servitor is accused even of great offenses, Kr�!la does not take this into considera tion. He simply considers the service that is rendered by His devotee.\n\n36.Shy\nA person who sometimes exhibits humility and bashfulness is called\nshy.\nAs described in the Lalita-miidhava, Kr�!!a's shyness was manifested\nwhen He lifted Govardhan Hill by the little finger of His left hand.\nAll of the gopis were observing Kr�!!a's wonderful achievement, and\nKrwa was also smiling at seeing the gopis. When Kr�!!a's glance went\nover the breasts of the gopis, His hand began to shake, and upon\nseeing His hand shake, all of the cowherd men underneath the hill\nbecame a little disturbed. Then there was a tumultuous roaring sound,\nand they all began to pray to Kr�!la for safety. At this time Lord\nBalarama was smiling, thinking that these cowherd men had been\nfrightened by the shaking of Govardhan Hill. But, seeing Balarama\nsmile, Krwa thought that Balarama had understood His mind in observing the breasts of the gopis, and He immediately became bashful.\n\n37. Protector ofSurrendered Souls\nKr�!la is the protector of all surrendered souls.\nSome enemy of Kr�!la's was enlivened with the thought that he\nneedn't fear Kr�!ia because if he simply surrendered unto Him, Kr�!la\nwould give him all protection. Kr�!la is sometimes compared with the\nmoon, which does not hesitate to distribute its soothing rays, even on\nthe houses of the caflt)iilas and untouchables.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0218": "181\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\n38. Happy\n\nAny person who is always joyful and untouched by any distress is\n\ncalled happy.\n\nAs far as Kr�rta's enjoyment is concerned, it is stated that the orna­\n\nments which decorated the bodies of Kr�rta and His queens were be­\n\nyond the dreams of Kubera, the treasurer of the heavenly kingdom.\nThe constant dancing before the doors of Kr�rta's palaces was not to\n\nbe imagined even by the demigods in the heavenly kingdom. In the\nheavenly kingdom, lndra always sees the dancing of the society girls.\n\nBut even Indra could not imagine how beautiful were the dances\n\nbeing performed at the gates of Kr�rta's palaces. Gauri means white\n\nwoman, and Lord Siva's wife is called Gauri. The beautiful women\nresiding within the palaces of Kr�rta were so much whiter than Gauri\nthat they were compared to the moonshine, and they were constantly\n\nvisible to Krwa. Therefore, no one can be enjoying more than Kr�rta.\n\nThe conception of enjoyment is beautiful women, ornaments and\n\nriches. And all of these things were fabulously present in the palaces\nof Kr�!J.a, defeating even the imagination of Kubera, Lord Indra or\nLord Siva.\n\nNot even a slight distress can touch Kr�rta. Once some of the gopis\n\nwent to the place where the briihmarws were performing sacrifices and\n\nsaid, \"My dear wives of the briihmar-as, you must know that not even\n\na slight smell of distress can touch Kr�!J.a. He knows no loss, He knows\n\nno defamation, He has no fear, He has no anxiety, and He does not\n\nknow calamity. He is simply encircled by the dancers of Braja and is\n\nenjoying their company in the rasa dance.\"\n39. Well-wisher of His Devotees\n\nIt is said of Kr�rta's devotees that if they offer even a little water or\n\na tulasi leaf in devotion to Lord Vi�!J.U, Lord Vi�rtu is so kind that He\n\nwill sell Himself to them.\n\nKr�rta's favoritism towards His devotees was exhibited in His fight\n\nwith Bhi�ma. When Grandfather Bhi�ma was lying at the point of\n\ndeath on the bed of arrows, Kr�rta was present before him, and\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0219": "Qualities of K[§[ta Further Explained\n\n182\n\nBhi�ma was remembering how Kr�pa had been kind to him on the\n\nbattlefield. Kr?pa had promised that in the Battle of Kuruk?etra He\n\nwould not even touch a weapon to help either side; He would remain\n\nneutral. Although Kr�pa was Arjuna's charioteer, He had promised\n\nthat He would not help Arjuna by using any weapons. But one day\nBhi?ma, in order to nullify Kr?pa's promise, exhibited his fighting\n\nspirit so magnificently against Arjuna that Kr?pa was obliged to get\n\ndown from His chariot. Taking up a broken chariot wheel, He ran\n\ntoward Grandfather Bhi?ma as a lion runs toward an elephant to kill\nit. Grandfather Bhi�ma remembered this scene, and He later praised\nKrwa for His glorious favoritism towards His devotee, Arjtma, even at\n\nthe risk of breaking His own promise.\n40. Controlled by Love\n\nKr�pa becomes obliged to the loving spirit of the devotee and not\n\nexactly to the service rendered. No one can serve Kr�pa completely.\n\nHe is so complete and self-sufficient that He has no need of any ser­\n\nvice from the devotee. It is the devotee's attitude of love and affection\n\nfor Krwa that makes Him obliged. A very nice example of this obliga­\n\ntory behavior was manifested when Sudama Vipra went to Kr?pa's\n\npalace. Sudama Vipra had been a class friend of Kr�pa's, and due to\n\nhis poverty he was induced by his wife to see Kr�pa to request some\n\naid. When Sudama Vipra reached Kr�pa's palace, Krwa received him\n\nvery well, and both He and His wife washed the feet of Sudama\nVipra, showing respect to the briihmar-a. Remembering His loving\n\naffairs with Sudama in their childhood, Kr�pa began to shed tears\nwhile receiving him.\nAnother instance of Kr�pa's obligation to His devotee is described\n\nin the Tenth Canto, 9th Chapter, 14th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam\n\nwhere Sukadeva Gosvami tells King Parik�it: \"My dear King, when\nMother Y asoda was perspiring, tired of trying to bind Kr?pa up with\n\nrope, Kr�pa agreed to allow her to bind Him.\" Kr�pa, as a child, was\ndisturbing His mother by His naughty activities, and she wanted to\n\nbind Him up. Mother Y asoda brought some rope from the house and\ntried to tie up the child, but she could not tie a knot due to the short-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0220": "183\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nness of the rope. She tied together many ropes, but when she finished\nstill the rope was too short. After a while she felt very tired and began to perspire. At that time Kr�!la agreed to be bound up by His\nmother. In other words, no one can bind Kr�!la by any means other\nthan love. He is bound only by obligation to His devotees, because of\ntheir ecstatic love for Him.\n41. All-auspicious\n\nA person who is always engaged in auspicious welfare activities for\neveryone is known as all-auspicious.\nAfter the disappearance of Lord Krwa from this planet, Uddhava\nbegan to remember the activities of the Lord and said, \"Kr�!la satisfied all great sages by His wonderful pastimes. He demolished all of\nthe demoniac activities of the cruel royal order, protected all pious\nmen, and killed all cruel fighters on the battlefield. Therefore He is\nall-auspicious for all men.\"\n42. Most Powerful\n\nA person who can always put his enemy into calamities is called\npowerful.\nWhen Kr�!la was present on this planet, just as the powerful sun\ndrives all darkness to take shelter in caves, He drove away all of His\nenemies, who fled like owls to take shelter beyond His sight.\n43. All-famous\n\nA person who becomes well-known due to his spotless character is\ncalled famous.\nIt is stated that the diffusion of Kr�!!a's fame is like the moonshine\nwhich turns darkness into light. In other words, if Kr�!la conscious�\nness is preached all QVer the world, the darkness of ignorance and the\nanxiety of material existence will turn into the whiteness of purity,\npeacefulness and prosperity.\nWhen the great sage Narada was chanting the glories of the Lord,\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0221": "Qualities of K[§fW Further Explained\n\n184\n\nthe bluish line on the neck of Lord Siva disappeared. Upon seeing\nthis, Gaur!, the wife of Lord Siva, suspected Lord Siva of being some­\n\none else disguised as her husband, and out of fear she immediately\nleft his company. Upon hearing the chanting of Krwa's name, Lord\n\nBalarama saw that his dress had become white, although He was gen­\n\nerally accustomed to a bluish dress. And the cowherd girls saw all of\n\nthe water of the Yamuna River turn into milk, so they began to\nchurn it into butter. In other words, by the spreading of Kr�tta\n\nconsciousness, or the glories of Kr�tta, everything became white and\n\npure.\n\n44. Popular\n\nAny person who is very dear to people in general is called a popular\n\nman.\n\nAs for Kr�tta's popularity, there is a statement in the First Canto,\n\n11th Chapter, 8th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam that deals with His\n\nreturning home from the capital of Hastinapur. While He had been\n\nabsent from Dvarakli at the Battle of Kuruk�etra, all the citizens of\nDvaraka had become morose. Then, when He returned, the citizens\n\njoyfully received Him and said, \"My dear Lord, while You were ab­\n\nsent from the city, we passed our days in the darkness of night. As in\n\nthe darkness of night every moment appears to be a long duration of\ntime, so while You were gone every moment appeared to us like\n\nmillions of years. Your separation is completely unbearable to us.\"\n\nThis statement shows how popular Kr�tta was all over the country.\n\nA similar incident occurred when Krsna entered the arena of sacri-\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nfice, arranged by King Kamsa for His death. As soon as He entered .\nthe place, all the sages began to cry, \"Jai! Jai! Jai!\" (which means\n\"Victory!\") Kr�tta was a boy at that time, and all the sages offered\n\n. their respectful blessings to Him. The demigods who were present al-\n\nso began to offer beautiful prayers to Kr�tta. And the ladies and girls\npresent expressed their joy from all corners of the arena. In other\n\nwords, there was no one in that particular place with whom Kr�tta\n\nwas not very popular.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0222": "185\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\n45. Partiality to Devotees\nAlthough Kr�!la is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is\ntherefore not partial to anyone, it is stated in the Bhagavad-gitii that\nHe has special attraction for a devotee who worships His name in love\nand affection. When Kr�!la was on this planet, one devotee expressed\nhis feeling in this way: \"My dear Lord, if You had not appeared on\nthis planet, then the asuras [demons] and atheists would have surely\ncreated havoc against the activities of the devotees. I cannot imagine\nthe magnitude of such devastation prevented by Your presence.\"\nFrom the very beginning of His appearance, Krwa was the greatest\nenemy of all demoniac persons, although Kr�!!a's enmity toward the\ndemons is actually comparable to His friendship with the devotees.\nThis is because any demon who is killed by Kr�!la receives immediate\nsalvation.\n46. Very Attractive to All Women\nAny person who has special qualifications becomes immediately\nvery attractive to women.\nA devotee made the following statement about the queens of\nDvaraka: \"How shall I describe the glories of the queens at Dvaraka\nwho were personally engaged in the sen1.ce of the Lord? The Lord is\nso great that simply by chanting His name all the great sages like\nNarada can enjoy transcendental bliss. So what can be said about\nthose queens who were at every moment seeing the Lord and serving\n\nHim personally?\" Kr�!la had 16,108 wives in Dvaraka, and each and\n\nevery one of them was attracted to Kr�!J.a just as iron is attracted by\na magnet. There is a statement by a devotee: \"My dear Lord, You are\njust like a magnet, and all the damsels of Braja are just like iron: in\nwhichever direction You are moving they are following You as iron is\nattracted by magnetic force.\"\n47. All-worshipable\nA person who is respected and worshiped by all kinds of human\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0223": "Qualities of Kr§!W further Explained\n\n186\n\nbeings and demigods is called sarviiriidhya or all-worshipable.\nKrwa is worshiped not only by all living entities, including the\n\ngreat demigods like Lord Siva and Lord Brahma, but also by Vi$tJ.U\nexpansions (forms of Godhead) such as Baladeva and S e9a. Baladeva is a direct expansion of Kr$tJ.a, but He still accepts Kr9rta as\nworshipable. When Krwa appeared in the arena of the riija-siiya sacrifice organized by Maharaj Yudhi$thira, to all present, including great\nsages and demigods, Kr$rta became the cynosure, the center of attraction, and everyone offered Him their respects.\n48. All-opulent\nKr9rta is full in all opulences-namely, strength, wealth, fame,\nbeauty, knowledge, and renunciation. When Kr9rta was present in\nDvaraka, His family, which is known as the Y adu dynasty, consisted\nof 560 million members. And all of these family members were very\nobedient and faithful to Krsna. There were more than 900,000\nbig palatial buildings there to house all the people, and everyone in\nthem respected Kr9tta as the most worshipable. Devotees were astonished to see the opulence of Krwa.\nThis was verified by Bilvamangala Thakur when in Kr§ra-harr-iimrta\nhe addressed Kr9rta thus: \"My dear Lord, what can I say about the\nopulence of Your Vrndavana? Simply the ornaments on the legs of\nthe damsels of Vrndavana are more than cintiimar-i, and their dresses\nare as good as the heavenly piirijiita flowers. And the cows exactly resemble the surabhi cows in the transcendental abode. Therefore Your\nopulence is just like an ocean that no one can measure.\"\n49. All-honorable\nA person who is chief among all important persons is called allhonorable.\n\nWhen Kr9rta was living at Dvaraka, demigods like Lord Siva, Lord\n\nBrahma, Indra the King of heaven and many others used to come to\nvisit Him. The doorkeeper, who had to manage the entrance of all\nthese demigods, one very busy day said, \"My dear Lord Brahma and\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0224": "187\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nLord Siva, please sit down on this bench and wait. My dear lndra,\n\nplease desist from reading your prayers. This is creating a disturbance.\n\nPlease wait silently. My dear Varu�a, please go away. And my dear\n\ndemigods, do not waste your time uselessly. Kr��a is very busy; He\ncannot see You!\"\n\n50. Supreme Controller\n\nThere arc two kinds of controllers, or lords: one who is indepen­\n\ndent is called controller, and one whose orders cannot be neglected\nby anyone is called controller.\n\nRegarding Kr��a's complete independence and lordship, Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam says that although Kaliya was a great offender, Kr��a\n\nstill favored him by marking his head with His lotus feet, whereas\nLord Brahma, although having prayed to Krwa with so many won­\n\nderful verses, still could not attract Him.\n\nThis contradictory treatment by Krwa is just befitting His posi­\n\ntion, because in all the Vedic literature He is described as the com­\n\nplete independent. In the beginning of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam the\n\nLord is described as svariit, which means completely independent.\n\nThat is the position of the supreme absolute truth. The absolute\n\ntruth is not only sentient, but He is also completely independent.\n\nAs for Krwa's orders not being neglected by anyone, in Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, Third Canto, 2nd Chapter, 21st verse, Uddhava tells\nVidura: \"Lord Kr��a is the master of the three modes of material\n\nnature. He is the enjoyer of all opulences, and therefore there is no\n\none equal to or greater than Him.\" All the great kings and emperors\nused to come before Him, offer their gifts and pay obeisances with\n\ntheir helmets at the feet of the Lord. One devotee said, \"My dear\nKr��a, when You order Brahma-'Now you may create the universe,'\n\n-and when You order Lord Siva-'Now you dissolve this material\n\nmanifestation,'-You are in this way creating and dissolving the ma­\n\nterial creation Yourself. Simply by Your orders and by Your partial\n\nrepresentation as Vi��u, You are maintaining the universes. In this\n\nway, 0 Kr��a, 0 enemy of Kamsa, there are so many Brahmas and\nSivas who are simply carrying out Your orders.\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0225": "Qualities of K[§!W Further Explained\n\n188\n\n51. Changeless\n\nKrwa does not change His constitutional position, not even when\nHe appears in this material world. Ordinary living entities have their\nconstitutional spiritual positions covered. They appear in different\nbodies, and under the different bodily concepts of life they act. But\nKr��a does not change His body. He appears in His own body and is\ntherefore not affected by the modes of material nature. In the First\n\nCanto, llth Chapter, 24th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is stated\n\nthat the special prerogative of the supreme controller is that He is\nnot at all affected by the modes of nature. The practical example of\nthis is that devotees who are under the protection of the Lord are\nalso not affected by material nature. To overcome the influence of\nmaterial nature is very difficult, but the devotees or the saintly persons who are under the protection of the Lord are not affected. So\nwhat need is there to speak of the Lord Himself? To be more clear,\nalthough the Lord sometimes appears in this material world, He has\nnothing to do with the modes of material nature, and He acts with\nfull independence in His transcendental position. This is the special\nquality of the Lord.\n52. All-cognizant\n\nAny person who can understand the feelings of all persons and incidents in all places at all times is called all-cognizant.\nA nice example of the all-cognizant quality of the_ Lord is de­\n\nscribed in Sninad-Bhiigavatam, First Canto, 15th Chapter, llth verse,\n\nin connection with Durvasa Muni's visit to the house of the Pa��avas\nin the forest. Following a calculated plan, Duryodhana sent Durvasa\nMuni and his ten thousand disciples to be guests of the Pa��avas in\nthe forest. Duryodhana arranged for Durvasa and his men to reach\nthe place of the Pa��avas just when the Pa��avas' lunchtime was\n�nded, so that the Pa��avas would be caught without sufficient\nmeans to feed such a large number of guests. Knowing Duryodhana's\nplan, Kr��a came to the Pa��avas and asked their wife Draupadi if\nthere were any remnants of food which she could offer to Him.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0226": "189\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nDraupadi offered Him a container in which there was only a little\nfragment of some vegetable preparation, and Kr��a at once ate it. At\nthat moment all of the sages accompanying Durvasa were taking bath\nin the river, and when Kr��a felt satisfaction from eating Draupadi's\noffering, they also felt satisfaction, and their hunger was gone. Because Durvasa and his men were unable to eat anything more, they\nwent away without coming into the house of the Pa��avas. In this\nway the Pa��avas were saved from the wrath of Durvasa. Duryodhana\nhad sent them because he knew that the Pa��avas would not be able\nto receive such a large number, and thus Durvasa would become\nangry, and the Pa��avas would be cursed. But Kr��a saved them\nfrom this calamity by His trick and by His all-cognizant quality.\n53. Ever-fr esh\n\nKr��a is always remembered, and His name is always chanted by\nmillions of devotees, but the devotees never become saturated. Instead of becoming disinterested in thinking of Kr��a and in chanting\nHis holy name, the devotees get newer and newer impetus to continue the process. Therefore Kr��a is ever-fresh. Not only Kr��a Himself, but also Kr��a's knowledge is ever-fresh. The Bhagavad-gitii,\nwhich was imparted 5,000 years ago, is still being read repeatedly by\nmany, many men, and still new light is always being found in it.\nTherefore, Kr��a and His name, fame, qualities-and everything in\nrelationship with Him-is ever-fresh.\nAll the queens at Dvaraka were goddesses of fortune. It is said in\nthe Srimad-Bhiigavatam, First Canto, 11th Chapter, 29th verse, that\nthe goddesses of fortune are very fickle and restless, so no one can\nconsistently captivate them. Thus one's luck will always change\nsometime. Yet the goddesses of fortune could not leave Kr��a for\neven a moment when they were residing with Him at Dvaraka. This\nmeans that Kr��a's attraction is ever-fresh. Even the goddesses of fortune cannot leave His company.\nRegarding Kr��a's attractive features being ever-fresh, there is a\nstatement by Radhara�i in the Lalita-miidhava, in which Kr��a is\ncompared with the greatest sculptor because He is expert in chisling\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0227": "Qualities of K[§rla Further Explained\n\n190\n\nat the chastity of women. In other words, although chaste women\nmay follow the_ rules and regulations of Vedic principles to become\never-faithful to their husbands, Krsna is able to break their stone-like\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nchastity with the chisel of His beauty. Most of the girl friends of\nKrsna were married, but because Krsna was their friend before their\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nmarriages, they could not forget His attractive features, which were\nalways fascinating to them, even after their marriages.\n\n54. Sac-cid-iinanda-vigraha\nThis means that Kr��a 's transcendental body is eternal, full of\nknowledge and bliss. Sat means ever-existing for all time and in all\nplaces; in other words, all-pervading in time and space. Cit means full\nof knowledge. Kr��a has nothing to learn from anyone. He is independently full of all knowledge. Ananda means the reservoir of all\npleasure. The impersonalists are seeking to merge into the Brahman\neffulgence of eternity and knowledge, but the major portion of the\nabsolute pleasure which is in Kr��a is avoided by them. One can enjoy\nthe transcendental blissfulness of merging into the Brahman effulgence after being freed from the contamination of material illusion,\nfalse identification, attachment, detachment and material absorption.\nThese are the preliminary qualifications of a person who can realize\nBrahman. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gitii that one has to become\nfull of joyfulness; this is not exactly joyfulness, but a sense of freedom from all anxieties. Freedom from all anxieties may be the first\nprinciple of joyfulness, but it is not actual joyfulness. Those who\nrealize the self, or become brahma-bhiita, are only preparing themselves for the platform of joyfulness. That joyfulness can be actually\nachieved only when one comes into contact with Krwa. Kr��a consciousness is so complete that it includes the transcendental pleasure\nderived from impersonal or Brahman realization. Even the impersonalist will become attracted to the personal form of Kr��a, known\n\nas Syiimasundara.\n\nIt is confirmed by the statement of Brahma-samhitii that the Brah­\n\nman effulgence is the bodily ray of Kr��a; the Brahman effulgence is\nsimply an exhibition of the energy of Krwa. Kr��a is the source of\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0228": "191\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nthe Brahman effulgence, as He Himself confirms in the Bhagavad-gitii.\n\nFrom this we can conclude that the impersonal feature of the abso­\n\nlute truth is not the ultimate end; Kr��a is the ultimate end of the\nabsolute truth.\n\nThe Vai�rwva schools therefore riever try to merge into the Brah­\n\nman effulgence in their pursuit of spiritual perfection. They accept\nKr��a as the ultimate goal of self realization. Therefore Kr��a is\n\ncalled parambrahman (the supreme Brahman) or paramesvara (the su­\n\npreme controller). Sri Yamunacarya has prayed as follows: \"My dear\nLord, I know that the gigantic universe and gigantic space and time\nwithin the universe are covered by the ten layers of the material ele­\n\nments, each layer ten times larger than the previous one. The three\n\nmaterial modes of nature, the Garbhodakasayi Vi��u, the Ksirodakasayi Vi��u and the Maha-Viwu, and beyond them the spiritual sky\nand its spiritual planets, known as V aiku�thas, and the Brahman effulgence in that spiritual sky -all of these taken together are nothing\nbut a small exhibition of Your potency.\"\n\n55. Possessing All Mystic Perfections\nThere are many standards of perfection. The highest material perfections, obtained by perfect yogis, are listed as eight:· to become the\nsmallest of the small, to become the greatest of the great, etc. All of\n\nthese material perfections, as well as all spiritual perfections, can be\nfound fully in Kr��a's personality.\n\n56. Kr§p,a's Inconceivable Potencies\nKr��a is present everywhere, not only within the universe, not\nonly within the heart of all living entities, but also within every atom.\nIn the prayers/of Queen Kunti we find mention of this inconceivable\n\npotency of Kr��a. While Krwa was talking with Kunti, He simul­\n\ntaneously entered the womb of Uttara, who was in danger due to the\n\natomic weapon of Asvatthama. Kr��a can illusion even Lord Brahma\nand Lord Siva, and He can protect all surrendered �evotees from the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0229": "Qualities of K[§[La Further Explained·\n\n192\n\nreaction of sinful activities. These are some of the examples of His\ninconceivable potencies.\n\nSrila Riipa Gosvami therefore offers his obeisances unto Kr9p.a by\n\nsaying, \"Kr9p..a, who is present as a human being, has as His mere\n\nshadow the whole material nature. He has expanded Himself into so\n\nmany cows, calves and cowherd boys, and He has again manifested\nHimself in all of them as the four-handed Narayap.a. He has taught\n\nmillions of Brahmas self realization, and thus He is worshipahle not\nonly by the heads of all universes, but by everyone else also. There­\n\nfore let me always accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.\"\n\nWhen Indra was defeated by Krwa in the matter of taking the\n\npiirijiita plant from heaven, Narada met Indra and criticized him: \"0\n\nIndra, great King of heaven, Kr9p..a has already defeated Lord Brahma\n\nand Lord Siva. So what can be said of an insignificant demigod like\n\nyou?\" Narada Muni, of course, was criticizing Indra jokingly, and\nIndra enjoyed it. In Narada's statement it is confirmed that Krwa\n\nwas able to illusion even Lord Brahma and Lord Siva as well as Indra.\n\nSo there is no question of Kr9p.a 's power to do the same to lesser\n\nliving entities.\n\nA description of Kr9p.a's power in minimizing the sufferings of sin­\n\nful reactions is given in Brahma-sarhhitii as follows: \"Beginning from\nthe great King of heaven down to the ant, everyone is undergoing the\n\nreactions of past deeds. But a devotee of Kr�p..a is relieved from such\n\nreactions by the grace of Krwa.\" This was clearly proved when Krwa\n\nwent to the place of Yamaraja, the Lord of death, to reclaim the\ndead sons of His teacher. Krwa's teacher had requested Him to bring\n\nback his dead sons, and to do so Kr9p.a went to the place of Yamaraja\n\nto claim all of those souls who had been brought there by Yamaraja\n\nand were being kept under his control. Krwa immediately ordered\n\nYamaraja, \"Be benefitted by My order and return those souls unto\n\nMe!\" The purport of this incident is that even a person who is under\n\nthe regulative principles of the laws of nature, and is therefore punish­\n\nable by Y amaraja under these laws, can be granted complete im­\n\nmunity by the grace of Kr9p..a.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0230": "193\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nKr��a 's inconceivable potencies have been described by Sukadeva\n\nGosvami as follows: \"Kr��a is bewildering my intelligence because,\n\nalthough He is unborn, He has appeared as the son of Nanda Maharaj.\n\nHe is all-pervading, but still He is held on the lap of Y asoda. In spite\n\nof His being all-pervasive, He has become limited by the love of\nYasoda. Although He has innumerable forms, still He is moving as\n\none Kr��a before His father and mother, Nanda and Yasoda. In the\n\nBrahma-sarhhitii also it is said that although Kr��a is eternally living\n\nin Goloka Vrndavana, His transcendental abode, He is still present\neverywhere, even within the atoms.\n\n57. Kr§!w's Body Generates Innumerable Universes\n\nIn the Tenth Canto, 14th Chapter, llth verse, of the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, Lord Brahma says, \"My dear Lord, false ego, intelli­\n\ngence, mind, sky, air, fire, water and earth are the material in­\n\ngredients of this universe, which can be compared to a gigantic pot. In\n\nthat gigantic pot my body is of insignificant measurement, and even\n\nthough one of the many universes is created by me, innumerable uni­\n\nverses are coming and going from the pores of Your body, just as\natomic particles are seen flickering in the sunlight. I think I am very,\n\nvery insignificant before You, and I am therefore begging Your par-\n\ndon. Please be merciful toward me.\"\n\n·\n\nIf one takes account of only one universe, he will find so many\n\ncombinations of wonderful things within, because there are innu­\n\nmerable planets, innumerable residences and places of demigods. The\n\nlength and breadth of the universe is 400 million miles by 400 million\nmiles, and it is infested with many unfathomable regions known as\n\npiitiilas, or downward planetary systems. Although Kr��a is the origin\nof all this, He can always be seen in Vrndavana, exhibiting His inconceivable potencies. So who can adequately worship such an allpowerful Lord, possessed of such inconceivable energy?\n\n58. The Original Source of All Incarnations\n\nJayadeva Gosvami, in his Gita-govinda, has sung as follows: \"The\n\n�;;;==--'-�-�=��- ---\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0231": "Qualities of Kr§rta Further Explained\n\n194\n\nLord has saved the Vedas in His form as a fish, and He has borne the\nwhole universe on His back in the form of a tortoise. He has picked\nup this earthly planet from the water in the form of a boar. He has\nkilled Hirapyakasipu in the form of Nrsimha. He has cheated Maharaj\nBali in the form of Vamana. He has annihilated all the dynasties of\n\nthe k§atriyas in the form of Parasurama. He has killed all the demons\nin the form of Lord Rama. He has accepted the great plow in the\nform of Balarama. He has annihilated all the atheistic persons in the\nform of Kalki. And He has saved all the poor animals in the form of\nLord Buddha.\"* These are some of the descriptions of the incarna­\n\ntions emanating from Kr�pa, and from the Srimad-Bhagiivatam it is\nunderstood that innumerable incarnations are always coming out\nfrom the body of KrJpa, just like waves in the ocean. No one can\neven count how many waves there are, and similarly no one can\n\ncount how many incarnations are coming from the Lord's body.\n\n59. Kr§rta Gives Salva.tion to the Enemies that He Kills\nAnother name for salvation is apavarga. Apavarga is the opposite\n\nof pavarga, or the various miserable conditions of material existence.\n\nPavarga consists of the combinations of five letters: pa, pha, ba, bha,\n\nand ma. These letters are the first letters of the words for five differ­\n\nent conditions as described below. The first letter, pa, comes from\n\nthe word pariibhava, which means \"defeat.\" In this material struggle\nfor existence, we are simply meeting defeat. Actually, we have to\n\nconquer birth, death, disease and old age, and because there is\nno possibility of overcoming all these miserable conditions, due to\nthe illusion of miiyii, we are simply meeting with pariibhava, or de­\n\nfeat. The next letter, pha, is taken from the word phenila. Phenila is\n\nthe foam which is found on the mouth when one is very tired (as is\ncommonly observed with horses). The letter ba comes from the word\n\nbandha, or bondage. Bha is taken from the word bhiti, or fearfulness.\n\nMa is taken trom the word mrti, or death. So the word pavarga\n\n*\nAll of these incarnations of Godhead are described in the author's Sri'madBhiigavatam, Volume I, Chapter 3.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0232": "195\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nsignifies our struggle for existence and our meeting with defeat, exhaustion, bondage, fearfulness and, at last, death. Apavarga means\nthat which can nullify all of these material conditions. Kr9pa is said\nto be the giver of apavarga, the path of liberation.\n\nFor the impersonalist and the enemies of Krwa, liberation means\n\nto merge into the supreme. The demons and the impersonalists do\nnot care for Krwa, but Kr9pa is so kind that He gives this liberation\neven to His enemies and to the impersonalists. There is the following\nstatement in this connection: \"0 Murari [Kr9pa]! How wonderful\nit is that although the demons, who were always envious of the demigods, have failed to penetrate Your military phalanx, they have\npenetrated the region of mitra, the sun globe.\" The word mitra is\nused metaphorically. Mitra means the sun globe, and mitra also\nmeans friend. The demons who opposed Kr9pa as enemies wanted to\npenetrate His military phalanx; but instead of doing this, they died in\nbattle, and the result was that they penetrated the planet of Mitra, or.\nthe sun planet. In other words, they entered into the Brahman effulgence. The example of the sun planet is given here beca.use the sun is\never-illuminating, like the spiritual sky, where there are innumerable\nilluminating V aikuptha planets. The enemies of Kr9pa were killed,\nand instead of penetrating Kr�pa 's phalanx, they entered into the\nfriendly atmosphere of the spiritual effulgence. That is the mercy of\nKr�pa, and therefore He is known as the deliverer of His enemies also.\n\n60. The Attractor of Liberated Souls\nThere are many examples of how Kr�pa attracted even great liberated souls like Sukadeva Gosvami and the Kumaras. In this connection the following statement was given by the Kumaras: \"How wonderful it is that although we are completely liberated, free from desire\nand situated at the stage of paramaharhsa, we are still aspiring to\ntaste the pastimes of Radha and Kr�pa.\n\n61. Performer of Wonderful Activities\nIn the Brhad- Viimana Puriir-a, the Lord says, \"Although I have\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0233": "Qualities of K[§[W Further Explained\n\n196\n\nmany fascinating pastimes, whenever I think of the riisa-lilii, which\n\nI perform with the gopis, I become eager to have it again.\"\n\nOne devotee has said, \"I know about Naraya�a, the husband of the\n\ngoddess of fortune, and I also know about many other incarnations\nof the Lord. Certainly all the pastimes of such incarnations are ex­\n\nciting to my mind, but still, the pastimes of the riisa-lilii performed\nby Lord Kr��a Himself are wonderfully increasing my transcendental\npleasure.\"\nIn the\n\nTenth\n\nCanto,\n\n31st\n\nChapter,\n\n15th\n\nverse, of Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, the gopis lament: \"My dear Kr��a, during the daytime\n\nwhen You go out into the forest of V rndavana with Your cows, we\nconsider one moment to be twelve years, and it is very difficult for us\n\nto pass the time. And again when You come back at the end of the\n\nday, by seeing Your beautiful face we are so much attracted that we\n\nare unable to stop looking upon You constantly. At these times, when\nthere is occasional blinking of our eyelids, we condemn the creator,\n\nLord Brahma, as a dunce, because he does not know how to make\n\nperfect eyes!\" In other words, the gopis were disturbed by the blink­\n\ning of their eyes because for the moment that their eyes were closed\n\nthey could not see Kr��a. This means that the gopis' love for Kr��a\n\nwas so great and ecstatic that they were disturbed by even His momentary absence. And when they saw Kr��a, they. were also dis-\n\nturbed. This is a paradox.\n\nOne gopi, expressing herself to Krwa, says: \"When we meet You\n\nat night, we consider the duration of night to be very small. And why\n\nspeak of only this night? Even if we had a night of Brahma * we\n\nwould consider it a very short time!\" We get an idea of Brahma's\n\nday from the following statement of the Bhagavad-gitii: \"By human\n\ncalculation, a thousand yuga cycles taken together is Brahma's one\nday. And such also is the duration of his night.\" (Bg. 8.17) The gopis\n\nsaid that even if they could have that duration of night, it would still\nnot be sufficient for their meeting with Kr��a.\n\n*\n\n64,300,000,000 solar years equals twelve hours or one night of Brahma.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0234": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n197\n\n62. Kr§r-a's Attractive Flute\nIn the Tenth Canto, 35th Chapter, 8th verse of the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, the gopis tell Mother Yasoda, \"When your son plays on\nHis flute, Lord Siva, Lord Brahma and lndra-although they are sup­\n\nposed to be the greatest learned scholars and personalities-all be­\n\ncome bewildered. Although they are all very great personalities, by\n\nhearing the sound of Kr�!la's flute they humbly bow down and become grave from studying the sound vibrated.\"\n\nIn his book Vidagdha-miidhava, Sri Rilpa Gosvami thus describes\n\nthe vibration of Kr�!ta's flute: \"The sound yibration created by the\n\nflute of Kr�!la wonderfully stopped Lord Siva from playing his lJir-­\n\nl}ima drum, and the same flute has caused great sages like the four\nKumaras to become disturbed in their meditation. It has caused Lord\n\nBrahma, who was sitting on the lotus flower for the creative function,\n\nto become astonished. And Anantadeva, who was calmly holding all\nthe planets on his hood, was moving in this way and that due to the\ntranscendental\n\nvibration\n\nfrom\n\nKr�!la's\n\nflute,\n\nwhich\n\npenetrated\n\nthrough the covering of this universe and reached to the spiritual\nsky.\"\n\n63. Kr§r-a is Surrounded by Loving Devotees\nWhen we speak of Kr�!la, Kr�!la is not alone. Kr�!la means His\n\nname, His qualities, His fame, His friends, His paraphernalia, His\n\nentourage-all of these are included. When we speak of a king, it is to\nbe understood that he is surrounded by ministers, secretaries, mili­\n\ntary commanders and many other people. Similarly, Kr�!la is not\n\nimpersonal. In His Vrndavana lilii especially, He is surrounded by the\n\ngopis, the cowherd boys, His father, His mother and all the inhabitants of v rndavana.\n\n64. Kr§r-a's Exquisite Beauty\nIn the Third Canto, 2nd Chapter, 12th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam,\nUddhava tells Vidura, \"My dear sir, Krwa's form was most wonder-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0235": "Qualities of Kr§rw Further Explained\n\n198\n\nful when He appeared on this planet and exhibited the potency of\nHis internal energy. His wonderfully attractive form was present during His pastimes on this planet, and by His internal potency He exhibited His opulences, which are striking to everyone. His personal\nbeauty was so great that there was no necessity for His wearing ornaments on His body. In fact, instead of the ornaments beautifying\nKr�9-a, Kr�9-a 's beauty enhanced the ornaments.\"\nRegarding the attractiveness of Kr�9-a's bodily beauty and the\nsound vibration of His flute, in the Tenth Canto, 29th Chapter, 37th\nverse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, the gopis address Kr�9-a as follows:\n\n\"Although our attitude towards You resembles loving affairs with a\nparamour, we cannot but wonder at how no woman can maintain her\nchastity upon hearing the vibration from Your flute. And not only\nwomen, but even stronghearted men are subject to falling down from\ntheir position at the sound of Your flute. In fact, we have seen that\nin Vrndavana even the cows, the deer, the birds, the trees-everyonehas been enchanted by the sweet vibration of Your flute and the\nfascinating beauty of Your person.\"\n\nIn Riipa Gosvami's Lalita-miidhava, it is said: \"One day Kr�9-a\n\nhappened to see the shadow of His beautiful form reflected on the\njeweled foreground. Upon seeing this bodily reflection, He expressed\nHis feelings: 'How wonderful it is that I have never seen such a beautiful form! Although it is My own form, still, like Radharapi, I am\ntrying to embrace this form and enjoy celestial bliss.\"' This statement shows how Krsna and His shadow reflection are one and the\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nsame. There is no difference between Kr��a and His shadow reflection, nor between Krwa and His picture. That is the transcendental position of Kr��a.\nThe above statements describe some of the wonderful reservoirs\nof pleasure within Kr�9-a, as well as the transcendental qualities of\nHis personality. The transcendental qualities of Kr��a are compared\nto the ocean: no one can estimate the length and breadth of the\nocean. But, as one can understand the ocean's contents simply by\ntesting one drop of it, so these statements will give us some understanding of Kr��a's transcendental position and qualities.\n\nIn the Tenth Canto, 14th Chapter, 7th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam,\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0236": "199\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nLord Brahmii says, \"My dear Lord, the inconceivable qualities, beauties and activities which You have revealed by Your presence on this\nplanet cannot be calculated by any material measurement. If one\neven tries to ima gine that 'Kr�pa may be like this,' that is also impossible. The day may come when the material scientist, after many,\nmany births or after many, many years, will be able to estimate the\natomic constitution of the whole world, or he may be able to count\nthe atomic fragments that permeate the sky, or he may even give an\nestimate of all the atoms within the universe, but still he will never\nbe able to count the transcendental qualities in Your reservoir of\ntranscendental bliss.\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0237": "23 I Kr��a's Personality\n\nSrila Riipa Gosvami states that although Lord K{�l).a is the reser­\n\nvoir of unlimited pleasure and the greatest leader of all, He is still\ndependent upon His devotees in three ways. According to the emo­\n\ntional status of the devotee, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is\n\nappreciated in three ways: as the most perfect, as very perfect and as\nperfect. When He exhibits Himself in fullness, He is appreciated by\n\ngreat learned scholars as most perfect. When He exhibits Himself in\nlesser degrees, He. is called very perfect. And when He exhibits still\nless, He is called perfect. This means that Krwa is appreciated for\n\nthree degrees cif perfection. These three degrees of perfection are\n\nespecially exhibited as follows: when He is in Goloka Vrndavana His\n\ntranscendental qualities are exhibited as most perfect, when He is in\n\nDvaraka He exhibits His qualities as very perfect, and when He is in\nMathura He exhibits His qualities as perfect.\n\nKr�l).a's personality is analyzed as dhirodiitta, dhira-lalita, dhira­\n\nprasiinta and dhiroddhata. If one asks how a personality can be be­\n\nheld in four quite opposing ways, the answer is that the Lord is the\n\nreservoir of all transcendental qualities and activities. Therefore, His\ndifferent aspects can be analyzed according to the exhibition of His\nlimitless variety of pastimes, and as such there is no contradiction.\n\nDhirodiitta\nA dhirodiitta is a person who is naturally very grave, gentle, forgiving, merciful, determined, humble, highly qualified, chivalrous and\n\nbodily attractive.\n\n200\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0238": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n201\n\nIn this connection, the following statement given by lndra, the King\n\nof heaven, is very significant: \"My dear Lord, I admit that I have\ncommitted great offenses unto You, but I cannot express my feelings\n\nof regret, being bewildered at seemg Your extraordinary chivalrous\nspirit, Your endeavor to protect Your devotees, Your determination,\n\nYour steadiness in lifting the great Hill of Govardhana, Your beautiful\n\nbodily features and Your astonishing characteristic of being pleased\nsimply by accepting the prayers of Your devotees and offenders.\"\n\nThe above statement by the King of heaven is an exact c�rrobora­\n\ntion of Kr�!!a's being dhirodiitta. Many learned scholars have agreed\n\nto also accept Lord Ramacandra as dhirodiitta, but all of Lord Ramacandra's qualities are also included in the character of Lord Kr�!la.\n\nDhira-lalita\nA person is called dhira-lalita if he is naturally very funny, always\nin full youthfulness, expert in joking, and free from all anxieties. Such\n\na dhira-lalita personality is generally found to be domesticated and\n\nvery submissive to his lover. This dhira-lalita trait in the personality\n\nof Krwa is described in Srimad-Bhiigavatam where Yajfiapatni, the\n\nwife of one of the briihmar-as who were performing sacrifices in\nVrndavana, tells her friends: \"One day Srimati Radharii!li, accompa­\n\nnied by Her associates, was taking rest in Her garden, and at that time\nLord Sri Kr�!la arrived in that assembly. After sitting down, He began\n\nto narrate very impudently about His previous night's pastimes with\n\nRadhara!li. While He was speaking in that way, Radharii!li became\n\nvery embarrassed. She was feeling ashamed and was absorbed in\nthought, and Kr�!la took the opportunity to mark Her breasts with\n\ndifferent kinds of tilaka. Kr�!la proved Himself to be very expert in\n\nthat art.\" In this way Kr�!la, as dhira-lalita, was enjoying His youthful\n\nproclivities in the company of the gopis.\n\nGenerally, those who are expert in writing drama choose to call\n\nCupid\n\nthe ideal dhira-lalita, but we can more perfectly find in the\n\npersonality of Kr�!!a all the characteristics of dhira-lalita.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0239": "K[§[La's Personality\n\n202\n\nDhira-prasiinta\nA person who is very peaceful, forebearing, considerate and oblig­\n\ning is called dhira-prasiinta. This dhira-prasiinta trait of Kr�pa was\nexhibited in His dealings with the PapQ.avas. On account of the\nPapQ.avas' faithful devotion to the Lord, He agreed to become their\ncharioteer, their advisor, their friend, their messenger and sometimes\ntheir bodyguard. Such is an example of the result of devotional service towards Vi�pu. When Kr�pa was speaking to Maharaj Yudhi�thira\nabout religious principles, He demonstrated Himself to be a great\nlearned. scholar, but because He accepted the position of younger\ncousin to Yudhi�thira, He was speaking in a very gentle tone which\nenhanced His beautiful bodily features. The movements of His eyes\nand the mode of His speech proved that He was very, very expert in\ngiving moral instruction. Sometimes, Maharaj Yudhi�thira is also accepted by learned scholars as dhira-prasiinta.\n\nDhiroddhataA person who is very envious, proud, easily angered, restless and\n\ncomplacent is called dhiroddhata by learned scholars. Such qualities\nwere visible in the character of Lord Kr�pa because, when He was\nwriting a letter to Kalayavana, Kr�pa addressed him as a sinful frog. In\nHis letter Kr�pa advised Kalayavana that he should immediately go\nand find some dark well for his residence, because there was a black\nsnake named Kr�pa who was very eager to devour all such sinful frogs.\nKrwa reminded Kalayavana that He could turn all the universes to\n\nashes simply by looking at them.\n' The above statement by Kr�pa seems apparently to be of an en­\n\nvious nature, but according to different pastimes, places and times\nthis quality is accepted as a great characteristic. Kr�pa's dhiroddhata\nqualities have been accepted as great because Kr�pa uses them only\nto protect His devotees. In other words, even undesirable traits may\nalso be used in the exchange of devotional service.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0240": "203\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nSometimes Bhima, the second brother of the Pa��avas, is also described as dhiroddhata.\nOnce, while fighting with a demon who was appearing as a deer,\nKr��a challenged him in this way: \"I have come before you as a\ngreat elephant named Kr��a. You must leave the battlefield, accepting\ndefeat, or else there is death awaiting you.\" This challenging spirit of\nKr��a's is not contradictory to His sublime character because, as the\nSupreme Being, everything is possible in His character.\nThere is a nice statement in the Kiirma Puriirw about these contradictory traits of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is stated\nthere that the Supreme Person is neither very fat nor very thin; He is\nalways transcendental to material qualities, and yet His bodily luster\nis blackish. His eyes are reddish, He is all-powerful, and He is equipped\nwith all different kinds of opulences. Contradictory traits in Kr��a's\nperson are not at all surprising: one should not consider the characteristics of Krwa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to be actually\ncontradictory. One should try to understand the traits of Krwa from\nauthorities and try to understand how these characteristics are employed by the supreme will of the Lord.\nIn the Mahii-variiha Puriirw it is confirmed that the transcendental\nbodies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His expansions\nare all existing eternally. Such bodies are never material and are completely spiritual and full of knowledge. They are reservoirs of all\ntranscendental qualities. In the Vai§rz,ava Tantra there is a statement\nthat the Personality of Godhead and His expanded bodies are always\nfree from the eighteen kinds of material contaminations,* because\nsuch bodies are always full of knowledge, bliss and eternity.\nRegarding all of the above-mentioned statements, it is understood\nthat the Maha-Vi��u is the source of all incarnations in the material\nworld. But because of His greater extraordinary opulence, we can\n\n*\n\nThe eighteen kinds of material contaminations mentioned above are described\n\nin the Vi§rJu-yiimala Tantra as follows: illusion, fatigue, committing errors, roughness, material lust, restlessness, pride, envy, violence, disgrace, exhaustion, untruth,\nanger, hankering, dependence, desire to lord over the universe, seeing duality, and\ncheating.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0241": "Kr�ra's Personality\n\n204\n\nunderstand that the son of Nanda Maharaj is the source of the MahaVisnu also. This is confirmed in the Brahma-samhitii, wherein it is\n.\n\n.\n\nstated: \"Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Govinda, whose\npartial representation is the Maha-Vi��u.\" The gigantic form of the\nMaha-Vi��u is the source of generation for innumerable universes.\nInnumerable universes are coming out of His exhaling breath, and the\nsame universes are going back in with His inhaling breath. This MahaVi��u is also a plenary portion of a portion of Kr��a.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0242": "i\n'I\n\n24 I Further Traits of Sri Krsna\n•\n\n•\n\n•\n\nAfter describing the different opulences of Kr�!J.a, S rila Riipa Gosvaml tries to further describe the transcendental beauties and quali­\n\nties of the Lord as: decorated, enj oying, pleasing, dependable, steady\n\nand predominating. He is also described as a meticulous dresser and a\nmagnanimous personality: These are generally considered to be the\nqualities of great personalities.\n\nDecorated\nIt is said that a person is great if he is decorated with the qualities\nof being very merciful toward the unfortunate, very powerful, superior, chivalrous, enthusiastic, expert and truthful. These decorations\nwere manifested in the character of Kr�!la during His Govardhanafilii. At that time the whole tract of land in Vrndavana was being\n\ndisturbed by the rains sent by Indra, as described elsewhere above.\nAt first Kr�!la thought, \"Let me retaliate against this vengeance of\nIndra by destroying his heavenly kingdom,\" but later on, when He\nthought of the insignificance of the King of heaven, Kr�!la changed\nHis mind and felt merciful toward Indra. No one is able to tolerate\nthe wrath of Kr�!J.a, so instead of retaliating against Indra, He simply\nshowed His compassion for His friends in Vrndavana by lifting the\nwhole of Govardhan Hill to protect them.\n\nEnjoying\nWhen a person is seen to be always happy and is accustomed to\n205\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0243": "Further Traits of Sri Kf§!W\n\n206\n\nspeak smilingly, he is considered to be in the mode of enjoyment.\n\nThis trait was found in Krwa when He appeared at the sacrificial\n\narena of King Kamsa. It is described that the lotus-eyed Kr�pa en­\n\ntered amongst the wrestlers without being impolite to them, glanced\nover them with determination, and seemed to them just like ·an ele­\n\nphant attacking some plants. Even while speaking to them, Kr�pa was\n\nstill smiling, and in this way He stood valiantly upon the wrestling\n\ndais.\n\nPleasing\nWhen one's characteristics are very sweet and desirable, his person­\n\nality is called pleasing. An example of Kr�pa's pleasing nature is thus\n\ndescribed in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam: \"One day while Kr�pa was\n\nawaiting the arrival of Srimati Radharapi by the bank of the Yamuna,\n\nHe began to make a garland of kadamba flowers. In the meantime,\nSrimati Radhara!li appeared there, and at that time Murari [ Kr�!la],\n\nthe enemy of Mura, glanced over Radhara!li very sweetly.\"\n\nDependable\nAny person who is reliable in all circumstances is called depend­\n\nable. In this connection Riipa Gosvami says that even the demons\n\nwere relying upon the dependability of Kr�!la because they were con­\n\nfident that Kr�!la would never attack them without due cause. There­\n\nfore, with faith and confidence, they used to live with their doors\n\nwide open. And the demigods, although afraid of the demons, were\n\nconfident of the protection of Krwa. Therefore, even in the midst of\n\ndanger they were engaged in sportive activities. Persons who had\n\nnever undergone the reformatory ritualistic ceremonies of the Vedas\n\nwere confident that Kr�!la would accept only faith and devotion, and\n\nso they were engaged in Kr�!la consciousness and were freed from all\n\nanxieties. In other words, all kinds of men, from the demigods down\n\nto the uncultured, can rely on the causeless mercy of the Supreme\nLord.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0244": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n207\n\nSteady\nA person who is not disturbed even in a situation of reverses is\ncalled steady. This steadiness was observed in Kr��a in connection\nwith His killing the demon known as Ba�a. The Ba�a demon had\nmany hands, and Kr��a was cutting off these hands one after another.\nThis Ba�a was a great devotee of Lord Siva and the goddess Durga.\n\nThus, when Ba�a was being killed, Lord Siva and Durga became very\n\nfurious at Krsna. But Krsna did not care for them.\n. .\n\n.\n\n. .\n\n.\n\nPredominating\nA person who can affect the mind of everyone is called predominating. As far as Kr��a's predomination is concerned, in the Tenth\nCanto, 43rd Cha p ter, 14th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Kr��a is described thus by Sukadeva Gosvami to King Pan1qit: \"My dear King,\n\nKr��a is a thunderbolt to the wrestlers; to the common man He is the\n\nmost beautiful human being; to the young girls He is just like Cupid;\n\nto the cowherd men and women He is the most intimate relative; to\nthe impious kings He is the supreme ruler; to His parents, Nanda and\n\nY asoda, He is just a baby; to Kamsa, the King of Bhoja, He is death\n\npersonified; to the dull and stupid He is just like a stone; to the yogis\n\nHe is the supreme absolute truth; and to the Vr��is He is the Su­\n\npreme Personality of Godhead. In such a predominating position\nKr��a appeared in that arena aldng with His older brother Balarama.\"\nWhen Kr��a, the reservoir of all mellows, was present in the arena of\nKamsa, He appeared differently to the different persons who were\n\nrelated to Him in different mellows. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gitii\n\nthat He appears to every person according to one's relationship with\nHim.\n\nSometimes learned scholars describe' \"predominating\" to mean\n\na person intolerant of being neglected. This peculiarity in Kr��a was\nvisible when Kamsa was insulting Maharaj Nanda, and Vasudeva asking Kr��a's assistance in killing Kamsa. Kr��a was glancing over Kamsa\n\nwith longing eyes, just like a prostitute, and He was just preparing to\njump at the King.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0245": "..\n\nFurther Traits of Sri K[§rla\n\n208\n\nMeticulous Dresser\nA person who is very fond of dressing Himself is called lalita, or a\n\nmeticulous dresser. This characteristic was found in Krsna in two\nways: sometimes He used to decorate Srimati Radharii!J.i �-th various\n\nmarks, and sometimes, when He was preparing to kill demons like\nAri�tasura, He would take care to arrange His belt very nicely.\n\nMagnanimous\nPersons who can give themselves to anyone are called magnani­\n\nmous. No one could be �ore magnanimous than Kr�!la because He is\n\nalways prepared to give Himself completely to His devotee. Even to\none who is not a devotee, Kr�!la in His form of Lord Caitanya is pre­\n\npared to give Himself and to grant deliverance.\n\nAlthough Kr�!la is independent of everyone, out of His causeless\n\nmercy He is dependent upon Garga ��i for religious instruction; for\nlearning the military art He is dependent upon Satyaki; and for good\ncounsel He is dependent upon His friend, Uddhava.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0246": "25 I Devotees of Krsna\n•\n\n•\n\n•\n\nA person who is always absorbed in Kr9�a consciousness is called a\n\ndevotee of Kr9�a. S rila Riipa Gosvami says that all the transcendental\nqualities discussed above are also found in the devotees of Kr9pa. The\ndevotees of Kr9�a can be classified into two groups: those who are\n\ncultivating devotional service in order to enter into the transcendental\nkingdom, and those who are already in the perfectional stage of devotional service.\nA person who has attained the stage of attraction for Kr9pa and\n\nwho is not freed from the material impasse, but who has qualified\nhimself to enter into the kingdom of God, is called siidhaka. Siidhaka\n\nmeans one who is cultivating devotion in Krwa consciousness. The\ndescription of such a devotee is found in the Eleventh Canto, 2nd\nChapter, 45th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam. It is said there that a per­\n\nson who has unflinching faith in and love for the Personality of Godhead, who is in friendship with devotees of Krwa, and who is very\nmerciful to the ignorant, raising them to the standard of devotional\n\nI\n\nI\n\nservice, and who is uninterested in nondevotees, is considered to be\nsituated in the position of cultivating devotional service.\nWhen one is found shedding tears by hearing of the pastimes of the\nLord, it is to be understood that the blazing fire of material existence\nwill be extinguished by such watering. When there is shivering of the\nbody and the hairs of the body stand up, it is to be understood that\nthe devotee is nearing perfection. An example of a siidhaka cultivating\ndevotional service is Bilvamangala Thakur.\nWhen a person is never tired of executing devotional service and is\nalways engaged in Kr9�a conscious activities, constantly relishing the\n209\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0247": "Devotees of K[§[W\n\n210\n\ntranscendental mellows in relationship with .i(r�l).a, the devotee is\ncalled perfect. This perfectional stage can be achieved in two ways:\none may achieve this stage of perfection by gradual progress in devotional service, or one may become perfect by the causeless mercy\nof Kr�l).a, even though he has not executed all the details of devotional\nservice. There is the following nice statement in the Third Canto,\n\n15th Chapter, 25th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam describing a devotee\n\nwho achieves perfection by regularly executing devotional service: A\nperson who is freed from the false egotism of material existence, or\nan advanced mystic, is eligible to enter into the kingdom of God\nknown as V aikul).tha. Such a mystic becomes so joyful by constant\nexecution of the regulative principles of devotional service that he\nthereby achieves the special favor of the Supreme Lord. Y amaraja,\nthe mighty superintendent of death, is afraid to go near such a devotee; so we can imagine the potency of advanced devotional service,\nespecially when devotees sit together and engage in talking of the\npastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those devotees express their feelings in such a way that they automatically melt with\necstasy, and many transcendental symptoms become manifested in\ntheir bodies. Anyone desiring advancement in devotional service must\nfollow in the footsteps of such devotees.\n\n_)\n\nPrahlad Maharaj said that no one can attain the perfectional stage\nof devotional service without bowing down before exalted devotees.\nLearned sages like Markal).�eya ij,�i attained perfection in devotional\nservice simply by executing such regulative principles of service.\n\nA person's achieving perfection in devotional service simply by the\n\ncauseless mercy of the Lord is explained in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam\n\nin connection with the briihmar-as and their wives who were engaged\nin performing yajna, or sacrifice. When the wives of the briihmar-as\n\nwere favored by Lord Kr�!la and immediately attained the ecstasy of\nlove of Godhead, their husbands began to say, \"How wonderful it is\nthat although these women have undertaken no reformatory performances such as accepting the sacred thread, have not resided in\nthe monastaries of the spiritual master, have not observed the strict\nprinciples of celibacy, have not undergone any austerities, nor philosophized upon the observance of all ritualistic ceremonies-they still\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0248": "211\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nhave attained the favor of Krwa, which is aspired after even by great\nmystics! How wonderful it is that these women have attained such\nperfection, while we, although briihmar-as who have performed all\nthe reformatory activities, cannot attain to this advanced stage!\"\n\nThere is a similar statement by Narada, addressed to S ukadeva Go­\n\nsvami: \"My dear S ukadeva Gosvami, you never took the trouble to\nreside under the care of a spiritual master, and yet you have attained\nsuch a great status of transcendental knowledge. You never took the\ntrouble to undergo severe austerities, and still, how wonderful it is\nthat you have been situated in the most perfect stage of love of Godhead.\"\n\nS ukadeva Gosvami and the wives of the briihmar-as who were\n\nperforming yajiia are vivid examples of devotees who achieved the\nperfectional stage of devotional service by the grace of the Supreme\nPersonality of Godhead.\nEternal Perfection\n\nPersons who have achieved eternal, blissful life exactly on the level\nof S ri Kr��a, and who are able to attract Lord Kr��a by their transcendental loving service, are called eternally perfect. The technical\nname is nitya-siddha. There are two classes of living entities-namely,\nnitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. The distinction is that the nityasiddhas are eternally Kr��a conscious without any forgetfulness,\nwhereas the nitya-baddhas, or eternally conditioned souls, are forget­\n\nful of their relationship with Kr��a.\nThe position of the nitya-siddhas is explained in the Padma Puriir-a\nin connection with the narration of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Satyabhamadevi. The Lord tells Satyabhama: \"My dear\nSatyabhamadevi, I have descended to this earthly planet by the request of Lord Brahma and other demigods. Those who are born into\nthis family of Yadu are all My eternal associat.es. My dear wife, you\nshould not consider that My associates are ever separated from Me;\nthey are My personal expansions, and as such, you must know that\nthey are almost as powerful as I am. Because of their transcendental\nqualities, they are very, very dear to Me, as I am very, very dear 'to\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0249": "Devotees of K[§!W\n\n212\n\nthem.\" Anyone who becomes exhilarated by hearing of the pastimes\nof Lord Kr�!la when He was present on this earth with His associates\nis to be understood as nitya-siddha, eternally perfect.\nIn\n\nthe\n\nTenth\n\nCanto,\n\n14th\n\nChapter,\n\n30th verse,\n\nof Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam there is the statement: \"How wonderful are the fortunate\nresidents of Vrndavana, such as Nanda and the other cowherd men.\n\nThe Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme Brahman, has ac­\n\ntually become their intimate friend!\"\nA similar statement is there in the Tenth Canto, 26th Chapter,\n\nlOth verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam. When Lord Kr�!la lifted Govardhan\nHill, the cowherd men, under the protection of Lord Kr�!la, became\nstruck with wonder and went to Nanda Maharaj and inquired from\nhim, \"My dear Nanda Maharaj , how is it that we are so intensely\nattached to Kr�!la, and Kr�!la is also so affectionately attached to us?\nDoes it mean that He is the supersoul of everyone?\"\nAll of the residents of Vrndavana and Dvaraka-namely the cowherd men and the members of the Yadu family-are eternally perfect\ndevotees of the Lord. As the Lord descends by His causeless mercy\nupon this planet, so, in order to help in the pastimes of the Lord,\nthese devotees also come here. They are not ordinary living entities\nor conditioned souls; they are ever-liberated persons, associates of the\nPersonality of Godhead. And, j ust as Lord Kr�!la behaves like an ordinary man when He descends to this planet, so the members of the\nYadu dynasty and the residents of Vrndavana execute activities j ust\nlike ordinary men. But they are not ordinary men; they are as liberated as Lord Kr�!la Himself.\n\nIn the Padma Puriirw, Uttara-khar-{ia section, it is stated: \"Just as\n\nLord Ramacandra descends along with Lak�ma!la and Bharata, an expansion of Sankar�a!la, *so the members of the Yadu dynasty and the\ncowherd men of Vrndavana also descend with Lord Kr�!la in order to\n\nj oin in the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. When the Supreme\nLord returns to His eternal abode, His associates return with Him to\n* A detailed description of the ways in which the various expansions and incarnations of Godhead are developed is to be fouml in the author's Teachings of Lord\n\nChaitanya (New York: 1968) in Chapters VI, VII and XIII.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0250": "213\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ntheir respective places. As such, these ever liberated Vai§rzavas are not\nbound by the material laws of birth and death.\"\nAs is stated in the Bhagavad-gitii by the Lord Himself, His birth,\ndeeds and activities are all transcendental. Similarly, the birth, deeds\nand activities of the associates of the Lord are also transcendental.\nAnd, as it is an offense to consider oneself to be Kr��a, so it is offensive to consider oneself to be Y asoda, Nanda, or any other associate\nof the Lord. We should always remember that they are transcendental; they are never conditioned souls.\nIt is described that Kr��a, the enemy of Kamsa, has sixty-four transcendental qualities, and all of the ever-liberated souls who accompany the Lord have the first fifty-five of the qualities, without any\ndoubt. Such devotees are related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in any of five transcendental mellows-namely, neutrality, servitorship, friendship, parenthood and conj ugal love. These relationships with the Lord are eternal, and therefore nitya-siddha devotees\ndo not have to strive to attain the perfectional stage by executing\nregulative devotional principles. They are eternally qualified to serve\nKr��a.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0251": "26 I Stimulation for Ecstatic Love\n\nSome things which give stimulation to ecstatic love of Knn;a are\nHis transcendental qualities, His uncommon activities, His smiling features, His apparel, His garlands, His flute, His buffalo horn, His leg\nbells, His conchshell, His footprints, His place of pastimes (such as\nVrndavana), His favorite plant (tulasi), His devotee and the periodical\noccasions for remembering Him. One such occasion for remembrance\nis Ekiidasi, which comes twice a month on the eleventh day of the\nmoon, both waning and waxing. On that day all the devotees remain\nfasting throughout the night and continually chant the glories of the\nLord.\n\nK[§[ta's Transcendental Qualities, His Uncommon Activities\nand His Smile\nAs far as Kr�!la's transcendental qualities are concerned, they can\nbe divided into three groups: qualities pertaining to His transcendental body, qualities pertaining to His transcendental speech, and\nqualities pertaining to His transcendental mind.\nKr�!la's age, His transcendental bodily features, His beauty, and\nHis mildness are qualities pertaining to His body. There is no difference between Kr�!la and His body, and therefore the transcendental\nfeatures pertaining to His body are the same as Kr�!la Himself. But\nbecause these qualities stimulate the devotee's ecstatic love, they have\nbeen analyzed as separate causes of that love. To be attracted by the\nqualities of Kr�!la means to be attracted by Kr�!la Himself, because\nthere is no real distinction between Krwa and His qualities. Kr�!la's\n214\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0252": "215\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nname is also Kr��a. Kr��a's fame is also Kr��a. Kr��a's entourage is\n\nalso Kr��a. Kr��a and everything related with Krwa which gives\nstimulation to love of Kr��a are all Krwa, but for our understanding\n\nthese items can be considered separately.\n\nKr��a is the reservoir of all transcendental pleasure. Therefore, the\n\nimpetuses to love of Kr��a, although seemingly different, are not ac­\n\ntually distinct from Kr��a Himself. In the technical Sanskrit terms,\n\nsuch qualities as Kr��a's name, fame, etc., are accepted both as reservoirs of and stimulation for love of Krwa.\n\nKr��a's age is considered in three periods: from His appearance day\n\nto the end of His sixth year is called kaumiira; from the beginning of\nthe sixth year up to the tenth year is called paugarz�a; and from the\ntenth to the sixteenth year is called kaisora; after the beginning of the\n\nsixteenth year, Kr��a is called a yauvana or a youth, and this con­\n\ntinues with no change.\n\nAs far as Kr��a's transcendental pastimes are concerned, they are\n\nmostly executed during the kaumiira, paugarz4a and kaisora periods.\n\nHis affectionate pastimes with His parents are executed during His\n\nkaumiira age. His friendship with the cowherd boys _is exhibited dur­\n\ning the paugarz�a period. And His friendship with the gopis is exhib­\n\nited during the age of kaisora. Kr��a's pastimes at Vrndavana are\nfinished by the end of His fifteenth year, and then He is transferred\n\nto Mathura and Dvaraka, where all other pastimes are performed.\n\nSnia Rupa Gosvami gives us a vivid description of Kr��a as the\n\nreservoir of all pleasures in his Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu. Here are some\n\nparts of that description.\n\nKr��a's kaisora age can be divided into three parts. In the beginning\n\nof His kaisora age-that is, at the beginning of His eleventh year, the\nluster of His body becomes so bright that it becomes an impetus for\n\necstatic love. Similarly, there are reddish borders around His eyes,\n\nand a growth of soft hairs on His body. In describing this early stage\n\nof His kaisora age, Kundalata, one of the residents of Vrndavana, said\n\nto her friend, \"My dear friend, I have just seen an extraordinary\n\nbeauty appearing in the person of Kr��a. His blackish bodily hue\nappears just like the indranua jewel. There are reddish signs on His\n\neyes, and small soft hairs are coming out on His body. The appear-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0253": "Stimulation for Ecstatic Love\n\n216\n\nance of these symptoms has made Him extraordinarily beautiful.\"\n\nIn this connection, in the Tenth Canto, 21st Chapter, 5th verse, of\n\nSrimad-Bhagavatam, Sukadeva Gosvam1 tells King Parlk�it: \"My dear\n\nKing, I shall try to describe how the minds of the gopis became ab­\n\nsorbed in the thought of Kr�t;ta. The gopis would meditate on Kr�t;ta's\n\ndressing Himself just like a dancing actor and entering the forest of\nVrndavana, marking the ground with His footprints. They meditated\n\non Kr�t;ta's having a helmet with a peacock feather and wearing ear­\n\nrings on His ears and yellow-gold colored garments covered with\n\njewels and pearls. They also meditated on Kr�t;ta's blowing His flute\nand on all the cowherd boys' singing of the glories of the Lord.\"\n\nThat is the description of the meditati'on which the gopis used to\n\nperform.\n\nSometimes the gopis would think about His soft nails, moving eye­\n\nbrows and His teeth, which were catechu colored from chewing pan.\n\nOne description was given by a gopi to her friend: \"My dear friend,\n\njust see how the enemy of Agha has assumed such wonderful fea­\n\ntures! His brows are just like the brows of Cupid, and they are\n\nmoving just as· though they were dancing. The tips of His nails are so\nsoft-it is as if they were dried bamboo leaves. His teeth are reddish,\n\nand so it appears that He has assumed a feature of anger. Under the\n\ncircumstances, where is the chance for a young girl not to be at­\n\ntracted by such beautiful features and not to be afraid of becoming a\nvictim to such beauty?\"\n\nKr�t;ta's attractive features are also described by Vrndii, the gopi af­\n\nter whom Vrndavana was named. She told Kr�t;ta: \"My dear Madhava,\nYour newly-invented smile has so captivated the hearts of the gopis\n\nthat they are simply unable to express themselves! As such, they have\n\nbecome bewildered and will not talk with others. All of these gopis\n\nhave become so affected that it is as if they had offered three sprin­\n\nkles of water upon their lives. In other words, they have given up all\n\nhope for their living condition.\" According to the Indian system,\n\nwhen a person is dead there is a sprinkling of water on the body.\nThus, the statement of Vrnda shows that the gopis were so enchanted\n\nby the beauty of Krwa that because they could not express their\nminds, they decided to commit suicide.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0254": "217\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nWhen Kn;�a arrived at the age of thirteen to fourteen years, His\n\ntwo arms and chest assumed an unspeakable beauty, and His whole\n\nform became simply enchanting. When Kr��a attained thirteen years\n\nof age, His two arms were challenging the trunks of elephants, His\nrising chest was trying to come to peace talks with doors of jewels,\nand His two arms were minimizing the value of the bolts found on\n\ndoors. Who can describe the wonderful beauty of these features of\n\nKr��a? The special beauty of Kr��a's body was His mild smiling, His\n\nrestless eyes and His world-enchanting songs. These are the special\nfeatures of this age.\n\nThere is a statement in this connection that Kr��a, on arriving at\n\nthis age, manifested such beautiful bodily features that His restless\n\neyes became the playthings of Cupid, and His mild smile resembled\n\nthe newly-grown lotus flower. The enchanting vibration of His songs\nbecame a great impediment to the young girls, who were supposed to\n\nremain chaste and faithful to their husbands.\n\nAt this age Kr��a enjoyed the riisa-lilii, exhibiting His power of\n\njoking with the cowherd girls and enjoying their company in the\n\nbushes of the gardens by the bank of the Yamuna.\n\nIn this connection there is the following statement: \"Throughout\nthe whole tract of land known as Vrndavana there were the footprints of Kr��a and the gopis, and in some places peacock feathers\n\nwere strewn about. In some places there were nice beddings in the\nbushes of the Vrndavana gardens, and in some places there were piles\nof dust due to the group-dancing of Govinda and the gopis.\" These\n\nare some of the features which are due to the different pastimes in­\n\nvented by Sri Kr��a in the place known as Vrndavana.\n\nThere is the following statement by one gopi, describing Kr��a's\nattractive feature during this age: \"My dear friend, just see how all of\n\na sudden in the sky of Kr��a there is a powerful rising sun and how\n\nthis rising sun is minimizing the rays of our chastity moon. Our at­\n\ntraction for Kr��a is so intense that it is drying up the lotus flower of\nour discrimination, and we are losing our senses in deciding whether\n\nwe shall continue as chaste women or be victimized by the beauty of\nKr��a. My dear friend, I think that we have lost all hope of life!\"\nIn the kaisora age, beginning from the eleventh year and con-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0255": "Stimulation for Ecstatic Love\n\n218\n\ntinuing up to the end of the fifteenth year, Kr�l)a's arms, legs and\nthighs became marked with three divisional lines. At that time\nKr�l)a's chest challenged the hill of the marakata jewel. His arms challenged the pillars of the indranila jewel, the three lines of His waist\nchallenged the waves of the River Yamuna, and His thighs challenged\nbeautiful bananas. One gopi said, \"With all these exquisite features of\nHis body, Kr�l)a is too extraordinarily beautiful, and therefore I am\nalways thinking of Him to protect me because He is the killer of all\ndemons.\"\nThe idea expressed in this statement is that the gopis were comparing their attraction for Kr�t;la to an attack by demons; and to\ncounteract their attraction for the beauty of Kr�l)a, they were also\nturning to Kr�t;la hopefully, because He is the killer of all kinds of\ndemons. In other words they were perplexed because on one hand\nthey were attracted by the beauty of Kr�l)a, and on the other they\nneeded Kr�t;la to drive away the demon of such attraction.\nThis kaisora age can be translated as adolescence. At the end of\nthis period all the gopis said, \"Kr�l)a is the killer of the attraction of\nCupid, and as such He disturbs the patience of all newly-married\ngirls. Krwa's bodily features have become so exquisite-it is as if they\nare all manifesting an artistic sense of the highest sort. His dancing\neyes have dimmed the brilliance of the most expert dancer, and so\nthere is no longer any comparison to the beauty of Kr�l)a.\" Learned\nscholars therefore describe the features of His body at this time as\nnava-yauvana, newly-invented youthfulness. At this stage of Kr�t;la's\n\nbodily features, the conjugal love affairs with the gopis and similar\npastimes become very prominent.\nThere are six features of conjugal love affairs, called peacemaking,\npicking a quarrel, going to meet one's lover, sitting together, separation and support. Lord Kr�l)a expanded an empire of these six features, of which He was the ruling prince. Somewhere He was picking\nquarrels with the young girls, somewhere He was scratching them\nwith the nails of parrots, somewhere He was busy going to visit the\ngopis, and somewhere He was negotiating through cowherd friends to\n\ntake shelter of the gopis.\nSome of the gopis addressed Him thusly: \"My dear Kr�l)a, because\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0256": "219\n\nI\n�I\n\nI\n\nI\n1:I\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nof Your adolescent age, You have just become the spiritual master of\nthese young girls, and You are teaching them to whisper among themselves. You are teaching them to offer solemn prayers, as well as\ntraining them to cheat their husbands and to join You in the gardens\nat night, without caring for the instructions of their superiors. You\nare enthusing them by the vibration of Your enchanting flute; and,\nas their teacher, You are teaching them all the intricacies of loving\naffairs.\"\nIt is said that even when Kr�l!a was a boy of five He manifested\nsuch youthful energies, but learned scholars do not explain them because of the absence of suitable age. Kr�l!a was beautiful because\nevery part of His body was perfectly arranged without any defect.\nSuch perfect bodily features of Kr�l!a are described as follows: \"My\ndear enemy of Kamsa, Your broad eyes, Your rising chest, Your two\npillar-like arms and the thin middle portion of Your body are always\nenchanting to every lotus-eyed beautiful girl.\" The ornaments on the\nbody of Kr�l!a were not actually enhancing His beauty, but just the\nreverse-the ornaments were beautified by Kr�!la.\nA person is called mild when he cannot even bear the touch of the\nmost soft thing. It is described that every part of Krwa's body was so\nsoft that even at the touch of newly-grown leaves, the color of the\ntouched part of His skin would change. At this kaisora age, Kr�!!a's\nendeavors were always bent toward arranging the rasa dance, as well\nas toward killing the demons in the forest of Vrndavana. While Kr�!la\nwas engaged in enjoyment with the boys and girls within the forest\nof Vrndavana, Kamsa used to send his associates to kill Him, and\nKr�!la would show His prowess by killing them.\n\nKr§rta's Apparel and Garlands\nGenerally, there are four kinds of garments on the body of Kr�!la:\nHis shirt, turban, belt and wearing garments. In Vrndavana, He used\nto put on reddish garments, with a golden shirt on His body and an\norange colored turban on His head. The different kinds of belts, combined with His enchanting smile, used to always increase the transcendental bliss of His associates. This dress of Krwa is described\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0257": "Stimulation for Ecstatic Love\n\n220\n\nas gorgeous. As a baby elephant is sometimes dressed in colorful\nclothing, so Krwa's gorgeousness was manifested by decoration with\nsuch colorful clothing on the different parts of His body.\n\nA kalpa refers to the texture of Kr�:p.a's hair, His nicely dressed\nbody annointed with sandalwood pulp and decorated with flower\ngarlands, His tilaka, and His chewing pan. Kr�:p.a was decorated constantly in this iikalpa process. Kr�:p.a's hair was sometimes decorated\nwith flowers placed on the middle of His head, or else reaching down\nto His back. In this way Kr�:p.a dressed His hair differently at different\ntimes. As for the ointment on His body, the pulp of sandalwood generally appeared to be white, and when it was mixed with saffron dye\nit appeared to be yellow.\nKr�:p.a used to put a vaijayanti garland around His neck. This vaijayanti garland is made of at least five differently colored flowers.\nThe length of such a garland was always touching Kr�:p.a's knees or\nfeet. Besides this garland of flowers, there were other kinds of flower\ngarlands too-sometimes decorating His head, sometimes hanging\naround His neck and chest. Artistic painting with sandalwood pulp\nand colored sandalwood were also to be found on the body of Kr�:p.a.\nOne gopi addressed her friend and began to praise the bodily\nfeat'.lres of Kr�:p.a. She praised His blackish complexion, the reddish\ncolor of chewing pan enhancing His beauty hundreds of times, the\ncurling hair on His head, the kunkum * red spots on His body and the\ntilaka on His forehead.\nHis helmet, His earrings, His necklace, His four garments, the bangles on His head, the rings on His fingers, His ankle bells and His\nflute-these are the different features of Krsna's ornaments. Krsna,\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nthe enemy of Agha, always looked beautiful with His incomparable\nhelmet, His earrings made of diamonds, His necklace of pearls, His\nbangles, embroidered garments and the beautiful rings on His fingers.\nKr�:p.a is sometimes called vanamiili. Vana means forest and mali\nmeans gardener, so vanamiili refers to one who extensively uses flow* KU1ikum is a sweetly-flavored reddish powder which is thrown on the bodies of\nworshipahle persons_\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0258": "221\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ners and garlands on different parts of His body. Kr�r;Ia was dressed\nlike this not only in Vrndavana but also on the battlefield of Kuruk·\n�etra. Seeing such colorful dress and the garlands of different flowers,\nsome great sages prayed, \"Lord Kr�9:a was going to the battlefield of\nKuruk�etra not to fight, but to grace all of the devotees with His\npresence.\"\nK[§!\"a's Flute\n\nAs far as His flute is concerned, it is said that the vibration of this\nwonderful instrument was able to break the meditation of the great·\nest sages, and Kr�r;Ia was thus challenging Cupid by advertising His\ntranscendental glories all over the world.\nThere are three kinds of flutes used by Kr�r;J.a. One is called ve rz u ,\none\n\nis called murali, and the third is called varhsi. Ve!\"u is very small,\n\nnot more than six inches long, with six holes for whistling. Murali is\nabout eighteen inches long with a hole at the end and four holes on\nthe body of the flute. This kind of flute produces a very enchanting\nsound. The varhsi flute is about fifteen inches long, with nine holes\non its body. Kr�r;Ia used to play on these three flutes occasionally\nwhen they were needed. Kr�r;J.a has a longer varhsi, which is called\nmahiinanda, or sanmohini. When it is still longer it is called iikar§ini.\n\nWhen it is even longer it is called iinandini. The iinandini flute is very\npleasing to the cowherd boys and is technically named varhsuli. These\nflutes were sometimes bedecked with jewels. Sometimes they were\nmade of marble and sometimes of hollow bamboo. When the flute is\nmade of jewels it is called sanmohini. When made of gold, it is called\niikar§ini.\nK[§!!a's Buffalo Horn\n\nKr�r;Ia used a buffalo horn as a bugling instrument. This instrument\nwas always highly polished and circled with gold bands, and on the\nmiddle there was a hole. Regarding these instruments, there is a\nmetaphorical statement about a gopi named Taravali. It is said that\nTaravali became bitten by the most venomous snake of Krwa's flute.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0259": "Stimulation for Ecstatic Love\n\n222\n\nThen, in order to neutralize the poisonous effect, she drank the milk\nproduced by the buffalo horn in the hand of Kn;�a. But instead of\n\ndecreasing the poisonous effect, it increased it a thousand times. The\n\ngopi was thus put into the most miserable poisoned condition.\nThe Attraction of Kr§r-a's Leg Bells\n\nA certain gopi once stated to her friend, \"My dear friend, when I\nheard the sound of the leg bell of Sri Kr��a, I immediately started to\n\ngo out of the house to see Him. But most regrettably, my superiors\nwere present just before me at that time, and I could not go out.\"\n\nKr§r-a's Conchshell\nKr��a's conchshell is known as Paiicajanya. This Paiicajanya conch\n\nis also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gitii. Kr��a sounded it before the\n\nBattle of Kuruksetra. It is said that when Lord Krsna blows on His\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\ntranscendental conchshell, the wives of the demons become subject\nto abortions, and the wives of the demigods become blest with all\n\nauspiciousness. In this way, the sound of Kr��a's conchshell used to\n\nvibrate and circulate all over the world.\n\nKr§r-a's Footprints\nIt is stated in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam that when Akriira, who\ndrove Kr��a from Vrndavana to Mathura, saw the footprints of Kr��a\non the land of Vrndavana, his ecstatic love for Kr��a increased so\nmuch that the hairs on his body stood up. His eyes became over­\n\nflooded with tears, and in such ecstasy he jumped out of the chariot\n\nand fell down on the ground and began to chant, \"How wonderful\n\nthis is! How wonderful this is!\"\n\nSimilar feelings were expressed by the gopis when they were going\n\nto the bank of the Yamuna and saw Kr��a's footprints in the dust.\n\nWhen Krwa walked on the ground of Vrndavana, the marks of His\n\nsole (flag, thunderbolt, fish, a rod for controlling elephants and lotus\nflower) would be imprinted upon the dust of the land. The gopis be-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0260": "223\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ncame overwhelmed simply at seeing those marks on the ground.\nKnrw 's Places of Pastimes\n\nOne devotee has exclaimed, \"Oh, I have not as yet visited the wonderful places where the pastimes of the Lord were performed. But\nsimply by hearing the name of Mathura I have become overwhelmed\nwith joy!\"\nK[§rta's Favorite Plant: Tulasi\n\nLord Kr�l)a is very fond of tulasi leaves and buds. Because tulasi\n\nbuds are usually offered up to the lotus feet of Kr�l)a, a devotee once\n\nprayed to the tulasi buds to give him some information about the\n\nlotus feet of the Lord. The devotee expected that the tulasi buds\n\nwould know something about the glories of Lord Sri Kr�l)a's lotus\n\nfeet.\nK[§[W 's Devotees\n\nOne may sometimes become overwhelmed with joy by seeing a\n\ndevotee of the Lord. When Dhruva Maharaj saw two associates of\nNarayal)a approaching him, he immediately stood up out of sincere\n\nrespect and devotion and remained before them with folded hands;\nbut because of his ecstatic love he could hardly offer them a proper\nreception.\nThere is a statement by a gopi who addressed Subala, a friend of\nKr�l)a: \"My dear Subala, I know that Krwa is your friend and you\nalways enjoy smiling and joking with Him. The other day I saw you\nboth standing together, and you were keeping your hand upon\nKr�l)a's shoulder, and both of you were joyfully smiling. When I saw\n\nthe two of you standing like that in the distance, my eyes at once\nbecame overflooded with tears.\"\nSpecial Days for Remembering K[§[W\n\nThere are many statements about the festive days in connection\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0261": "Stimulation for Ecstatic Love\n\n224\n\nwith Krgta's different activities. One of these festive days is .Janmii§­\n\ntami, the day of Kr��a's birth. This ]anmii§tami Day is the most\nopulent festival day for the devotees, and it is still observed with\ngreat pomp in every Hindu house in India. Sometimes even the devotees of other religious groups take advantage of this auspicious day\nand enj oy the performance of the ceremony of ]an mii§ t am i. Ecstatic\nlove for Kr��a is also aroused on the days of Ekiidasi, which are other\nfestive days in connection with Kr��a.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0262": "27 I Symptoms of Ecstatic Love\n\nThe bodily symptoms which are manifested by a devotee in ex­\n\npressing ecstatic love for Krwa are called anubhiiva. Practical examples of anubhiiva are as follows: dancing, rolling on the ground,\n\nsinging very loudly, stretching the body, crying loudly, yawning,\n\nbreathing very heavily, neglecting the presence of others, drooling,\n\nlaughing like a madman, wheeling the head and belching. When there\nis an extraordinary excess of ecstatic love, with all of these bodily\nsymptoms manifested, one feels relieved transcendentally.\n\nThese symptoms are divided into two parts: one is called sita, and\n\nthe other is called k§epar;w. When there is yawning, it is called sita,\nand when there is dancing it is called k§epar-a.\n\nDancing\nWhile watching the riisa dance performed by Lord Knn;ta and the\n\ngopis, Lord Siva beheld the beautiful face of Krwa and immediately\nbegan to dance and beat upon his small �irt�ima drum. While Lord\n\nSiva wa!'l dancing in ecstasy, his eldest son, Gane8a, joined him.\n\nRolling on the Ground\nIn the Third Canto, lst Chapter, 31st verse, of Snmad-Bhiigavatam,\n\nVidura inquires from Uddhava, \"My dear friend, is Akriira in an aus­\n\npicious condition? He is not only a learned scholar and sinless, but he\nis also a devotee of Lord Krsna. He has such ecstatic love for Krsna\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nthat I have seen him rolling upon Kr�!la 's footprints in the dust as if\n225\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0263": "Symptoms of Ecstatic Love\n\n226\n\nbereft of all senses.\" Similarly, one gopi gave a message to Kr��a that\n\nRadhara�i, because of Her separation from Him and because of Her\n\nenchantment with the flavor of His flower garlands, was rolling on\nthe ground, thereby bruising Her soft body.\nSinging Loudly\nOne gopiinformed Kr��a that when Srimati Radhara�i was singing\n\nabout His glories, She enchanted all of Her friends in such a way that\n\nthey became stonelike and dull. At the same time, the nearby stones\n\nbegan to melt away in ecstatic love.\nStretching the Body\n\nWhen there was stretching of the body of Narada Muni from\n\nchanting the Hare Kr��a mantra, he chanted so loudly that it was\n\napprehended that Lord Nrsimha had appeared. Thus all the demons\nbegan to flee in different directions. It is also said that sometimes\n\nwhen Narada, the carrier of the vir-a, remembers his Lord Kr��a in\ngreat ecstasy, he begins to stretch his body so vigorously that his\n,\nsacred thread gives way.\nCrying Loudly\nA gopi once said to Kr��a: \"My dear son of Nanda Maharaj, by the\n\nsound of Your flute Srimati Radhara�i has become full of lamentation and fear, and thus, with faltering voice, She is crying like a\nkurobi bird.\n\nIt is described that by hearing the vibration of Krwa 's flute Lord\n\nSiva becomes very puzzled and begins to cry so loudly into space\n\nthat the demons become vanquished and the devotees become overwhelmed with joy.\n\nYawning\nIt is said that when the full moon rises, the lotus petals become\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0264": "227\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nexpanded. Similarly, when Kr�!la used to appear before Radhara!li,\nHer face, which is compared with the lotus flower, would expand by\nHer yawning.\n\nBreathing Heavily\nAs far as breathing heavily is concerned, it is stated: \"Lalita [one\nof the gopis] is just like a cutakibird, which only takes water falling\ndirectly from the rain cloud and not from any other source.\" In this\nstatement Kr�!la is compared to the dark cloud, and Lalita is compared to the cutaki bird seeking only Kr�!la's company. The metaphor continues to say, \"As a heavy wind sometimes disperses a\nmighty cloud, so the heavy breath from Lalita's nostrils caused her\nto miss Krwa, who had disappeared by the time she recovered herself.\"\n\nNeglecting the Presence of Others\nAs far as neglecting the presence of others is concerned, the wives\nof the bruhmar-as who were performing sacrifices at V rndavana left\nhome as soon as they heard that Kr�!la was nearby. They left their\nhomes without caring for their learned husbands. The husbands began to discuss this amongst themselves: \"How wonderful is the attraction for Kr�!la, that it has made these women leave us without\nany care!\" This is the influence of Krwa. Anyone who becomes attracted to Kr§'!la can be relieved from the bondage of birth and death,\nwhich can be compared to the locked-up homes that were neglected\nby the wives of the bruhmar-as.\nIn the Padyuvali there is a statement by some devotees: \"We shall\nnot care for any outsiders. If they should deride us, we shall still not\ncare for them. We shall simply enjoy the transcendental mellow of\nchanting Hare Kr§'!la, and thus we shall roll on the ground and dance\necstatically. In this way we shall eternally enjoy transcendental bliss.\"\n\nDrooling\nAs an example of the running down of saliva from the mouth, it\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0265": "Symptoms of Ecstatic Love\n\n228\n\nis stated that sometimes when Narada Muni was chanting the Hare\n\nKr��a mantra, he remained stunned for awhile, and saliva oozed from\nhis mouth.\n\nLaughing like a Madman\nWhen a devotee laughs very loudly like a madman, it is done out\nof an extraordinary agitation of ecstatic love within the heart. Such\nmad laughing is an expression of the condition of the heart, which is\ntechnically called afta-hiisa. When a devotee becomes affected with\nthis mental condition, his love is expressed through the lips. The\n\nlaughing sounds, coming one after another, are compared to flowers\nfalling from the creeper of devotion which grows within the heart of\n\nthe devotee. In the Caitanya-caritiimrta devotional service to the\nLord is also compared to a creeper which rises up to the lotus feet of\n\nKr��a in Goloka Vrndavana.\n\nWheeling of the Head\nOne gopi told her friend: \"It appears that Lord Kr��a, the enemy\n\nof the demon Agha, has released from His mouth a whirlwind which\n\nis acting on your head and is gradually proceeding to do the same to\nthe other lotus-eyed go pis.\"\n\nBelching\nSometimes belching also becomes a symptom of ecstatic love for\n\nKr��a. There is evidence of this in Paur�amas'i's address to one crying\n\nassociate of Radhara�'i: \"My dear daughter, don't be worried because\n\nSr'imat'i Radhara�'i is belching. I am about to offer a remedial measure\n\nfor this symptom. Do not cry so loudly. This belching is not due to\nindigestion; it is a sign of ecstatic love for Kr��a. I shall arrange to\ncure this belching symptom immediately. Don't be worried.\" This\nstatement of Paur�amas'i is evidence that ecstatic love for Krwa is\nsometimes manifested through belching.\nSometimes trembling of the whole body and hemorrhaging from\n\n!:/i\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0266": "229\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nsome part of the body are also manifested in response to ecstatic\n\nlove for Kr�I;ta, but such symptoms are very rare, and therefore Srila\nRiipa Gosvami does not discuss any further on this point.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0267": "28 I Other Ecstatic Symptoms\n\nExistential Ecstatic Love for Krf!W\nWhen a devotee is always intensely affected by love for Kr��a in a\ndirect relationship with Him-or even a little apart from Him-his\nstatus is called existential ecstatic love. The symptoms originating\nfrom such existential ecstatic love are divided into three headingsnamely, moist, burnt and dried-up.\nMoist existential ecstatic love aroused in connection with Kr��a is\ndivided into two: direct and indirect. Radhara�'i was weaving a garland of kunda flowers, and, upon hearing the vibration of Kr��a's\nflute, She immediately stopped Her work. This is an example of\ndirect moistened existential ecstatic love. Indirect moistened existential ecstatic love is described in the following statement: Krwa, who\nis also called Puru§lottama, is to the eyes of Mother Y asoda just like\nthe cloud is to the eyes of the ciitaki bird. When Kr9�a had been\nbrought to Mathura, Mother Y asoda, being very anxious and angry,\nbegan to rebuke the King of Mathura.\nBurnt existential ecstatic love is divided into three, and one example is as follows: One day, Mother Y asoda was dreaming that the gigantic demon, Putana, was lying on the courtyard of her house, and\nshe immediately became anxious to seek out Kr��a.\nWhen there are manifestations of ecstatic symptoms in the body\nof a nondevotee, these are called dried-up symptoms of ecstatic love.\nThe nondevotees are actually materialistic, but in contact with some\npure devotee, they sometimes may manifest some symptoms of ecstasy. Devotional scholars call these dried-up symptoms.\n230\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0268": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n231\n\nThere are eight symptoms of existential ecstatic love: becoming\nstunned, perspiring, standing of the hairs on the body, faltering of\nthe voice, trembling of the body, changing bodily colors, shedding\ntears, and devastation.\nThe scientific explanation of these eight symptoms is given by\nRupa Gosvami as follows: When the vital force of life is in contact\nwith the earth, it is called stunning. When the same force comes into\ncontact with water, there is the shedding of tears. When the same\nforce comes into contact with fire, there is perspiration. When the\nsame force comes into contact with the sky, there is complete devastation. And when that force comes into contact with the air, there is\ntrembling, failing of the voice and standing of the hairs on the body.\nThese symptoms are sometimes manifested internally and sometimes externally. The pure devotee always feels such symptomatic\nexpressions within himself, but being afraid. of outsiders he does not\ngenerally manifest them externally.\n\nBecoming Stunned\nThe symptom of becoming stunned is caused by ecstatic tribulation, fearfulness, astonishment, lamentation and anger. This symptom is exhibited by a stoppage of talking, a stoppage of movement, a\nfeeling of voidness and an extreme feeling of separation.\nWhen Uddhava was describing Kr�!la's pastimes to Vidura, he said,\n\"One day the gopis became stunned when Kr�!la, in the dress of a\ngardening maid, entered the greenhouse and enlivened them with\n\nj oking and laughter. Then when Kr�!la left the greenhouse, the gopis\nwere seeing Kr�!la so ecstatically that it was as though both their\nminds and eyes were following Him.\" These symptoms signify that\nalthough the\n\ngopis' business was not finished, they had become\n\nstunned with ecstatic love.\nAnother example of being stunned took place when Krwa was\nsurrounded by various wrestlers in the sacrificial arena of Kamsa. His\nmother, Devaki, * then became stunned, and her eyes dried up when\nshe saw Kr�!la amongst the wrestlers.\n*\n\n/\n\nDevaki was the \"natural\" mother of Kr�l)a, His father being Vasudeva. In order\n\nto protect the divine baby from Devaki's brother Kamsa, Vasudeva delivered\nKr�l)a to Nanda and Mother Y asoda in Vrndavana, and it was there that He\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0269": "Other Ecstatic Symptoms\n\n232\n\nThere is also an example of the astonishment of Lord Brahma. It is\n\nexplained in the Tenth Canto, 13th Chapter, 51st verse of Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam that when Brahma understood that this cowherd boy\nwas the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, he became stunned.\nAll of his sensual activities became stopped upon seeing all the\ncowherd boys again, along with Kr��a. Lord Brahma was so stunned\nthat he appeared to be a golden statue with four heads. Also, when\nthe residents of Braja found that Kr��a had lifted Govardhan Hill\nwith His left hand, they became stunned.\nAstonishment caused by lamentation is exemplified when Kr��a\nwas entering into the belly of the Bakasura demon and all the demigods from higher planets became stunned with lamentation. A similar\nexample of becoming stunned was visible in Arjuna when he saw that\nAsvatthama was attempting to release his brahmiistrat at Kr��a.\n\nPerspiration\nAn example of perspiring because of jubilation is described in\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam. One gopi addressed Radhara�l thusly: \"My dear\nRadhara�l, You are rebuking the sunshine unnecessarily, but I can\n\nunderstand that You are perspiring only because of Your becoming\ntoo lusty at seeing Kr��a.\"\nPerspiration caused by fearfulness was exhibited by Raktak, one\nof the servants of Krwa. One day Kr��a dressed Himself just like\nAbhimanyu, the husband of Radhara�i Abhimanyu did not like\nRadharanl's association with Krsna, and therefore when Raktak saw\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nKr��a in the dress of Abhimanyu and thus mistook His identity, he\nbegan to strongly rebuke Him. As soon as Raktak finally understood\nthat it was Kr��a in the dress of Abhimanyu, he began perspiring.\nThis perspiration was caused by fearfulness.\nPerspiration due to anger was exhibited by Garu�a, the eagle who\nis the carrier of Vi��u. Once the heavenly king, Indra, was sending\n\nexhibited His childhood pastimes. At sixteen years of age He returned to Mathurii.\n(where Devaki had given birth to Him) and vanquished Kamsa in the arena men­\n\ntioned here. See the author's K[§FJ-a, as well as his Sr!mad-Bhagavatam, for fuller\ndetails of these events.\n\nt The brahmastra was a nuclear weapon controlled by mantra, or sound vibration.\n\nj\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0270": "233\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ntorrents of rain over Vrndiivana. Garu�a was observing the incident\n\nfrom above the clouds, and because of his anger, he began perspiring.\nStanding of Hairs on the Body\n\nThe standing up of hair on the body was manifested when Mother\n\nYasoda found within Kr��a 's mouth all of the universal planetary\n\nsystems. She had asked Kr��a to open His mouth wide just to see\nwhether He had eaten dirt. But when Kr�r;ta opened His mouth, she\n\nsaw not only the entire earth, but also many other planets within\nHis mouth. This caused a standing up of the hair on her body.\n\nThe standing up of hair on the body resulting from jubilation is\n\ndescribed in the Tenth Canto, 30th Chapter, 9th verse of Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam in connection with the gopis engaged in the riisa dance.\n\nDuring this riisa dance Kr��a disappeared all of a sudden with\n\nRadhariir;t'i, and the gopis began to search Him out. At that time they\n\naddressed the earth and began to say, \"My dear earthly planet; how\nmany austerities and penances you must have undergone to have the\n\nlotus feet of Krwa always touching your surface. I think that you\n\nmust be very jubilant because the trees and ·plants; which are just\nlike hairs on your body, are standing up so gloriously. May we ask\n\nwhen did you first get these symptoms? Are you enjoying this jubilation since you were touched by the incarnation of Vamana or since\n\nyou were delivered by the incarnation of Varaha?\"\n\nKr��a would sometimes perform mock fighting along with the\n\ncowherd boys. When Kr��a blew His horn in this mock fighting,\n\nSr'idamii, who was on the opposing side, felt his bodily·hairs stand\n\nup. Similarly, when Arjuna saw Kr��a in His gigantic universal form,\n\nthere was a standing of the hairs on his body.\nFaltering of the Voice\n\nWhen Krwa was going to Mathura on the chariot driven by Akriira,\n\nYasoda and all the gopis came to try to forbid Him to pass and to\n\nblock His way. At that time Radhara�'i was so perturbed that in a\nfaltering voice, She requested Mother Yasoda to please stop Akriira.\n\nFaltering of the voice resulting from wonder was exhibited by\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0271": "234\n\nOther Ecstatic Symptoms\n\nBrahma. It is said in Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 13th Chapter,\n\n59th verse that, after bowing down before Lord Kn;!la, when Brahma\n\nbegan to rise he prayed to the Lord in a faltering voice.\n\nIn the Tenth Canto, 29th Chapter, 27th verse, another example of\n\nfaltering of the voice was exhibited by the gopis when they came to\n\nKr9�a, desiring to dance with Him. Kr9!1a asked them to go back to\n\ntheir husbands and homes. The gopis apparently became very angry\n\nand began to talk to Kr9�a with faltering voices.\nIn\n\nthe\n\nTenth\n\nCanto,\n\n39th\n\nChapter,\n\n48th\n\nverse,\n\nof Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam a faltering voice due to jubilation was exhibited by\nAkrura when he was shown all of the V aiku�tha planets resting with­\n\nin the River Yamuna. When Akrura understood that Krwa was the\nSupreme Personality of Godhead, he bowed his head to Kr9!1a's\n\nlotus feet and with folded hands began to pray in a faltering voice.\nThere are also examples of faltering of the voice caused by fearful­\n\nness.\n\nOne of Kr9�a's friends praised Him thusly: \"My dear friend, Your\n\nflute was given to Your servant, Patr'i, and when I asked him to return it he began speaking in a faltering voice, and his complexion became yellow.\"\n\nTrembling\nWhen Kr9�a was trying to capture the demon Sankha, Radharii!l'i\n\nbegan trembling out of fearfulness. Similar trembling of the body was\nexhibited in Sahadeva, the younger brother of Nakula. When Sisupala\n\nwas vehemently blaspheming the Lord, Sahadeva began to tremble\nout of anger.\n\nTrembling of the body was also exhibited by Radharii!l'i out of\n\ntribulation. Radharii!l'i trembled as She told one of the gopis: \"Don't\n\njoke with this disappointing boy! Please ask Him not to approach\nMe, because He is always the cause of all grief for us.\"\n\nChanging of Bodily Color\nSometimes, due to great aggrievement caused by the dealings of\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0272": "235\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nKrwa, the body changes color. The gopis therefore addressed the\nLord thusly: \"My dear Kr�pa, due to separation from You, all of the\n\ndenizens of Vrndavana have changed their color. And because of this\nchange of color even the great sage Narada was thinking of Vrn­\n\ndavana as a white island in the ocean of milk.\"\n\nWhen Kr�pa and Balarama were present in the arena of Kamsa,\n\nKamsa's body changed color. Similarly, Indra's face changed color\n\nwhen he saw that Kr�pa was protecting all the denizens of Braja by\nlifting Govardhan Hill. If the color change takes place due to ex­\n\ncessive jubilation, the hue turns red. Because such change of color is\nso rare, Srila Riipa Gosvami does not further discuss this point.\n\nTears\nOut of jubilation, anger, or separation there may be the pouring\ndown of tears from the eyes. When such tears are very cold they are\n\ndue to jubilation, and when they are due to anger the tears become\nhot. In all cases there is a severe movement of the eyes, an<!__the eyes\ngenerally become reddish. There is also an itching sensation which\n\ncauses the sufferer to rub his eyes.\n\nWhen the lotus-eyed Rukmipi, the first queen of Kr�pa in Dvaraka,\n\nwas shedding tears out of ecstatic jubilation, she did not like the\n\ntears. There is a passage in the Hari-vam§a wherein Satyabhama begins\nto shed tears because of her great affection for Kr�pa.\nAn example of shedding tears because of anger was exhibited by\nBhima when he saw that Sisupala was insulting Kr�pa in the riija-suya\n\narena of sacrifice. Bhima wanted to kill Sisupala immediately, but\n\nbecause Kr�pa did not order him to do so, he became morose with\nanger. It is described that there were hot tears covering his eyes, as a\nthin cloud sometimes covers the evening moon. In the evening, when\nthe moon is slightly covered by a thin cloud, it looks very nice, and\nwhen Bhima was shedding tears on account of his anger, he also looked very nice.\n\nIn the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Chapter 68, verse 23,\n\nthere is a nice example of Rukmipi shedding tears of lamentation.\n\nWhen Kr�pa and Rukmipi were talking, Rukmipi became frightened\n\nof separation from Kr�pa, and therefore she began scratching the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0273": "Other Ecstatic Symptoms\n\n236\n\nearth with her red, lotus-like nails. Because she was shedding tears,\nthe black ointment from her eyes was dripping, along with the tears,\n\nonto her breasts, which were covered with kunkum powder. Rukmi�ii\nwas so aggrieved that her voice was choked up.\nDevastation\nWhen a person is confused by simultaneous happiness and tribulation and does not know what to do, this state of confusion is called\npralaya, or devastation. In this condition of pralaya one sometimes\nfalls down on the ground, and all the symptoms of ecstatic love become manifest. When the gopis were searching after Kr�l!a and all of a\nsudden He came out from the bushes and creepers, all of them be­\n\ncame stunned and almost senseless. In this state the gopis appeared\nvery beautiful. This is an example of pralaya, or devastation in happi­\n\nness.\n\nThere are also instances of pralaya in distress. One such example is\n\ndescribed in the Tenth Canto, 39th Chapter, 14th verse of Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, where Sukadeva Gosvami tells King Parik�it: \"My dear\nKing, when the gopis were missing Kr�l)a, they were so much ab­\n\nsorbed in meditation upon Him that all of their senses stopped functioning, and they lost all bodily sense. It was as though they had become liberated from all material conditions.\"\nOut of the many ecstatic symptoms of the body, the symptom of\nbeing stunned is especially significant. According to the degree of\nbei-ng stunned, the vital force within the body becomes agitated, and\ndue to such a state, the other ecstatic loving symptoms sometimes\nbecome altered. These transcendental ecstatic symptoms gradually\ndevelop, and in the course of such development, they are sometimes\n\ncalled smoky, sometimes called blazing, and sometimes called shining.\n\nThese three degrees are experienced for many, many years and\nextend to different parts of the body. Unlike the shedding of tears\nand faltering of the voice, the condition of being stunned is spread\nall over the body. The shedding of tears and faltering of the voice are\nsimply localized symptoms.\nThe shedding of tears, however, sometimes makes the eyes become\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0274": "237\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nswollen and whitish, and sometimes the lenses of the eyes become\ndifferently focused. Faltering of the voice may sometimes cause\nchoking in the throat and extreme anxiety. As the different symptoms of these ecstatic manifestations are localized, they are accompanied by different local reactions; e.g., when the throat is choked up\nbecause of a faltering voice, there may be a sound like \"ghra.\" Such\nsounds choke up the voice, and with extreme mental anxiety they\nmay manifest in different ways. All these symptoms are listed under\nthe dried-up existential condition known as smoky, and they are\nexhibited in different ways.\nSometimes, while participating in ceremonies celebrating Krwa's\npastimes, or in the society of devotees, there is dancing ecstasy. Such\nsentiments are called blazing.\nNone of the above symptoms can be manifested without the basic\nprinciple of strong attachment for Kr��a. In the smoky condition of\nsuch ecstatic expressions, the symptoms could otherwise be hidden.\nThis type of symptom was experienced by Priest Gargamuni, who\nwas performing some ritualistic ceremony in the house of Nanda\nMaharaj. When he heard about Kr��a's killing of the Aghasura demon,\nthere were some tears visible in his eyes, his throat was trembling, and\nperspiration covered his whole body. In this way Priest Gargamuni's\nbeautiful face assumed a nice condition.\nWhen several such ecstatic symptoms are visible, the condition is\ncalled blazing. For example, some of Kr��a's friends told Him, \"My\ndear friend, as soon as I heard the sound of Your flute from within\nthe forest, my hands became almost motionless and my eyes became\nfull of tears. So much so, in fact, that I could not recognize Your\npeacock feather. My thighs became almost completely stunned so\nthat I could not move even an inch. Therefore, my dear friend, I\nmust acknowledge the wonderful vibration of Your transcendental\nflute.\"\nSimilarly, one gopi said to another, \"My dear friend, when I heard\nthe sound of Kr�9a's flute, I tried to hide myself from the reaction of\nthe vibrations. But still I could not check the trembling of my body,\nand therefore all of my friends in the house could detect my attachment for Kr��a without any doubt.\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0275": "Other Ecstatic Symptoms\n\n238\n\nWhen the ecstatic symptoms cannot be checked, and they simul­\n\ntaneously appear in four or five different categories, this stage of\necstatic love is called shining. The example is cited, in this connec­\n\ntion, that when the sage Narada saw Lord Krg1a standing before him,\nhis body became so stunned that he stopped playing on his vir-a.\n\nBecause of his faltering voice he could not offer any prayers to Kr9pa,\n\nand his eyes became filled with tears. Thus, Narada's ability to see\nKrsna was also obstructed\n.\n.\nWhen similar symptoms were manifest in the body of Sr'imat'i\n\nRadharap'i, some of Her friends criticized Her: \"My dear friend, You\n\nare blaming the flavor of the flowers for the tears in Your eyes. You\n\nare rebuking the air for the standing of the hairs on Your body. And\n\nYou are cursing Your walking in the forest for Your thighs being\n\nstunned. But Your faltering voice reveals the cause to be different: it\nis just Your attachment for Kr9pa!\"\n\nSn,a Riipa Gosvam'i remarks that when various symptoms become\n\nmanifest very prominently, the devotee's condition can be called the\n\nbrightest. For example, a friend of Kr9pa addressed Him as follows:\n\n\"My dear Pitambara, because of separation from You all the residents\n\nof Goloka Vrndavana are perspiring. They are lamenting with different words, and their eyes have become moistened with tears. Actually, all of them are in great confusion.\"\n\nThere is a supreme symptom of ecstatic love which is called mahii­\n\nbhiiva. This mahiibhiiva expression was possible only in Radharap'i,\n\nbut later on when Sri Kr9pa Caitanya appeared to feel the mode of\n\nlove of Radharap'i, He also expressed all of the symptoms of mahii­\n\nbhiiva. Sri Riipa Gosvam'i says in this connection that when the symp­\n\ntoms of ecstatic love become the most bright, that stage is accepted\n\nas mahiibhiiva.\n\nSrila Riipa Gosvam'i further analyzes the ecstatic loving expression\n\ninto four divisions which are called sattviibhiisa.\n\nSometimes impersonalists who are not actually in devotional ser­\n\nvice may also exhibit such symptoms of ecstatic love, but this is not\naccepted as actual ecstasy. It is a reflection only. For example, some­\n\ntimes in Varapas'i, a holy city for impersonalist scholars, there may\nbe seen a sannyiisi crying from hearing the glories of the Lord. Im-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0276": "239\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\npersonalists also sometimes chant the Hare Kr��a mantra and dance,\nbut their aim is not to serve the Lord. It is to become one with the\nLord and merge into His existence. Riipa Gosvami therefore says that\neven if the reactions to chanting are manifested in the impersonalist's\nbody, they should not be considered to be symptoms of actual attachment, but reflections only, just like the sun reflected in a dark\nroom through some polished glass. The chanting of Hare Kr��a, however, is so nice and transcendental that it will eventually melt even\nthe hearts of persons who are impersonalists. Riipa Gosvami says\nthat the impersonalists' symptoms are simply reflections of ecstatic\nlove, not the real thing.\nSometimes it is found that when staunch logicians, without any\ntrace of devotional service and without actually understanding the\ntranscendental glories of the Lord, sit down to hear the glories of the\nLord, they appear to be melting and shedding tears. In this connection there is a statement by a devotee who is addressing the Lord\nthusly: \"My dear Mukunda, I cannot properly express the glories of\nYour pastimes. Even when the nondevotees hear of Your glorious\npastimes they become affected and shed tears and start to tremble.\"\nSuch nondevotees are not actually melted; they are hard-hearted. But\nthe influence of the glories of the Lord is so great that even the nondevotees sometimes shed tears.\nSometimes it is found that a nondevotee 'who has practically no\ntaste for Krwa and who follows no rules or regulations can, by practice, make a show of devotional symptoms, even crying in an assembly of devotees. This shedding of tears is not actually an ecstatic\nloving expression, however. It is done simply by practice. Although\nthere is no need to describe these reflections of ecstatic love, Riipa\nGosvami gives some instances where there is no actual devotional\nservice and such expressions are manifested.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0277": "29 I Expressions of Love for Kr��a\n\nThere are some bodily symptoms which express overwhelming ecstatic love. They are counted at thirty-one as follows: disappointment, lamentation, humility, guilt, fatigue, intoxication, pride, doubt,\napprehension, intense emotion, madness, forgetfulness, disease, confusion, death, laziness, inertness, bashfulness, concealment, remembering, argumentativeness, anxiety, thoughtfulness, endurance, happiness, eagerness, haughtiness, envy, impudence, dizziness and alertness.\nDisappointment\n\nWhen one is forced to act in a way which is forbidden, or to refrain\nfrom acting in a way which is proper, he becomes regretful and thinks\nhimself dishonored. At that time there is a sense of disappointment.\nIn this kind of disappointment one becomes full of anxiety, sheds\ntears, changes bodily color, feels humility and breathes heavily.\nWhen Krgta, in punishing the Kaliya serpent, appeared to have\ndrowned Himself in the poisonous water of the Yam una, N anda\nMaharaj addressed Yasoda Devi thusly: \"My dear wife, Kn>pa has\ngone deep into the water, and so there is no longer any need to maintain our bodies, which are so full of sinful activities! Let us also enter\ninto the poisonous water of the Yam una and compensate for the\nsinful activities of our lives!\" This is an instance of severe shock,\nwhere the devotee becomes greatly disappointed.\nWhen Krsna left Vrndavana, Subala, His intimate friend, decided to\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n'\n\nleave also. While leaving, Subala was contemplating that without\nKr�pa there was no longer any pleasure to be found in V rndavana.\n240\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0278": "241\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nThe analogy is given that, as the bees go away from a flower that has\n\nno honey, so Subala left V rndavana when he found there was no\n\nlonger any relishable transcendental pleasure there.\n\nIn Diina-keli-kaumudi Srimati Radhara!li addresses one of Her\n\nfriends in this manner: \"My dear friend, if I cannot hear of the glori- .\nous activities of Kr�!ia, it is better for Me to become deaf. And be­\n\ncause I am now unable to see Him, it would be good for Me to be a\n\nblind woman.\" This is another instance of disappointment due to\nseparation from Kr�!ia.\n\nThere is a statement in the Hari-varhsa wherein Satyabhama, one\n\nof the queens of Kr�!la in Dvaraka, tells her husband: \"My dear\nKr�!la, since I heard Narada glorifying Rukmi!li before You, I can\n\nunderstand that there is no need of any talking about myself.\" This\n\nis an instance of disappointment caused by envy. Rukmi!li and Satya­\n\nbhama were co-wives, and because Kr�!la was husband of both, there\n\nnaturally was some feminine envy between them. So when Satya­\n\nbhama heard the glories of Rukmi!li, she was envious of her and thus\n\nbecame disappointed.\n\nIn the Tenth Canto, 51st Chapter, 29th verse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam\n\nthere is this statement: \"My dear Kr�!ia, I cannot say that it is only\nother people who are implicated in material existence, because I too\n\nam much entangled with the bodily concept of life. I am always\ntoo anxious about my family, home, wife, wealth, land and kingdom.\n\nAnd because I have been so maddened by this material atmosphere, I\n\nam thinking now that my life has been simply spoiled.\" This state­\n\nment is an instance of disappointment caused by lamentation.\n\nAccording to Bharata Muni, this disappointment is inauspicious.\nBut there are other learned scholars who have accepted such disappointment as being in the mood of neutrality and as being a preservative for ecstatic love.\nLamentation\n\nWhen one is unsuccessful in achieving his desired goal of life, when\none finds no fulfillment in his present occupation, when one finds\n\nhimself in reversed conditions and when one feels guilt-at such time\none is said to be in a state of lamentation.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0279": "Expressions of Love for K[§[ta\n\n242\n\nIn this condition of lamentation one becomes questioning, thoughtful, tearful, regretful and heavy-breathed. His bodily color changes,\nand his mouth becomes dry.\nOne aged devotee of Krwa addressed Him in this way: \"My ,dear\nKr�!ia, 0 killer of the demon Agha, my body is now invalid due to\nold age. I cannot speak very fluently, my voice is faltering, my mind\nis not strong, and I am often attacked with forgetfulness. But, my\ndear Lord, You are just like the moonlight, and my only real regret\nis that for want of any taste for Your pleasant shining I did not advance myself in Kr�!la consciousness.\" This statement is an instance\nof lamentation due to one's being unable to achieve his desired goal.\nOne devotee said, \"This night I was dreaming of collecting various\nflowers from the garden, and I was thinking of making a garland to\noffer to Kr�!ia. But I am so unfortunate that all of a sudden my\ndream was o'ver, and I could not achieve my desired goal!\" This\nstatement is an instance of lamentation resulting from nonfulfillment\nof one's duties.\nWhen N anda Maharaj saw his foster son, Kr�!ia, embarrassed in the\nsacrificial arena of Kamsa, he said, \"How unfortunate I am that I did\nnot keep my son bolted within a room. Unfortunately, I have\nbrought Him to Mathura, and now I see that He's embarrassed by\nthis giant elephant named Kuvalaya. It is as though the moon of\nKrwa is eclipsed by the shadow of the eartq.\" This is an instance of\nlamentation caused by reversed conditions.\n\nIn the Tenth Canto, 14th Chapter, 9th verse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam\nthere is a statement by Brahma: \"My dear Lord, just see my impudence! You are unlimited, the original Personality of Godhead, the\nsupersoul-and You rule over the most perfect illusory energies! And\njust see my impudence! I wanted to supersede You by my own personal power, and I was very puffed up with this tiny power of mine.\nJust as a simple spark from a fire cannot do any harm to the fire, so\nmy bewildering potency was completely unsuccessful in thwarting\nYour superior illusory power. Therefore I find myself to be most\ninsignificant\n\nand think of myself as a most useless person.\" This\n\nstatement by Brahma is an instance of lamentation caused by committing an offense.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0280": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n243\n\nHumility\nA sense of weakness caused by distress, fearfulness or offensiveness\nis called humility. ln this condition one becomes talkative, small in\nheart, dirty in mind, full of anxiety and inactive.\nIn\n\nthe\n\nTenth\n\nCanto,\n\n51st\n\nChapter,\n\n39th\n\nverse\n\nof Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam there is the following statement by King Mucukunda:\n\n\"My dear Lord, because of my bad deeds in the past I am everlastingly aggrieved. I am always suffering from my -desires, but still my\nsenses are never satisfied with material enj oyments. Somehow or\nother I am, by Your grace, now in a peaceful condition because I\nhave taken shelter of Your lotus feet, which are always free from all\nlamentation, fear- and death. 0 supreme protector, 0 supreme soul!\n\n0 supreme controller! Kindly gi ve me Your protection. I am so much\nembarrassed.\" This statement by Mucukunda is an instance of humility resulting from a severely miserable condition of material existence.\nWhen Uttara was attacked by the brahmiistra of Asvatthama, she\nbecame afraid of losing her child, Maharaj Parik�it, who was still within the womb. She immediately surrendered to Krwa and said, \"My\ndear Lord, kindly save my child! I do not mind if I myself must be\nkilled by the brahmiistra of Asvatthama.\" This is an instance of\nhumility caused by fear.\nIn\n\nthe\n\nTenth\n\nCanto,\n\n14th\n\nChapter,\n\nlOth verse\n\nof Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, Lord Brahma says, \"0 infallible one! I am born in the\nmodes of passion, and therefore I have been falsely proud of being\nthe creator of this material world. My false pride was j ust like dense\ndarkness, and in this darkness I had become blind. In my blindness I\nwas considering myself a competitor to You, the Supreme Personality\nof Godhead. But, my dear Lord, even though I am accepted as the\ncreator of this universe, I am eternally Your servant. Therefore, kindly always be compassionate toward me and excuse me in tnat way.\"\nThis statement by Brahma is another instance of humility resulting\nfrom committing an offense.\nSometimes there is humility due to shyness. For example, when\n\nKr��a stole all of the garments from the gopis while they were bath­\n\ning in the river, all of them begged Kr��a not to commit this in-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0281": "Expressions of Love for Krr!w\n\n244\n\njustice upon them. The gopis addressed Him thus: \"My dear Kr9!J.a,\n\nwe know that You are the son of Nanda Maharaj and that You are\n\nthe most beloved of all V rndavana. And You are very much loved by\nus also! But why are You giving us this trouble? Kindly return our\ngarments. Just see how we are trembling from the severe cold!\" This\n\nhumility was due to their shyness from being naked before Kr9!J.a.\nGuilt\n\nWhen a person blames himself for committing an inappropriate\n\naction, his feeling is called guilt.\n\nOne day Sr'imat'i Radharii!J.'i was churning curd for Kr9!J.a. At that\n\ntime the jeweled bangles on Her hands were circling around, and She\n\nwas also chanting the holy name of Kr9!J.a. All of a sudden She\n\nthought, \"I am chanting the holy name of Kr�!J.a, and My superiors­\n\nMy mother-in-law and My sister-in-law-may hear Me!\" By this\nthought Radharii!J.'i became overanxious. This is an instance of feel­\n\ning guilty because of devotion to Kr9!J.a.\n\nOne day the beautiful-eyed Sr'imat'i Radharii!J.'i entered into the\n\nforest to collect some flowers to prepare a garland for Kr9!J.a. While\ncollecting the flowers, She became afraid that someone might see\nHer, and She felt some fatigue and weakness. This is an instance of\n\nguilty feelings caused by labor for Kr�!J.a.\n\nThere is a statement in Rasa-sudhiikara that after passing the night\n\nwith Kr�!J.a, Radharii!J.'i became so weak that She was unable to get up\n\nfrom bed. When Kr9pa took Her hand to help Her, Radharii!J.'i felt\nguilty about having passed the night with Him.\nFatigue\n\nFatigue is felt after walking a long distance, after dancing and\n\nafter sex activity. In this kind of fatigue there is dizziness, perspira­\n\ntion, inactivity of the limbs, yawning and very heavy breathing.\n\nOne day Yasoda was chasing Krwa in the yard after He had offend­\n\ned Her. After a while Yasoda became very fatigued, and therefore she\n\nwas perspiring, and her bunched hair became loosened. This is an\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0282": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n245\n\ninstance of becoming fatigued because of working too much.\nSometimes all\n\nof\n\nthe\n\ncowherd friends of Kr�tla, along with\n\nBalarama, danced together in some ceremony. At these times the\ngarlands on Their necks would move, and They would begin to per·\nspire. Their whole bodies became wet from Their ecstatic dancing.\nThis is an instance of fatigue caused by dancing.\n\n.\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 33rd Chapter, 20th verse\n\nit is said that after enj oying love affairs with Kr�tla by dancing, em·\n\nbracing and kissing, the gopis would sometimes become very tired,\nand Kr�tla, out of His causeless mercy and compassion, would smear\ntheir faces with His lotus hands. This is an example of fatigue caused\nby laboring in the rasa dance.\n\nIntoxication\nWhen one becomes arrogant with false prestige due to drinking\nintoxicants or being too lustful, the voice becomes faulty, the eyes\nbecome swollen, and there are symptoms of redness on the body.\nThere is a statement in the Lalita-madhava that Lord Baladeva, in­\n\ntoxicated from drinking excessive quantities of honey, once began to\naddress the ants: \"0 you kings of the ants! Why are you hiding yourselves in these holes?\" At the same time He also addressed the King\nof heaven: \"0 King Indra! You plaything of\n\nS aci! Why are you\n\nlaughing? I am now prepared to smash the whole universe, and I\nknow that Kr�tla will not be angry with Me.\"* Then He addressed\nKr�tla: \"My dear Kr�tla, tell Me immediately why the whole world is\ntrembling, and why the moon has become elongated! And 0 you\nmembers of the Yadu dynasty, why are you laughing at Me? Please\n\ngi ve me back My liquors made of honey from the kadamba flower!\"\nS rila Rupa Gosvami prays that Lord Balarama will be pleased with all\nof us while He is thus talking j ust like an intoxicated person.\nIn this state of intoxication, Balarama felt tired and lay down for\n\n*\nBaladeva, or Balarama, is the older brother of Kr�J)a, an expansion of the\nGodhead Himself, and therefore to be considered an incarnation of God, as is\nexplained in the Sr\"imad-Bhiigavatam.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0283": "Expressions of Love for Knrw\n\n246\n\nrest. Generally, those who are exalted personalities lie down when\n\nthey feel intoxicated, whereas those who are mediocre laugh and sing\nduring intoxication, and those who are lowly use vulgar language and\n\nsometimes cry. Such intoxication is manifested according to different\n\nages and mentalities. Srila Riipa Gosvam'i does not describe further in\nthis direction because there is no necessity for such a discussion.\n\nThere is another description of the symptoms of intoxication in\n\nthe person of Sr'i Radhara�'i after She saw Kr��a: sometimes She was\n\nwalking hither and thither, sometimes She was laughing, sometimes\nShe was covering Her face, sometimes She was talking without any\n\nmeaning, and sometimes She was praying to Her associate gopis. See­\n\ning these symptoms in Radhara�'i, the gopis began to talk among\n\nthemselves: \"Just see how Radhara�'i has become intoxicated simply\nby seeing Kr��a before Her!\" This is an instance of ecstatic love in\nintoxication.\nPride\nExpressions of ecstatic love in pride may be the result of excessive\n\nwealth, exquisite beauty, first-class residence, or the attainment of\none's ideal goal. One is also considered to be proud when he does not\ncare about the neglect of others.\n\nBilvamangala Thakur said, \"My dear Krwa, You are leaving me,\n\nforcibly getting out of my clutches. But I shall be impressed by Your\n\nstrength only when You can go forcibly from the core of my heart.\"\nThis is an instance of feeling pride in ecstatic love for Kr��a.\n\nOnce during the riisa dance, when Radhara�'i left the arena, and\n\nKrsna went to seek Her out, one of the dear friends of Radharan'i\n. .\n\n.\n\n.\n\nbegan to address Kr��a thusly: \"My dear Kr��a, You have been very\nmuch obliging in serving the form of our Sr'i Radhara�'i, and now You\n\nhave left all the other gopis to search for Her. Please allow me to\n\ninquire how You want Her to treat You.\" This is an instance of\n\nfeeling pride on account of exquisite beauty.\nSometimes Radhara�'i felt pride within Herself and said, \"Al­\n\nthough the cowherd boys prepare nice flower garlands for Kr��a,\n\nwhen\n\nI\n\npresent My\n\ngarland\n\nto\n\nHim, He becomes struck with\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0284": "247\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nwonder and immediately accepts it and puts it on His heart.\"\n\nSimilarly, in the Tenth Canto, 2nd Chapter, 27th verse of Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, Lord Brahma says: \"My dear Madhusiidana, persons\nwho are pure devotees of Your Lordship actually feel Your ecstatic\nfriendship, and as such they are never vanquished by enemies. They\nknow they are always protected by You, and so they can matter-offactly pass over the heads of their enemies without any care.\" In\nother words, one who has taken complete shelter under the lotus feet\nof the Lord is always proud of being able to conquer all enemies.\nOne weaver at Mathura addressed Krg•a in this way: \"My dear\nKing of Vrndavana, I have become so proud of Your causeless mercy\nupon me that I do not even count upon the mercy of the lord of\nVaiku!J.tha, which is sought after by many great sages in deep medita­\n\ntion.\" In other words, although the yogis and great sages sit in meditation upon Lord Vi�!J.U, who is residing in Vaiku!J.tha, a devotee of\nKr�!la is so proud that he does not consider such meditation to be\nvery valuable. This feeling of pride is due to one's having achieve.d the\nhighest goal of life- Kr�!J.a.\nDoubt\nAfter Lord Brahma had stolen all of the calves, cows and cowherd\nboys from Kr�!J.a, he was trying to go away. But all of a sudden he\nbecame doubtful about his stealing affairs and began to watch on all\nsides with his eight eyes. Lord Brahma has four heads, and therefore\nhe has eight eyes. This is an instance of ecstatic love in doubtfulness,\ncaused by stealing.\n\nSimilarly, just to please Kr�!la, Akriira stole the Syamantaka-mar-i,\n\na stone which can produce unlimited quantities of gold, but later on\nhe repented his stealing. This is another instance of ecstatic love for\nKr�!la in doubt caused by stealing.\nThe King of heaven, Indra, was advised to surrender himself at the\nlotus feet of Kr�!la when he was causing torrents of rain to fall on the\nland of Braja. At that time lndra's face became very darkened out of\ndoubtfulness.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0285": "Expressions of Love for K[§[W\n\n248\n\nApprehension\n\nWhen a person becomes disturbed in his heart by seeing lightning\nin the sky, by seeing a ferocious animal, or by hearing a tumultuous\nsound, his state of mind is called apprehensive. In such a state of\napprehension, one tries to take shelter of something which provides\nsafety. There may be standing of the hairs on the body, trembling of\nthe body and sometimes the committing of mistakes. And sometimes\nthe body may become stunned.\nIn the Padyavali there is the following statement: \"My dear friend,\nKr9�a 's residence in the demonic circle at Mathura, under the supremacy of the King of demons, Kamsa, is causing me much worry.\" This\nis one instance of apprehending some danger to Kr9�a in ecstatic love\nfor Him.\nWhen Vr9asura appeared in Vrndavana as a bull, all of the gopis\nbecame greatly affected with fear. Being perturbed in that way, they\n.began to embrace the tamala trees. This is an instance of fearfulness\ncaused. by a ferocious animal and of the search for shelter while\nremembering Krwa in ecstatic love. Upon hearing the jackals crying\nin the forest of Vrndiivana, Mother Yasoda sometimes became very\ncareful about keeping Kr9�a under her vigilance, fearing that Kr9�a\nmight be attacked by them. This is an instance of ecstatic love for\nKr9�a in fearfulness caused by a tumultuous sound. This kind of fearfulness is a little different from being actually afraid. When one is\nafraid of something, he can still think of past and future. But when\nthere is this kind of ecstatic apprehension, there is no scope for such\nthinking.\nIntense Emotion\n\nEmotion is caused by something very dear, by something very\ndetestable, by fire, strong wind, strong rainfall, by some natwal disturbance, the sight of a big elephant, or the sight of an enemy. When\nthere is emotion caused by seeing something very dear, one can speak\nvery swiftly and use kind words. When there is emotion caused by\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0286": "249\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nseeing something detestable, one cries very loudly. When there is\nemotion caused by seeing fire, one tries to fly away. There may also\nbe trembling of the body, closing of the eyes and tears in the eyes.\nWhen one becomes emotional on account of a strong wind, one tries\nto run very swiftly and rubs his eyes. When one is emotional because\nof rainfall, one takes an umbrella, and there is tension in his body.\nWhen there is emotion due to a sudden disturbance, one's face\nbecomes discolored, one becomes struck with wonder, and there is\ntrembling of the body. If there is emotion from seeing an elephant,\n\none may j ump, show various signs of fearfulness, and sometimes one\n\nmay keep looking behind him. When there is emotion due to the\npresence of an enemy, one looks for a fatal weapon and· tries to\nescape.\nWhen Kn;�a returned from the forest of V rndavana, Mother Yasoda\nwas so emotional from seeing her son that milk began to flow from\nher breasts. This is an instance of emotion caused by seeing a dear ob­\n\nj ect.\n\nIn the Tenth Canto, 23rd Chapter, 13th verse of SrimadBhiigavatam, S ukadeva Gosvami informs King Parik�it: \"My dear\nKing, the wives of the briihmar;ws were usually very much attached to\nthe glorification of Kn;�a, and they were always anxious to get an\nopportunity to see Him. Because of this, when they heard that Kn;�a\nwas nearby, they became very anxious to see Him and immediately\nleft their homes.\" This is an instance of emotional activity caused by\nthe presence of someone who is very dear.\nWhen Putana, the demoniac witch, was struck down and killed by\nKr��a, Mother Yasoda was struck with wonder and began to cry emotionally, \"Oh, what is this? What is this?\" When she saw that her dear\nbaby Kr��a was playing on the chest of the dead demonic woman,\nMother Yasoda, at a loss what to do, began to walk this way and that.\nThis is an instance of being emotional on account of seeing something ghastly.\n\nWhen Krwa uprooted the two arjuna trees and Yasoda heard the\n\nsound of the trees crashing down, she became overcome with emotion and simply stared upwards, being too bewildered to know what\nelse to do. This is an instance of being emotional from hearing a\ntumultuous sound.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0287": "250\n\nExpressions of Love for Kr§fW\n\nWhen there was a forest fire in Vrndavana, all the cowherd men assembled together and desperately appealed to Kr��a for protection.\nThis is an instance of emotion caused by fire.\nThe whirlwind demon known as Tr�avarta once carried Krwa off\nfrom the ground and blew Him around, along with some very big\ntrees. At that time, Mother Yasoda could not see her son, and she\nwas so disturbed that she began to walk this way and that. This is an\ninstance of emotion caused by severe wind.\nIn\n\nthe\n\nTenth\n\nCanto,\n\n25th\n\nChapter,\n\nllth\n\nverse\n\nof Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, there is a description of Indra's causing severe torrents\nof rain· at Vrndavana. All the cows and cowherd boys became so afflicted by the wind and cold that they all gathered together to take\nshelter under the lotus feet of Kr��a. This is an instance of emotion\ncaused by severe rainfall.\nThere were severe torrents of hail when Kr��a was staying in the\nforest of Vrndavana, and the elderly persons bade Him: \"Kr��a,\ndon't You move now! Even persons who are stronger and older than\nYou cannot move, and You are just a little boy. So please stay still!\"\nThis is an instance of emotion caused by heavy hailing.\nWhen Kr��a .was chastising Kaliya in the poisonous water of the\nYamuna, Mother Yasoda began to speak emotionally: \"Oh, see how\nthe earth appears to be trembling! There appears to be an earth tremor, and in the sky tears are flying here and there! My dear son has\nentered into the poisonous water of the Yamuna. What shall I do\nnow?\" This is an instance of emotion resulting from a natural disturbance.\nIn the arena of Kamsa, when Krwa was attacked by big elephants,\nall of the ladies present began to address Him in this way: \"My dear\nboy-please leave this place immediately! Please leave this place immediately! Don't You see the big elephants coming to attack You?\nYour innocent gazing upon them is causing us too much perturbation!\" Kr��a then told Mother Yasoda, \"My dear Mother, don't be\nperturbed by the appearance of the elephants and the horses that are\nso forcibly coming and raising dust, causing blindness to these lotuseyed women. Let even the Kesl demon come before Me; My arms\nwill still be adequate for victory. So please don't be perturbed.\"\n\nIn the Lalita-miidhava, a friend tells Mother Yasoda: \"How won-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0288": "251\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nderful it is that when the Sankhacu9a demon-vast and strong as a\ngreat hill-attacked your Cupid-like beautiful son, there was no one\npresent in Vrndavana to help. And yet the demon was killed by your\nlittle son. It appears to be due to the result of severe penances and\nausterities in your past lives that your son was saved in this way.\"\n\nIn the same Lalita-miidhava there is an account of Kr�!la's kidnap­\n\nping Rukmi!li at her royal marriage ceremony. At that time all of the\n\nprinces present began to converse amongst themselves, saying, \"We\n\nhave our elephants, horses, chariots, bows, arrows and swords, so\nwhy should we be afraid of Kr�!la? Let us attack Him! He is nothing\n\nbut a lusty cowherd boy! He cannot take away the Princess in this\n\nway! Let us all attack Him!\" This is an instance of emotion caused\nby the presence of enemies.\n\nSrila Rupa Gosvami is trying to prove by the above examples that\nin relationship with Kr�!la there is no question of impersonalism. All\n\npersonal activities are there in relationship with Kr�!la.\n\nMadness\nSrila Bilvamangala Thakur prays in his book as follows: \"Let Sri­\n\nmat! Radhara!li purify the whole world, because She has surrendered\nHerself completely unto Kr�!la. Out of Her ecstatic love for Him,\nShe sometimes acted j ust like an addled person and attempted to\n\nchurn curd, although there was no curd in the pot. And seeing this,\n\nKr�!la became so enchan�ed by Radhara!li that He began to milk a\nbull instead of a cow.\" These are some of the instances of insanity or\nmadness in connection with the love affairs of Radha and Krsna. In\nthe Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is said that when Kr�!la entered the\n\n� � ison­\n\nous waters of the Yamuna, Srimati Yasoda Devi went insane. Instead\n\nof searching for curative herbs, she began to speak to the trees as if\nthey were snake chanters. With folded hands she began to bow down\nto the trees, asking them, \"What is the medicinal herb which can\ncheck Krwa's dying from this poisonous water?\" This is an instance\nof insanity caused by some great danger.\n\nHow a devotee can be in a state of insanity because of ecstatic\n\nlove is described in the Tenth Canto, 30th Chapter, 4th verse of\n\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam, where the gopis were searching for Kr�!la in the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0289": "Expressions of Love for K[§[W\n\n252\n\nforests of Vrndavana. The gop'is were loudly singing the glories of\nKr�!la and wandering from one forest to another in search of Him.\nThey knew that Kr�!ia is not localized, but all-pervading. He is in the\nsky, He is in the water, He is in the air, He is the supersoul in everyone's heart. Thus the gopis began to inquire from all kinds of trees\nand plants about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is an\ninstance of ecstatic madness on the part of devotees.\nSimilarly, there are symptoms of diseases caused by ecstatic love.\nThis condition is credited by learned scholars as mahiibhiiva. This\nhighly elevated condition is also called divyonmiida, or transcendental madness.\nForgetfulness\n\nWhen Kr�!la was absent from V rndavana and was staying in Mathura, Sr'imati Radharii!J.'i sent news to Him that His mother, the\nQueen of Braja, was feeling such separation from Him that there was\nfoam coming from her mouth, like the foam on the shore of the\nocean. And sometimes she was raising her arms like the waves of the\nocean, and because of her intense feelings of separation, she was rolling on the ground and creating a tumultuous roaring sound. And\nsometimes she was remaining completely silent, like a calm sea. These\nsymptoms of separation from Kr�!J.a are called apasmiira, or forgetfulness. One completely forgets his position when he manifests these\nsymptoms in ecstatic love.\nAnother message was once sent to Kr�!ia informing Him that after\nHe had killed Kamsa, one of Kamsa 's demon friends had gone insane.\nThis demon was foaming at the mouth, waving his arms and rolling\non the ground. This demonic demonstration is in relationship with\nKr�!la in ghastly humor. This mellow or flavor is one of the indirect\nrelationships with Kr�!J.a. The first five kinds of relationships are\ncalled direct, and the other seven are called indirect. Some way or\nother, the demon must have had some relationship with Kr�!J.a, because these symptoms developed when he heard that Kr�!la had already killed Kamsa. Srila Rupa Gosvam'i remarks that there is also\ntranscendental excellence in this kind of symptom.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0290": "253\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nDisease\nWhen Kr�tta was absent from Vrndavana and was staying at Mathu­\n\nra, some of His friends informed Him, \"My dear Kr�tta, because of\n\ntheir separation from You, the inhabitants of Braja are so afflicted\n\nthat they appear to be diseased. Their bodies are feverish, and they\n\ncannot move properly. They are simply lying down on the ground\n\nand breathing heavily.\"\n\nIn the Tenth Canto, 12th Chapter, 41st verse of Sriinad-Bhiigavatam,\n\nMaharaj Parik�it asked about Lord Ananta, and upon hearing this\nquestion, Sukadeva Gosvami began to show symptoms of collapsing.\n\nYet he checked himself and answered King Parik�it 's question in a\n\nmild voice. This collapsing condition is described as a feverish state\nresulting from ecstatic pleasure.\n\nThere is another statement in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam telling of\n\nthe damsels of Braja meeting Kr�tta at the sacred place of Kuruk�etra,\n\nmany years after their childhood pastimes. When they met in that\n\nsacred place, all the gopis became stunned by the occurrence of a\nsolar eclipse. Their breathing, blinking of the eyes and all similar ac­\n\ntivities stopped, and they stood before Kr�tta just like statues. This is\n\nanother instance of a diseased condition resulting ftom exhuberant\ntranscendental pleasure.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0291": "30 I Further Features\nof Ecstatic Love for Krsna\n•\n\n•\n\n•\n\nConfusion\nThere is the following statement in the Harhsadiita: \"One day\n\nwhen Srimati Radhara�i was feeling much affliction because of Her\nseparation from Kr�!la, She went to the bank of the Yamuna with\n\nsome of Her friends. There Radhara!li saw a cottage wherein She and\nKrwa had experienced many loving pleasures, and by remembering\n\nthose incidents She immediately became overcome with dizziness.\nThis dizziness was very prominently visible.\" This is an instance of\nconfusion caused by separation.\n\nSimilarly, there is a statement describing confusion caused by fear­\n\nfulness. These symptoms were exhibited by A rj una when he saw\n\nKr�!la's universal form on the battlefield of Kuruk�etra. His confusion\n\nwas so strong that his bow and arrows fell from his hand, and he\ncould not perceive anything clearly.\n\nDeath\nOnce the Bakasura demon assumed the shape of a very big duck\n\nand opened his mouth in order to swallow Kr�!la and all the cowherd\n\nboys. When Kr�!la was entering into the demon's mouth, Balarama\nand the other cowherd boys almost fainted and appeared as though\nthey had no life. Even if they are illusioned by some ghastly scene\n\nor by any accidental occurrence, devotees never forget Krwa. Even\n\nin the greatest danger they can remember Kr��a. This is the benefit\n254\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0292": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n255\n\nof Kr��a consciousness: even at the time of death, when all the\nfunctions of the body become dislocated, the devotee can remember\nKr��a in his innermost consciousness, and this saves him from falling\ndown into material existence. In this way Kr��a consciousness im·\nmediately takes one from the material platform to the spiritual world.\nIn this connection there is a statement about persons who died at\nMathura: \"These persons had a slight breathing exhiliration, their\n\neyes were wide open, the colors of their bodies were changed, and\n\nthey began to utter the holy name of Kr��a. In this condition they\ngave up their material bodies.\" These symptoms are prior manifestations of death.\n\nLaziness\nWhen, because of self-satisfaction or dislike of excessive labor, a\nperson does not perform his duty in spite of having the energy, he is\ncalled lazy. This laziness also is manifest in ecstatic love of Kn;�a. For\n\nexample, when some briihmartas were requested by Nanda Maharaj\n\nto circumambulate Govardhan Hill, they told him that they were\nmore interested in offering benedictions than in circumambulating\nGovardhan Hill. This is an instance of laziness caused by self­\n\nsatisfaction.\n\nOnce when Kr��a, along with His cowherd boy friends, was having\n\na mock battle, Subala showed the symptoms of fatigue. Kr��a im­\n\nmediately told His other friends: \"Subala is feeling too fatigued from\nmock-fighting with Me. So please do not disturb him anymore by inviting him to fight.\" This is an instance of laziness caused by dislike\nof excessive labor.\n\nInertness\nIn the Tenth Canto, 21st Chapter, 13th verse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam\n\nthere is an appreciation by the gopis of the inertia of the cows in\nVrndavana. The\n\ngopis saw that the cows were hearing the sweet\n\nsongs vibrated by Krwa's flute and were appearing to be drinking the\nnectar of these transcendental sounds. The calves were stunned, and\nthey forgot to drink the milk from the milk bags. Their eyes seemed\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0293": "Further Features of Ecstatic Love for K[§[W\n\n256\n\nto be embracing Kr�pa, and there were tears in their eyes. This is an\ninstance of inertia resulting from hearing the transcendental vibrations of Kr�pa's flute.\nWhen Lak�mapa became disturbed upon hearing words against\nKr�pa, she remained inert and did not move her eyelids. This is another example of inertia caused by hearing.\n\nIn the Tenth Canto, 7lst Chapter, 35th verse of the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, there is an account of King Yudhi�thira's bewilderment\nafter his bringing Kr�pa into his home with the greatest respect. King\nYudhi�thira was very much bewildered because of his transcendental\npleasure at having Kr�pa present in his house. In fact, while receiving\nKr�pa, King Yudhi�thira forgot himself. This is an instance of inertia\nresulting from the ecstasy of seeing Krwa.\nThere is another instance in the Tenth Canto, 39th Chapter, 34th\n\nverse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam. When Kr�pa was going to Mathura, all\n\nof the gopis were standing behind Kr�pa, and upon seeing the chariot\n\nleaving, they stood there stunned and did not move. They remained\nlike that until the flag of the chariot and the dust thrown up by its\nwheels became invisible.\nKr�pa was once addressed by His friend thus: \"My dear Mukunda\n[Kr�pa], due to their being separated from You, the cowherd boys\nare standing just like neglected Deities in the house of a professional\n\nbriihmal)a.\" There is a class of professional brahmal)as who take to\n\nDeity worship as a means of earning their livelihood. Brahmal)as in\nthis class are not very interested in the Deity; they are interested\nmainly in the money they can earn as holy men. So the Deities wor­\n\nshiped by such professional brahmal)aS are not properly decorated,\nTheir dress is not changed, and Their bodies are not cleaned. They\n\nlook dirty and are not very attractive. Actually, Deity worship\nshould be done very carefully: the dress should be changed daily,\nand as far as possible there should be ornaments. Everything should\nbe so clean that the Diety is attractive to all visitors. Here the\nexample is given of the Deities in the house of a professional brah­\n\nmal)a because such Deities are not at all attractive. The friends of\nKr�pa, in the absence of Kr�pa, were appearing like such neglected\nDeities.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0294": "257\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nBashfulness\nWhen Radhara:p.i was first introduced to Kr��a, She felt very bash­\n\nful. One of Her friends addressed Her in this way: \"My dear friend,\n\nYou have already sold Yourself and all Your beauty to Govinda. Now\n\nYou should not be bashful. Please look upon Him cheerfully. One\n\nwho has sold an elephant to another person should not make a miser­\n\nly quarrel about selling the trident which controls the elephant.\"\n\nThis kind of 'bashfulness is due to a new introduction-in ecstatic love\nwith Kr��a.\n\nThe heavenly King, Indra, upon being defeated in his fight with\n\nKr�p.a for possession of the purijuta flower, became very bashful be­\n\ncause of his defeat. He was standing before Kr��a, bowing down his\nhead, when Kr��a said, \"All right, Indra, you can take this piirijiita\n\nflower. Otherwise, you will not be able to show your face before\nyour wife, Sacidevi.\" lndra's bashfulness was due to defeat. In an­\n\nother instance, Kr�p.a began to praise U ddhava for his various high\n\nqualifications. Upon being praised by Kr��a, Uddhava also bowed\n\ndown his head bashfully.\n\nIn Hari-varhsa, Satyabhama, feeling slighted by Rukmi�i's high\n\nposition, said, \"My dear Krwa, the Raivataka Mountain 'is always full\nof spring flowers, but when I have become persona non grata to You,\n\nwhat is the use of my observing them?\" This is an instance of bashfulness resulting from being defeated.\n\nConcealment\nThere is a symptom of ecstatic love known as concealment, or trying to hide one's real mental condition by externally showing another\n\nattitude. In this state of mind one tries to hide his mind by looking\naway in different directions, by unnecessarily trying for something\n\nwhich is impossible, or by using words which cover one's real\n\nthoughts. According to ucuryas expert in the study of psychological\nactivities, these attempts at hiding one's real affections are another\npart of ecstatic feeling for Kr��a.\nIn\n\nthe\n\nTenth\n\nCanto,\n\n32nd\n\nChapter,\n\n14th\n\nverse\n\nof\n\nSrimad-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0295": "Further Features of Ecstatic Love for Kr§rza\n\n258\n\nBhiigavatam, Sukadeva Gosvaml states, \"My dear King, the gopis\n\nwere always beautiful and decorated with confidential smiles and\n\nalluring garments. In their movements, intended to give impetus to\nlusty feelings, they would sometimes press Krwa's hand on their laps,\n\nand sometimes they would keep His lotus feet on their breasts. After\n\ndoing this, they would talk with Kn;�a as if they were very angry\nwith Him.\"\n\nThere is another instance of this concealment in ecstatic love.\n\nWhen Kr9�a, the supreme joker, planted the piirijiita tree in the\ncourtyard of Satyabhama, Rukmi�l, the daughter of King Vi'rabhadra,\n\nbecame very angry, but due to her natural gentle behavior, she did\n\nnot express anything. No one could understand Rukmi�l's real men­\n\ntal condition. This is an instance of competitive concealment.\n\nThere is another instance in the First Canto, llth Chapter, 28th\n\nverse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam. After entering Dvaraka, Kr9�a was re­\n\nceived in different ways by different members of His family. Upon\n\nseeing their husband from a distance, the queens of Dvaraka im­\n\nmediately embraced Him within their minds and slowly glanced over\nHim. As Kr9�a came nearer, they pushed their sons forward to em­\n\nbrace Him. Others were trying, out of shyness, not to shed tears,\n\nbut they still could not keep the tears from gliding down. This is an\ninstance of concealment caused by shyness.\n\nOn another occasion, when Srlmatl Radhara�l thought that Kr9�a\n\nwas involved with another woman, She addressed Her friend in this\n\nmanner: \"My dear friend, as soon as I think of Kr9�a the cowherd\nboy attached to some other woman, I become stricken with fearful­\n\nness and the hairs on My body stand up. I must be very careful that\nKr��a will not see Me at such times.\" This is an instance of conceal­\n\nment caused by shyness and diplomatic behavior.\n\nIt has been stated: \"Although Srlmatl Radhara�l developed a deep\n\nloving affection for Krwa, She hid Her attitude in the core of Her\n\nheart so that others could not detect Her actual condition.\" This is\nan instance of concealment caused by gentleness.\n\nOnce when Kr9�a and His cowherd friends were enjoying friendly\n\nconversation, Kr9�a began to address His associates in casual lan­\n\nguage. At that time Kr9�a's servant, Patrl, was also enjoying the con-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0296": "259\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nversation. But then, rem�mbering his position of servitude, Patri\nbowed down before his master, and with great respect and control,\nhe stifled his smiling. This subdued smiling is an instance of concealment caused by a respectful attitude.\nRemembering\n\nThere are many symptoms of ecstatic love caused by remembering\n\nKr�!la. For example, one friend of Kr�!la informed Him, \"My dear\n\nMukunda, just after observing a bluish cloud in the sky, the lotus­\n\neyed Radhara!li immediately began to remember You. And simply\n\nby observing this cloud She became lusty for Your association.\" This\nis an instance of remembering Kr�!la in ecstatic love because of seeing\n\nsomething resembling Him. Kr�!la's bodily complexion is very similar\nto the bluish hue of a cloud, so simply by observing a bluish cloud,\nSrimati Radhara!li remembered Him.\n\nOne devotee said that even when he was not very attentive he\n\nwould sometimes, seemingly out of madness, remember the lotus\nfeet of Krsna within his heart. This is an instance of remembrance re.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nsuiting from constant practice. In other words, devotees who are con­\n\nstantly thinking of the lotus feet of Kr�!la, even if they are momen­\n\ntarily inattentive, will see the figure of Lord Kr�!la appearing within\ntheir hearts.\n\nArgumentativeness\n\nMadhumangala was an intimate friend of Kr�!la coming from the\n\nbriihma!'-a community. Kr�!ia's friends were mostly cowherd boys be­\n\nlonging to the vaisya community, but there were others who belonged\nto the briihmarw community. Actually, in Vrndavana\n\nthe vaisya\n\ncommunity and the briihmar-a community are considered prominent.\nThis Madhumangala one day addressed Kr�!la in this fashion: \"My\n\ndear friend, I can see that You are not aware of the peacock feathers\nthat are falling on the ground, and at the same time You are unmind­\n\nful of the flower garlands which are offered to You. I think I can\nguess the reason for Your absent-mindedness when I see Your two\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0297": "Further Features of Ecstatic Love for K[§rl.U\n\n260\n\neyes flying over to the eyes of Srimati Radhara!!-1, just like black\n\ndrones flying to lotus flowers.\" This is an instance of an argumenta­\n\ntive suggestion in ecstatic love.\n\nOnce while Kr�!la was out walking, one of the associates of Radha­\n\nra!l-1 told Her: \"My dear friend, do You think that this walking personality is a tiimala tree?* If He is a tiimala tree, then how is it possible\n\nfor Him to walk and be so beautiful? Then, this personality might be\n\na cloud. But if He's a cloud, then where is the beautiful moon\n\nwithin? Under the circumstances, I think it may be granted that this\n\nperson is the same enchanting Personality of Godhead by whose flute\n\nvibration the three worlds are captivated. He must be the same\n\nMukunda who is standing before Govardhan Hill.\" This is another\n\ninstance of an argumentative presentation of ecstatic love.\nAnxiety\n\nIn\n\nthe\n\nTenth\n\nCanto,\n\n29th\n\nChapter,\n\n26th verse of Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, when Kr�!ia asked all the gopis to go back to their\n\nhomes, they did not like it. Because of their grief at this, they were\n\nsighing heavily, and their beautiful faces appeared to be drying up.\n\nIn this condition they remained, without making a sound. They be­\n\ngan to draw lines on the ground with their toes, and with their tears\nthey washed the black ointment from their eyes onto their breasts,\n\nwhich were covered with red kurikuma powder. This is an instance of\n\nanxiety in ecstatic love.\n\nOne of the friends of Kr�!la once informed Him, \"My dear killer of\n\nthe demon Mura, Your kind and gentle mother is very anxious be­\n\ncause You have not returned home, and with great difficulty she has\n\npassed the evening constantly sitting on the corridor platform of\n\nYour home. It is certainly astonishing how You could forget Your\n\nmother while You are off somewhere engaged in Your playful activities!\" This is another instance of deep anxiety in ecstatic love.\n\nWhen Mother Yasoda was very anxiously waiting for Krwa to re­\n\nturn from Mathura, Maharaj Nanda gave her this solace: \"My dear\n*\n\nThe tiimala tree is always described as being the same color as Krwa.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0298": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n261\n\nYasoda, please don't be worried. Please dry your beautiful lotus-like\nface. There is no need for you to breathe so hotly. I will go immediately with Akrura to the palace of Kamsa and get your son back\nfor you.\" Here is an instance of anxiety in ecstatic love caused by\nKr��a's awkward position.\nThoughtfulness\n\nIn the Vaisiikha-miihiitmya section of the Padma Puriirw a devotee\n\nstates that though in some of the eighteen Puriirws the process of\n\nglorifying Lord Vi��u is not mentioned, and the glorifying of some\ndemigod is offered, such glorification must be continued for millions\n\nof years. For when one studies the Puriirws very scrutinizingly, he can\nsee that, ultimately, Lord Vi��u is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is an instance of ecstatic love developed out of thoughtfulness.\nIn\n\nthe\n\nTenth\n\nCanto,\n\n68th\n\nChapter,\n\n30th\n\nverse of Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, there is an account of Rukmi�'idevi's writing a letter to\n\nKr��a requesting Him to kidnap her before her marriage to another\nperson. At that time the specific attachment of Rukmi�'i for Krwa\nwas expressed by Rukmi�'i as follows: \"My dear Lord Kr��a, Your\ntranscendental glories are chanted by great sages who are free from\nmaterial contamination, and in exchange for such. glorification You\nare so kind that You freely distribute Yourself to such devotees. As\none can elevate oneself simply by Your grace, so also by Your direction alone one may be lost to all benedictions under the influence of\neternal time. Therefore I have selected Your lordship as my husband, brushing aside personalities like Brahma and lndra-not to\nmention others.\" Rukmi�'i enhanced her love for Krwa simply by\nthinking of Him. This is an instance of thoughtfulness in ecstatic\nlove.\nEndurance\n\nWhen a person is fully satisfied due to attaining knowledge, transcending all distress, or achieving his desired goal of life in transcen-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0299": "Further Features of Ecstatic Love for Krrra\n\n262\n\ndental devotional service to God-at that time his state of endurance\n\nor steady mind is called dhrti. At this stage one is not perturbed by\nany amount of loss, nor does anything appear to be unachieved by\nhim.\nAccording to the opinion of Bhartrhari, the learned scholar, when\na person is elevated to this state of endurance, he thinks as follows:\n\"I do not wish to be a highly posted government servant. I shall be\nsatisfied even if I have to eat food collected by begging. I shall prefer\nto remain naked, without proper dress of garments. I shall prefer to\nlie down on the ground without any matress. And despite all these\ndisadvantages, I shall refuse to serve anyone, not even the govern·\nment.\" In other words, when one is in ecstatic love with the Personality of Godhead, he can endure any kind of disadvantages calculated\nunder the material concept of life.\nNanda Maharaj, the father of Kn;�a, used to think: \"In my pasturing ground the goddess of fortune is personally present, and I\npossess. more than ten hundred_ thousand cows which loiter here and\nthere. And above all, I have a· son like Kr��a, who is such a powerful,\nwonderful worker. Therefore, even though I am a householder, I am\nfeeling so satisfied!\" This is an instance of mental endurance resulting\nfrom the absence of all distress.\nIn another instance a devotee says, \"I am always swimming in the\nnectarean ocean of the pastimes of the Personality of Godhead, and\nas such I have no more attraction for religious rituals, economic development, sense gratification, or even the ultimate salvation of\n\nmerging into the existence of Brahman.\" This is an instance of the\n\nmind's endurance due to achieving the best thing in the world. The\nbest thing in the world is absorption in Kr��a consciousness.\nHappmess\n-\n\nIt is described in the Vi§[!-U Puriir-a that when Akrura came to take\nKrwa and Balarama to Mathura, just by seeing Their faces he became\nso cheerful that all over his body there were symptoms of ecstatic\nlove. This state is called happiness.\n\nIt is stated in the Tenth Canto, 33rd Chapter, 12th verse of Srimad-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0300": "263\n\nThe Nectar of Devotionc,\n\nBhiigavatam: \"Upon seeing that Kr��a's arm was placed on her shoul­\n\nder, one of the gopis engaged in the rasa dance became so ecstatically\n\nhappy that she kissed Krwa on His cheek.\" This is an instance of\n\nfeeling happiness because of achieving a desired goal.\nEagerness\nIn\n\nthe\n\nTenth\n\nCanto,\n\n7lst\n\nChapter,\n\n29th verse of\n\nSrimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, it is said: \"When Kr9�a first came from His Kingdom,\n\nDvaraka, to lndraprastha;* the young females of the city became so\n\neager to see Him that even at night, when they were lying down with\ntheir husbands, they could not restrain their eagerness. Even though\n\nthey were not properly dressed and although their hair was loose and\n\nthere were many household duties to perform, they still gave up\neverything and immediately went into the street to see Krwa.\" This\nis an instance of eagerness of ecstatic love.\n\nIn his book Staviivali, Sri Rupa Gosvami has prayed for the mercy\n\nof Radharapi, who was so captivated by-the flute vibrations of Kr9�a\nthat She immediately asked information of His whereabouts from\nresidents in the V rndavana forest. Upon first seeing Krwa, She was\n\nfilled with such ecstatic love and pleasure that She began to scratch\nher ears. The damsels of Braja and Radhara�i were very expert in\n\ntalking cunningly, so as soon as they saw Kr9�a they began their\ntalkings; and Kr9�a, pretending to go for some flowers for them,\n\nimmediately left that place and entered into a mountain cave. This\n\nis another instance of eager loving exchanges on the parts of both the\n\ngopis and Kr9�a.\n\nWhen Kr9�a was fighting with the Kaliya snake by dancing on his\nheads, Kaliya bit Krwa on the leg. At that time Garu9a became infuriated and began to murmur: \"Krwa is so powerful that simply by\nHis thundering voice the wives of Kaliya have had miscarriages. Be­\n\ncause my Lord has been insulted by this snake, I wish to immediately\n\ndevour him, but I cannot do so in the presence of my Lord, because\nHe may become angry with me.\" This is an instance of eagerness to\n\nact in ecstatic love as a result of dishonor to Kr9�a.\n*\n\nlndraprastha is the present-day Delhi.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0301": "Further Features of Ecstatic Love for K[§[W\n\n264\n\nWhen Sisupala objected to the worship of Kr9t;ta in the riija-siiya\n\narena at a sacrifice organized by Maharaj Yudhi9thira, N akula, the\n\nyounger brother of Arjuna, said, \"A person who cannot tolerate the\nworship of Kr9t;ta is my enemy and is possessed of a demonic nature.\n\nTherefore I wish to -strike my ieft foot upon his broad head, juBt to\n\npunish him more strongly than the wand of Yamaraja!\" Then Nakula\nbegan to lament like this: \"0, all auspiciousness to Lord Kr�t;ta! I am\n\nso surprised to see that the condemned descendants of the Kuru\ndynasty, who so unlawfully occupied the throne of the Kuru king­\n\ndom, are at the same time criticizing Kr�t;ta with diplomatic devices.\n0, this is intolerable!\" This is another instance of eagerness caused\nby dishonor to Kr9t;ta.\n\nHaughtiness, Resulting in Dishonorable Words\nIn the\n\nVidagdha-miidhava, Kutila, a sister-in-law of Radharat;ti,\n\nbegan to criticize Kr9t;ta in this way: \"Kr9t;ta, You are standing here,\n\nand Radharat;ti, who has just been married to my brother, is also\n\nstanding here. Now I know both of You very well, so why should I not\nbe very anxious to protect my sister-in-law from Your dancing eyes?\"\n\nThis is an instance of dishonorable words used to indirectly criticize\n\nKr9t;ta.\n\nSimilarly, some of the gopis once began to address Kr9t;ta with\n\nthese dishonorable words: \"My dear Krwa, You are a first-class thief.\n\nSo please leave this place immediately. We know You love Candravali\nmore than us, but there is no use in praising her in our presence!\n\nKindly do not contaminate the name of Radharat;ti in this place!\"\n\nThis is another instance of dishonorable words cast upon Kr9t;ta in\necstatic love.\n\nThere is another statement in the Tenth Canto, 31st Chapter, 16th\n\nverse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam. When all the gopis came out of their\n\nhomes to meet Kr�t;ta in the Vrndavana forest, Krwa refused to\n\naccept them and asked them to go home, giving them some moral\ninstruction. At that time the gopis began to speak as follows: \"My\n\ndear Kr�t;ta, there is extreme distress in being out of Your presence,\n\nand there is extreme happiness simply in seeing You. Therefore we\n\nhave all left our husbands, relatives, brothers and friends and have\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0302": "-265\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nsimply come to You, being captivated by the sound of Your tran­\n\nscendental flute. 0 infallible one, You had better know what is the\n\nreason for our coming here. In plain words, we are here simply be­\n\ncause we have been captivated by the sweet sound of Your flute. We\n\nare all beautiful girls, and You are so foolish that You are rejecting\n\nour association. We do not know anyone, other than Yourself, who\nwould miss this opportunity to associate with young girls in the dead\n\nof night!\" This is another instance of indirect insults used against\nKr��a in ecstatic love.\n\nIn the Padyiivali, one of the friends of Radhara�i once addressed\n\nHer thusly: \"My dear friend, please do not be too puffed up because\n\nKr��a has decorated Your forehead with His own hand. It may be\n\nthat Kr��a is yet attracted by some other beautiful girl. I see that the\n\ndecoration on Your forehead is very nicely made, and so it appears\n\nthat Kr��a was not too disturbed in painting it. Otherwise, he could\n\nnot have painted such exact lines!\" This is an instance of indirect\ndishonor caused by Radha's good fortune.\n\nIn the Tenth Canto, 30th Chapter, 26th verse of SrimadBhiigavatam there is the following statement: \"When the gopis were\nsearching after Kr��a and Radha after the riisa dance, they thus began\nto speak amongst themselves: 'We have seen the footprints of Kr��a\n\nand Radha on the ground of Vrndavana, and they are giving us great\n\npain, because Kr��a is everything to us. But that girl is so cunning\n\nthat She has taken Him away alone and is enjoying His kissing without sharing Him with us!\"' This is another instance of casting dis­\n\nhonorable words against Kr��a and Radha, pouting over the good\nfortune of Srimati Radhara�i.\n\nEnvy\n\nSometimes when the cowherd boys used to play in the forests of\n\nVrndavana, Kr��a would play on one side, and Balarama would play\n\non another. There would be competition and mock fighting between\nthe two parties, and when Krwa's party was defeated by Balarama,\n\nthe boys would say, \"If Balarama's party remains victorious, then\nwho in the world can be weaker than ourselves?\" This is an instance\nof envy in ecstatic love.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0303": "Further Features of Ecstatic Love for K[§!W\n\n266\n\nImpudence\n\nIn the Tenth Canto, 52nd Chapter, 33rd verse of the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, Rukmi�i addresses a letter to Krwa as follows: \"My\n\ndear unconquerable Kr��a, my marriage day is fixed for tomorrow. I\nrequest that You come to the city of Vidarbha without advertising\nYourself. Then have Your soldiers and commanders suddenly sur­\n\nround and defeat all the strength of the King of Magadha and by thus\n\nadopting the methods of the demons, please kidnap and marry me.\"\n\nAccording to the Vedic system there are eight kinds of marriages,\n\nout of which one is called riik§aSa-viviiha. Riik§asa-viviiha refers to kid­\n\nnapping a girl and marrying her by force and is considered to be a\n\ndemonic method. When Rukmi�i was going to be married to Sisupala\n\nby the choice of her elder brother, she wrote the above letter to\nKr��a requesting Him to kidnap her. This is an instance of impudence\n\nin ecstatic love for Krsna.\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nOne of the gopis said, \"May Kr��a's sweet flute be washed away by\nthe waves of the Yamuna, and let it fall into the ocean! The sweet\n\nsound of that flute is so impudent that it makes us lose all composure\n\nbefore our superiors.\"\nDizziness\n\nEvery evening at sunset Kr��a used to return from the pasturing\n\nground where He herded cows. Sometimes when Mother Yasoda\n\ncould not hear the sweet vibration of His flute she would become very\nanxious, and because of this she would feel dizzy. Thus, dizziness\n\ncaused by anxiety in ecstatic love for Kr��a is also possible.\n\nWhen Yasoda had tied Kr��a up one time, she began to think,\n\n\"Kr��a's body is so soft and delicate, how co!lld I have tied Him with\nrope?\" Thinking this, her brain became puzzled, and she felt dizziness.\nThe gopis were advised by their superiors to bolt the doors at\n\nnight, but they were so carefree that they did not carry out this order\n\nvery rigidly. Sometimes, by thinking of Krwa, they became so con­\n\nfident of being out of all danger that they would lie down at night in\nthe courtyards of their houses. This is an instance of dizziness in\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0304": "267\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\necstatic love due to natural affection for Kr�l).a.\n\nIt may be questioned why devotees of Kr�l).a should be attacked by\n\ndizziness, which is usually considered a sign of the modes of igno­\n\nrance. To answer this question, Sri Jiva Gosvami has said that the\n\ndevotees of Lord Krwa are always transcendental to all the modes of\n\nmaterial nature; when they feel dizziness or go to sleep, they are not\n\nconsidered to be sleeping under the modes of nature, but are ac­\n\ncepted as being in a trance of devotional service. There is an authori­\n\ntative statement in the GarU<}a Puriirw about mystic yogis who are\n\nunder the direct shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead: \"In\nall three stages of their consciousness-namely, wakefulness, dreaming\n\nand deep sleep-the devotees are absorbed in the thought of the Su­\n\npreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, in their complete absorp­\n\ntion in the thought of Kr�l).a, they do not sleep.\"\nAlertness\n\nA devotee once stated, \"I have already conquered the modes of ig­\n\nnorance, and I am now on the platform of transcendental knowledge.\nTherefore I shall be engaged only in searching after the Supreme\n\nPersonality of Godhead.\" This is an instance of alertness in ecstatic\n\nlove. Transcendental alertness is possible when the illusory condition\nis completely overcome. At that stage, when in contact with any re­\n\naction of material elements, such as sound, smell, touch or taste, the\ndevotee realizes the transcendental presence of the Supreme Person­\n\nality of Godhead. In this condition the ecstatic symptoms (i.e. stand�\n\ning of the hair on the body, rolling of the eyeballs and getting up\nfrom sleep) are persistently visible.\n\nWhen Srimati Radhariil).i first saw Kr�l).a, She suddenly became\n\nconscious of all transcendental happiness, and the functions of Her\ndifferent limbs were stunned. When Lalita, Her constant companion,\n\nwhispered into Her ear the holy name of Kr�l).a, Radhariil).i imme­\n\ndiately opened Her eyes wide. This is an instance of alertness caused\nby hearing the sound of Kr�l).a 's name.\n\nOne day, in a joking mood, Kr�l).a informed Radhariil).i, \"My dear\n\nRadhariil).i, I am going to give up Your company.\" Upon saying this,\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0305": "Further Features of Ecstatic Love for K[§[W\n\n268\n\nHe immediately disappeared, and because of this Radharapi became\n\nso afflicted that the hue of Her body changed, and She immediately\n\nfell down upon the ground of Vrndavana. She had practically stopped\n\nbreathing, but when She smelled the flavor of the flowers on the\n\nground, She awoke in ecstasy and got up. This is an instance of tran­\n\nscendental alertness caused by smelling.\n\nWhen Kr�pa was touching the body of one gopi, the gopi began to\n\naddress her companion thus: \"My dear friend, whose hand is this\n\ntouching my body? I had become very afraid after seeing the dark­\n\nened forest on the bank of the Yamuna, but suddenly the touch of\n\nthis hand has saved me from hysterical fits.\" This is an instance of\nalertness caused by touching.\n\nOne of the gopis informed Kr�pa, \"My dear Krwa, when You disappeared from the arena of the riisa dance, our most dear friend,\nRadharapi, immediately fell on the ground and lost consciousness.\n\nBut after this, when I offered Her some of Your chewed betel nut\nremnants, She immediately returned to consciousness with jubilant\n\nsymptoms\n\ntasting.\n\nin Her body.\" This is an instance of alertness caused by\n\nOne night .Srimati Radharapi was talking in a dream. \"My dear\n\nKrwa,\" She said. \"Please do not play any more jokes on Me! Please\nstop! And please don't touch My garments either. Otherwise I shall\n\ninform the elderly persons, and I shall disclose all of Your naughty\n\nbehavior.\" While She was talking like this in a dream, She suddenly\n\nawoke and saw some of Her superiors standing before Her. Thus\nRadharapi became ashamed and bowed Her head. This is an instance\n\nof alertness after awakening from sleep.\n\nThere is another instance of this. A messenger from Kr�pa came to\n\nSrimati Radharapi while She was sleeping, and Radharapi immediately\nawakened. Similarly, when Kr�pa began to blow on His flute in the\nnight, all of the gopis, the beautiful daughters of the cowherd men,\n\nimmediately got up from their sleep. There is a very beautiful com­\n\nparison made in this connection: \"The lotus flower is sometimes sur­\n\nrounded by white swans, and sometimes it is surrounded by black\nwasps who are collecting its honey. When there is a thundering in the\nsky, the swans go away, but the black wasps stay to enjoy the lotus\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0306": "'\n\n269\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nflowers.\" The gopis' sleeping condition is compared to the white\nswans, and the sound of Kr��a's flute is compared to a black wasp.\nWhen Kr��a's flute sounded, the white swans, which represent the\nsleeping condition of the gopis, were immediately vanquished, and\nthe black wasp sound of the flute began to enjoy the lotus flower of\nthe gopis' beauty.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0307": "31 I Additional Symptoms\n\nAll the above-mentioned thirty-one symptoms of ecstatic love are\n\ncalled vyabhiciiri, or disturbing. All these symptoms refer to appar­\n\nently disturbed conditions, but even in such disturbed conditions\n\nthere is acute ecstatic love for Kn;pa. These symptoms, however, can\nbe divided into three groups: first class, second class and third. There\nare many other disturbing symptoms in ecstatic love, such as envy,\n\nanxiety, pride, jealousy, conclusion, cowardliness, forgiveness, impa­\n\ntience, hankering, regret, doubtfulness and impudence. These are in­\n\ncluded in all the thirty-one conditions of ecstatic love. Srila Riipa\n\nGosvami has very nicely analyzed the different kinds of disturbing\n\nsymptoms, and although it is very difficult to find the exact English\n\nequivalents for many Sanskrit words used here, his analysis will now\n\nbe presented.\n\nWhen one becomes malicious upon seeing another's advancement\n\nof life, his state of mind is generally called envy. When one becomes\nfrightened at seeing a lightning bolt in the sky, that fearfulness brings\non anxiety. Therefore, fearfulness and anxiety can be taken as one.\n\nWhen someone wants to hide his real mentality, it is called avahittha,\n\nor concealment. When a person wants to exhibit superiority, it is\n\ncalled pride. Both of these can be classified under pretension. In a\npretentious attitude both avahittha and pride are to be found. When\n\none cannot tolerate an offense committed by another, it is called\n\namar§a, and when one cannot tolerate the opulence of another it is\n\ncalled jealousy. Jealousy and amar§a are both caused by intolerance.\n\nWhen one is able to establish the correct import of a word, it can be\ncalled conclusiveness. And before such a conclusive determination of\n270\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0308": "271\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nimport, there must be thoughtful consideration. Therefore, the act of\nconsideration is present during the establishment of a conclusion.\n\nWhen one presents himself as ignorant, it is called humility, and when\nthere is absence of enthusiasm it is called cowardice. Therefore, in\n\nhumility, there is cowardice also. When the mind is steadfast it is\ncalled enduring, and when one can tolerate others' offenses, that is\n\ncalled endurance. Therefore, forgiveness and endurance can be sy­\n\nnonymous. When one becomes anxious for time to pass, that is called\n\nimpatience, and when one sees something wonderful one is said to be\n\nstruck with wonder. Impatience may be caused by being struck with\n\nwonder, and so impatience and being struck with wonder can be\nsynonymous. When anxiety is in its dormant stage it is called hanker­\n\ning. Therefore, anxiety and hankering can also be synonymous. When\n\none becomes regretful for some offense, his feeling is called bashfulness. In this way, bashfulness and regret can be synonymous. Doubt­\n\nfulness is one of the aspects of argument. After exhibiting impudence\n\none becomes restless. Therefore restlessness and impudence can be\n\nsynonymous.\n\nWhen all such symptoms are included in ecstatic love, they are\n\ncalled aficiiri, or continuously existing ecstatic symptoms. All of\n\nthese symptoms are transcendental, and they are exhibited in differ­\n\nent ways, acting and interacting under different conditions. They are\n\nlike the reciprocation of love between the lover and beloved.\n\nWhen a person is envious or defamed, there may be a change in the\n\ncolor of the body. This can be classified as vibhiiva, or sub-ecstasy.\n\nSometimes illusion, collapse and strong anxiety are also considered\n\nto be vibhiiva. When there are many such symptoms, they can simply\n\nbe gr ouped together under ecstatic love.\n\nSrila Rupa Gosvami says that fright, sleep, fatigue, laziness and the\n\nmadness of intoxication are sometimes grouped under continuous\n\nsymptoms of ecstatic love, and they are due to a strong attraction.\n\nFalse argument, determination, steadiness, remembrance, joyful­\n\nness, ignorance, humility and unconsciousness are also different syl11P­\n\ntoms of ecstatic love. Dependence is also grouped under ecstatic love,\n\nand this can be divided into superior dependence and inferior depen­\n\ndence. The direct differentiations between superior and inferior\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0309": "Additional Symptoms\n\n272\n\ndependence are ascertained by Riipa Gosvami and will be presented\n\nin due course.\n\nOne devotee exclaimed, \"Oh, I cannot see the district of Mathura!\n\nEven though by simply hearing the name of Mathura the hairs of my\n\nbody are standing up, I cannot see the place. So of what use are my\n\neyes?\" This statement reveals a strong anxiety to see the district of\n\nMathura resulting from a strong attachment to Kr�pa. There is another\ninstance of this strong attachment for Kr�pa expressed by Bhima\n\nwhen he began to murmur, \"My arms are just like thunderbolts, but\n\ndespite these arms I could not smash Sisupala while he was blasphem­\n\ning Kr�pa. Therefore, of what use are these strong arms?\" In this\n\ninstance Bhima became angry, and, being influenced by such anger,\n\nhis hopelessness became a cause for strong attachment to Kr�pa. This\n\ninstance can be described as strong attachment for Kr�pa in anger.\n\nWhen Arjuna witnessed the universal form of Kr�pa, whose daz­\n\nzling teeth were practically devouring the very existence of the\n\nuniverse, Arjuna's mouth became dried up. At that time Arjuna for­\n\ngot himself and could not understand that he was Arjuna, Kr�pa's\nfriend, although he was always dependent upon Kr�pa's mercy. This\n\nincident is an example of inferior dependence.\n\nSometimes ghastly activities also support strong ecstatic love for\n\nKrsna. This state of mind is called ecstatic fearfulness under illu.sion.\n·\nI� the Tenth Canto, 23rd Chapter, 32nd verse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam\n\nthere is the following statement by the briihmar-as who were perform­\n\ning sacrifices: \"We have all been born into three advantageous condi­\n\ntions: we are in high briihmar-a families, we have ceremoniously re­\n\nceived the sacred thre;td, and we are also properly initiated by a\n\nspiritual master. But, alas, in spite of all these advantages, we are\ncondemned. Even our observance of brahmacarya [celibacy] is con­\n\ndemned.'· The briihmar-as thus began to condemn their own activities.\n\nThey realized that in spite of being so elevated by birth, education\n\nand culture, they still were under the spell of the illusory energy.\n\nThey also admitted that even great yogis who are not devotees of the\nLord are covered by the influence of material energy. This kind of\n\nhopelessness felt by the briihmar-as who were performing ritualistic\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0310": "273\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nceremonies shows practically no attachment for Krwa. There is another hopelessness, however, which shows attachment for Kr�!la.\nWhen the bull demon attacked the damsels of Braja, they began to\ncry out, \"My dear Kr�!la-please save us! We are now gone!\" This is\nhopelessness with attachment for Kr�!la.\nWhen the Kes'i demon was assassinated by Kr�!la, Kamsa be�ame\nhopeless. He began to say, \"Kes'idaitya was as dear to me as my own\nlife, but he has been killed by some cowherd boy who is crude, uneducated and ignorant of fighting. Even though I have defeated the\nKing of heaven without difficulty, still I do not know the value of\nlife.\" Because this hopelessness has a slight touch of attraction for\n\nKr�!la, it is considered to be a reflection of ecstatic love in hopeless­\n\nness.\nKamsa once rebuked Akrura by saying, \"You are such a fool that\nyou are accepting the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be a cowherd boy, simply because He has defeated some harmless water snake!\nThe boy may have lifted one pebble called Govardhan Hill, but what\nis more surprising than that is your statement that this boy is the\nPersonality of Godhead!\" This is an instance of a maliciously opposing element, caused by hopelessness in ecstatic love for Kr9!1a.\nOne devotee tried to console a kadamba tree when the tree was\nlamenting because Kr�!la had not touched even its shadow. The devotee said, \"My dear kadamba tree, do not be worried. Just after defeating the Kaliya snake in the Yamuna River, Kr�!la will come and\nsatisfy your desire.\" This is an instance of inappropriate hopelessness\nin ecstatic love for Kr�!la.\nGaru�a, the eagle, the carrier of Vi9!lu, once said, \"Who can be\nmore pure than I? Where is there a second bird like me, so able and\ncompetent? Kr9!1a may not like me; He may not wish to join my\nparty, but still He has to take advantage of my wings!\" This is an\ninstance of hopelessness in the neutral mood of ecstatic love.\nThe symptoms of ecstatic love are sometimes grouped under four\nheadings-namely, generation, conjunction, aggregation and satisfaction.\nKr9!1a once told Radhara!l-1, \"My dear friend, when You tried to\nmeet Me alone in the morning, Your friend Mekhala remained hungry\nwith envy. Just look at her!\" When Kr9!1a was joking with Radhara!l-1\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0311": "Additional Symptoms\n\n274\n\nin this way, Radhara!li moved her beautiful eyebrows crossly. Riipa\n\nGosvami prays that everyone may become blessed by this movement\nof Srimati Radharii!J.i's eyebrows. This is an instance of the generation\nof malice in ecstatic love of Krwa.\n\nOne night, after the Piitana demon had been killed, baby Kr�!la\n\ncould be seen playing upon her breast. Upon seeing this, Yasoda be­\n\ncame stunned for some time. This is an example of a conjunction of\n\nvarious symptoms of ecstatic love. The conjunction can be auspicious\nor inauspicious. That the Piitana demon had been killed was auspi­\n\ncious, but that Krwa was playing on her breast in the dead of night,\n\nwith no one to help Him in case of trouble, was inauspicious. Yasoda\nwas caught between auspiciousness and inauspiciousness.\nAfter Krwa had just learned to walk, He was going in and out of\n\nthe house very frequently. Yasoda became surprised and said, \"This\nchild is too restless and cannot be controlled! He is incessantly going\n\nabout the neighborhood of Gokula [Vrndavana], and then He is\ncoming back inside the house. I see that the child is very fearless, but\nin spite of His fearlessness, I am becoming more and more afraid of\nHis falling into some danger.\" This again is an instance of the con­\n\njunction of two opposing elements: the child was very fearless, but at\nthe same time Yasoda was becoming fearful of some danger. Here\ndanger is the cause, and Yasoda's feelings are in conjunction of two\n\nopposing symptoms. In other words, Yasoda was feeling both happiness and doubt, or growing fear.\n\nWhen Devaki, the mother of Kr�!J.a, saw her son very jubilant in the\npresence of the wrestlers in Kamsa's arena, two kinds of tears were\n\nsimultaneously gliding down her cheeks: sometimes her tears were\nwarm, and sometimes they were cold. This is an instance of a conjunction of jubilation and lamentation due to different causes of ecstatic love.\nOnce when Srimati Radharii!J.i was standing on the bank of the\nYamuna River in the forest of Vrndavana, She was attacked by Kr�!J.a,\nwho was stronger than She. Although She externally expressed a dis­\n\nturbed mood from this incident, within Herself She was smiling and\n\nfeeling great satisfaction. Externally She moved Her eyebrows and\nmade a show of rejecting Krwa. In this mood Radhara!li looked very\n\nbeautiful, and Srila Riipa Gosvami glorified Her beauty. This is an\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0312": "275\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ninstance of exhibiting varying feelings in ecstatic love, although the\n\ncause is one only-Kr�!la.\n\nSometimes there were great festivals in the house of Nanda\n\nMaharaj, and all of the inhabitants of Vrndavana would assemble for\nthese festivals. During one such festival, Srimati Radhara!li was seen\n\nwearing a golden necklace given Her by Kr�!la. This was immediately\ndetected by Mother Yasoda as well as by Radhara!!i's mother, because\n\nthe necklace was too long for Radhara!!i's neck. At the same time\nRadhara!li could see Kr�!!a nearby, as well as Her own husband,\n\nAbhimanyu. So all of these things combined to make Radhara!li feel\n\nvery much ashamed, and with Her face shrivelled She began to look\nvery beautiful. In this case there was a combination of bashfulness,\n\nanger, jubilation and lamentation. This is an instance of an aggregate\nof symptoms of ecstatic love.\n\nKamsa once said, \"What harm can this boy do to me? He has no\n\npower.\" The next moment Kamsa was informed that all of his friends\nhad been killed by the boy. Then Kamsa began to think in perplexity,\n\n\"Shall I go immediately and surrender unto Him? But how can a\n\ngreat warrior do this?\" The next moment he thought, \"Why should I\n\nbe afraid of Him? There are still so many wrestlers standing to sup­\n\nport me.\" But the next moment he began to consider: \"The boy is\n\ncertainly not common, because He has lifted Govardhan Hill with His\n\nleft hand. So what can I do in this connection? Let me go to Vrnda­\n\nvana and inflict pains on all the residents there. But still I cannot even\n\ngo out, because my heart is trembling from fear of this boy!\" This\n\ncondition of Kamsa's mind reveals an instance of pride, lamentation,\nhumility, determination, remembrance, doubtfulness, anger and fear.\n\nActually eight different symptoms comprised the mental condition of\nKamsa. This is another instance of an aggregate of symptoms in hope­\n\nless ecstatic love.\n\nOne householder devotee once said, \"My Lord, I am so wretched\n\nthat these two eyes are never desiring to see the glorious city of\n\nMathura. Therefore, my eyes are actually condemned. I am nicely\neducated, but my education has simply been used in government\nservice. I have not considered formidable time, stronger than any­\n\nthing else, which creates and annihilates everything. To whom shall I\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0313": "Additional Symptoms\n\n276\n\nleave all of my wealth and fortune? I am becoming older and older.\n\nWhat shall I do? Shall I execute devotional service from here at home?\nThis I cannot do, because my mind is being attracted by the transcen­\n\ndental land of v rndavana.\"\n\nThis is an instance of hopelessness, pride, doubtfulness, patience,\n\nlamentation, determination and eagerness-an aggregation of seven\n\ndifferent symptoms in ecstatic love for Krwa.\n\nThere is a proverb in Sanskrit which says, \"Disappointment gives\n\nrise to the greatest satisfaction.\" In other words, when one's senti­\n\nment or ambition becomes too great and is not fulfilled until after\n\nseemingly hopeless tribulation, that is taken as the greatest satisfac­\n\ntion. Once the cowherd boys in V rndavana were vainly searching\nafter Kr�tta for a long time, and for that reason their faces became\n\nblackened, and their complexions appeared faded. Just then they\ncould hear on the hill a faint vibration from Krwa's flute. Imme­\n\ndiately all of them became very much engladdened. This is an in­\n\nstance of satisfaction in the midst of disappointment.\n\nSrila Rilpa Gosvami says that although he has no expert knowledge\n\nabout the sounds and meanings and mellows of the symptoms of\n\necstatic love, he has tried to give some examples of different varieties\n\nof love of Kr�tJ.a. He further states that the thirty-one disturbing\n\nsymptoms of ecstatic love, plus nine other symptoms, all taken to­\n\ngether equal forty primary symptoms of ecstatic love. These symp­\n\ntoms create transformations of bodily activities as well as movements\n\nof the senses. All of them can be accepted as different feelings of the\n\nheart. Sometimes some of the feelings are quite natural. Sometimes\n\nsome of the feelings are just temporary appearances. Those symp­\n\ntoms which are very natural always remain, both within and without\nthe devotee.\nAs one can detect the color of dye a cloth was soaked in by look­\n\ning at the cloth, so, simply by understanding the different signs of\n\nthese symptomatic features, one can understand the actual position.\n\nIn other words, although attachment for Kr�tta is one, nevertheless,\n\nbecause there exist different kinds of devotees, such attachment is\nmanifested in many varieties. As clothing tinged red appears red, so\n\nthe temporary appearance of a certain type of feeling can be detected\n\n(\n\n)\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0314": "277\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nor observed by the specific ecstatic symptom. In fact, all the different\nhumors and mellows of the devotees possess various specific feelings\nwithin the mind. And, according to these differences, the symptoms\nof ecstatic love appear in different forms and degrees. If one's heart\nis highly elevated, grave and magnanimous, or if one's heart is rough\nand crude, different symptoms of ecstatic love will appear, influenced\nby the condition of the heart. Actually, people cannot generally\nunderstand such different qualities of mentality, but when one's heart\nis very soft or gentle, these symptoms become very easily visible, and\none can understand very clearly. The heart of o:1.e who is highly elevated and grave is compared with gold. If one's heart is very soft and\ngentle, his heart is compared with a cotton swab. When there is an\necstatic sensation within the mind, the golden heart or grave heart is\nnot agitated, but the soft heart immediately becomes agitated.\nTo offer another example, a grave, magnanimous heart is compared\nto a great city, and a soft heart to an insignificant cottage. There may\nbe many lights, or even great elephants in the big city, but no one will\ntake particular notice of them. But when such lights or elephants are\nseen near a small cottage, everyone can distinctly point them out.\nHardness of the heart is compared to a lightning bolt, with gold\nand with shellac. The lightning bolt is very strong and never becomes\nsoft. Similarly, the hearts of those who are engaged in severe austerities and penances do not become very easily softened. The golden\n�eart becomes melted at high temperature, as in ecstatic love. And\nfhe shellac heart is very easily melted in slight temperature.\nSoftness of the heart is compared with honey, with butter and with\nnectar. And the condition of the mind is compared with sunshine. As\nhoney and butter become melted even in slight sunshine, so softhearted persons become easily melted. Nectar, however, is by its na­\n\nture always liquid. And the hearts of those who are in pure ecstatic\nlove with Krwa are by nature always liquified, just like nectar.\nA pure devotee of Kr9!ia is always specifically qualified with nectarean qualifications and sometimes with the qualifications of butter\nand honey. On the whole, all the different conditions of the heart\n\nmentioned above can be melted under certain circumstances, just as\na hard diamond sometimes is melted by a combination of certain\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0315": "Additional Symptoms\n\n278\n\nchemicals. In the Diina-keli-kaumudi it is stated, \"When love develops\nin the heart of a devotee, he cannot check the transformation of his\nsentiments. It is j ust like at the rising of the moon, when the ebb tide\nof the ocean cannot be checked: immediately there must be movement of high waves.\" Although in its natural state, the ocean is always very grave and unfathomable, when the moon rises, nothing can\ncheck the ocean's agitation. Similarly, those who are pure devotees\ncannot on any account check the movements of their feelings within.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0316": "32 I Symptoms of Continuous Ecstasy\n\nThe continuous ecstasy of love can remain like a powerful king,\nsubduing all temporary manifestations of love as well as any opposing\nelements of anger. It can be exhibited directly or indirectly, and thus\necstatic love can be described as direct or indirect. These symptoms\nof ecstatic love are possible only when one is fully situated in a transcendental position. Direct ecstatic love can be divided into two\ngroups-namely, selfish and selfless.\nWhen noncontradictory symptoms· of ecstatic love are distinctly\nmanifest, any contradictory symptoms create a sense of abomination.\nContradictory ecstatic love is called selfish. That ecstatic love which\ncan adjust all contradictory or noncontradictory symptoms is called\ndirect selfless love. These selfless symptoms can again be divided into\nfive groups: neutrality, servitude, fraternity, parenthood and conjugal\nlove. Such ecstatic love assumes a particular mode in contact with\ndifferent objects of love.\nNeutrality can be further subdivided into general, transparent and\npeaceful. An attraction for Kr��a by the people in general or by children cannot take any specific or satisfactory position. It can be manifest sometimes in trembling of the body and changing of the color of\nthe eyes (to red, white, etc.), although there is no symptom of any\nparticular affection.\nOne old man was told by a young man: \"Just see how this childonly three years old-is so jubilant! Simply by seeing Kr��a he is running so swiftly, making a tumultuous sound. Just see!\" This is an\ninstance of neutral ecstatic love in the heart of a child, without any\n\nspecific subdivision. Due to the different types of attraction for\n279\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0317": "Symptoms of Continuous Ecstasy\n\n280\n\nKrwa, there are different varieties of devotees. Their symptoms are\nmanifested transparently, just like jewels.\nIt is said that a great devotee briihmar-a would sometimes address\nthe Supreme Personality of Godhead as master, and sometimes he\nwould joke with the Lord, using different kinds of familiar words;\nsometimes he would protect the Lord with a filial affection, and\nsometimes he would cry out to the Lord, addressing Him as his beloved; and sometimes he would meditate on the Lord as the supersoul. This means that the briihmar-a expressed his ecstatic loving\nsymptoms in different ways at different times. But in each instance,\nbecause of ecstatic love, the briihmar-a merged himself in the ocean of\nhappiness and became situated in pure love. Thus he was a transparent\nmedium, like a jewel that shows reality in varying colors according to\nits own nature.\nWhen the great sage Narada was glorifying the pastimes of the Lord\nwith his vir-a, the four Kumaras, headed by Sanaka, although merged\nin the impersonal conception of Brahman, were trembling all over.\nAnother devotee once exclaimed, \"Although I can achieve liberation\nsimply by serving the devotees, my mind is still very much anxious to\nsee the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose bodily complexion\nis just like a dark cloud.\" When a devotee is so anxious to contact the\nSupreme Personality of Godhead, that can also be accepted as a\nsymptom of neutral love.\nGenerally, a devotee of Lord Kr�pa can be placed into one of three\ngroups. One group consists of those who are completely dependent\non the merciful affection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead;\nanother group consists of devotees who are dealing with Kr�pa on\nfriendly terms; and the third group consists of those who are dealing\nwith Kr�pa as His superior, with parental affection. These three classes\nof devotees gradually develop different relationships of transcendental mellow with the Personality of Godhead. When the attraction for\nKrwa is based only on one particular humor, that is called kevala, or\npure state. One in this pure state of devotional service gradually develops the desire to follow in the footsteps of an eternal associate of\nKr�pa, e.g., to follow in the footsteps of Rasala, the personal attendant\nof Krwa in Goloka Vrndavana, or to follow Kr�pa's friends, like\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0318": "281\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nSridama and Sudama, or to follow Nanda and Yasoda, devotees in\n\nparenthood. Ecstatic love for Kr��a is never manifested directly with\n\nKr��a Himself. The devotee has to follow in the footsteps of the\n\neternal associates of Kr��a in Goloka Vrndavana.\n\nWhen transcendental humors in relationship with Kr��a become\n\nmixed (e.g., when the relationships with Kr��a in friendship, servitor­\n\nship and parental love become mixed together), the result is called\n\nmixed humor or flavor. Such mixed transcendental flavors are manifested by such devotees as Uddhava, Bhima and Mukhara, the per­\n\nsonal attendant of Mother Y asoda. Although devotional humors are\n\nsometimes found in mixtures, a particular humor is always fQl,!nd to\n\nbe a prominent and constant factor. That prominent humor is to be\naccepted as the devotee's main relationship with Kr��a. For example,\n\nUddhava is in relationship with Krwa as a friend, but in Uddhava's\ncharacter a trace of servitude to Kr��a is also visible. Such friendship\nis called friendship in reverence. The friendship typified by Sridama\n\nand Sudama, however, is the standard of friendship without any tinge\n\nof reverence.\n\nSubordinate Ecstatic Love\n\nThe devotees who always think of Kr��a as a superior are in sub­\n\nordinate ecstatic love. To such a devotee the concept of inferiority to\n\nthe Lord is very prominent, and he rarely takes interest in any other\n\nkind of transcendental loving humor with the Lord.\n\nIn the Mukunda-miilii-stotra compiled by King Kulasekhara, one\n\nof the prayers says, \"My dear Lord, You are the deliverer of living\n\nentities from the hellish condition of materialistic life, but that does\n\nnot matter to me. Whether I am elevated to the heavenly platform or\n\nremain on this earthly planet or am dispatched to some hellish\n\nplanet, that does not matter at all to me. My only prayer is that at\n\nthe time of my death I may simply remember Your two beautiful\n\nfeet, which are just like lotus flowers fructifying during the autumn\n\nseason.\"\n\nFriendship\n\nAs far as friendship is concerned, those high-grade devotees who\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0319": "Symptoms of Continuous Ecstasy\n\n282\n\nare almost like K:r�pa are considered to be great authorities in the\n\nmodes of friendly relations with the Supreme Personality of God­\n\nhead. On that friendly platform there are different kinds of laughing\n\nand joking conversations. An example of such a friendly relationship\n\nwith K:r�pa is described in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam when K:r��a was\n\nonce thinking, \"Today, while I was engaged in tending the cows in\n\nthe pasturing ground of V:rndavana, I went to collect some flowers in\n\na beautiful garden. At that time My friends, the cowherd boys, were\nunhappy even to tolerate a two-minute separation from Me. And,\n\nwhen they found Me, there was competition between us as to who\n\nwould touch the other first with the flowers we had in hand.\"\n\nOne friend criticized K:r�pa thus: \"My dear Damodara, although\n\nYou have been defeated by Sridama and have become sufficiently\n\nminimized in strength, by a false expression of strength You have\n\nsomehow covered Your shameful condition of defeat.\"\nParenthood, or Superiority\n\nWhen Mother Yasoda heard that K:r�pa's cows were being forcibly\n\nmoved by the strong servants of Kamsa and that the tender cowherd\n\nboys were trying to protect their cows, she began to think, \"How\n\ncan I protect these poor boys from the invasion of Kamsa's ser­\n\nvants?\" This is an instance of a superior attitude in a devotee.\n\nAs soon as Mother Y asoda found her son K:r��a returning from the\n\npasturing ground, she immediately began to pat Him, touching her\nfingers to the cheeks of the Lord.\n\n�\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0320": "33 I Conjugal Affection\n\"-,\n\nAbove even the humor of love between Kr��a and His parents is\n\nthe relationship of conjugal love. This is exhibited between the Lord\nand the young gopis in different ways-glancing, moving the eye­\n\nbrows, speaking very sweet words, and exchanging smiles.\n\nThere is a statement in Govinda-viliisa to this effect: \"Srimati\n\nRadhara�i was looking for Kr��a very anxiously and almost dis­\n\nappointedly.\" When there is such indirect expression of conjugal\n\nlove, there is smiling, astonishment, enthusiasm, lamentation, anger,\ndread and sometimes ghastliness. These seven exchanges of conjugal\nlove form another state of ecstatic love.\nIn a direct relationship of conjugal love, there is laughter, astonishment, chivalry, lamentation, anger and dread, but there is no ghastliness. These expressions are considered to be the great reservoirs of\n\npleasure. When these seven kinds of ecstatic loving exchanges are\nmanifested, they attain the status of steadiness by which the taste\n\nof conjugal love expands.\nLaughter\n\nAfter He had stolen some curd from the pots of two gopis, Kr��a\n\ntold one of His gopi friends: \"My dear beautiful friend, I can take\noath that I have not stolen even a drop of curd from your pot! But\n\nstill, your friend, Radhara�i, is very shamelessly smelling the flavor\n\nI\n\n'I\n\nof My mouth. Kindly forbid Her from this devious policy of putting\n\nHer face near Mine.\" When Kr��a was speaking like this, the friends\n\nof Radhara�i could not check their laughter. This is an instance of\n\necstasy in conjugal love.\n\n283\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0321": "Conjugal Affection\n\n284\n\nAstonishment\nOnce Brahma was watching all the cows and the cowherd boys\ndressed in yellow garments and decorated with valuable j ewels. The\nboys were expanding their four arms and were being worshiped by\nmany hundreds of other Brahmas. All the cowherd boys began to ex­\n\npress their j oyfulness for being with Kr�l).a, the supreme Brahman. At\n\nthat time, Brahma showed his astonishment by exclaiming, \"What am\nI seeing here?\" This is an instance of astonishment in ecstatic love.\n\nChivalry\nOn the bank of the Yamuna once there was the crackling sound of\ndry leaves, giggling from the cowherd boys, and thundering from the\nsky.\n\nS ridama was tightening his belt to fight with Krwa, the con­\n\nqueror of the demon Agha. This is an instance of chivalry in ecstatic\nlove.\n\nLamentation\nIn\n\nthe\n\nTenth\n\nCanto,\n\n7th Chapter, 22nd\n\nverse of Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam there is a description of Kr�l).a's being taken away by the\nwhirlwind demon Trl).avarta. As Kr�l).a was being thus carried up into\n\nthe sky, all the gopis began to cry aloud. They approached Mother\nYasoda, stating that they could not find the son of Nanda. He had\nbeen taken away by a whirlwind. This is an instance of lamentation in\necstatic love.\nWhen Krwa was fighting with Kaliya, Mother Yasoda exclaimed,\n\"Kr�l).a is now entrapped within the hoods of the Kaliya snake, and\nyet I am not tattered to pieces! So I must admit how wonderful is\nthe preserving power of this material body!\" This is another instance\nof lamentation in ecstatic love.\n\nAnger\nWhen Kutila, the sister of Abhimanyu, saw Kr�l).a wearing a necklace, she could understand that the j eweled ornament had been gi ven\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0322": "285\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nto Him by Radharapi. She therefore became absorbed in anger and\nbegan to move her eyebrows, expressing her anger in ecstatic love.\nGhastliness\nThere is a statement by Yamunacarya to this effect: \"Since I have\nbegun to enj oy these transcendental exchanges of love, which are\nalways newer and newer, whenever I remember the pleasure of past\nsex life, my lips curl and I wish to spit on the idea.\" This is an instance of ecstatic love in ghastliness.\n\nDread\nOne old devotee said, \"My dear Lord, when we are away from\nYou we become so anxious to see You again, and there is great\nmisery in our lives. But then, when we do see You, there immediately\ncomes the fear of separation. Under the circumstances, both when\nwe see You and when we do not see You, we are subj ected to different kinds of tribulation.\" This is an instance of a contradictory mixture of ecstatic love for Kr�pa. Such ecstatic love is palatable, and\nexpert critics have compared such ecstatic love with a mixture of\ncurd, sugar candy and a little black pepper. The combined taste is\nvery palatable.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0323": "I\n\n34 I The Nectar of Devotion\n\nThe particular type of ecstatic loving sentiment that develops within the heart of a particular devotee is considered to be vibhiiva. And\nthe resultant manifestations such as moving the eyebrows, fear, astonishment and smiling, which have been explained hereinbefore,\nare called anubhiiva. The different causes for developing anubhiiva\nand vibhiiva are called steady ecstasy, or sanciiri-bhiiva.\nWhenever there is a recitation of poetry or a dramatic play on the\ndifferent pastimes of Kr��a, the audience develops different kinds of\ntranscendental loving service for the Lord. They enjoy different\ntypes of vibhiiva, anubhiiva and sanciiri-bhiiva.\nNo one, while remaining on the material platform, should discuss\nthese different descriptions of bhiiva and anubhiiva by quoting different statements of transcendental literatures. Such manifestations\nare displays of the transcendental pleasure potency of the Lord. One\nshould simply try to understand that on the spiritual platform, there\nare many varieties of reciprocal love. Such loving exchanges should\nnever be considered to be material. In the Mahiibhiirata Udyama-parva\nit is warned that things which are inconceivable should not be subjected to arguments. Actually, the transactions of the spiritual world\nare inconceivable to us in our present state of life. Great liberated\nsouls like Riipa Gosvami and others have tried to give us some hints\nof transcendental activities in the spiritual world, but on the whole\nthese transactions will remain inconceivable to us at the present moment. Understanding the exchanges of transcendental loving service\nwith Kr��a is possible only when one is actually in touch with the\npleasure potency of the Supreme Lord.\n286\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0324": "287\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nIn this connection Sri Riipa Gosvami gives an example of the\n\nclouds in the sky: the clouds in the sky arise from the ocean, and\nwhen the clouds become water again and fall to the ground, they\n\nglide back to the ocean. Similarly, the pleasure potency of Kr�!la is\n\ncompared with the ocean. The pure devotee is the pleasure-possessing\ncloud, and when he is filled with transcendental loving service, then\nhe can bestow his mercy as a downpour of rain-and the pleasure\npotency returns to the ocean of Kr�!J.a.\n\nDirect and Indirect Attraction for Kruw\nTranscendental pleasure derived from devotional service can be\n\ndivided into two groups: direct devotional service and indirect devo­\n\ntional service. Direct devotional service is divided into five transcen­\n\ndental humors or flavors, and indirect devotional service is divided\n\ninto seven transcendental humors. Direct devotional services are as\nfollows: neutrality, servitude, fraternity, paternity and conjugal love.\n\nIndirect devotional service is divided into laughter, compassion, anger,\n\nchivalry, dread, astonishment and ghastliness. Devotional service can\n\ntherefore be divided into twelve types, each of which has a different\ncolor. The colors are white, multicolored, orange, red, light green,\n\ngrey, yellow, off-whitish, smoky, pink, black and cloudy. The twelve\n\ndifferent kinds of transcendental humors are controlled by different\n\nincarnations of God, such as Kapila, Madhava, Upendra, Nrsimha,\n\nNandanandana, Balarama, Kiirma, Kalki, Raghava, Bhargava, Varaha\n\nand Matsya.\n\nSustenance, manifestation, expansion, reflection and lamentation\n\nare the five visible symptoms in exchanges of ecstatic love. The test\nof devotional service can therefore be made in terms of these five\n\nsymptoms. In the devotional service of neutrality there is sustenance;\n\nthere is expansion in chivalrous devotional service; there is reflection\n\nin compassionate devotional service; in angry devotional service there\nis lamentation, and so on.\n\nAn apparently pitiable condition in devotional service may appear\n\nto be distressing to the inexperienced student, but the feelings of the\n\ndevotee in this pitiable condition are considered to be ecstatic by\nexpert devotees. For example, the subject matter of the Riimiiyarta\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0325": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n288\n\nis sometimes considered to be pitiable and distressing to the heart,\n\nbut actually that is not the fact. The Riimiiyarta narrates how Lord\n\nRama was sent to the forest by His father j ust when He was going to\n\nbe enthroned. After Lord Rama's departure, Maharaj Dasaratha, His\nfather, died. In the forest His wife, Sitadevi, was kidnapped\n\nby\n\nRava�a, and there was a great war. When Sitadevi was finally delivered from the clutches of Rava�a, Rava�a's whole family and kingdom, and Rava�a himself, were vanquished. When Sitadevi came\nhome she was tried by fire, and after some days she was again banished to the forest. All of these subj ects in the Riimiiyar-a seem very\npitiable, and they may appear to be very distressing to the reciter,\nbut actually this is not so. Otherwise, why would Hanuman, the great\ndevotee of Lord Ramacandra, read daily about the activities of Lord\nRamacandra, as described in the Riimiiyar-a itself? The fact is that in\n\nany of the above-mentioned twelve transcendental humors of devotional service, everything is transcendentally pleasing.\n\nS nla Rupa Gosvami mourns in this connection for persons who are\n\nin the fire of false renunciation, the dry speculative habit, and who\nneglect devotional service. Persons who are attached to the ritualistic\n\nceremonies recommended in the Vedas and to the impersonal\nBrahman cannot relish the transcendental pleasure of devotional service. S ri Rupa Gosvami advises, therefore, that devotees who have\nalready tasted the nectar of devotion should be very careful to protect\ndevotional service from such dry speculators, formal ritualistic elevationists and impersonal salvationists. Devotees should protect their\nvaluable j ewel of spiritual love from the clutches of thieves and bur­\n\nglars. In other words, a pure devotee should not describe devotional\nservice and its different analytical aspects to dry speculators and false\nrenouncers.\nThose who are not devotees can never achieve the benefits of devotional service. For them the subj ect of devotional service is always\nvery difficult to understand. Only persons who have dedicated their\nlives unto thP- lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can\nrelish the real nectar of devotion.\nWhen one transcends the status of ecstatic love and thus becomes\nsituated on the highest platform of pure goodness, one is understood\nto have cleansed the heart of all material contamination. In that pure\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0326": "289\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nstage of life, one can taste this nectar, and this tasting capacity is\ntechnically called rasa, or transcendental mood.\n\nThus ends the Bhaktivedanta summary study of the second division\nof Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, in the matter ofgeneral devotional service.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0327": "33'HH� �'HVd\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0328": "35 I Neutral Love of God\n\nSri Rupa Gosvami offers his respectful prayers to the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead who is always so beautiful and for\nwhom the pure devotees are always engaged in loving transcendental\nservice. This third division of Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu describes the\nfive primary kinds of devotional service-namely, neutrality, servitude, fraternity, parenthood and conj ugal love. These five items will\nbe very elaborately explained here, and thus they have been figuratively described as the five waves on the western side of this ocean of\nnectar of devotion.\nWhen one is actually able to maintain the transcendental position,\nhis stage is called neutrality in devotional service. Some great sages\nhave attained this neutral position by practicing austerity, penance\nand meditation to control the senses. Such sages are generally called\nmystic yogis, and in most cases they are inclined to appreciate the\nspiritual pleasure of the impersonal feature of the absolute truth.\nThey are practically unaware of the transcendental pleasure derived\nfrom personal contact with the Supreme Godhead.\nActually the transcendental pleasure derived in association with\nthe Supreme Person is far greater than the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman realization, because of the direct meeting with the\neternal form of the Lord. lmpersonalists do not directly derive the\ntranscendental pleasure of association with the Lord by hearing of\nHis pastimes. As such, the impersonalists cannot derive any relishable\ntranscendental pleasure from the topics of the Bhagavad-gitii, in which\nthe Lord is personally talking with A rj una. The basic principle of\ntheir impersonal attitude does not allow them the transcendental\npleasure which is relished by a devotee whose basic principle of\n\n290\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0329": "Neutral Love of God\n\n291\n\nunderstanding is the Supreme Person. The impersonalistic commen­\n\ntary on the Bhagavad-gitii is therefore disastrous because, without\n\nunderstanding the transcendental pleasure of the Gita, the imperson­\n\nalist wants to interpret it in his own way. If an impersonalist can,\nhowever, come in contact with a pure devotee, his transcendental\nposition can be changed for greater elevation. Great sages are therefore recommended to worship the form of the Lord in order to\nachieve that highest transcendental pleasure.\n\nWithout worshiping the arca-vigraha, the form or Deity of the\n\nLord, one cannot understand such literature as the Bhagavad-gita and\n\nSrimad-Bhagavatam. For those great sages situated in the position of\ntranscendental neutrality, the beginning should be to take shelter of\nLord Vi$pu, the four-handed eternal form of the Supreme Personality\n\nof Godhead. The mystic yogis are therefore advised to meditate on\n\nthe form of Lord Vi$pu as recommended by Kapila Muni in the\n\nsankhya-yoga system. Unfortunately, many mystic yogis try to medi­\n\ntate on something void, and as is stated in the Gita, the result is that\nthey simply undergo trouble and do not achieve any tangible result.\nWhen some great saintly persons who had undergone penances and\nausterities saw the four-handed transcendental form of Vi$!J.U, they\nbegan to remark as follows: \"This four-handed form of the Lord,\nmanifested in a bluish color, is the reservoir of all pleasure and the\ncenter of our living force. Actually, when we see this eternal form of\nVi$pu, we, along with many other paramaharhsas, become imme­\n\ndiately captivated by the beauty of the Lord.\" This appreciation of\nLord Vi$pU by saintly persons is an instance of situation in santa­\n\nrasa, or the neutral stage of devotional service. In the beginning, those\nwho are aspiring for salvation try to get out of the material entanglement by performing painful austerities and penances, and ultimately\nthey come to the impersonal status of spiritual realization. At this\n\nbrahma-bhiita stage of liberation from the material entanglement, the\nsymptoms, as explained 1n \"!:he Bhagavad-gitii, are that one becomes\njoyous beyond any hankering or lamentation and gains a universal\nvision. When the devotee is situated in the santa-rasa, or neutral stage\n\nof devotional service, he appreciates the Vi$I;IU form of the Lord.\nActually, all Vedic culture is aiming at understanding Lord Vi9pu.\n\nIn the !Jg Veda one mantra says that any advanced saintly person is\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0330": "292\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nalways aspmng to be fixed in meditation upon the lotus feet of\nVisnu.\n\ni� the Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is said that the foolish do not know\n\nthat Vi�ttu is the ultimate goal of life. According to the conclusion of\nall authoritative Vedic scriptures, when a person comes to the stage\nof appreciating Viwu, he is at the beginning of devotional service.\nIf one cultivates devotional service further and further, under proper\nguidance, other features of devotional service will gradually become\nmanifest. At this stage of siinta-rasa, one can see Lord Vi�tJ.U, the Su­\n\npreme Personality of Godhead, the deliverer of even the demons. The\nLord is appreciated by such would-be devotees as the eternal transcendental form, chief of all self-realized souls, the supersoul, the\n\nsupreme Brahman, completely pacified, completely controlled and\npure, merciful to the devotees and untouched by any material con­\n\ndition. This appreciation of Lord Viwu in awe and veneration by the\nsaintly is to be understood as the sign that they are situated in the\n\nsiinta-rasa, or neutral stage of devotional service.\n\nThis stage of siinta-rasa can be attained by the impersonalists only\n\nwhen they are in association with pure devotees. Otherwise it is not\npossible. After Brahman realization, when a liberated soul comes in\ncontact with a pure devotee of Lord Kr�tta and submissively accepts\nthe teachings of Lord Kr�tta without misinterpretation, he becomes\nsituated in this neutral stage of devotional service. The best example\nof saintly persons situated in the siinta-rasa are Sanaka, Sanatana,\n\nSananda, and Sanat-kumara, the Kumara brothers. These four saintly\n\npersons (known as Catu�sana) were sons of Lord Brahma. After their\nbirth, when they were ordered by their father to become householders and increase human society, they refused the order. They said\nthat they had already decided not to become entangled with family\nlife; they would rather live as saintly brahmaciiris for their own perfec­\n\ntion. So these great saints have been living for millions of years now,\nbut still they appear to be just like boys of four or five years. Their\ncomplexions are very fair, there is an effulgence in their bodies, and\nthey always travel naked. These four saintly persons almost always\nremain together.\nIn one of the prayers of the Kumara brothers, the declaration is\nmade: \"My Lord Mukunda [Kr�tJ.a, the giver of liberation], only so\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0331": "Neutral Love of God\n\n293\n\nlong as one does not happen to see Your eternal form of bliss and\nknowledge, appearing just like a newly-grown tiimala tree, with a\nbluish hue-only for so long can the impersonal feature of the absolute truth, known as Brahman, be very pleasing to a saintly person.\"\nThe qualifications of a saintly person are described in the Bhaktirasamrta-sindhu as follows: A saintly person is one who understands\n\nfully that simply by dischar gi ng devotional service he can become\nconfident of liberation. He is always situated in the regulative princi­\n\nples of devotional life and at the same time aspires to be liberated\nfrom the material entanglement.\nA saintly person thinks like this: \"When shall I be able to live alone\nin the caves of the mountains? When shall I be dressed simply with\nundergarments? When shall I be satisfied by eating simply a little\nfruit and vegetables? When will it be possible for me to always think\nof the lotus feet of Mukunda, who is the source of the Brahman effulgence? When, in such a spiritual condition of life, shall I fully\nunderstand my days and nights to be insignificant moments in eternal\ntime?\"\nThe devotees and self-realized persons who are engaged in preaching the glories of the Lord always maintain an ecstatic love for the\nLord within their hearts. Thus they are benefitted by the rays of the\necstatic moon, and they are called saintly persons.\nThe impulse of a saintly person is to be engaged in the study of the\nVedas, especially the Upani�adic portions, to always live in a place\nwhere there is no disturbance from the common people, to always\nthink of the eternal form of Kr��a, to be ready to consider and\nunderstand the absolute truth, to always be prominent in exhibiting knowledge, to see the Supreme Lord in His universal form\n(viSva-riipa), to associate always with learned devotees and to discuss the conclusion of the Vedas with similarly elevated persons. All\nof these qualifications of a saintly person serve to raise him to the\nstatus of santa-rasa.\nIn the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu it is stated that all those who attended the pious meeting held by Lord Brahma for the study of\nVedic literature like the Upani§ads became overwhelmed with ecstatic love for Kr��a, the chief of the Yadu dynasty. Actually, the result of studying the Upani§ads is to understand the Supreme Per-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0332": "294\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nsonality of Godhead. Negation of material existence is only one of\nthe subjects of the Upani§ads. The next subject concerns becoming\n\nsituated in the impersonal realization. And then, after penetrating\n\nthrough the impersonal Brahman, when one comes to the platform\nof associating with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one reaches\nthe ultimate goal in studying the Upani§ads.\n\nThose who are situated on the platform of siinta-rasa get their im­\n\npetus for advancement in devotional service by smelling the tulasi of­\n\nfered at the lotus feet of the Lord, by hearing the sound of His\nconchshell, by seeing a sanctified place in some mountain or hill, by\nobserving a forest like the ones in V rndavana, by going to a place of\npilgrimage, by visiting the course of the Ganges River, by being victorious over the dictations of bodily demands (i.e., eating, sleeping,\nmating and defending), by understanding the devastation of eternal\ntime, and by constantly associating with devotees engaged in Kr�!la\nconsciousness. All these different items are favorable in elevating\nsaintly persons situated in siinta-rasa to the advanced stage of devotional service.\n\nIn the Third Canto, 15th Chapter, 43rd verse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam\n\nthere is a statement by the four saintly persons known as Catu�sana,\n\nheaded by Sanaka-kumara. They went to visit the Lord of V aikupthaloka in the spiritual sky, and when they bowed down before the\nLord, the aroma of the tulasi, mixed with saffron, entered their nos­\n\ntrils and immediately attracted their minds. Although these four\nsaintly persons were always absorbed in the thought of impersonal\n\nBrahman, from association with the Lord and from smelling the\n\ntulasi leaves, the hairs on their bodies immediately stood up. This\nshows that even a person who is situated in Brahman realization, if\nhe is put into association with devotees in pure devotional service,\nwill immediately become attracted to the personal feature of the\nLord.\n\nThere are certain symptoms of great sages who are situated in\n\nI\n\nlj\n\nsiinta-rasa devotional service, and these symptoms are exhibited as\n\nfollows: they concentrate their eyesight on the tip of the nose, and\n\nthey behave just like an avadhiita. Avadhiita means a highly elevated\nmystic who does not c�.re for any social, religious or Vedic conven-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0333": "Neutral Love of God\n\n295\n\ntions. Another symptom is that such persons are very careful to step\nforward when giving speeches. When they speak, they join together\nthe forefinger and thumb. (This is called the jiiana-mudra position.)\nThey are not against the atheists, nor are they particularly inclined\nto the devotees. Such persons give stress to liberation and detachment\nfrom the materialistic way of life. They are always neutral and have\nno affection for nor misidentification with anything material. They are\nalways grave, but fully absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These uncommon features develop in devotees who\nare situated in santa-rasa.\nRegarding concentration of the eyesight on the tip of the nose,\n\nthere is a statement in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu by a devotee who\nobserved this being performed by a yogi. He remarked, \"This great\nsage is concentrating his eyesight on the tip of his nose, and from this\nit appears that he has already realized the eternal form of the Lord\nwithin himself.\"\nSometimes a devotee in santa-rasa yawns, stretches his limbs, instructs on devotional service, offers respectful obeisances unto the\nform of the Lord, offers nice prayers to the Lord and has a desire to\ngive direct service with his body. These are some of the common\nsymptoms of the devotee who is situated in neutrality. One devotee,\nafter observing the yawning of another devotee, addressed him thus:\n\"My dear mystic, I think that within your heart there is some ecstatic devotional love which is causing you to yawn.\" It is sometimes\nfound that a devotee in the santa-rasa falls down on the ground, his\nhairs stand up on his body, and he trembles all over. In this way, different symptoms of ecstatic trance are exhibited automatically by\nsuch devotees.\n\nIn the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu it is said that when Lord Krsna was\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nblowing His conchshell known as Paficajanya many great sages who\nwere living in the caves of the mountains immediately reacted, being\nawakened from their trance of meditation. They immediately saw\nthat the hairs of their bodies were standing. Sometimes devotees in\nsanta-rasa become stunned, peaceful, jubilant, deliberate, reflective,\n\nanxious, dexterous and argumentative. These symptoms indicate continuous ecstasy, or established emotion.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0334": "296\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nOnce a great realized sage was lamenting that the Supreme Lord\nKr�!la was living in Dvaraka but that he was unable to take advantage\nof seeing Him. After thinking thi�, the sage immediate! y became\nstunned. He was thinking that he was simply wasting his time. In\nother words, the sage lamented because the Supreme Personality of\nGodhead was personally present, and he still could not take advantage of this because of his meditation.\nWhen a mystic is transcendental to all kinds of mental concoctions\nand is situated in Brahman, his state is called trance beyond the influence of the material conception of life. In that stage, when one\nhears about the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, there may be\nshivering in the body.\nWhen a Brahman-realized devotee who has come to the stage of\nsteady trance comes into contact with the eternal form of Kr�!J.a, his\ntranscendental pleasure increases millions of times. One great sage\nonce inquired from another, \"My dear friend, do you think that after\nI perfect the eightfold yoga performance I shall be able to see the\neternal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?\" This enquiry\nfrom the sage is an instance of inquisitiveness in a devotee situated in\nthe neutral stage of devotional service.\nWhen Lord Kr�!J.a, along with His elder brother Balarama and sister\nSubhadra, came to Kuruk�etra in a chariot on the occasion of a solar\neclipse, many mystic yogis also came. When these mystic yogis saw\nLord Kr�!la and Balarama, they exclaimed that now that they had\nseen the excellent bodily effulgence of the Lord, they had almost\nforgotten the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman realization.\nIn this connection one of the mystics approached Krwa and said,\n\"My dear Lord, You are always full with transcendental bliss, excelling all other spiritual positions. And so, simply by seeing You\nfrom a distant place, I have come to the conclusion that there is no\nneed of my being situated in the transcendental bliss of impersonal\nBrahman.\"\nWhen a great mystic was once awaken�d from his meditative\ntrance by hearing the vibration of Kn;!la 's Paiicaj anya conchshell, the\nmystic became overpowered. So much so, in fact, that he began to\nbash his head on the ground, and with eyes full of tears of ecstatic\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0335": "Neutral Love of God\n\n297\n\nlove, he violated all the rules and regulations of his yoga performances. Thus he at once neglected the process of Brahman realization.\n\nBilvamaitgala Thakur, in his book Kr§!w-karrul.mrta, says, \"Let the\n\nimpersonalists be engaged in the process of transcendental realization\n\nby worshiping the impersonal Brahman. Although I was also initiated\n\ninto that path of Brahman realization, I have now become misled by\n\na naughty boy-one who is very cunning, who is very much attached\nto the gopis and who has made me His maidservant. So I have now\nforgotten the process of Brahman realization.\"\n\nBilvamaitgala Thakur was first spiritually initiated for impersonal\n\nrealization of the absolute truth, but later on, by his association\nwith Kr��a in Vrndavana, he became an experienced devotee. The\n\nsame thing happened to Sukadeva Gosvam'i, who also reformed himself by the grace of the Lord and took to the path of devotional ser­\n\nvice, giving up the way of impersonal realization.\nSukadeva Gosvam'i and Bilvamaitgala Thakur's giving up of the im­\n\npersonal conception of the absolute truth and taking to devotional\nservice are the best examples of devotees being situated in the neutral\nstate. According to some authorities, this condition cannot be ac­\n\ncepted as one of the transcendental humors, or rasas, but Srila Riipa\n\nGosvam'i says that even if one does not accept it as a transcendental\nhumor, one must still accept it as the beginning position of devo­\n\ntional service. However, if one is not further raised to the platform of\nactual service to the Lord, he is not considered to be on the platform\n\nof transcendental mellow. In this connection, in the Eleventh Canto\n\nof Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Lord Kr��a personally instructs Uddhava like\n\nthis: \"The state of being established in My personal form is called\n\nsiinta-rasa, and without being situated in this position, no one can ad­\n\nvance to actual pure devotional service.\" In other words, no one can\n\nbe situated in the personal feature of the Supreme Personality of\nGodhead without being situated at least in santa-rasa.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0336": "36 I Transcendental Affection\n\n(Servitude)\n\nThe transcendental mellow of affection has been accepted by au­\n\nthorities like Sridhara Svami as a perfectional stage of devotion. It is\n\njust above the humor of neutrality and is a requisite for the develop­\n\nment of the serving humor. In literature such as Niima-kaumudi this\nstate of existence is accepted as continual affection for or attraction\n\nto Krwa. Authorities like Sukadeva consider this stage of affection\nto be in the neutral stage, but in any case this affection is relished by\n\nthe devotees in different transcendental tastes, and therefore the\ngeneral name for this state is affection, or pure affection for Kr�tJ.a.\n\nDevotees engaged in servitude are attached to K.rwa in the af­\n\nfection of reverence. Some of the inhabitants of Gokula (Vrndavana\nas exhibited on earth) are attached to Kr�tta on this platform of af­\n\nfection in reverence. The inhabitants of Vrndavana used to say,\n\n\"Kr�tta is always manifest before us with a complexion like a blackish\n\n:I\n1 I.\nI ·\n\ni!\n\ncloud. He holds His wonderful flute in His lotus hands. He is dressed\nin yellow silks and bedecked with a peacock feather on His head.\n\nWhen Kr�tta walks near Govardhan Hill with these personal features,\n\nall the inhabitants of the heavenly planets, as well as the inhabitants\nof this earth, feel transcendental bliss and consider themselves the\neternal servants of the Lord.\" Sometimes the devotee becomes filled\n\nwith the same awe and reverence by seeing a picture of Vi�tJ.U, who is\ndressed like Kr�tta and who has a similar complexion. The only dif­\n\nference is that Vi�ttu has four hands, in which He holds the conch­\n\nshell, the disc, the club and the lotus flower. Lord Vi�ttu is always\n\ndecorated with many valuable jewels, such as the candrakiinta stone\n\nand the suryakiinta stone.\n\n298\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0337": "Transcendental Affection (Servitude)\n\n299\n\nIn the Lalita-miidhava by Rupa Gosvam'i there is the following\n\nstatement by Daruka, one of the servants of Kr�tta: \"Certainly Lord\n\nVi�ttu is very beautiful with His necklace of kaustubha jewels, His\nfour hands holding conchshell, disc, club and lotus flower and His\ndazzlingly beautiful jewelry. He is also very beautiful in His eternal\nposition, riding upon the shoulder of Garu9a. But now the same Lord\n\nVi�ttu is present as the enemy of Kamsa, and by His personal feature\n\nI am completely forgetting the opulence of Vaikutttha.\"\nAnother devotee once said, \"This Supreme Personality of Godhead\n\nfrom whose bodily pores come millions of universes, permanently\nrising, who is the ocean of mercy, who is the owner of inconceivable\n\nenergies, who is always equipped with all perfections, who is the\n\norigin of all incarnations, who is the attraction for all liberated per­\n\nsons-this very Supreme Personality of Godhead is the supreme controller, the supremely worshipable, all-cognizant, fully determined,\n\nfully opulent, the emblem of forgiveness, the protector of surren­\n\ndered souls, munificent, true to His promise, expert, all-auspicious,\n\npowerful, religious, a strict follower of the scripture, the friend of\n\nthe devotees, magnanimous, influential, grateful, reputable, respect­\n\nable, full of all strength and submissive to pure love. Surely He is the\nonly shelter of devoteec who are attracted to Him by the affection of\n\nservitorship.\"\n\nThe devotees of the Lord in servitude are divided into four classes:\nappointed servants (such as Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, who are appointed to control over the material modes of passion and ignorance),\n\ndevotees in servitude who are protected by the Lord, devotees who\n\nare always associates, and devotees who are simply following in the\n\nfootsteps of the Lord.\n\nIn a conversation between ]ambavat'i, one of Krwa 's wives, and\n\nKalind'i, her friend, Jambavat'i enquired, \"Who is this personality\ncircumambulating our Kr9tta ?\"\n\nKalind'i replied, \"He is Ambikeya, the superintendent of all universal\n\naffairs.\"\n\nThen Jambavat'i enquired, \"Who is this personality who is trem­\n\nbling at the sight of Kr�tta?\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0338": "300\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nKalind'i replied, \"He is Lord Siva.\"\nThen Jambavafi enquired, \"Who is the person offering prayers?\"\nKalind'i replied, \"He is Lord Brahma.\"\nJambavat'i then asked, \"Who is that person who has fallen on the\n\nground and is offering respect to Kr�l).a?\"\n\nKalindl replied, \"He is Indra, the King of heaven.\"\n\nJambavat'i next inquired, \"Who is this person who has come with\n\nthe demigods and is laughing with them?\"\n\nKalind'i replied, \"He is my elder brother, Yamaraja, the superin­\n\ntendent of death.\"\n\nThis conversation offers a description of all the demigods, in­\n\ncluding Yamaraja, who are engaged in services appointed by the\nLord. They are called adhikrta-devatii, or demigods appointed to par­\n\nticular types of departmental service.\n\nOne resident of Vrndavana once told Lord Kr�l).a, \"My dear Kr�l).a,\n\n0 pleasure of Vrndavana! Being afraid of this material existence, we\n\nhave taken shelter of You, for You can completely protect us! We\n\nare well aware of Your greatness. As such, we have given up our de­\n\nsire for liberation and have taken complete shelter under Your lotus\nfeet. Since we have heard about Your ever-increasing transcendental\nlove, we have voluntarily engaged ourselves in Your transcendental\nservice.\" This statement is by a devotee who is under the protection\nand shelter of Lord Kr�l).a.\n\nUpon being chastised by Kr�l).a's constant kicking on his head,\n\nKaliya, the black snake of the Yamuna, came to his senses- and ad­\n\nmitted, \"My dear Lord, I have been so offensive unto You, but still\nYou are so kind that You have marked my head with the impression\n\nof Your lotus feet.\" This also is an instance of one's taking shelter\n\nunder the lotus feet of Krwa.\n\nIn the Apariidha-bhaiijana a pure devotee expresses his feelings:\n\n\"My dear Lord, I am ashamed to admit before You that I have car­\n\nried out the orders of my masters named lust, anger, avarice, illusion\n\nand envy. Sometimes I have carried out their orders in a way most\n\nabominable. Yet in spite of my serving them so faithfully, they are\nneither satisfied nor are they kind enough to give me relief from their\n\nservice. They are not even ashamed of taking service from me in that\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0339": "Transcendental Affection (Servitude)\n\n301\n\nway. My dear Lord, 0 head of the Yadu dynasty, now I have come\nto my senses, and I am taking shelter of Your lotus feet. Please engage me in Your service.\" This is another instance of surrendering\nand taking shelter of the lotus feet of Kr9ra.\n\nThere are many instances in the various Vedic writings of persons\n\nwho were aspiring after liberation by speculative knowledge but gave\nup this process in order to take complete shelter under the lotus feet\n\nof Krwa. Examples of such persons are the briihmar-as headed by\nSaunaka in the forest of N aimi9ararya. * Learned scholars accept\n\nthem as devotees having complete wisdom. There is a statement in\nthe Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya in which these great briihmar-as and sages,\nheaded by Saunaka �9i, told Suta Gosvami: \"1\\)y dear great soul, just\nsee how wonderful it is! Although as human beings we are contaminated with so many taints of material existence, simply by our conversing with you about the Supreme Personality of Godhead we are\n\nnow gradually decrying our desire for liberation.\"\n\nIn Padyiivali a devotee says, \"Persons who are attached to specula­\n\ntive knowledge for self realization, who have decided that the su­\n\npreme truth is beyond meditation and who have thus become situated\n\nin the modes of goodness-let them peacefully execute their engage­\n\nment. As for us, we are simply attached to the Supreme Personality\n\nof Godhead, who is by nature so pleasing, who possesses a com­\n\nplexion like a blackish cloud, who is dressed in yellow garments and\n\nwho has beautiful lotus-like eyes. We wish only to meditate upon\nH.Im.\"\n\nThose who are from the very beginning of their self realization at­\n\ntached to devotional service are called seviini§tha. Seviini§tha means\nsimply attached to devotional service. The best examples of such devotees\n\nare\n\nLord Siva, King Indra, King Bahulasva, King Ik�vaku,\n\nSrutadeva and Pur9.arika. One devotee says: \"My dear Lord, Your\ntranscendental qualities attract even the liberated souls and carry\nthem to the assembly of devotees where Your glories are constantly\nchanted. Even great sages who are accustomed to live in solitary\n\n*\n\nThese a.re the\n\nbriihmar:as to whom Srimad-Bhiigavatam was spoken by Suta\n\nGosvami, as described in the author's Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Volume I, Chapter l.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0340": "302\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nplaces are also attracted by the songs of Your glory. And, observing\n\nall Your transcendental qualities, I have also become attracted and\nhave decided to dedicate my life to Your loving service.\"\n\nIn the city of Dvaraka the following devotees are known as Kn;�a's\n\nclose\n\nassociates:\n\nUddhava,\n\nDaruka,\n\nSatyaki,\n\nSrutadeva,\n\nSatrajit,\n\nNanda, Upananda and Bhadra. All of these personalities remain with\n\nthe Lord as His secretaries, but still they are sometimes engaged in\nHis personal service. Among the Kuru dynasty, Bhi�ma, Maharaj\n\nParik�it and Vidura are also known as close associates of Lord Krwa.\n\nIt is said, \"All the associates of Lord Krwa have lustrous bodily fea­\n\ntures, and their eyes are just like lotus flowers. They have sufficient\npower to defeat the strength of the demigods, and the specific fea­\n\nture of their persons is that they are always decorated with valuable\nornaments.\"\n\nWhen Kr��a was in the capital of Indraprastha, someone addressed\n\nHim thus:\n\n\"My dear Lord, Your personal associates, headed by\n\nUddhava, are always awaiting Your order by standing at the entrance\n\ngate of Dvaraka. They are mostly looking on with tears in their eyes,\n\nand in the enthusiasm of their service they are not afraid even of the\ndevastating fire generated by Lord Siva. They are souls simply sur­\n\nrendered unto Your lotus feet.\"\n\nOut of the many close associates of Lord Krwa, Uddhava is con­\n\nsidered the best. The following is a description of him: \"His body is\nblackish like the color of the Yamuna River, and it is similarly as\n\ncool. He is always decorated with flower garlands first used by Lord\n\nKr��a, and he is dressed with yellow silk clothing. His two arms are\n\njust like the bolts of a door, His eyes are just like lotus flowers, and\nhe is the most important devotee amongst all the associates. Let us\n\ntherefore offer our respectful obeisances unto Uddhava's lotus feet.\"\n\nUddhava has described the transcendental qualities of Sri Kr�lla as\n\nfollows: \"Lord Sri Kr��a, who is our master and worshipable Deity,\n\nwho is the controller of Lord Siva and Lord Brahma, the controller\n\nof the whole universe as well, accepts the controlling orders of\nUgrasena, His grandfather. He is the proprietor of millions of uni­\n\nverses, but still He begged a little land from the ocean. And although\n\nHe is just like an ocean of wisdom, still He sometimes consults me.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0341": "Transcendental Affection (Servitude)\n\n303\n\nHe is so great and magnanimous, yet He is engaged in His different\n\nactivities just like an ordinary person.\"\n\nThose who are constantly engaged in the personal service of the\n\nLord are called anugas, or followers. Examples of such followers are\n\nSucandra, Ma��ana, Stamba and Sutamba. They are all inhabitants\n\nof the city of Dvaraka, and they are dressed and ornamented like the\nother associates. The specific services entrusted to the anugas are\n\nvaried. Ma��ana always bears the umbrella over the head of Lord\nKrwa. Sucandra is engaged in fanning the white ciimara bunch of\n\nhair, and Sutamba is engaged in supplying betel nuts. All of them\n\nare great devotees, and they are always busy in the transcendental\nloving service of the Lord.\n\nAs there are anugas in Dvaraka, so there are many anugas in Vrn­\n\ndavana also. The names of the anugas in Vrndavana are as follows:\n\nRaktaka, Patraka, Patr'i, Madhuka�tha, Madhuvrata, Rasala, Suvilasa,\nPremakanda,\n\nMarandaka,\n\nRasada, and Sarada.\n\nAnanda,\n\nCandrahasa,\n\nPayoda,\n\nBakula,\n\nDescriptions of the bodily features of the anugas in Vrndavana\n\nare given in the following statement: \"Let us offer our respectful\nobeisances unto the constant associates of the son of Maharaj Nanda.\n\nThey always stay in Vrndavana, and their bodies are decorated with\n\ngarlands of pearls and with bangles and bracelets of gold. Their colors\nare like black bees and the golden moon, and they are dressed just to\n\nsuit their particular special bodily features. Their specific duties can be\nunderstood from a statement by Mother Y a8oda, who said, 'Bakula,\n\nplease cleanse the yellowish dress of Kr9�a. Varida, you just flavor\n\nthe bathing water with aguru scent. And Rasala, you just prepare the\n\nbetel nuts. You can all see that Krwa is approaching. There is dust\noverhead, and the cows can be seen very distinctly.\"'\n\nAmongst all the anugas, Raktaka is considered to be the chief. The\ndescription of his bodily features is as follows: \"He wears yellow\nclothing, and his bodily color is just like newly-grown grass. He is\n\nvery expert in singing and is always engaged in the service of the son\n\nof Maharaj Nanda. Let us all become the followers of Raktaka in\n\noffering transcendental loving service to Kr��a!\" An example of the\nattachment felt by Raktaka toward Lord Kr��a can be understood\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0342": "304\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nfrom his statement to Rasada: \"Just hear me! Please place me so that\n\nI may always be engaged in the service of Lord Kr�pa, who has now\n\nbecome famous as the lifter of the Govardhan Hill.\"\n\nThe devotees of Kr�pa engaged in His personal service are always\n\nvery cautious because they know that becoming personal servitors of\n\nLord Kr�pa is not an ordinary thing. A person who offers respect\n\neven to the ants engaged in the service of the Lord becomes eternally\n\nhappy, so what is there to say of one who offers Kr�pa direct service?\n\nRaktaka once said within himself, \"Not only is Kr�pa my worshipable\n\nand servable Lord, but also the girl friends of Kr�pa, the gopis, are\nequally worshipable and servable by me. And not only the gopis, but\n\nanyone who is engaged in the service for the Lord is also worshipable\n\nand servable by me. I know that I must be very careful not to become\n\noverly proud that I am one of the servitors and devotees of the\n\nLord.\" From this statement one can understand that the pure devotees, those who are actually engaged in the service of the Lord, are\nalways very cautious and are never overly proud of their service.\n\nThis mentality of the direct servitor of Kr�pa is called dhurya\n\n.\n\nAccording to expert analytical studies of the direct associates of the\nLord, Srila Riipa Gosvami has divided these into three classes-name­\n\nly, dhurya, dhira and vira. Raktaka is classified among the dhurya, or\nthose who are always attached to serve the most beloved gopis.\nOne dhira associate of Krwa is the son of Satyabhama's nurse.\n\nSatyabhama is one of the queens of Lord Kr�pa in Dvaraka, and\n\nwhen she was married to Kr�pa, the son of her nurse was allowed to\ngo with her because they had lived together from childhood as broth­\n\ner and sister. So this gentleman, the son of Satyabhama's nurse, used\n\nto live with Kr�pa as His brother-in-law, and sometimes as brother-in­\n\nlaw he used to play jokes with Kr�pa. He once addressed Kr�pa in this\n\nway: \"My dear Kr�pa, I never tried to gain the favor of the goddess\nof fortune, who is married to You, but still I am so fortunate that I\n\nam considered one of the members of Your house, the brother of\nSatyabhama.\"\n\nThis same person once expressed his pride, declaring, \"Lord Bala­\n\ndeva may be a great enemy of Pralambasura, but I have nothing to\nworry about from Him. And as far as Pradyumna is concerned, I have\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0343": "Transcendental Affection (Servitude)\n\n305\n\nnothing to take from him, because he is simply a boy. Therefore I do\nnot expect anything from anyone else. I simply expect the favorable\n\nglance of Kr��a upon me, and so I am not even afraid of Satyabhama,\nwho is so dear to Krsna.\"\n\nIn the Fourth c\"� �to of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 20th Chapter, 25th\n\nverse, King Prthu addresses the Lord, saying, \"My dear Lord, it may\nhappen that the goddess of fortune becomes dissatisfied with my\n\nwork, or I may even have some misunderstanding with her, but I will\n\nnot mind this because I have full confidence in You. You are always\ncauselessly merciful to Your servants, and You consider even their\nmenial service to be very much advanced. So I have confidence that\nYou will accept my humble service, although it is not worthy of\nbeing recognized. My dear Lord, You are self-sufficient. You can do\nanything You like without the help of anyone else. So even if the\ngoddess of fortune is not satisfied with me, I know You will always\naccept my service anyway.\"\nDevotees attached to the trar.tscendental loving service of the Lord\nmay be described either as surrendered souls, as souls advanced in\ndevotional knowledge, or as souls completely engaged in the tran­\n\nscendental loving service. Such devotees are called, respectively,\nneophyte, perfect and eternally perfect.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0344": ",,\n\n37 I Impetuses for Kr��a's Service\n\nI\nI\nThe causeless mercy of Krwa, the dust of His lotus feet, His\nprasadam and association with His devotees are some impetuses toward a devotee's engagement in transcendental loving service to the\n,\nLord.\nKn;�a exhibited His causeless mercy when He was present at the\ndeparture of Grandfather Bhi�ma. During the Battle of Kuruk�etra,\nBhi�madeva, the grandfather of Arjuna, was lying on a bed of arrows\nbefore departing from this mortal world. When Lord Kr�!la, Maharaj\nYudhi�thira and the other Pa!l-9-avas approached Bhi�madeva, he was\nvery grateful to Lord Kr�!la, and he addressed the briihmar-a military\ncommander, Krpacarya, thus: \"My dear Krpacarya, just see the wonderful causeless mercy of Lord Kr�!la! I am most unfortunate. I have\nno qualifications. I was opposing Kr�!la's most intimate friend,\nArjuna-I even tried to kill him! I have so many disqualifications, and\nyet the Lord is still so kind that He has come to see me at the last\npoint of my life. He is worshipable by all great sages, but still He is\nso merciful that He has come to see an abominable person like me.\"\nSometimes the vibration of Lord Krwa's flute, His bugling, His\nsmiling, His footmarks on the ground, the transcendental fragrance\nof His body and the appearance of a new cloud in the sky also become impetuses for ecstatic love of Him.\nIn the Vidagdha-miidhava there is the following statement: \"When\nKr�!la was playing on His flute, Baladeva very anxiously declared,\n'Just see how, after hearing the transcendental sound of Kr�!la's\n\n'I\nII\"'\n'I\n\nflute, Indra the King of heaven is crying in his heavenly kingdom!\n306\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0345": "Impetuses for Kr§rza 's Seroice\n\n307\n\nAnd from his teardrops falling on the ground, Vrndavana appears to\nhave become a celestial residence for the demigods.\"'\n\nEcstatic love for Kr?�a, which is known as anubhava, is symp­\n\ntomized by the following signs: one becomes engaged exclusively in\nthe service of the Lord, being attentive to carry out the orders of the\nLord faithfully; one becomes undisturbed and non-envious in full\ntranscendental loving service to the Lord; and one makes friendship\nwith the devotees of the Lord who are situated in faithful service to\nHim. All of these symptoms are called anubhava, ecstatic love.\n\nThe first symptom of anubhava, or engagement in a particular type\n\nof service, is exemplified by Daruka, a servant of Kr?�a who used to\nfan Kr?�a with a camara, a bunch of hair. When he was engaged in\nsuch service, he was filled with ecstatic love, and the symptoms of\necstatic love became manifest in his body. But Daruka was so serious\nabout his service that he checked all of these manifestations of ecstatic love and considered them hindrances to his engagement. He did\nnot care very much for these manifestations, although they automatically developed.\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, 86th Chapter, 27th verse,\n\nthere is a statement of how S rutadeva, a brahmarza from the country\ncalled Mithila in northern India, would become so overpowered with\n\nj oy as soon as he saw Kr��a that immediately after bowing to the\nLord's lotus feet, he would stand up and begin to dance, raising his\ntwo arms above his head.\nOne of the devotees of Lord Kr?�a once addressed Him in this\nmanner: \"My dear Lord, although You are not a professional dancer,\nby Your dancing You have so astonished us that we can understand\nthat You are personally the master of all dancing. Certainly You must\nhave learned this dancing art directly from the goddess of love.\"\nWhen a devotee dances in ecstatic love, there are manifestations of\nsymptoms which are called sattvika. Sattvika means that they are\n\nfrom the transcendental platform. They are not symptoms of material\nemotions; they come from the soul proper.\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, 85th Chapter, 30th verse,\n\nS ukadeva Gosvaml tells Maharaj Parlk�it that after surrendering everything unto the lotus feet of Vamanadeva, Bali Maharaj immediately\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0346": "308\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ncaught hold of the lotus feet of the Lord and pressed them to his\n\nheart. Being overwhelmed with j oy, he manifested all the symptoms\nof ecstatic love, with tears in his eyes and a faltering voice.\nIn such expressions of ecstatic love there are many other subsidiary\n\nsymptoms, such as j ubilation, withering, silence, disappointment,\nmoroseness, reverence, thoughtfulness, remembrance, doubtfulness,\n\nconfidence, eagerness, indifference, restlessness, impudence, shyness,\ninertness, illusion, madness, ghastliness, contemplation, dreaming,\ndisease and signs of death. When a devotee meets Kn;!la, there are\n\nsymptoms of j ubilation, pride and perseverence, and when he is feel­\n\ning great separation from Kr9!la, the symptoms of ghastliness, disease\nand the signs of death become prominent.\nIt is stated in the First Canto of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 11th\nChapter, 4th verse, that when Lord Krwa returned from the battlefield of Kuruk9etra to His home at Dvaraka, all the residents of\nDvaraka began to talk with Him, as a child talks lovingly to his father\nafter the father's return from foreign countries. This is an example of\n\nj ubilation.\nWhen Bahulasva, the King of Mithila, saw Kr9!la at his palace, he\ndecided to offer his respects by bowing down before Him at least a\nhundred times, but he was so overcome by feelings of love that, after\nbowing down only once, he forgot his position and could not rise up\nagam.\nIn the Skanda Puriir:w a devotee tells Lord Kr9!la: \"My dear Lord,\nas the sun evaporates all the water on the ground by its scorching\nheat, so my mental state has dried away the luster of my face and\nbody, due to separation from You.\" This is an example of withering\nin ecstatic love.\nAn expression of disappointment was made by Indra, the King of\nheaven. When he saw the sungod, he told him, \"My dear sungod, your\nsunshine is very glorious because it reaches unto the lotus feet of\nLord Krwa, the master of the Yadu dynasty. I have thousands of\neyes, but they have proved to be useless because not even for a\nmoment are they able to see the lotus feet of the Lord.\"\nReverential devotion for the Lord gradually increases and transforms itself into ecstatic love, then affection and then attachment.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0347": "Impetuses for K[§[W 's Seroice\n\n309\n\nIn the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 38th Chapter, 5th verse,\nAkrura says: \"Because I am going to see Lord Kn;�a today, all symp­\n\ntoms of inauspiciousness have already been killed. My life is now suc­\n\ncessful because I shall be able to offer my respects unto the lotus feet\n\nof the Supreme Personality of Godhead!\"\n\nAnother devotee in ecstatic reverential affection once said, \"When\n\nwill that glorious day in my life come when it will be possible for me\n\nto go to the bank of the Yamuna and see Lord Sri Krwa playing\n\nthere as cowherd boy?\"\n\nWhen there is no diminishing of this ecstatic love and when it is\n\nfreed from all kinds of doubt, that stage is called steady love for\nKrwa. In this stage all expressions of unhappiness by the devotee are\n\ncalled anubhiiva, or ecstatic loving symptoms.\n\nThe symptom of ecstatic affection with reverence felt by Bali\n\nMaharaj is expressed as follows: \"My dear Lord, You have simultane·\nously punished me and showed me Your causeless mercy. My conclusion is that when I have taken shelter of Your lotus feet I shall never\nbe disturbed in any condition of life. Whether You give me the op­\n\nportunity to enjoy all the yogic perfections, or You put me into the\nmost abominable condition of hellish life, I shall never be disturbed.\"\nKr��a, Himself, after seeing Bali Maharaj, told Uddhava, \"My dear\n\nfriend, how can I express the glorious characteristics of Bali Maharaj,\nthe son of Virocana? Although the king of the suras [demigods] was\ncursed by this son of Virocana, and although I cheated him in my\nincarnation as Vamana, taking away his dominions throughout the\nuniverse, and although I still criticized him for not fulfilling his prom·\nise, I have just now seen him in his kingdom, and he feelingly ex­\n\npressed his love for me.\"*\n\nWhen such a feeling of love becomes intensified, it is called affec-\n\nI\n*\n\nBali was a king of the demons who waged war against the demigods and nearly\n\nconquered the universe. When the demigods prayed for help, the Lord appeared\n\nas Vamanadeva, a dwarf briihmar;w, and asked Bali for three paces of land. Bali\n\nagreed, and Vamana covered all the worlds with His first two steps. Then He\n·\n\ndemanded to know where His third pace was to be. Bali offered his own head\nbeneath the Lord's foot and thus became a mahiijana, or great devotee.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0348": "310\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ntion. In that affectional stage no one can bear separation from Krwa\neven for a moment.\nOne devotee told Daruka, the servant of Kr�!J.a: \"My dear Daruka,\nwhen you become like wood because of your separation from Kr�!J.a,\n\nit is not so wonderful. Whenever any devotee sees Kr�!J.a, his eyes become filled with water, and in separation any devotee like you would\nbecome stunned, standing j ust like a wooden doll. That is not a very\n\nwonderful thing.\"\nThere is a statement about Uddhava's symptoms of love. When he\nsaw Lord Kr�!la his eyes filled with tears and created a river which\nflowed down toward the sea of Kr�!la to offer tribute, as a wife offers\ntribute to her husband. When his body erupted with goose-pimples,\n\nhe appeared like the kadamba flower, and when he began to offer\nprayers, he appeared completely distinct from all other devotees.\nWhen affection is symptomized by direct happiness and distress,\nthat is called attraction. In such an attracted state of ecstatic love,\none can face all kinds of disadvantages calmly. Even at the risk of\ndeath such a devotee is never bereft of the transcendental loving service of the Lord. A glorious example of this ecstatic love was exhibited\nby King Parik�it when he was at the point of death. Although he was\n\n'\"\n\nbereft of his entire kingdom, which spread over all the world, and\nalthough he was accepting not even a drop of water in the seven\ndays remaining to him, because he was engaged in hearing the tran­\n\nscendental pastimes of the Lord from S ukadeva Gosvami, he was not\nin the least distressed. On the contrary, he was feeling direct tran­\n\nscendental ecstatic j oy in association with S ukadeva Gosvami\n\nOne devotee has confidently expressed this opinion: \"If a drop of\nLord Kr�!la's mercy can be bestowed upon me, then I shall feel completely carefree, even in the midst of a fire or an ocean. But if I become bereft of His causeless mercy, then even if I became the King\n\nof Dvaraka, I would be simply an obj ect for pinpricks.\"\n\nDevotees such as Maharaj Parik�it and Uddhava are all situated in\n\necstatic attraction on the basis of affection, and in that state of affection a feeling of friendship becomes manifest. When Uddhava was\ni.\n\nfreed from all material contamination, he saw the Lord, and his\nthroat became choked up, and he could not speak. By the movements\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0349": "Impetuses for KrHw's Service\n\n311\n\nof his eyebrows alone he was embracing the Lord. Such ecstatic love\nhas been divided by great scholars into two groups-addition and subtraction. If a devotee is not directly associated with the Lord, it is\ncalled subtraction. In this state of love, one is constantly fixed with\nhis mind at the lotus feet of the Lord. A devotee in this state becomes very eager to learn of the transcendental qualities of the Lord.\nThe most important business of such a devotee is attaining the association of the Lord.\nIn the Nrsimha Puriirta there is a statement about King Ik�vaku\nwhich illustrates this state of ecstatic love. Because of his great affection for Kr�pa, King Ik�vaku became greatly attached to the black\ncloud, the black deer, the deer's black eyes and to the lotus flower,\nwhich is always compared to the eyes of the Lord. In the Tenth\nCanto, 38th Chapter, 9th verse of the Bhiigavatam, Akrura thinks:\n\"Since the Lord has now appeared to diminish the great burden of\nthe world and is now visible to everyone's eyes in His personal transcendental body, when we see Him before us, is that not the ultimate\nperfection of our eyes?\" In other words, Akrura realized that the\nperfection of the eyes is fulfilled when one is able to see Lord Kr�pa.\nTherefore, when Lord Kr�pa was visible on the earth by direct appearance, everyone who saw Him surely attained perfection of sight.\nIn the K[§rta-karrtiimrta written by Bilvamangala Thakur there is\nthis expression of eagerness in ecstatic love: \"How miserable it is, my\ndear Kr�pa, 0 friend of the hopeless! 0 merciful Lord, how can I\npass these thankless days without seeing You?\" A similar sentiment\nwas expressed by Uddhava when he wrote a letter to Kr�pa and said,\n\"My dear Supreme King of Braj a, You are the vision of nectar for\nthe eyes, and without seeing Your lotus feet and the effulgence of\nYour body, my mind is always morose. I cannot perceive any peace\nunder any circumstance. Besides that, I am feeling every moment's\nseparation to be like the duration of many, many long years.\"\nIn the K[§rta-karrtiimrta it is also said, \"My dear Lord, You are the\nocean of mercy. With my arms placed upon my head, I am bowing\ndown befor.\n\nYou with all humility and sincerity. I am praying unto\n\nYou, my Lord. Would You be pleased j ust to sprinkle a little of the\nwater of Your glance upon me? That will be a great satisfaction.\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0350": "312\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nA devotee of Lord Kr�tta said, \"When even Sasisekhara [Lord Siva]\n\nis unable to see You, what chance is there for me, who am lower than\n\nan ordinary worm? I have only committed misdeeds. I know that I\n\nam not at all fit to offer my prayers to You, but because You are\n\nknown as Dinabandhu, the friend of the fallen, I humbly pray that\nYou will kindly purify me by the beams of Your transcendental\n\nglance. If I become thoroughly bathed by Your merciful glance, then\nI may be saved. Therefore, my Lord, I am requesting You to please\n\nbestow upon me Your merciful glance.\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0351": "38 I Indifference and Separation\n\nThe great devotee Uddhava once wrote a letter to Kr�!J.a: \"My\n\ndear Krwa, I have j ust finished the study of all kinds of philosophical\n\nbooks and Vedic verses about the goal of life, and so now I have a\nlittle reputation for my studies. But still, in spite of my reputation,\nmy knowledge is condemned, because although enj oying the efful­\n\ngence of Vedic knowledge, I could not appreciate the effulgence emanating from the nails of Your toes. Therefore, the sooner my pride\nand Vedic knowledge are finished, the better it will be!\" This is an\nexample of indifference.\nAnother devotee very anxiously expressed himself thusly: \"My\nmind is very flickering, so I cannot concentrate it upon Your lotus\nfeet. And seeing this inefficiency in myself I become ashamed, and\nthe whole night I am unable to sleep because I am exasperated by my\ngreat inability.\"\nIn the\n\nK[§\"[ta-karr;tiimrta Bilvamarigala Thakur has explained his\n\nrestlessness as follows: \"My dear Lord, Your naughtiness in boyhood\nis the most wonderful thing in the three worlds. And You Yourself\nknow what this naughtiness is. As such, You can very easily understand my flickering mind. This is known to You and myself. Therefore, I am simply yearning to know how I can fix my mind on Your\nlotus feet.\"\nAnother devotee expressed his impudency by saying: \"My dear\nLord, without considering my lowly position, I must confess to You\n\nthat my eyes are j ust like black wasps, desiring to hover at Your lotus\nfeet.\"\n\nIn the Seventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 4th Chapter, 27th\n313\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0352": "314\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nverse, the great sage Narada informs Maharaj Yudhi9thira about\n\n!I i\nI\n\nPrahlada Maharaj, who was a devotee from the very beginning of his\n\n�I\n\nlife. The proof ofPrahlada's natural devotion is that even when he was\na small child he did not play with his playmates, but was always eager\nto preach the glories of the Lord. Instead of joining in their sportive\nacrobatic feats, he remained as an inactive child because he was\nalways in trance, meditating on Kr9�a. As such, there was no possibility of his being touched by the external world.\n\nThe following statement is about a briihmar;w devotee: \"This briih­\n\nmarra is very expert in all kinds of activities, but I do not know why\nhe is looking up without moving his eyes. It appears that his body is\nfixed motionless just like a doll's. In this condition, I can guess that\nhe has been captivated by the transcendental beauty of that expert\n\nSri Kr9�a, and, being attached to Him, he is simply\nstaring at the black cloud, remembering the bodily hue of Sri Kr9�a.\"\nflute-player,\n\nThis is an example of how a devotee can become inert due to ecstatic\nlove.\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhiigavatam,\n\nSeventh Canto, 4th Chapter, 30th\n\nverse, Prahlada Maharaj says that even in his childhood, when he was\nloudly speaking the glories of the Lord, he used to dance just like a\nshameless madman. And sometimes, being fully absorbed in thought\non the pastimes of the Lord, he used to imitate such pastimes. This is\nan instance of a devotee's being almost like a madman. Similarly, it is\nsaid that the great sage Narada was so ecstatically in love with Kr9�a\nthat he would sometimes dance naked, and sometimes his whole\nbody would become stunned. Sometimes he would laugh very loudly,\nsometimes he would cry very loudly, sometimes he would remain\nsilent, and sometimes he would appear to be suffering from some\ndisease, although he had no disease. This is another instance of beI\n\ni\n\n�I\n�\n\ncoming like a madman in the ecstasy of devotion.\nIn the Hari-bhak ti-sudhodaya it is stated that when Prahlada Maharaj\nwas thinking himself unfit to approach the Supreme Personality of\nGodhead, he immersed himself in great distress, in an ocean of unhappiness. As such, he used to shed tears and lie down on the floor as\nthough unconscious.\nThe students of a great devotee once talked amongst themselves in\nthis way: \"My dear Godbrothers, our spiritual master, after seeing the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0353": "Indifference and Separation\n\n315\n\nlotus feet of the Lord, has thrown himself into the fire of lamenta­\n\ntion, and because of this fire the water of his life has almost dried\naway. Let us now pour the nectar of the holy name through his ears,\n\nand by doing so the swan of his life may again show signs of life.\"\nWhen Lord Kr�pa went to the city of Sol).itapura to fight with\n\nBali's son Bapa and to cut off all his hands, U ddhava, being separated\n\nfrom Kr�pa and thinking of His fight, was almost completely stunned\n\ninto unconsciousness.\n\nWhen a devotee is fully in love with the Supreme Personality of\n\nGodhead, there may be the following symptoms due to his feelings\n\nof separation from the Lord: feverish condition of the body, wither­\n\ning of the body, lack of sleep, nonattachment, inertness, appearing\n\ndiseased, madness, unconsciousness and sometimes death.\n\nAs far as the feverish condition of the body is concerned, Uddhava\n\nonce told Narada, \"My dear great sage, the lotus flower that is a\n\nfriend of the sun may be a cause of distress for us; and the fire in the\n\nocean may cause us some burning sensation; and Indivara, the friend\nof a demon, may distress us in various ways-we do not mind. But\nthe most regrettable factor is that all of them remind us of Krwa,\n\nand this is giving us too much distress!\" This is an instance of the\n\nfeverish condition which is due to being separated from Kr�pa.\n\nSome of the devotees who went to see Krwa at Dvaraka and were\n\ndetained at the door said: \"My dear Krwa, 0 friend of the PapQ.us, as\n\nthe swan loves to dive into the water amongst the lily flowers and\n\nwould die if he were taken from the water, so we only wish to be\nwith You. Our limbs are being shrunken and faded because You have\n\nbeen taken away from us.\"\n\nThe King of Bahula, although very comfortably situated in his\n\npalace, began to think the nights very long and distressing because of\n\nhis separation from Kr�pa.\n\nKing Yudhi�thira once said, \"Kr�pa, the chariot driver of Arjuna,\n\nis the only relative of mine within the three worlds. Therefore, my\nmind is becoming maddened day and night with separation from His\n\nlotus feet, and I do not know how to situate myself or where I shall\ngo to attain any steadiness of mind.\" This is another example of lack\nof sleep.\n\nSome of the cowherd friends of Kr�l).a said, \"My dear Kn>pa, 0\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0354": "316\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nenemy of the Mura demon, just think of Your personal servant\nRaktaka. Simply because he saw a peacock feather he is now closing\n\nhis eyes and is no longer attentive to pasturing the cows. Rather, he\nhas left them in a faraway pasture and has not even bothered to use\n\nhis stick to control them.\" This is an instance of mental imbalance\n\ndue to separation from Kn;�a.\n\nWhen Lord Kr��a went to the capital of King Yudhi�thira, Uddhava\n\nwas so afflicted by the fire of separation from Sr1 Kr��a that the\nperspiring water from his enflamed body and the tears from his eyes\npoured from him, and in this way he became completely stunned.\n\nWhen Sr1 Kr��a left the city of Dvaraka to seek out the Syamantaka\n\njewel, He was late returning home. Uddhava became so afflicted that\n\nthe symptoms of disease became manifest on his body. Actually, due\nto his excessive ecstatic love for Kr��a, Uddhava became known in\nDvaraka as crazy. To his great fortune, on that day Uddhava's repu­\n\ntation as a crazy fellow was firmly established. Uddhava 's craziness\n\nwas practically proved when he went to Raivataka Hill to minutely\nobserve the congested black clouds. In his disturbed condition, he\n\nbegan to pray to these clouds, and he expressed his jubilation by\nbowing down before them.\n\nUddhava informed Kr��a, \"My dear leader of the Yadu dynasty,\n\nYour servants in Vrndavana cannot sleep at night thinking of You, so\n\nnow they are all lying down on the bank of the Yamuna almost para­\n\nlyzed. And it appears that they are almost dead because their breath­\n\ning is very slow.\" This is an instance of becoming unconscious due to\nseparation from Kr��a.\n\nKr��a was once informed, \"You are the life and soul of all the\n\ninhabitants of Vrndavana. So because You have left Vrndavana, all of\n\nthe servitors of Your lotus feet there are suffering. It is as if the lakes\nfilled with lotus flowers have dried up from the scorching heat of\n\nseparation from You.\" In the example given here, the inhabitants of\n\nVrndavana are compared to lakes filled with lotus flowers, and bec�use of the scorching heat of separation from Kr��a, the lakes-along\nWith the lotus flowers of their lives-are being burned up. And the\nswans in the lakes, who are compared to the vitality of the inhabitants of Vrndavana, are no longer desiring to live in that lake. In other\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0355": "Indifference and Separation\n\n317\n\nwords, because of the scorching heat, the swans are leaving the lakes.\nThis metaphor is used to describe the condition of the devotees\nseparated from Krwa.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0356": "39 I Ways of Meeting Kr��a\n\nWhen Kr9�a and His devotees meet, it is technically called yoga, or\n\nlinking up with the Lord. Such meetings between K���a and His devo­\n\ntees can be divided into three classes-namely, perfection, satisfaction, and steadiness. When the devotee meets with Kr9�a in great\neagerness, that state of meeting is called perfection.\n\nIn the Kr�rw-karru\"imrta, Bilvamari.gala Thakur describes how Krwa\n\nmeets His devotee-with peacock feather on His head, with marakata\n\njewels on His chest, with His ever-enchanting smile, His restless eyes\nand His very delicate body.\n\nIn the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, 38th Chapter, 31st\n\nverse, Sukadeva Gosvami tells King Parik9it: \"My dear King, as soon\nas Akrura the chariot driver saw Lord Kr9�a and His elder brother\nBalarama in Vrndavana, he immediately got down from the chariot\n\nand, being greatly afflicted by affection for the transcendental Lord,\n\nfell down upon His lotus feet to offer respectful obeisances.\" These\nare some of the instances of perfectional meetings with Kr9�a.\n\nWhen a devotee meets Kr9�a after long separation, it is called satis­\n\nfaction. In the First Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, llth Chapter, 9th\nverse, it is stated that when Lord Kr9�a returned to His capital,\n\nDvaraka, the inhabitants began to say, \"My dear Lord, if You remain\n\nin foreign countries for so long, we shall certainly be bereft of seeing\nYour smiling face! And observing Your face, we, Your eternal servi­\n\ntors, become greatly satisfied. All the anxieties of our existence are\nimmediately mitigated. If we cannot see You because You are long\n\nabsent from Dvaraka, then it will be impossible for us to live any­\n\nmore.\" This is an instance of satisfaction in meeting Kr9�a after long\n\nseparation.\n\n318\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0357": "Ways of Meeting Kr§T.w\n\n319\n\nKr�rta's personal servant, Daruka, seeing Kr�rta at the door of\nDvaraka, forgot to offer Him respects with folded hands.\nWhen a devotee is ultimately situated in association with Kr�rta,\nhis position is called steadiness in devotional service. This steady posi­\n\ntion in devotional service is explained in the book known as Harhsa­\n\ndiita. It is described there how Akn1ra, who was considered by the\n\ngopis to be terror personified, would talk with Kr�rta about the activi­\n\nties of the Kuru dynasty. A similar steady position was held by\nUddhava, the disciple of Brhaspati. He would always massage the\nlotus feet of Kr�rta while kneeling down on the ground before Him.\nWhen a devotee is engaged in the service of the Lord, it is called\n\nthe attainment of yoga. The English equivalent to the word \"yoga\"\n\nis \"linking up.\" So actual linking up with Kr�rta, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, begins when the devotee renders service unto Him.\nDevotees situated in the transcendental rasa of servitorship render\n\ntheir particular service whenever there is an opportunity. Sometimes\nthey sit down in front of Kr�rta to receive orders. Some persons are\n\nreluctant to accept this level of devotional service as actual bhakti­\n\nyoga, and in some of the Purii:!ws also this servitorship in devotional\n\nservice to Krwa is not accepted as the actual bhakti-yoga system. But\nin the Srimad-Bhiigavatam it has been clearly indicated that the servi­\n\ntor relationship with Krwa is the actual beginning of yoga realization.\n\nIn the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 3rd Chapter, 33rd\n\nverse, it is stated that when devotees are engaged in the discharge of\n\nbhakti-yoga, sometimes they cry from thinking of Kr�rta, sometimes\nthey laugh, sometimes they become jubilant, and sometimes they\ntalk in very uncommon ways. Sometimes they dance, sometimes they\nsing, sometimes they are actually engaged in the service of the Lord,\nand sometimes they sit down silently as if absorbed in trance.\n\nSimilarly, in the Seventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Chapter 28,\n\nPrahlada Maharaj says to his friends: \"My dear friends, as soon as pure\ndevotees of Lord Kr�rta hear of the transcendental pastimes of the\nLord, who is the eternal reservoir of pastimes, or hear about His transcendental qualities they become overpowered with jubilation. Ecstatic symptoms are manifested in their bodies. They shed tears, talk\nfalteringly, glorify the Lord in a loud voice and chant and dance in\necstasy. These ecstasies are always there, but sometimes they over-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0358": "320\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ncome all limits, and the symptoms become manifest to all.\"\n\nIn the process of surrender unto the Supreme Personality of God­\n\nhead there are six items: to accept everything which is favorable for\n\ndevotional service, to reject everything which is unfavorable for\n\ndevotional service, to believe that Kr��a will always give protection,\n\nto identify oneself with Kr��a's devotees, to always feel inability\nwithout the help of Kr��a, and to always think oneself inferior to\nKr��a, even though one may have full capacity to perform something\n\non his own. When one is substantially convinced that he is always\nprotected by Kr��a in all circumstances,that feeling is called reveren­\n\ntial devotion. Reverential devotion is executed in relation with the\nSupreme Personality of Godhead and with His other protected devo­\n\ntees.\n\nWhen Kr��a was residing in Dvaraka, some of the elderly members\n\nof the Yadu family would occasionally put some important matter\nbefore Him. At such a time, Krwa would carefully give attention to\n\nthose matters. And if there were some humorous topics mentioned,\nKr��a would immediately respond with a smiling face. Sometimes\n\nwhen Krwa was executing His duties in the assembly known as Su­\n\ndharma, He would ask the elderly members for good advice. By such\nactivities He is manifest as the supreme spiritual master, the supreme\n\nexecutive head, the superior intelligence, the supreme power, protector and maintainer.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0359": "40 I Reverential Devotion\nof Sons and Other Subordinates\n\nTrue reverential devotion is exhibited by persons who think them­\n\nselves subordinate to Kr��a and by persons who think themselves\nsons of Kr��a. The best examples of this subordination are Sara�a,\nGada and Subhadra. They were all members of the Yadu dynasty,\n\nand they used to always think themselves protected by Kr��a. Simi­\n\nlarly, Kr��a's sons, such as Pradyumna, Carude��a, and Samba, felt\n\nthe same way. Kr��a had many sons in Dvaraka. He begot ten sons\n\nby each of His 16,108 queens, and all of these sons, headed by\n\nPradyumna, Carude��a and Samba, used to think themselves always\n\nprotected by Kr��a. When Kr��a's sons dined with Him, they would\nsometimes open their mouths for Kr��a to feed them. Sometimes\n\nwhen Kr��a would pat one of His sons, the son would sit on Krwa's\n\nlap, and while Kr��a was blessing the son's head by smelling it, the\n\nothers would shed tears, thinking how many pious activities he must\n\nhave performed in his previous life. Out of Kr��a's many sons,\n\nPradyumna, a son of Kr��a's chief queen, Rukmi�i, is considered the\n\nleader. Pradyumna's bodily features resembled Kr��a's exactly. Pure\n\ndevotees of Kr��a glorify Pradyumna because he is so fortunate: like\nfather like son.\n\nThere is a description in the Hari-vamsa of Pradyumna's activities\n\nwhen he kidnapped Prabhavati. Pradyumna addressed Prabhavati at\n\nthat time and said: \"My dear Prabhavati, just look at the head of our\n\nfamily, Sri Kr��a: He is Vi��u Himself, the supreme driver of Garu�a,\n\nand He is our supreme master. Because we have become so proud and\nconfident of His protecting us, we sometimes do not even care about\n\nfighting with Tripurari [Lord Siva].\"\n321\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0360": "322\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nThere are two kinds of devotees engaged in devotional service with\n\nawe and veneration, and the servitors in the abode of Dvaraka always\n\nworship Kr��a as the most respectable and revered Personality of\n\nGodhead. They are captivated by Kr��a because of His super-excellent\n\nopulences. The members who always thought themselves protected\nby Kr��a could readily convert their conviction into practical demon­\n\nstration, because it was sometimes found that the sons of Kn;!la acted\n\nvery unlawfully in various places. Nonetheless they were given full\nprotection by Kr�!la and Balarama.\nEven Balarama, the elder brother of Kr��a, sometimes unknowingly\noffered respect to Him. Once when Kn;�a came before Lord Balarama,\nHe was anxious to offer His respects to His elder brother, but at that\ntime Balarama's club was lowered down upon Kr��a's lotus feet. In\nother words, the club in Balarama's hand offered its own respects to\nKr�!J.a. These feelings of subordination, as explained above, are some­\n\ntimes manifested as anubhiiva.\n\nWhen demigods from the heavenly planets came to Sri Kr�!J.a, all\n\nof Kr��a's sons followed them, and Lord Brahma sprinkled water\nfrom his kamar4alu upon them. When the demigods came before\n\nKrwa, instead of sitting on golden chairs, the sons sat down on the\n\nfloor, which was covered with deerskin.\n\nSometimes the behavior of Kr�!la's sons appears similar to the be­\n\nhavior of His personal servants. For example, the sons used to offer\n\ntheir obeisances, they were silent, submissive and gentle, and they\nwere always ready to carry out Kr��a's orders, even at the risk of life.\n\nWhen present before Kr��a, they bowed down on the ground. They\nwere very silent and steady, and they used to restrain coughing and\n\nlaughing before the Lord. Also, they never discussed Krwa's pastimes\nin conjugal love. In other words, devotees who are engaged in rever­\n\nential devotional service should not discuss the conjugal love affairs\n\nof Kr��a. No one should claim his eternal relationship with Kr��a un­\n\nless he is liberated. In the conditioned state of life, the devotees have\nto execute the prescribed duties as recommended in the codes of de­\n\nvotional service. When one is mature in devotional service and is a\nrealized soul, he can know his own eternal relationship with Krwa.\n\nOne should not artificially try to establish some relationship. In the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0361": "Reverential Devotion of Sons and Other Subordinates\n\n323\n\npremature stage it is sometimes found that a lusty, conditioned person will artificially try to establish some relationship with Kr�!la in\nconjugal love. The result of this is that one becomes prakrta-sahajiyii,\nor one who takes everything very cheaply. Although such persons\nmay be very anxious to establish a relationship with Kr�!la in conjugal love, their conditioned life in the material world is still most\nabominable. A person who has actually established his relationship\nwith Kr9!1a can no longer act on the material plane, and his personal\ncharacter cannot be criticized.\nWhen Cupid came on one occasion to visit Lord Kr9!1a, some devotee addressed him thus: \"My dear Cupid, because you have been so\nfortunate as to have placed your eyesight on the lotus feet of Kr�!la,\nthe drops of perspiration on your body have become frozen, and\nthey resemble kar-taki fruits [a kind of a small fruit found in thorny\nbushes] . \" These are signs of ecstasy and veneration unto the Supreme\nPersonality of Godhead. When the princes of the Y adu dynasty heard\nthe vibration of Kr�!!a's Paficajanya conchshell, the hairs on their\nbodies immediately stood up in ecstatic jubilation. It seemed at that\ntime that all the hairs on the bodies of the princes were dancing in\necstasy.\nIn addition to jubilation, there are sometimes symptoms of disappointment. Pradyumna once addressed Samba with these words: \"My\ndear Samba, you are such a glorified personality! I have seen that\nonce when you were playing on the ground, your body became\ncovered with dust; yet, our father, Lord Kr9!1a, still took you up on\nHis lap. But I am so unfortunate that I could never get such love\nfrom our father!\" This statement is an example of disappointment in\nlove.\nTo regard Kr�!la as one's superior is called reverential feeling, and\nwhen, in addition to this, a devotee feels that Kr�!la is his protecJor,\nhis transcendental love for Krsna is increased, and his combined feel.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nings are called reverential devotion. When this steady reverential devotion increases further, it is called love of Godhead in reverential devotion. Attraction and affection are two prominent symptoms of this\nstage. In tliis reverential devotional attitude, Pradyumna never talked\nto his father in a loud voice. In fact, he never so much as unlocked\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0362": "324\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nthe lips of his mouth, nor did he ever show his face filled with tears.\nHe would always glance only at the lotus feet of his father.\n\nThere is another example of steady and fixed love for Krwa in the\n\ninstance of Arjuna's informing Him of the death of Arjuna's son,\n\nAbhimanyu, who was also the nephew of Kr��a. Abhimanyu was the\nson of Subhadra, Kr��a's younger sister. He was killed at the Battle\n\nof Kuruk�etra by the combined efforts of all the commanders in\nKing Duryodhana's army-namely, Kar�a, Asvatthama, Jayadratha,\n\nBlu�ma, Krpacarya and Dro�acarya. In order to assure Kn>�a that\n\nthere was no change of love on Subhadra's part, Arjuna informed\nHim: \"Although Abhimanyu was killed almost in Your presence,\n\nSubhadra's love for You is not agitated at all, nor has it even slightly\n\nchanged its original color.\"\n\nThe affection that Krwa has for His devotees was expressed by\n\nHimself when He asked Pradyumna not to feel so bashful before\n\nHim. He addressed Pradyumna thus: \"My dear boy, just give up your\n\ninferiority complex, and do not hang your neck. Just talk with Me in\na clear voice, and do not shed tears. You can look straight at Me, and\n\nyou can place your hands on My body without any hesitation. There\nis no need of exhibiting so much reverence before your father.\"\n\nPradyumna 's attachment for Kr��a was always exhibited by his\n\naction. Whenever he was ordered by his. father to execute something,\n\nhe would immediately execute the order, taking the task as nectarean\neven though it may have been poison. Similarly, whenever he would\n\nfind something to be disapproved of by his father, he would im­\n\nmediately reject it as poison, even though it may have been nectarean.\n\nPradyumna's attachment in anxiety for Kr��a was expressed when\n\nhe said to his wife Rati: \"The enemy, Sambara, is already killed. Now\nI am very anxious to see my father, who is my spiritual master and\nwho always carries the conchshell known as Paiicajanya.\" Pradyumna\n\nfelt great separation from Kr��a when He was absent from Dvaraka\nat the battlefield of Kuruk�etra. He said, \"Since my father has left\nDvaraka, I do not take much pleasure in practicing fighting, nor am I\n\ninterested in any kind of sporting pastimes. And what need is there\nto speak of these things? I do not even wish to stay at Dvaraka in the\nabsence of my father.\"\n\nI.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0363": "Reverential Devotion of Sons and Other Subordinates\n\n325\n\nWhen Pradyumna came back home after killing the Sambarasura,\n\nand as soon as he saw his father, Kr��a, before him, he became so\n\noverjoyed that he himself could not understand his jo_y on that\noccasion. This is an instance of success in separation. A similar satis­\n\nfaction was observed when Kr��a returned from the battlefield of\nKuruk�etra to His home at Dvaraka. All of His sons were so over­\n\njoyed that, out of ecstasy, they repeatedly made many mistakes.\nThese mistakes were a sign of complete satisfaction.\n\nEvery day Pradyumna looked over Kr��a 's lotus feet with tears in\n\nhis eyes. These signs of reverential devotion on the part of Pradyumna\n\ncan be described in the same way they have been described in the\ncase of other devotees.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0364": "41 I Fraternal Devotion\n\nWhen a devotee is permanently situated in devotional service, and\nby different symptoms of ecstasy he has developed and matured a\nfraternal mellow or flavor in relationship with the Personality of\nGodhead, at that time his feeling is called fraternal love of Godhead.\nThe impetus for such fraternal love of God is God Himself. When\none is liberated and discovers his eternal relationship with the Su·\npreme Lord, the Lord Himself becomes the impetus for increasing\nfraternal love. The eternal associates of the Lord in Vrndavana have\ndescribed this as follows: \"The Lord, Hari, whose bodily hue is like\nthe indranila jewel, whose smiling is as beautiful as the kunda flower,\nwhose silk dress is as yellow as golden autumn foliage, whose chest\nis beautified with garlands of flowers and who is always playing upon\nHis flute-this enemy of the Agha demon is always attracting our\nhearts by wandering about Vrndavana.\"\nThere are similar statements of fraternal love expressed outside the\njurisdiction of Vrndavana. When the sons of Pap�u, headed by\nMaharaj\n\nYudhi�thira, saw Kr�pa in His fourhanded form on the\n\nbattlefield of Kuruk�etra, holding His conchshell, disk, club and lotus\nflower, they completely forgot themselves and became merged in the\nocean of nectarean happiness. This shows how the sons of Pap�uKing Yudhi�thira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva-were all\ncaught up in fraternal love for Kr�pa.\nSometimes the different names, forms, paraphernalia and transcendental qualities provoke fraternal love: For instance, Kr�pa's nice\ndress, the all-auspicious symptoms on His body, His strongly-built\nbody, His knowledge of different languages, His learned teachings\n326\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0365": "Fraternal Devotion\n\n327\n\nin the Bhagavad-gitii, His uncommon genius in all fields of endeavor,\nHis exhibition of expert knowledge, His mercy, His chivalry, His be­\n\nhavior as a conjugal lover, His intelligence, His forgiveness, His attraction for all kinds of men, His opulence and His happiness-all\nprovoke fraternal love.\nThe impetus to fraternal love upon seeing the associates of Kr�!la\n\nin Vrndavana is also very natural, for their personal bodily features,\n\ntheir qualities and dress are all equal to Kr�!la's. These associates are\n\nalways happy in their service to Kr�!la, and they are generally known\n\nas vayasyas, or friends of the same age. These vayasyas are fully confident of protection by Kr9!la. Devotees sometimes pray: \"Let us of­\n\nfer our respectful obeisances unto the vayasyas of Kr9!1a, who are\n\nfirmly convinced of Kr9!!a's friendship and protection and whose de­\n\nvotion to Krwa is ever-fixed. They are fearless, and on a level equal\n\nwith Kr�!la they discharge their transcendental loving devotional ser­\n\nvice.\" Such eternal vayasyas are also found beyond the jurisdiction of\n\nVrndavana, in places such as Dvaraka and Hastinapura. Except for\n\nVrndavana, all the places of Kr�!!a's pastimes are called puras (towns).\nMathura and Hastinapura, the capital of the Kurus, are both puras.\n\nPersonalities like Arjuna, Bhima, Draupadl and Srldama Brahma!la\nare counted amongst Kr9!la's fraternal devotees in the puras.\n\nHow the sons of Pa!!�u, the Pa!l�avas, enjoy Kr9!1a's association is\n\ndescribed as follows: \"When Sri Kr9!1a arrived in Indraprastha, the\n\ncapital of the Kurus, Maharaj Yudhi�thira immediately came out to\nsmell the flavor of Kr�!la's head.\" It is the Vedic custom that su­\n\nperiors smell the heads of their subordinates when the subordinates\n\noffer respect to the superior by touching his feet. Similarly, Arjuna\n\nand Bhlma embraced Kr�!!a with great jubilation, and the two young­\n\ner brothers, namely Nakula and Sahadeva, touched the lotus feet of\n\nKr9!1a with tears in their eyes and offered their respects. In this way\n\nall the five Pa!!�ava brothers enjoyed the fraternal friendship of\n\nKrwa in transcendental mellow. Of the five Pa!l�avas, Arjuna is the\n\nmost intimately connected with Kr�!la. He has a nice bow in his hand\nwhich is called Ga!l�lva. His thighs are compared with the trunks of\n\nelephants, and his eyes are always reddish. When Kr�!la and Arjuna\nare together on a chariot, they become celestial beauties, pleasing to\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0366": "328\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nthe eyes of everyone. It is said that once Arjuna was lying in his bed\n\nwith his head upon Kr�t;ta's lap and was talking and joking with Kr�t;ta\nin great relaxation and was enjoying Kr�t;ta's company with smiling\nand great satisfaction.\n\nAs far as the vayasyas (friends) in Vrndavana are concerned, they\nbecome greatly distressed when they cannot see Kr�t;ta even for a\nmoment.\n\nThere is the following prayer by a devotee for the va yasyas in\n\nVrndavana: \"All glories to Kr�t;ta's vay asyas, who are just like Kr�t;ta\nin their age, qualities, pastimes, dress and beauty. They are accustomed to playing on their flutes made of palm leaves, and they all\n\nhave buffalo-horn bugles ornamented like Kr�t;ta's with jewels such as\n\nindranila and with gold and coral. They are always jubilant like Kr�t;ta.\n\nMay these glorious companions of Krwa always protect us!\"\n\nThe vayasyas in Vrndavana are in such intimate friendship with\nKr�t;ta that sometimes they think themselves as good as Kr�t;ta. Here is\n\nan instance of such friendly feeling: When Kr�t;ta was holding up Go­\n\nvardhan Hill with His left hand, the vayasyas said, \"My dear friend,\n\nYou have been standing for the last seven days and nights without\n\nany rest. This is very troublesome for us because we see that you\n\nhave undertaken a severely laborious task. We think, therefore, that\n\nyou need not continue to stand in that way holding the hill. You can\n\njust transfer it onto Sudama's hand. We are very much aggrieved to\n\nsee You in this position. If You think that Sudama is not able to\nsupport Govardhan Hill, then at least You should change hands. In­\n\nstead of supporting it with Your left hand, please transfer it to Your\n\nright hand, so that we can give Your left hand a massage.\" This is an\ninstance of intimacy, showing how much the vayasyas considered\n\nthemselves to be equal to Kr�t;ta.\n\nIn the Srimad B hagavata m , Tenth Canto, 12th Chapter, lOth verse,\n-\n\nSukadeva Gosvami tells King Parik�it: \"My dear King, Kr�t;ta is the\n\nSupreme Personality of Godhead to the learned transcendentalist, He\n\nis the supreme happiness for the impersonalist, He is the supreme\nworshipable Deity for the devotee, and He is just like an ordinary\n\nboy to one who is under the spell of maya. And just imagine-these\n\ncowherd boys are now playing with the Supreme Person as though\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0367": "Fraternal Devotion\n\n329\n\nthey are on an equal level! By this anyone can understand that these\nboys must have accumulated heaps of the results of pious activities to\nenable them to associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead\nin such intimate friendship.\"\nThere is a description of Kr�!la's feeling for his vayasyas in Vrndavana. He once said to Balarama, \"My dear brother, when My companions were being devoured by the Aghasura, hot tears poured down\nfrom My eyes. And as they were washing My cheeks, My dear elder\nbrother, for at least one moment I completely lost Myself.\"\nWithin Gokula, Kr�!la's vayasyas are generally divided into four\ngroups:\n\nl) well-wishers, 2) friends, 3) confidential friends and 4) inti­\n\nmate friends. Kr�!la's well-wisher friends are a little bit older than\nKr�!la, and they have some parental affection for Him. Because of\ntheir being older than Kr�!la they always try to protect Him from any\nharm. As such, they sometimes bear weapons so that they can chastise any mischievous persons who want to do harm to Krwa. Counted\namongst\n\nthe\n\nwell-wisher friends\n\nare\n\nSubhadra,* Ma!l9-alibhadra,\n\nBhadravardhana, Gobhata, Y ak�a, lndrabhata, Bhadrihi.ga, Virabhadra,\nMahagu!la, Vijaya, and Balabhadra. They are older than Kr�!la and\nare always thinking of His welfare.\nOne of the elderly friends said, \"My dear Ma!l9-alibhadra, why\nare you wielding a shining sword as though you were running\ntowards Ari�tasura to kill him? My dear Baladeva, why are you unnecessarily bearing that heavy plow? My dear Vijaya, don't be unnecessarily agitated. My dear Bhadravardhana, there is no need to\nmake these threatening motions. If you will all look more closely\nyou will see that it is only a thunder cloud upon Govardhana Hill; it\nis not the Ari�tasura in the shape of a bull, as you have imagined.\"\nThese older, well-wishing friends of Kr�!la imagined a large cloud to\nbe the Ari�tasura, appearing in the shape of a huge bull. In the midst\nof their excitement one of them ascertained that it was actually only\na cloud on Govardhan Hill. He therefore informed the others not to\ntake the trouble of worrying about Kr�!la, because there was no present danger from Ari�tasura.\n*\n\nNot to be confused with Kr��a's sister of the same name.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0368": "330\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nAmongst the well-wisher friends, Mal).�alibhadra and Balabhadra\nare the chiefs. Mal).�alibhadra is described as follows: his complexion\nis yellowish, and his dress is very attractive. He always carries a stick\nof various colors. He wears a peacock feather on his head and always\nlooks very beautiful. Mal).�alibhadra's attitude is revealed in his statement: \"My dear friends, our beloved Kr�l).a is now very tired from\nworking with the cows in the pasturing grounds and from traveling\nall over the forests. I can see that He is very fatigued. Let me massage\nHis head silently while He is taking rest in His house. And you,\nSubala-you just massage His thighs.\"\nOne devotee described the personal beauty of Baladeva as follows:\n\"Let me take shelter of the lotus feet of Balarama, whose beauty is\nenhanced by the earrings touching his cheeks. His face is decorated\nwith tilaka made from kasturi (musk), and His broad chest is decorated with a garland of gunja (small conchshells). His complexion is\nas white as an autumn cloud, He wears garments of blue color, and\nHis voice is very grave. His arms are very long, touching His thighs,\nand He has shown His great strength by killing the Pralamba demon.\nLet me take shelter of this chivalrous Balarama. \"*\nBaladeva's affection for Kn>l).a is illustrated in this statement to\nSubala: \"My dear friend, please inform Krwa not to go to Kaliya's\nlake today. Today is His birthday, and so I wish to go along with\nMother Y asoda to bathe Him. Tell Him He should not leave the house\ntoday.\" This shows how Balarama, Kg;!). a's elder brother, took care\nof Kn>pa with parental love, within the scope of fraternal affection.\nFriends who were younger than Krwa, who were always attached\nto Him and who gave Him all kinds of service, are called ordinary\nfriends, or, simply, friends. Such ordinary friends are called sakhiis,\n\n\\I\n!\n\nand the names of some sakhiis are Visala, Vr�abha, Ojasvi, Devaprastha, Varuthapa, Maranda, Kusumap'i�a, Mapibandha, and Karandhama. All of these sakhii friends of Kr�pa sought only to serve Him.\n\n,I\n\nSometimes some of them would rise early in the morning and im­\n\nII\n\nmediately go to Kn>l).a's place and wait at the door to see Krwa and\n\nI'\n\n.,. Balarama and Baladeva are different names for the same expansion of Kn�1a. He\nis Kn;�a's elder brother.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0369": "Fraternal Devotion\n\n331\n\nto accompany Him to the pasturing grounds. In the meantime, Kr�!la\n\nwould be dressed by Mother Yasoda, and when she would see a boy\n\nstanding at the door, she would call him: \"Well, Visala, why are you\n\nstanding there? Come here!\" So with the permission of Mother\n\nYasoda, he would immediately enter the house. And while Mother\n\nYasoda was dressing Kr�!ia, he would try to help put on Kn;!la's\nankle bells, and Kr�!la would jokingly strike him with His flute. Then\n\nMother Yasoda would call, \"Kr�l).a, what is this? Why are You teasing\n\nYour friend?\" And Kr�!la would laugh, and the friend would also\n\nlaugh. These are some of the activities of Kr�!!a's sakhiis. Sometimes\n\nthe sakhiis would take care of the cows who were going hither and\n\nthither. They would tell Krwa, \"Your cows were going off here and\nthere,\" and Kr�!ia would thank them.\n\nSometimes when Krwa and His sakhiis went to the pasturing\n\nground, Kamsa would send a demon to kill Krwa. Therefore, almost\nevery day there was a fight with some different kind of demon. After\n\nfighting with a demon, Kr�!ia would feel fatigued, the hairs on His\nhead would be scattered, and the sakhiis would immediately come\n\nand try to relieve Him in different. ways. Some friends would say,\n\n\"My dear Visala, please take this fan of lotus leaves and fan Kr�!la so\n\nthat He may feel some comfort. Varuthapa, you just brush the scat­\n\ntered hairs on Kr�!!a's head which have fallen upon His face_ Vr�abha,\n\ndon't talk unnecessarily! Immediately massage Kr�!!a's body. His\narms have become tired from fighting and wrestling with that demon.\n\nOh, just see how our friend Kr?!la has become tired!\" These are some\n\nexamples of the treatment given to Kr�!la by the sakhiis.\n\nOne of the sakhiis, known as Devaprastha, is described as follows:\n\nhe is very strong, a ready scholar, and is very expert in playing ball.\n\nHe wears a white dress, and he ties his hair into a bunch with a rope.\n\nWhenever there is a fight between Krwa and the demons, Devaprastha\nis the first to help, and he fights just like an elephant.\n\nOne of the gopis once said to her friend, \"My dear beautiful\n\nfriend, when Kr�!ia, the son of Maharaj N anda, was taking rest within\n\nthe cave of a hill, He was keeping His head on the arms of Sri'dama,\nand He was putting His left hand on Dama's chest. Taking this opportunity, Devaprastha, out of his strong affection for Kr�!la, im-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0370": "332\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nmediately began to massage His legs.\" Such are the activities of\nKr�l).a's friends out on the pasturing grounds.\n\nThe more confidential friends are called priya-sakhiis and are al­\n\nmost Kr�l).a's age. Because of their very confidential friendship, their\nbehavior is only on the basis of pure friendship. Other friends' be­\n\nhavior is on the ground of paternal love or servitude, but the basic\n\nprinciple of the confidential friends is simply friendship on an equal\nlevel. Some confidential friends are as follows: Sridama, Sudama,\nDama, Vasudama, Kinkil).i, Stokakr�l).a, Arhsu, Bhadrasena, Vilasina,\n\nPul)-9-arika, Vitanka and Kalavinka. By their various activities in dif­\n\nferent pastimes, all of these friends used to give transcendental pleas­\n\nure to Kr�l).a.\n\nThe behavior of these confidential friends is described by a friend\n\nof Radharal).i, who told Radharal).i: \"My dear graceful Radharal).i,\n\nYour intimate friend, Kr�l).a, is also served by His intimate boy\n\nfriends. Some of them cut jokes with Him in mild voices and please\nHim very much by this.\" For example, Kr�l).a had one briihmar-a\n\nfriend whose name was Madhumangala. This boy would joke by\n\nplaying the part of a greedy briihmar-a. Whenever the friends ate, he\nwould eat more than all others, especially lii��us, of which he was\nvery fond. Then after eating more lii��us than anyone else, Madhu­\n\nmangala would still not be satisfied, and he would say to Kr�l).a, \"If\n\nYou give me one more lii��u, then I shall be pleased to give You my\n\nblessings so that Your friend Radharal).i will be very much pleased\nwith You.\" The briihmar-as are supposed to give blessings to the\n\nvaisyas (farming and merchant caste), and Kr�l).a presented Himself\n\nas the son of Maharaj Nanda, a vaisya; so the briihmar-a boy was\n\nright in giving blessings to Kr�l).a. Thus Kr�l).a was very pleased by\n\nHis friend's blessings, and He would supply him with more and more\nlii��us.\n\nSometimes a confidential friend would come before Kr�l).a and\n\nembrace Him with great affection and love. Another friend would\n\nthen come up from the rear and cover Kr�l).a's eyes with his hands.\nKrwa would always feel very happy by such dealings with His confi­\n\ndential friends.\n\nOut of all these confidential friends, Sridama is considered to be\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0371": "Fraternal Devotion\n\n333\n\nthe chief. Sridama used to put on a yellow-colored dress. He would\ncarry a buffalo horn, and his turban was of reddish, copper color. His\n\nbodily complexion was blackish, and around his neck there was a\nnice garland. He would always challenge Kr�l).a in joking friendship.\nLet us pray to Sridama to bestow his mercy upon us!\n\nSometimes Sridama used to address Krwa: \"Oh, You are so cruel\n\nthat You left us alone on the bank of Yamuna, and we were all mad\nfrom not seeing You there! Now it is our great fortune that we are\n\nable to see You here. If You want to pacify us, You must embrace\neach one of us with Your arms. But believe me, my dear friend, a\n\nmoment's absence from You creates great havoc, not only for us but\n\nfor the cows also. Everything becomes disarranged, and we become\nmad after You.\"\n\nThere are other friends who are still more confidential. They are\n\ncalled pri_ya-narma, or intimate friends. Counted among the pri_ya­\n\nnarma friends are Subala, Arjuna, Gandharva, Vasanta and Ujj vala.\nThere was talk among the friends of Radharal).'i, the gopis, about\n\nthese most intimate friends. One gopi addressed Radharal).i thusly:\n\"My dear Krsangi [delicate one], just see how Subala is whispering\n\nYour message into Kn;l).a's ear, how he is delivering the confidential\n\nletter of Syamadasi silently into Kr�l).a's hand, how he is delivering\nthe betel nuts prepared by Palika into Kr�l).a's mouth, and how he is\n\ndecorating Krwa with the garland prepared by Taraka. Did you\n\nknow, my dear friend, that all these most intimate friends of Kr�l).a\nare always engaged in His service in this way?\" Out of the many intimate pri_ya-narmas, Subala and Ujj vala are considered to be the most\n\nprominent.\n\nSubala's body is described as follows. His complexion is just like\nmolten gold. He is very, very dear to Kr�l).a. He always has a garland\n\naround his neck, and he wears yellow clothing. His eyes are just like\nlotus flower petals, and he is so intelligent that by his talking and his\n\nmoral instructions, all the other friends take the highest pleasure. Let\nus all offer our respectful obeisances unto Kn>l).a's friend Subala!\n\nThe degree of intimacy shared by Kr�pa and Subala can be under­\n\nstood by the fact that the talks between them were so confidential\nthat no one else could understand what they were saying.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0372": "334\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nThe description of Ujjvala, another intimate friend, is given as follows. Ujjvala always wears some garment of orange color, and the\nmovements of his eyes are always very restless. He likes to decorate\nhimself with all kinds of flowers, his bodily hue is almost like Krwa's,\nand on his neck there is always a necklace of pearls. He is always very\ndear to Kr��a. Let us all worship Ujjvala, the most intimate friend of\nKr��a!\nAbout the confidential service of Ujjvala, this statement is to be\nfound, addressed by Radhara�i to one of Her friends: \"My dear\nfriend, it is impossible for Me to keep My prestige! I wanted to avoid\ntalking to Kr��a anymore-but just see! There again is His friend,\nUjjvala, coming to Me with his canvassing work. His entreaties are so\npowerful that it is very difficult for a gopi to resist her love for\nKr�pa, even though she may be very bashful, devoted to her family\nduties and most faithful to her husband.\"\nThe following is a statement by Ujjvala, showing his jubilant nature: \"My dear Kr�pa, 0 killer of Aghasura, You have extended Your\nloving affairs so much that You can be compared to the great ocean,\nwhich is without limitations. At the same time, the young girls of the\nworld who are all searching after the perfect lover have become just\nlike rivers running into this ocean. Under the circumstances, all these\nrivers of young girls may try to divert their courses to some other\nplace, but at the end they must come unto You.\"\nAmongst the groups of different friends of Kr��a, some are wellknown from various scriptures, and some are well-known by popular\ntradition. There are three divisions amongst Krwa's friends: some are\neternally in friendship with Kr�pa, some are elevated demigods, and\nsome are perfected devotees. In all of these groups there are some\nwho by nature are fixed in Kr�pa's service and are always engaged in\ngiving counsel; some of them are very fond of joking and naturally\ncause Kr��a to smile by their words; some of them are by nature very\nsimple, and by their simplicity they please Lord Kr�pa; some of them\n\nI\n\nI\n\ncreate wonderful situations by their activities, apparently against\n\n,,\n\n�\n\nKrwa; some of them are very talkative, always arguing with Kr��a\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0373": "Fraternal Devotion\n\n335\n\n'\n\nand creating a debating atmosphere; and some of them are very gentle and give pleasure to Kr�pa by their sweet words. All of these\nfriends are very intimate with Kr�pa, and they show expertise in their\ndifferent activities, their aim always being to please Kr�pa.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0374": "·\n42 I Fraternal Loving Affairs\n\nKr�!!a's age, His beauty, His bugle, His flute, His conchshell and\nHis pleasing attitude all provoke love in friendship for Him. His\n\nexceptional joking abilities, exhibited sometimes by His pretending\n\nto be a royal prince, or even the Supreme Personality of Godhead,\nalso give impetus to devotees developing love for Kr�!la in friendship.\n\nLearned scholars have divided Kr�!la's age into three periods: the\n\nage up to five years is called kaumiira, the age from the sixth to the\n\ntenth year is called paugar4a, and the age from the eleventh to fif­\n\nteenth year is called kaisora. While Kr�!la is spending His days as a\ncowherd boy, He is in the kaumiira and paugar4a ages. In the kaisora\n\nage, when Kr�!la appeared at Gokula, He acted as a cowherd boy, and\n\nthen, when He was sixteen, He went to Mathura to kill Kamsa.\n\nThe kaumiira age is just suitable for reciprocating the love of a\n\nchild with Mother Y asoda. In the Tenth Canto, 13th Chapter, 9th\nverse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Sukadeva Gosvami tells King Parik�it:\n\n\"My dear King, although Lord Kr�!la is the supreme enjoyer and the\n\nbeneficiary of all kinds of sacrificial ceremonies, He still used to eat\nwith His cowherd boy friends. This is because at that time He ac­\n\ncepted the pastimes of an ordinary boy, keeping His flute under His\n\narm and His bugle on the right side in His belt, along with His cane.\n\nIn His left hand He would hold a lump of rice paste with yogurt, and\n\nin His fingers would be pilu, the king of fruits. When He would thus\n\nsit amongst His friends, it would appear that He was the whorl of a\nlotus flower and that the friends surrounding Him were petals. As\n\nthey thus enjoyed joking amongst themselves, the denizens of heaven\n\nwould become struck with wonder and would only stare at the\n\nscene.\"\n336\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0375": "Fraternal Loving Affairs\n\n337\n\nKr�pa 's paugaryJa age can be further divided into three periodsnamely, the beginning, middle and end. In the beginning of the\n\npaugar;u;la age there is a very nice reddish luster on His lips, His ab·\ndomen is very thin, and on His neck are circles like those on a conchshell. Sometimes, some outside visitors would return to V rndavana to\nsee Kr�pa and, upon seeing Him again, would exclaim, \"My dear\nMukunda, Your beauty is gradually increasing, just like the leaf on a\nbanyan tree! My dear lotus-eyed one, Your neck is gradually manifesting circles like the conchshell. And in the shining moonlight Your\nteeth and cheeks are competing with the padmariiga jewels in their\nbeautiful arrangement. I am sure that Your beautiful bodily development is now giving much pleasure to Your friends.\"\nAt this age Kr�pa was garlanded with various kinds of flowers. He\nused to put on a silk dress, colored with various kinds of dye. Such\nbeautiful decorations are considered cosmetics for Kr�pa. Kr�pa\nwould wear this dress when He used to go into the forest to tend the\ncows. Sometimes He would wrestle there with His different friends,\nand sometimes they would dance all together in the forest. These are\nsome of the specific activities of the paugaryJa age.\nThe cowherd friends of Kr�pa were so happy in His company that\nthey expressed their transcendental feelings within themselves thus:\n\"My dear Kr�pa, You are always busy tending the cows which are\nscattered all over beautiful Vrndavana. You have a beautiful garland,\na small conchshell, a peacock feather on Your turban, yellow-colored\nsilk cloth, decorations of kan;tikiira flowers on Your ears and a mallikii\nflower garland on Your chest. Appearing so beautiful, when You\npretend, just like an actor, to be fighting with us, You give us unlimited transcendental bliss.\"\nWhen Krwa is more grown-up, in the middle age of paugar4a, His\nnails become finely sharp, and His chubby cheeks become lustrous\nand round. On the two sides of His waist above His belt there are\nthree distinct lines of folded skin, called tribali.\nThe cowherd boy friends of Kr�pa felt very proud of their association with Him. At that time the tip of His nose defeated the beauty\nof the sesame flowers, the luster of His cheeks defeated the glow of\npearls,· and the two sides of His body were exquisitely beautiful. In\nthis age Krwa wore a silk dress that glittered like lightning, His head\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0376": "338\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nwas decorated with a silk turban covered with gold lace, and in His\nhand He carried a stick about fifty-six inches long.* Seeing this exquisitely beautiful dress of Kr�!la, one devotee addressed his friend\nin this manner: \"My dear friend, j ust look at Krwa! See how He is\ncarrying in His hand a stick which is bound up and down with golden\nrings, how His turban with golden lace is showing such a beautiful\nluster, and how His dress is giving his friends the highest transcendental pleasure!\"\nAt the end of Kr�!!a's paugartfla age, Kr�!!a's hair sometimes hangs\ndown to His hips, and sometimes it becomes scattered. In this age\nHis two shoulders become higher and broader, and His face is always\ndecorated with marks of tilaka. When His beautiful hair scatters over\nHis shoulders, it appears to be a goddess of fortune embracing Him,\nand this embracing is highly relished by His friends. Subala once addressed Him in this way: \"My dear Kesava, Your round turban, the\nlotus flower in Your hand, the vertical marks of tilaka on Your forehead, Your kwikum-flavored musk and all of Your beautiful bodily\nfeatures are defeating me today, although I am usually stronger than\nYou or any of our friends. Since this is so, I do not know how these\nfeatures of Your body can fail to defeat the pride of all the young\ngirls of Vrndavana. When I am so defeated by this beauty, what\nchance is there for those who are naturally very simple and flexible?\"\nAt this age Kr�!la took pleasure in whispering into the ears of His\nfriends, and the subj ect of His talks was the beauty of the gopis,\nwho were j ust tarrying before them. Subala once addressed Krwa\nthus: \"My dear Kr�!!a, You are very cunning. You can understand\nthe thoughts of others; therefore I am whispering within Your ear\nthat all these five gopis, who are most beautiful, have been attracted\nby Your dress. And I believe that Cupid has entrusted them with the\nresponsibility of conquering You.\" In other words, the beauty of the\n\ngopis was capable of conquering Kr�!la, although Kr�!!a is the conqueror of all universes.\n*\n\nThe specific p(lstimes in this period took place in the forest known as Bhatt·\n\n�iravana. This Bhatt�iravana, along with eleven other vanas, or forests, is still\nexisting in the Vrndavana area, and devotees who circumambulate the whole area\nof Vrndavana can know the beauty of these forests even today.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0377": "Fraternal Loving Affairs\n\n339\n\nThe symptoms of the kaisora age are already described, and it is at\n\nthis age that devotees generally most appreciate Kr?9a. Kr?9a with\n\nRadhara9'i is worshiped as Kisora-kisori. Kr?9a does not increase His\n\nage beyond this form of kaisora, and it is confirmed in the Brahmasarhhitii that although He is the oldest personality and has innumer­\n\nable different forms, His original form is always youthful. In the pic­\n\ntures of Kr?9a on the battlefield of Kuruk?etra we can see that He is\nyouthful, although at that time He was old enough to have sons,\n\ngrandsons, and great grandsons. The cowherd boy friends of Kr?9a\n\nonce said, \"My dear Kr?9a, You need not decorate Your body with\nso many ornaments. Your transcendental features are themselves so\n\nbeautiful that You do not require any ornamentation.\" At this age,\n\nwhenever Kr?9a begins to vibrate His flute early in the morning, all of\n\nHis friends immediately get up from bed just to join Him in going to\n\nthe pasturing grounds. One of the friends once said, \"My dear cow­\n\nherd friends, the sound of Krsna 's flute from above Govardhan Hill\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nis telling us that we need not go to search Him out on the bank of the\nYamuna.\"\n\nParvat'i, the wife of Lord Siva, told her husband:\n\n\"My dear\n\nPaficamukha [five-faced], just look at the Pa9�avas! After hearing\n\nthe sound of Kr?9a 's conchshell known as Paficajanya, they have\nregained their strength and are just like lions.\"\n\nAt this age, Kr?9a once dressed Himself up exactly like Radharii!l'i,\n\njust to create fun among His friends. He put on golden earrings; and\n\nbecause He was blackish, He smeared the pulp of kunkum all over\nHis body in order to become as fair as She. By seeing this dress,\n\nKr?9a's friend Subala became very astonished.\n\nKr?9a sometimes played with His intimate friends by engaging in\n\nfighting or wrestling with their arms, sometimes by playing ball,\n\nsometimes by playing chess, sometimes by carrying one another on\n\nthe\n\nshoulders, and sometimes by exhibiting their expertness at\n\nwhirling logs. And the cowherd friends used to please Kr?!la by\n\nsitting together with Him on coaches or on swings, by lying together\n\non their beds, by joking together and by swimming in the pool. All\n\nthese activities are called anubhiiva. Whenever all the friends would\n\nassemble in the company of Kr?9a, they would immediately engage in\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0378": "340\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nall these functions, especially in dancing together. Regarding their\nwrestling, one friend once asked Kr�tJ.a, \"My dear friend, 0 killer of\nthe Agha demon, You are very proudly wandering among Your\nfriends trying to exhibit Your arms as very strong. Is it that You are\nenvious of me? I know that You cannot defeat me in wrestling, and\nI also know that You were sitting idly for a long time because You\nwere hopeless of defeating me.\"\nAll the friends were very daring and would risk any difficulty, he·\ncause they were confident that Kr�tJ.a would help them to be victorious in all adventures. They used to sit together and advise one\nanother what to do, sometimes inducing one another to be engaged\nin welfare work. Sometimes they would offer betel nuts to one\nanother, decorate one another's faces with tilaka or smear pulp of\ncandana on one another's bodies. Sometimes, for the sake of amusement, they used to decorate their faces in strange ways. Another\nbusiness of the friends was that each of them wanted to defeat Kr�tJ.a.\nSometimes they used to snatch His clothing or snatch away the\nflowers from His hands. Sometimes one would try to induce another\nto decorate his body for him, and failing this, they were always ready\nto fight, challenging one another to combat in wrestling. These were\nsome of the general activities of Krwa and His friends.\nAnother important pastime of the friends of Kr�tJ.a was that they\nserved as messengers to and from the gopis; they introduced the\ngopis to Krwa and canvassed for Kr�tJ.a. When the gopis were in disagreement with Kr�tJ.a, these friends would support Kr�tJ.a's side in\nHis presence-but when Kr�tJ.a was not present, they would support\nthe side of the gopis. In this way, sometimes supporting one side,\nsometi�es the other, they would talk very privately, with much\nwhispering in the ears, although none of the business was very\nsenous.\nThe servants of Kr�tJ.a were sometimes engaged in collecting flowers, decorating His body with valuable ornaments and trinkets,\ndancing before Him, singing, helping Him herd the cows, massaging\nHis body, preparing flower garlands and sometimes fanning His body.\nThese were some of the primary duties of the servants of Kr�!la. The\nfriends and servants of Kr�tJ.a were combined together in serving\nHim, and all of their activities are known as anubhiiva.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0379": "Fraternal Loving Affairs\n\n341\n\nWhen Kn;�a came out from the Yamuna after chastising the\n\nKaliyanaga, Sridama wanted to embrace Him first, but he could not\n\nraise his arms because of his great feeling of respect.\n\nWhen Kr��a used to play on His flute, it appeared just like the\n\nroaring of clouds in the sky during the constellation of Svati. Ac­\n\ncording to Vedic astronomical calculation, if there is rain during the\nconstellation of the Svati star, any rain falling on the sea will pro­\n\nduce pearls, and rain falling on a serpent will produce jewels. Simi­\n\nlarly, when Kn;�a's flute roared like a thundercloud under the Svati\n\nconstellation, the resulting perspiration on Sridama's body appeared\n\nto be just like pearls.\n\nWhen Kr��a and Subala were embracing one another, Sr1mat1\n\nRadhara�i became a little envious, and hiding Her hot temperament\n\nShe said, \"My dear Subala, you are very fortunate, because even in\n\nthe presence of superiors you and Kr��a have no hesitation in putting\nyour arms on each other's shoulders. I think it must be admitted that\n\nin your previous lives you have succeeded in many kinds of aus­\n\nterities.\" The idea is that although Radharapi was accustomed to put\nHer arms on Krwa's shoulders, it was not possible for Her to do such\n\na thing in the presence of Her superiors, whereas Subala could do so\nfreely. Radhara�i therefore praised his good fortune.\n\nWhen Kr��a entered the lake of Kaliya, His intimate friends be­\n\ncame so perturbed that their bodily colors faded, and they all produced horrible gurgling sounds. At that time all of them fell down on\n\nthe ground as if they were unconscious. Similarly, when there was a\nforest fire all of Kr��a's friends neglected their own protection and\n\nsurrounded Kr��a on all sides to protect Him from the flames. This\n\nbehavior of the friends toward Kr��a is described by thoughtful poets\nas vyabhiciiri. In vyabhiciiri ecstatic love for Kr��a there is sometimes\nmadness, dexterity, fear, laziness, jubilation, pride, dizziness, medi­\n\ntation, disease, forgetfulness and humbleness. These are some of the\ncommon symptoms in the stage of vyabhiciiri ecstatic love for Kr��a.\n\nWhen there are dealings between Kr��a and His friends which are\n\ncompletely devoid of any feelings of respect, and they all treat one\n\nanother on an equal level, such ecstatic love in friendship is called\n\nsthiiyi. When one is situated in this confidential friendly relationship\nwith Kr��a, one shows symptoms of love such as attraction, affection,\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0380": "342\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\naffinity and attachment. An example of sthiiyi was exhibited when\n\nArjuna* told Akn1ra: \"My dear son of Gandini, please ask Kr�!la\nwhen I shall be able to embrace Him in my arms.\"\n\nWhen there is full knowledge of Krwa's superiority and yet in\n\ndealings with Him on friendly terms respectfulness is completely ab­\n\nsent, that stage is called affection. There is one brilliant example of\n\nthis affection. When the demigods, headed by Lord Siva, were offer­\n\ning respectful prayers to Kr�!la, describing the glorious opulences of\n\nthe Lord, Arjuna* stood before Him with his hand on His shoulders\nand brushed the dust from His peacock feather.\n\nWhen the Pa!l9avas were banished by Duryodhana and forced to\n\nlive incognito in the forest, no one could trace out where they were\nstaying. At that time, the great sage Narada met Lord Kr�!la and said,\n\n\"My dear Mukunda, although You are the Supreme Personality of\n\nGodhead, the all-powerful person, by making friendship with You the\n\nPa!l9avas have become bereft of their legitimate right to the kingdom\n\nof the world-and, moreover, they are now living in the forest incog­\n\nnito. Sometimes they must work as ordinary laborers in someone\n\nelse's house. These symptoms appear to be very inauspicious materi­\n\nally, but the beauty is that the Pa!l9avas have not lost their faith and\n\nlove for You, in spite of all these tribulations. In fact, they are always\n\nthinking of You and chanting Your name in ecstatic friendship.\"\n\nAnother example of acute affection for Kr�!la is given in the lOth\n\nCanto, 15th Chapter, 15th verse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam. In the pas­\n\nturing ground Kr�!la felt a little tired and wanted to take rest, so He\nlaid down on the ground. At that time, many cowherd boys assem­\n\nbled there and with great affection began to sing suitable songs so.\nthat Kr�!la would rest very nicely.\n\nThere is a nice example of the friendship between Krwa and\n\nArjuna on the battlefield of Kuruk�etra. When the fighting was going\n\non, Asvatthama, the son of Dro!lacarya, unceremoniously attacked\n\nKr�!la, although according to the prevailing rules of chivalry one's\nchariot driver should never be attacked by the enemy. But Asvatthama\n*\nThis A rj una, living in V rndavana, is different from th�t friend of the same name\nto whom Bhagavad-gitii was spoken.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0381": "Fraternal Loving Affairs\n\n343\n\nbehaved heinously in so many ways that he did not hesitate to attack\nKn;�a's body, although Kr$�a was acting only as charioteer for\nArjuna. When Arjuna saw that Asvatthama was releasing various kinds\nof arrows to hurt Krwa, he immediately stood in front of Kr��a to\nintercept all of them. At that time, although Arjuna was being\nharmed by those arrows, he felt an ecstatic love for Kr$�a, and the\narrows appeared to him like showers of flowers.\nThere is another instance of ecstatic love for Kr��a in friendship:\nOnce when a cowherd boy named Vr�abha was collecting flowers\nfrom the forest to prepare a garland to be offered to Kr��a, the sun\nreached its zenith, and although the sunshine was scorching hot,\nVr$abha felt it as the moonshine. That is the way of rendering transcendental loving service to the Lord: When devotees are put into\ngreat difficulties-even like the Pa�gavas, as described above-they\nfeel all their miserable conditions as great facilities for serving the Lord.\nAnother instance of Arjuna's friendship with Kn;�a is described\nby Narada, who reminded Kr��a, \"When Arjuna was learning the art\nof shooting arrows, he could not see You for so many days. But when\nYou arrived there, he stopped all His activities and immediately embraced You.\" This means that even though Arjuna was engaged in\nlearning about the military art, he had not forgotten Kr$�a for a\nmoment, and as soon as there was an opportunity to see Kr$�a, he\nimmediately embraced Him.\nOne servant of Kr$�a named Patr'i once addressed Him like this:\n\"My dear Lord, You protected the cowherd boys from the hunger of\nthe Aghasura demon, and You protected them from the poisonous\naffects of the Kaliya snake. And You also saved them from the fierce\nforest fire. But I am suffering from Your separation, which is more\nsevere than the hunger of Aghasura, the poison of Lake Kaliya, and\nthe burning of the forest fire. So why should You not protect me\nfrom the pangs of separation?\" Another friend once told Kr$�a: \"My\ndear enemy of Kamsa, since You have left us, the heat of separation\nhas become extraordinary. And this heat is felt more severely when\nwe understand that in Bha�g'iravana You are being refreshed by the\nwaves of the cooling river known as Bhaniitanaya [Radhara�i] .\"The\npurport is that when Krwa was engaged with Radhara�i, the cowherd\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0382": "344\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nboys headed by Subala were feeling great separation, and that was\nunbearable for them.\nAnother friend addressed Kr9rta thus: \"My dear Kr9rta, 0 killer of\nAghasura, when You left Vrndavana to kill King Kamsa in Mathura,\nall the cowherd boys became bereft of their four bhiitas [the elements of earth, water, fire and space] . And the fifth bhiita, the air,\nwas flowing very rapidly within their nostrils.\" When Kr9rta went to\n\nI\n\nMathura to kill King Kamsa, all the cowherd boys became so afI\n\nflicted by the separation that they almost died. When a person is dead\nit is said that he has given up the five elements, known as bhiitas, as\nthe body again mixes with the five elements from which it was prepared. In this case, although the four elements of earth, water, fire\nand ether were already gone, the remaining element, air, was still very\nprominent and was blowing through their nostrils furiously. In other\nwords, after Kr9rta left V rndavana, they were always anxious about\nwhat would happen in His fight with King Kamsa.\nAnother friend once informed Kr9rta, \"When one of Your friends\nwas feeling. much separation from You, there were tears covering his\nlotus eyes, so the black drones of sleep became discouraged from\nentering his eyes and left that place.\" When there is a lotus flower,\nthe black drones fly into it to collect honey. The eyes of Kr9rta's\nfriend are compared to the lotus flower, and because they were\nfull of tears the black drones of sleep could not collect honey from\nhis lotus eyes and therefore left the place. In other words, because he\nwas too much afflicted, his eyes were full of tears, and he could not\nsleep. This is an example of staying up at night because of separation\nfrom Krwa.\nAn example of helplessness is described in the following statement:\n\"Due to Krwa's departure from Vrndavana to Mathura, Kr9rta's dearest cowherd boys felt as mentally light as possible. They were like\nfragments of cotton, lighter than the air, and were all floating in the\nair without any shelter.\" In other words, the minds of the cowherd\nboys became almost vacant on account of Kr9rta's separation, and\nthey are compared with fragments of cotton floating in the air without any shelter. An example of impatience was also shown by the\ncowherd boys when Kr9rta went to Mathura. Out of the sorrow of\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0383": "Fraternal Loving Affairs\n\n345\n\nseparation, all these boys forgot to take care of their cowherding and\ntried to forget all the melodious songs they used to sing in the pasturing ground. At last they had no desire to live anymore, being separated from Kn;�a.\nAn example of stillness was described by a friend of Kr��a, who\ninformed Him in Mathura that all the cowherd boys had become just\nlike leafless trees on the tops of hills. They appeared almost naked,\nskinny and frail, and did not carry any fruits or flowers. He informed\nKr��a that all the cowherd boys residing in Vrndavana were as still as\nthe trees at the tops of hills. Sometimes they felt diseased from their\nseparation from Kr��a, and being so greatly disappointed, they were\naimlessly wandering on the banks of the Yamuna.\nThere is also an example of madness caused by separation from\nKr��a. When Kr��a was absent from Vrndavana, all the cowherd boys\nbecame bewildered, and having given up all kinds of activities, they\nappeared to be mad and forgot all their regular business. They were\nsometimes lying down on the ground, sometimes rolling in the dust,\nsometimes laughing and sometimes running very swiftly. All of these\nsymptoms gave them the appearance of madmen. One friend of\nKrwa's criticized Him by saying, \"My dear Lord, You have become\nthe King of Mathura after killing Kamsa, and that is very good news\nfor us. But at Vrndavana all the residents have become blind from\ntheir continuous crying over Your absence. They are full only of\nanxieties and are not cheered at all by Your becoming the King of\nMathura.\"\nSometimes there were also signs of death caused by separation\nfrom Kr��a. Once Kr��a was told: \"My dear enemy of Kamsa, because of their separation from You, the cowherd boys are suffering\ntoo much, and they are now lying down in the valleys, breathing only\nslightly. In order to sympathize with the boys' regrettable condition,\neven the forest friends, the deer, are shedding tears.\"\nIn the Mathurii-khar-fla chapter of the Skanda Puriirw, there is a\ndescription of Kr��a and Balarama, surrounded by all the cowherd\nboys, always engaged in taking care of the cows and calves. When\nKr��a was met by Arjuna at a potter's shop in the city of Drupadanagara, because of the similarity of their bodily features they made\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0384": "346\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nintimate friendship. This is an instance of friendship caused by the\nattraction of similar bodies.\n\nIn the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 7lst Chapter, 25th\n\nverse, it is stated that when Kr�!la arrived in the city of lndraprastha,\nBhima was so overwhelmed with joy that, with tears in his eyes and a\nsmiling face, he immediately embraced his maternal cousin. Following\nhim were his young brothers Nakula and Sahadeva, along with\n\nil\nII\n\nArjuna, and they all became so overwhelmed at seeing Kr�!la that\nwith full satisfaction they embraced the Lord, who is known as\n\nI\n\nAcyuta (the infallible). There is a similar statement about the cow­\n\n�\nfIlI\n\nKuruk�etra, all the cowherd boys came to see Him, wearing jeweled\n\ni\n\nI\n\n'I\\\n\nherd boys of Vrndiivana. When Kr�!la was on the battlefield of\nearrings in their ears. Becoming so greatly overjoyed, they extended\ntheir arms and embraced Kr�!la as their old friend. These are instances\nof full satisfaction in friendship with Krwa.\nIn the Tenth Canto, 12th Chapter, llth verse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam\nit is stated that even after undergoing severe penances and austerities\n\nand performing the yogic principles, the great mystic yogis can hardly\nbecome eligible to achieve the dust of the lotus feet of Kr�!J.a, but the\nsame Personality of Godhead, Krwa, is easily available to the vision\nof the residents of Vrndavana. This means there is no comparison to\nthese devotees' great fortune. The friendly relationship of the cowherd boys with Kr�!la is a particular type of spiritual ecstasy almost\nsimilar to the ecstasy of conjugal love. It is very difficult to explain\nthis ecstasy of loving affairs between the cowherd boys and Kr�!J.a.\nGreat expert devotees like Riipa Gosvami and others express their\nastonishment at the inconceivable feelings which are in Kr�!J.a and\nHis cowherd boy friends.\nThis particular type of ecstatic love shared between Krwa and His\nconfidential friends further develops into parental love, and on from\nthere it may develop into conjugal love, the most exalted humor or\nmellow of ecstatic love between Lord Kr�!la and His devotees.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0385": "43 I Parenthood\n\nWhen ecstatic love develops into the relationship of parenthood\n\nand becomes steadily established, the relationship is called viitsalyarasa. The exhibition of this viitsalya-rasa standard of devotional ser­\n\nvice can be found in the dealings of Krwa with His devotees who rep­\n\nresent themselves as superior personalities like father, mother, teacher, etc.\n\nLearned scholars have described the impetus of parental love for\n\nKr9�a, existing in the elderly personalities who are in relation with\nHim, as follows: \"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose bodi­\n\nly complexion is just like a bluish, new-grown lotus flower, whose\n\nbody is very delicate and whose lotus eyes are surrounded by scat­\n\ntered hair as black as bees, was walking on the streets of V rndavana\n\nwhen Mother Yasoda, the beloved wife of Nanda Maharaj, saw Him.\n\nImmediately the milk began to flow from her breasts, soaking her\n\nbody.\" Some specific provocations for parental love of Krwa are\nlisted as His blackish bodily hue, which is very attractive and pleasing\n\nto see, His all-auspicious bodily features, His mildness, His sweet\nwords, His simplicity, His shyness, His humility, His constant readi­\n\nness to offer respect to the elderly, and His charity. All of these\nqualities are considered ecstatic provocations for parental love.\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 8th Chapter, 35th verse,\n\nit is stated by Sukadeva Gosvami that Mother Yasoda accepted Lord\nKr9�a as her son, although He is accepted in the Vedas as the King of\n\nheaven, in the Upani§ads as the impersonal Brahman and in philosophy as the supreme male. By the yogis He is accepted as the supersoul and by the devotees as the Supreme Personality of Gochead.\n347\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0386": "348\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nOnce Mother Y asoda addressed one of her friends in this way:\n\"Nanda Maharaj, the leader of the cowherdsmen, worshiped Lord\nViwu along with me, and as a result of this worshiping Kr�!la has\nbeen saved from the clutches of Putana and other demons. The twin\n\narjuna trees were, of course, broken due to a strong wind, and although Kr�!la appeared to have lifted Govardhan Hill along with\nBalarama, I think that Nanda Maharaj actually held the mountain.\nOtherwise how could it have been possible for a little boy to lift such\na great hill?\" This is another example of ecstasy in parental love. This\nkind of parental love is generated in a devotee out of his conviction,\nin love, that he himself is superior to Kr�!la and that without being\ntaken care of by such devotee Kr�!la could not possibly live. One devotee therefore prayed to the parents of Lord Kr�!la as follows: \"Let\nme take shelter of the elderly parental devotees of Lord Kr�pa. They\nare always anxious to serve Kr�pa and to maintain Him, and they are\nalways so kind to Him. Let us offer our respectful obeisances unto\nthem for being so kind to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who\nis the parent of the whole universe!\"\nThere is a similar prayer by a briihmarta who says, \"Let others worship the Vedas and the Upani§ads, and let others worship the Mahii­\n\nbhiirata if they are afraid of material existence and want to become\nliberated from that condition. But as far as I am concerned, I wish\nonly to worship Maharaj Nanda because the supreme absolute Personality of Godhead, Kr�!la, is crawling in his courtyard as his own\nchild.\"\nFollowing is a list of respectful personalities who enjoy parental\naffection toward Kr�pa: l) Mother Yasoda, the Queen of Braja, 2)\nMaharaj Nanda, the King of Braja, 3) Mother Rohi!li, the mother of\nBalarama, 4) all the elderly gopis whose sons were taken away by\nLord Brahma, 5) Devaki, the wife of Vasudeva, 6) the other fifteen\nwives of Vasudeva, 7) Kunti, the mother of Arjuna, 8) Vasudeva, the\nreal father of Kr�pa, and 9) Sandipani Muni, Kr�!la's teacher. All\nthese are considered respectable elderly personalities with parental\nlove for Krwa. This list is in order of superior importance, and thus\nwe can see that Mother Yasoda and Maharaj Nanda are considered to\nbe the supermost of all elderly personalities.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0387": "Parenthood\n\n349\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, 9th Chapter, 2nd verse,\n\nSukadeva Gosvami gives Maharaj Parlk�it a description of the form\n\nand beauty of Mother Yasoda. He says, \"My dear King, the wide hips\n\nof Mother Yasoda were surrounded by silk and linen clothes, and her\n\nbreasts were flowing with milk because of her affection. When she\nwas churning butter and tightly holding the rope, the bangles on her\n\nhands and the earrings on her ears were moving, and from the nice\n\ndecoration in her hair the flowers were slackening and falling down.\nDue to her excessive labor, there were drops of perspiration on her\n\nface.\"\n\nThere is another description of Mother Yasoda in a devotee's\n\nprayer: \"Let me be given protection by Mother Yasoda, whose curly\n\nhairs are bound with thread, whose hair is very brightly beautified by\n\nthe vermilion placed in the part, and whose bodily frame derides all\n\nher ornaments. Her eyes are always engaged in seeing the face of\nKr��a, and thus they are always filled with tears. She has a com­\n\nplexion like the bluish lotus flower, which is enhanced in beauty by\nher dressing herself with many colorful garments. Let her merciful\n\nglance fall on all of us so that we may be protected from the clutches\nof maya and smoothly progress in our devotional service!\"\n\nThere is the following description of Mother Yasoda's affection for\n\nKr��a: After rising early in the morning, Mother Yasoda first of all\n\noffered her breast milk to Kr��a, and then she began to chant various\nmantras for His protection. Then she would decorate His forehead\n\nvery nicely and bind His arms with protective talismans. By all of\n\nthese activities, it is definitely understood that she is the emblem of\nall maternal affection for Kr��a.\n\nThe description of Nanda Maharaj's bodily features is as follows.\n\nThe hairs on his head are generally black, but some of them are grey.\nHis garments are of greenish color, like the new -grown leaves of a\n\nbanyan tree. His belly is fatty, his complexion is exactly like the full\n\nmoon, and he has a beautiful moustache. When Krwa was a baby,\n\none day He was walking in the courtyard, capturing the finger of His\n\nfather, and because He could not walk steadily He appeared to be al­\n\nmost falling down. While Nanda Maharaj was giving protection to His\n\ntranscendental son in this way, all of a sudden there were drops of\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0388": "350\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ntears in his eyes, and he became overwhelmed with joy. Let us all\noffer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of King Nanda!\nChildhood age, childish dress, movements by the child, sweet words\nspoken by the child, nice smiling and various forms of childish play\nare considered provocations for increasing the parental love for Kn;!la·\nThe childhood ages of Kr�!la are divided into three periods: the beginning of kaumiira age, the middle of kaumiira age, and the end of\nkaumiira age. During the beginning and middle of the kaumiira age,\nKrwa's thighs are fatty, and the inner part of His eyes are whitish.\nThere are signs of teeth coming out, and He is very mild and gentle.\nHe is described as follows: \"When Kr�!la had only three or four teeth\ncoming out of His gums, His thighs were fatty, His body was very,\nvery short, and He began to enhance the parental love of Nanda\nMaharaj and Mother Yasoda with the activities of His childish body.\nHe was sometimes stepping with His legs again and again, sometimes\ncrying, sometimes smiling, sometimes sucking His thumb and sometimes lying down flat. These are some of the different activities of the\nchild Kr�!la. When Kr�!la was lying down flat, sometimes sucking the\ntoes of His feet, sometimes throwing His legs upwards, sometimes\ncrying and sometimes smiling, Mother Yasoda, seeing her son in such\npastimes, did not show any sign of restricting Him, but rather began\nto watch her child with eagerness, enjoying these childhood pastimes.\" In the beginning of Kr�!la's kaumiira age, there were the nails\nof tigers set in a golden necklace about His neck. There was protective\ntilaka on His forehead, black mascara around His eyes and silk thread\naround His waist. These are the descriptions of Kr�!la's dress at the\nbeginning of the kaumiira age.\nWhen Nanda Maharaj saw the beauty of child Kr�!la with tiger\nnails on His chest, a complexion like the new-grown tiimala tree, beautifully decorated tilaka made with cow's urine, arm decorations of\nnice silk thread and silk clothes tied around His waist-when Nanda\nMaharaj saw his child like this, he never became satiated by the child's\nbeauty.\nIn the middle kaumiira age, the upper portion of Krwa's hair falls\naround His eyes. Sometimes He is covered with cloth around the\nlower part of His body, and sometimes He is completely naked.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0389": "351\n\nParenthood\n\nSometimes He tries to walk, taking step by step, and sometimes He\ntalks very sweetly, in broken language. These were some of the symptoms of His middle kaumiira age. He is thus described when Mother\nY asoda once saw Him in His middle kaumiira age: His scattered hairs\n\nwere touching His eyebrows, and His eyes were restless, but He could\nnot express His feelings with proper words; still, when He was talking,\nit was so nice and sweet to hear. When Mother Y asoda looked at His\nlittle ears and saw Him naked, trying to run very quickly with His\nlittle legs, she was merged into the ocean of nectar. Kr�!la's ornaments\nat this age are a pearl hanging from the septum of His nose, butter on\nHis lotus-like palms and some small bells hanging from His waist. It is\nstated that when Mother Y asoda saw that the child was moving, ringing the bells on His waist, smiling at her with a pearl between His\nnostrils and with butter on His hands, she became wonderfully\npleased to see her little child in that fashion.\nWhile Kr�!la was in the middle of His kaumiira age, His waist became thinner, His chest became broader, and His head was decorated\nwith His curly hairs, resembling the falling of the wings of a crow.\nThese wonderful features of Kr�!la's body never failed to astonish\nMother Y asoda. At the end of His kaumiira age, Kr�!la carried a small\nstick in His hand, His clothing was a little longer, and He had a knot\naround His waist, resembling the hood of a snake. In that dress He\nused to take care of the calve� near the house, and sometimes He\nplayed with cowherd boys of about the same age. He had a slender\nflute and a buffalo horn bugle, and sometimes He played on a flute\nmade from the leaves of trees. These are some of the symptoms of the\nend of Kr�!la's kaumiira age.\nWhen Kr�!la was a little grown up and was taking care of the small\ncalves, He would often go near the forest. And when He was a little\nbit late returning home, Nanda Maharaj would immediately get up on\nthe candrasiilikii\n\n(a small shed built on the roof for getting a bird's\n\neye view all around), and he would watch for Him. Worrying about\nthe late arrival of his little son, Nanda Maharaj would remain on the\ncandrasiilikii\n\nuntil he could indicate to his wife that Krsna, sur.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nrounded by His little cowherd friends, was coming back with the\ncalves. Nanda Maharaj would point out the peacock feather on his\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0390": "352\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nchild's head and would inform his beloved wife how the child was\npleasing his eyes.\nMother Yasoda then addressed Nanda Maharaj, \"See my dear son,\nwhose eyes are white, who has a turban on His head, a wrapper on\nHis body and leg bells which tinkle very sweetly on His feet. He is\ncoming near, along with His surabhi calves, and just see how He is\nwandering upon the sacred land of Vrndavana!\"\nSimilarly, Maharaj Nanda addressed his wife, \"My dear Yasoda,\njust look at your offspring, Kr��a! See His blackish bodily luster, His\neyes tinged with red color, His broad chest and His nice golden necklace! How wonderful He looks, and how He is increasing my transcendental bliss more and more!\"\nWhen Kr��a, the beloved son of Nanda Maharaj, steps into His\n\nkaisora age, although He becomes more beautiful, His parents still\nconsider Him as being in the paugaruJa age-even though He is between the ages of ten and fifteen. When Kr��a is in His paugar-fla age,\nsome of His servants also accept Him as being in the kaisora age.\nWhen Kr��a performs His childish pastimes, His general practice is to\nbreak the milk and yogurt pots, throw the yogurt in the courtyard\nand steal the cream from the milk. Sometimes He breaks the churning\nrod, and sometimes He throws butter on the fire. In this way, he increases the transcendental pleasure of His Mother Y asoda.\nIn this connection Mother Yasoda once told Mukhara, her maidservant, \"Just look at Kr��a looking stealthily toward all sides and\nslowly stepping forward from the bushes. It appears that He is coming\njust to steal the butter. Don't expose yourself or He may understand\nthat we are looking towards Him. I want to enjoy the sight of His\neyebrows moving in this cunning way, and I want to see His fearful\neyes and beautiful face.\"\nIn enjoying Krwa 's attitude of stealing butter very stealthily,\nMother Yasoda experienced the ecstasy of maternal love by smelling\nHis head, sometimes patting His body with her hand, sometimes\noffering blessings, sometimes ordering Him, sometimes gazing at Him,\nsometimes maintaining and sometimes giving Him good instructions\nnot to become a thief. Such activities are in maternal ecstatic love.\nAn important point to be observed in this connection is that the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0391": "Parenthood\n\n353\n\nchildish propensity of stealing is there even in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore this propensity is not artificial. However, in the spiritual relationship there is no inebriety to this stealing\npropensity, as there is in the material world.\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 13th Chapter, verse 39,\n\nS ukadeva Gosvami tells King Parik9it: \"My dear King, as soon as the\n\nelderly gopis saw their sons coming, there was an inexpressible sign of\nparental love, and all of them became absorbed in affection. At first\nthey were planning to chastise their sons for stealing butter, but as\n\nsoon as the sons came before their eyes, they lost all of their angry\nattitudes and became overwhelmed with affection. They began to\nembrace their sons and smell their heads. While doing this, they became almost mad after their children.\" In their childhood pastimes,\n\nall these cowherd boys j oined with Kr��a in stealing butter. But\nrather than become angry, Mother Yasoda became wet from the milk\nflowing out of her breasts. Out of her affection for Kr��a, she began\nto smell His head repeatedly.\nThe general activities of all the mothers of the cowherd boys were\nto kiss them, to embrace them, to call them by their names and sometimes to mildly chastise them for their stealing habits. These manifestations of parental love are called siittvika ecstasy, wherein mani­\n\nfestations of eight kinds of ecstatic symptoms are visible in full. ln\n\nthe Srimad-Bhiigavatam,\n\nTenth\n\nCanto, 13th Chapter,\n\n19th verse,\n\nS ukadeva Gosvami tells King Parik9it: \"All the mothers of the cow­\n\nherd boys were illusioned by the covering influence of the yoga-miiyii\npotency of the Personality of Godhead, and as soon as they heard the\nflute-playing of their boys, they immediately stood up and mentally\nembraced their sons, who had been created by the direct internal\npotency of Kr9�a. Accepting them as their born sons, they lifted\nthem into their arms and began to embrace them, resting the children's bodies upon their own. The emotions created by this incident\nwere sweeter than nectar turned into a palatable intoxicant, and the\nmilk flowing out of their breasts was immediately drunk up by the\nchildren.\"\n\nIn the Lalita-miidhava, compiled by Rii.pa Gosvami, Kr wa is ad­\n\ndressed as follows: \"My dear Kr9�a, when You are engaged in herding\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0392": "354\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nthe animals, the dust caused by the hooves of the calves and cows\ncovers Your nice face and artistic tilaka, and You appear very dusty.\nBut when You return home, the milk flowing out of the breasts of\n\nYour mother washes Your face of its dust covering, and it appears\n\nthat You are purified by this milk. It is just like when the Deity is\n\nwashed during the performance of the abhi§eka ceremony.\" It is the\n\ncustom in the temples of Deities that if there have been some impure\n\nactivities, the Deity has to be washed with milk. Kr��a is the Supreme\n\nPersonality of Godhead, and He was washed by the milk from the\n\nbreast of Mother Yasoda, which purified Him from the dust covering.\n\nSometimes there are examples of Mother Y asoda's becoming\n\nstunned in ecstasy. This was exhibited when she saw her son lifting\nGovardhan Hill. When Kr��a was standing, raising the hill, Mother\nYasoda hesitated to embrace Him and became stunned. The danger­\n\nous position that Kr��a had accepted by lifting the hill brought tears\nto her eyes. And with her eyes filled with tears she could not see\n\nKr��a anymore, and because her throat was choked up by anxiety\n\nshe could not even instruct Kr��a as to what He should do in that\nposition. This is a symptom of becoming stunned in ecstatic love.\n\nMother Yasoda sometimes enjoyed transcendental ecstasy in hap­\n\npiness when her child was saved from a dangerous situation, such\nas being attacked by Piitana or some other demon. In Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, lOth Canto, 17th Chapter, 15th verse Sukadeva Go­\n\nsvami says that Mother Yasoda felt very, very fortunate when she got\nback her lost child. She immediately placed Him on her lap and be­\n\ngan to embrace Him again and again. While she was thus embracing\n\nher son repeatedly, torrents of tears fell from her eyes, and she was\n\nunable to express her transcendental joy. It is stated in the Vidagdha­\n\nmiidhava of Srila Riipa Gosvami: \"My dear Kr��a, the touch of Your\n\nmother is so pleasing and cooling that it surpasses the cooling capacity\nof the pulp of sandalwood and of bright moonshine mixed with the\n\npulp of U§ira root.\" ( U§ira is a kind of root which when soaked with\n\nwater has a very, very cooling effect. It is especially used in the\nscorching heat of the sun.)\n\nThe parental love of Mother Yasoda for Kr��a steadily increases,\n\nand her love and ecstasy are sometimes described as intense affection\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0393": "Parenthood\n\n355\n\nand sometimes as overwhelming attachment. An example of attachment for Kr�l)a with overwhelming affection is given in the Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 6th Chapter, 27th verse, where Sukadeva\nGosvaml addresses Maharaj Parik�it in this way: \"My dear King,\n\nwhen\n\nmagnanimous\n\nNanda\n\nMaharaj\n\nreturned from\n\na tour,\n\nhe\n\nbegan to smell the head of his son, and he was merged in the ecstasy\n\nof parental love.\" A similar statement is there in connection with\n\nMother Yasoda when she was too anxious to hear the sound of\n\nKr�l)a's flute, expecting Him back from the pasturing ground. Be­\n\ncause she thought that it was getting very late, her anxiety to hear\nthe sound of Kr�l)a's flute became doubled, and milk began to flow\n\nout from her breast. In that condition she was sometimes going with­\n\nin the house, sometim�s coming out of the house. She was constantly\n\nlooking to see if Govinda was coming back along the road. When\nmany very great sages were offering prayers to Lord Kr�l)a, glorifying\nHis activities, the Queen of Gokula, Mother Yasoda, entered the\n\nbattlefield of Kuruk�etra, wetting the lower part of her sari with the\n\nmilk flowing from her breast. This entrance of Mother Yasoda at\n\nKuruk�etra was not during the Battle of Kuruk�etra. At other times\n\nKr�l)a went to Kuruk�etra from His paternal home (Dvaraka) during\n\nthe solar eclipse, and at these times the residents of Vrndavana also\nwent to see Him there.\n\nWhen Kr�l)a arrived at Kuruk�etra in pilgrimage, all the people assembled there began to say that Kr�l)a the son of Devakl had arrived.\n\nAt that time Devakl, just like an affectionate mother, began to pat\nKr�l)a's face. And again when people cried that Kr�l)a, the son of\n\nVasudeva, had come, both King Nanda and Mother Yasoda became\n\noverwhelmed with affection and expressed their great pleasure.\n\nWhen Mother Yasoda, the Queen of Gokula, was going to see her\n\nson Krwa at Kuruk�etra, one of her friends began to address her\n\nthus: \"My dear Queen, the milk flowing out of your breast-mountain\nhas already whitened the River Ganges, and the tears from your eyes,\n\nmixed with black mascara, have already blackened the color of the\n\nYamuna. And as you are standing just between the two rivers, I think\n\nthere is no need for your anxiety to see your son's face. Your parental affection has already been exhibited to Him by these two rivers!\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0394": "356\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nThe same friend of Mother Yasoda addressed Kr�!la as follows:\n\"My dear Mukunda, if Mother Yasoda, the Queen of Gokula, is forced\nto stand on fire, but is allowed to see Your lotus face, then this fire\nwill appear to her as the Himalayan Mountains: full of ice. In the\nsame way, if she is allowed to stay in the ocean of nectar, but is not\nallowed to see the lotus face of Your Grace, then even this ocean of\nnectar will appear to her as an ocean of arsenic poison.\" Let the\n\nanxiety of Mother Yasoda of Braja, always expecting to see the lotus\nface of Kr�!la, be glorified all over the universe!\n\nA similar statement was given by Kuntidevi to Akriira: \"My dear\nbrother Akriira, my nephew Mukunda is long absent from us. Will\nyou kindly tell Him that His Aunt Kunti is sitting amongst the enemy\nand would like to know when she will be able to see His lotus face\nagain?\"\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 46th Chapter, 2nd verse,\n\nthere is this statement: \"When Uddhava was present at Vrndavana\nand was narrating the activities of Kr�!la in Dvaraka, Mother Yasoda,\nwhile hearing this narration, began to pour milk from her breasts and\nshed tears from her eyes.\" Another incident demonstrating Yasoda's\nextreme love for Kr�!la occurred when Kr�!la went to Mathura, the\nkingdom of Kamsa. In separation from Kr�!la, Mother Y asoda was\nlooking at Kr�!la's makeup utensils, and she fell down on the ground\nalmost unconscious, with a great sound. When she was rolling over on\nthe ground, there were many scratches on her body, and in that\n\npiteous condition she began to cry, \"0 my dear son! My dear son!\"\nAnd she slapped her breasts with her two hands. This activity of\nMother Yasoda is explained by expert devotees as ecstatic love in\nseparation. Sometimes there are many other symptoms, such as great\nanxiety, lamentation, frustration, being stunned, humility, restlessness, madness and illusion.\nAs far as Mother Yasoda's anxieties are concerned, when Kr�!la\nwas out of the house in the pasturing ground, a devotee once told\nher, \"Yasoda, I think your movements have been slackened, and I see\nthat you are full of anxieties. Your two eyes appear to be without\nany movement, and I feel in your breathing a kind of warmth which\nis bringing your breast milk to the boiling point. All these conditions\nprove that out of separation from your son you have a severe head-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0395": "Parenthood\n\n357\n\nache.\" These are some of the symptoms of Mother Yasoda's anxiety\nfor Kr��a.\nWhen Akrilra was present in V rndavana and was narrating the activities of Krsna in Dvaraka, Mother Yasoda was informed that Krsna\n.\n\n. .\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nhad married so many queens and was very busy there in His householder affairs. Hearing this, Mother Yasoda lamented how unfortunate she was that she could not get her son married just after passing\nHis kaisora age, and thus she could not receive both her son and\ndaughter-in-law at her home. She exclaimed, \"My dear Akrilra, you\nare simply throwing thunderbolts on my head!\" These are the signs\nof lamentation on the part of Mother Yasoda in separation from\nKr��a.\nSimilarly, Mother Yasoda felt frustration when she thought, \"Although I have millions of cows, the milk of these cows could not\nsatisfy Kr��a. Therefore let a curse be on this milk! And I also am\ncondemned because although I am so opulent in material prosperity,\nI am now unable to smell the head of my child and feed Him with\nmy breast milk as I used to do when He was here in Vrndavana.\"\nThis is a sign of frustration on the part of Mother Yasoda in separation from Krwa.\nOne friend of Kr��a's addressed Him thus: \"My dear lotus-eyed\none, when You were living in Gokula You were always bearing a stick\nin Your hand. That stick is now lying idle in the house of Mother\nYasoda, and whenever she sees it she becomes motionless just like\nthe stick.\" This is the sign of becoming stunned in separation from\nKr��a. In separation from Krwa Mother Yasoda became so humble\nthat she prayed to the creator of the universe, Lord Brahma, with\ntears in her eyes: \"My dear creator, won't you kindly bring my dear\nson Kr��a back to me so that I can see Him at least for a moment?\"\nSometimes in restlessness like a madwoman Mother Yasoda used to\naccuse Nanda Maharaj, \"What are you doing in the palace? You shameless man! Why do people call you the King of Braja? It is very astonishing that while being separated from your dear son Kr��a, you are\nstill living within Vrndavana as a hard-hearted father!\"\nSomeone informed Kr��a about the madness of Mother Yasoda\nin the following words: \"In madness Mother Yasoda has addressed\nthe kadamba trees and inquired from them, 'Where is my son?' Simi-\n\n_,\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0396": "358\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nlarly, she has addressed the birds and the drones and inquired from\nthem as to whether Kr�!la has passed before them, and she has inquired if they can say anything about You. In this way, Mother\nYasoda in illusion was asking everybody about You, and she has been\nwandering all over Vrndavana.\" This is madness in separation from\nKr�!la.\nWhen Nanda Maharaj was accused by Mother Y asoda of being\n\"hard-hearted,\" he replied, \"My dear Yasoda, why are you becoming\nso agitated? Kindly look more carefully. Just see, your son Kr�!la is\nstanding before you! Don't become a madwoman like this. Please\nkeep my home peaceful.\" And Kr�!la was informed by some friend\nthat His father Nanda was also in illusion in this way, in separation\nfrom Him.\nWhen all the wives of Vasudeva were present in the arena of\nKamsa, they saw the most pleasing bodily features of Kr�!la, and immediately, out of parental affection, milk began to flow from their\nbreasts, and the lower parts of their saris became wet. This symptom\nof ecstatic love is an example of the result of fulfillment of desire.\n\nIn the First Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, llth Chapter, 25th\n\nverse, it is stated, \"When Kr�!la entered Dvaraka after finishing the\nBattle of Kuruk�etra, He first of all saw His mother and all His different stepmothers and offered His respectful obeisances unto their\nfeet. The mothers immediately took Kr�!la upon their laps, and because of their parental affection, there was milk flowing out of their\nbreasts. So their breast milk, mixed with the water of tears, became\nthe first offering to Kr�!la. This is one of the examples of being satisfied after a great separation.\n\nThere is a similar statement in the Lalita-miidhava: \"How wonder­\n\nful it is that Yasoda, the wife of King Nanda, out of her parental affection for Kr�!la, mixed her tears and the milk from her breasts and\n\nthus bathed her dear son Krwa.\" In Vidagdha-miidhava, a devotee\n\naddresses Lord Kr�!la as follows: \"My dear Mukunda, just after seeing\nYour face full with the flavor of the lotus flower, and being attracted\nby the moonlight of Your face, Mother Yasoda became so overjoyed\nin her affection that immediately from the nipples of her waterpotlike breasts, milk began to flow.\" She was thus constantly engaged in\nsupplying milk to Kr�!la after wetting the covering cloth over the jug.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0397": "Parenthood\n\n359\n\nThese are some of the signs of parental love for Kr��a by His\n\nmother, father and elderly persons. Symptoms of ecstatic love in\n\nparental affection are expressed when Krwa is accepted as the son.\n\nThese constant transcendental emotions for Kr��a are called steady\n\necstasy in parental love.\n\nSrila Rupa Gosvam'i states herein that according to some learned\n\nscholars, the three kinds of transcendental mellow so far described­\n\nnamely, servitude, fraternity and parental affection-are sometimes\n\nmixed up. For example, the fraternal feelings of Balarama are mixed\n\nwith servitude and parental affection. Similarly, King Yudhi�thira's\nattraction for Kr��a is also mixed with parental affection and servitude.\n\nSimilarly, the transcendental mellow of Ugrasena, Kr��a's\n\ngrandfather, is mixed with servitude and parental affection. The af­\n\nfection of all the elderly gopis in Vrndavana is a mixture of parental\n\nlove, servitude and fraternity. The affection of the sons of Madr'i,\n\nNakula and Sahadeva, as well as the affection of sage Narada, is a\n\nmixture of friendship and servitude. The affection of Lord Siva,\nGaru?a and Uddhava is a mixture of servitude and fraternity.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0398": "44 I Devotional Service\nin Conj ugal Love\n\nA pure devotee's attraction to Kr�l!a in conjugal love is called de­\n\nvotional service in conjugal love. Although such conjugal feelings are\n\nnot at all material, there is some similarity between this spiritual love\n\nand material activities. Therefore, persons who are interested only in\n\nmaterial activities are unable to understand this spiritual conjugal\n\nlove, and these devotional reciprocations appear very mysterious to\n\nthem. Riipa Gosvami therefore describes conjugal love very briefly.\n\nThe impetuses of conjugal love are Kr�l!a and His very dear con­\n\nsorts, such as Radhariit;1i and Her immediate associates. Lord Kr�l!a\n\nhas no rival: no one is equal to Him, and no one is greater than Him.\n\nHis beauty is also without any rival, and because He excels all others\nin the pastimes of conjugal love, He is the original object of all con­\n\njugal love.\n\nIn the Gita-govinda by J ayadeva Gosvami one gopi tells her friend:\n\n\"Kr�l!a is the reservoir of all pleasure within this universe. His body is\n\nas soft as the lotus flower. And His free behavior with the gopis,\nwhich appears exactly like a young boy's attraction to a young girl,\n\nis a subject matter of transcendental eonjugal love.\" A pure devotee\n\nfollows in the footsteps of the\n\ngopis and worships the gopis as fol­\n\nlows: \"Let me offer my respectful obeisances to all the young cow­\n\nherd girls, whose bodily features are so attractive. Simply by their\nbeautiful attractive features they are worshiping the Supreme Per­\n\nsonality of Godhead, Krwa.\" Out of all the young gopis, Srimati\nRadhariiJ!i is the most prominent.\n\nThe beauty of Srimati Radhariit;1i is described as follows: \"Her eyes\n\ndefeat the attractive features of the eyes of the cakori bird. When\n360\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0399": "Devotional Service in Conjugal Love\n\n361\n\none sees the face of Radhara�i, he immediately hates the beauty of\n\nthe moon. Her bodily complexion defeats the beauty of gold. Thus,\n\nlet us all look upon the transcendental beauty of Srimati Radhara�i\"\nKr��a's attraction for Radhara�i is described by Kr��a Himself thus:\n\n\"When I create some joking phrases in order to enjoy the beauty of\n\nRadhara�i, Radhara�i hears these joking words with great attention;\n\nbut by Her bodily features and counter words She neglects Me. And\nI even possess unlimited pleasure by Her neglect of Me, for She be­\n\ncomes so beautiful that She increases My pleasure one hundred\n\ntimes.\" A similar statement can be found in Gita-govinda, wherein it\n\nis said that when the enemy of Kamsa, Sri Krwa, embraces Srimati\nRadhara�i, He immediately becomes entangled in a loving condition\n\nand gives up the company of all other gopis.\n\nIn the Padyiivali of Riipa Gosvami it is stated that when the gopis\n\nhear the sound of Kr��a 's flute, they immediately forget all rebukes\n\noffered by the elderly members of their families, their defamation\n\nand the harsh behavior of their husbands. Their only thought is to go\n\nout in search of Kr��a. When the gopis meet Kr��a, the display of\n\ntheir exchanging glances as well as their joking and laughing behavior\n\nis called anubhiiva, or sub-ecstasy in conjugal love.\n\nIn the Lalita-miidhava, Riipa Gosvami explains that the movements\n\nof Krwa 's eyebrows are just like the Yamuna, and the smiling of\nRadhara�i is just like the moonshine. When the Yamuna and the\n\nmoonshine come in contact on the bank of the river, the water tastes\njust like nectar, and drinking it gives great satisfaction. It is as cooling\n\nas piles of snow. Similarly, in the Padyiivali, one constant companion\n\nof Radhara�i says, \"My dear moon-faced Radhara�i, Your whole\n\nbody appears to be very content, yet there are signs of tears in Your\neyes. Your speech is faltering, and Your chest is also heaving. By all\n\nthese signs I can understand that You must have heard the blowing of\nKr��a's flute, and, as a result of this, Your heart is now melting.\"\n\nIn the same Padyiivali there is the following description, which is\n\ntaken as a sign of frustration in conjugal love. Srimati Radhara�i said,\n\n\"Dear Mr. Cupid, please do not excite Me by throwing your arrows\n\nat My body. Dear Mr. Air, please do not arouse Me with the fragrance\n\nof flowers. I am now bereft of Kr��a 's loving attitude, so under the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0400": "11\n362\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ncircumstances, what is the use of My sustaining this useless b0'1\ndy?\n\nThere is no need for such a body by any living entity.\" This is a sign\nof frustration in ecstatic love for Krsna.\n\n: Srimatl Radharapl, I uinting to\n\nSimilarly, in Diina-keli-kaumudi\n\n·\n\nau ty of a bluish\nKr�pa, says, \"This clever boy of the forest has the be;\"\nlotus flower, and He can attract all the young girls of\n�< the universe.\n\nNow after giving Me a taste of His transcendental body, He has en­\n\nthused Me, and it is more than I can tolerate. I am now feeling like a\n\nfemale elephant who has been enthused by a male elephant!\" This is\n\nan instance of jubilation in ecstatic love with Kr�pa.\n\nSteady ecstasy of conjugal love is the original cause of bodily en­\n\njoyment. In the Padyiivalf this original cause of union is described\n\nwhen Radharapl tells one of Her constant companions: \"My dear\nfriend, who is this boy whose eyelids, dancing constantly, have in­\n\ncreased the beauty of His face and attracted My desire for conjugal\n\nlove? His ears are decorated with the buds of asoka flowers, and He\n\nhas dressed Himself in yellow robes. By the sound of His flute, this\nboy has already made Me impatient.\"\n\nThe conjugal love of Radha-Kr�pa is never disturbed by any per­\n\nsonal consideration. The undisturbed nature o � the conjugal love be­\n\ntween Radha and Kr�pa is described thus: \"Just a little distance away\nfrom Kr�pa was Mother Y asoda, and Kr�pa 'Vas surrounded by all of\n\nHis friends. In front of His eyes there w;,.,; Candravall, and, at the\n\nsame time, on a chunk of stone in front of the entrance to Braja,\n\nr[\n!',[\n[!\n\n:I\n\n' I\n,I\n\nthere was standing the demon known as V r�asura. But even in such\n\ncircumstances, when Kr�pa saw Radharap�- standing just bel. 1d a\n\nbush of many creepers, immediately His beautiful eyebrows moved\n\njust like lightning towards Her.\"\n\nAnother instance is described as follows: \"On one side of the\ncourtyard the dead body of Sankhasura was lying, surrounded by\n\nmany jackals. On another side were many learned briihmaras who\n\nwere all self-controlled. They were offering nice prayers, which were\n\nas soothing as the cool breeze in summer. In front of Kr�pa, Lord\n\nBaladeva was standing, causing a cooling effect. But even amidst all\n\nthese different circumstances of soothing and disturbing effects, the\n\nlotus flower of ecstatic conjugal love that Kr�pa felt for Radharapl\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0401": "�----\n\nDevoiional Service in Conjugal Love\n\n363\n\ncould not wither.\" This love of Krwa for Radhara�i is often com­\n\npared to a blooming lotus: the only difference is that Kr��a's love remains ever-increasingly beautiful.\n\nConjugal love is divided into two portions: vipralambha, or conjugal love in separation, and sambhoga, or conjugal love in direct con­\n\ntact. Vipralambha, separation, has three sub-divisions known as\n\nl)\n\npiirva-raga, or preliminary attraction, 2) mana, or seeming anger, and\n3) pravasa, or separation by distance.\n\nWhen the lover and the beloved have a distinct feeling of not\n\nmeeting each other, that stage is called piirva-riiga, or preliminary at­\n\ntraction. In Padyavali Radhara�i told Her companion, \"My dear\nfriend, I was just going to the bank of the Yamuna, and all of a sudden a very nice boy whose complexion is like a dark blue cloud be­\n\ncame visible in front of My eyes. He glanced over Me in a way that I\ncannot describe. But since this has occured, I am sorry that I can\nno longer engage My mind in the duties of My household affairs.\"\nThis is an instance of preliminary attraction for Krwa. In Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 53rd Chapter, verse 2, Krwa told the mes­\n\nsenger brahmal)a who came from Rukmi�i: \"My dear brahmal)a, just\n\nlike Rukmi�i I cannot sleep at night, and My mind is always fixed on\n\nher. I know that her brother Rukmi is against Me, and due to his\npersuasion, My marriage with her has been cancelled.\" This is another\ninstance of preliminary attraction.\n\nAs far as mana, or anger, is concerned, there is the following inci­\n\ndent described in Gita-govinda: \"When Srimati Radharapi saw Kr��a\n\nenjoying Himself in the company of several other gopis, She became\n\na little jealous because Her special prestige was being dimmed. There-·\nfore, She immediately left the scene and took shelter in a nice flower\n\nbush where the black drones were humming. Then, hiding Herself be­\n\nhind the creepers, She began to express Her sorrow to one of Her\nconsorts.\" This is an instance of a seeming disagreement.\n\nAn example of pravasa, or being out of contact because of living in\n\na distant place, is given in the Padyavali as follows: \"Since the aus­\n\npicious day when Kr��a left for Mathura, Srimati Radhara�i has been\npressing Her head on one of Her hands and constantly shedding tears.\nHer face is always wet now, and therefore there is no chance of Her\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0402": "364\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nsleeping even for a moment.\" When the face becomes wet, the sleep­\n\ning tendency is immediately removed. So when Radhara!li was always\n\nweeping for Kr9!la because of His separation, there was no chance of\nHer getting any sleep for Herself. In the Prahliida-sarhhitii Uddhava\n\nsays, \"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, painstricken\n\ndue to being pierced by the arrows of Cupid, is always thinking of\n\nyou [the gopis] , and He is not even accepting His regular lunch. Nor\n\nis He getting any proper rest.\"\n\nWhen the lover and beloved come together and enjoy one another\n\nby direct contact, this stage is called sambhoga. There is a statement\n\nin Padyiivali as follows: \"Kr9!1a embraced Srimati Radhara!li in such\nan expert manner that He appeared to be celebrating the dancing\nceremony of the peacocks.\"\n\nSri Rupa Gosvami thus ends the fifth wave of his Ocean of the\n\nNectar of Devotion. He offers his respectful obeisances to the Su­\n\npreme Personality of Godhead who appeared as Gopala, the eternal\nform of the Lord.\nThus ends the Bhaktivedanta summary study of the third division\nof Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu in the matter of the five primary relationships with K[§\"[la.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0403": "", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0404": "·li\n\n45 I Laughing Ecstasy\n\nIn the fourth division of Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu, Srila Riipa Gosvami has described seven kinds of indirect ecstasies of devotional\nservice-known as laughing, astonishment, chivalry, compassion, an­\n\nger, dread and ghastliness. In this portion, S rila Riipa Gosvami fur­\n\nther describes these ecstasies of devotional feelings, some being compatible and others incompatible with one another. When one kind of\necstatic devotional service overlaps with another in a conflicting way,\nthis state of affairs is called rasiibhiisa, or perverted presentation of\nmellows.\nExpert\n\nlearned scholars\n\nsay that laughing is generally found\n\namongst youngsters or in the combination of old persons and young\nchildren. This ecstatic loving laughing is sometimes also found in persons who are very grave by nature. Once an old mendicant approached the door of Mother Yasoda's house, and Kr�!la told Yasoda,\n\"My dear Mother, I don't wish to go near this skinny villain. If I go\nthere, he might put Me within his begging bag and take Me away\nfrom You!\" In this way, the wonderful child, Kr�!J-a, began to look at\nHis mother, while the mendicant, who was standing in the door, tried\nto hide his smiling face, although he could not do so. He immediately\nexpressed his smiling. In this instance, Kr�!la Himself is the object of\nlaughing affairs.\nOnce one of Kr�t!a's friends informed Him, \"My dear :Kf§l!J-a, if\nYou will open Your mouth, then I shall give You one nice sugar candy mixed with yogurt.\" Kr9t!a immediately opened His mouth, but\ninstead of giving Him sugar candy with yogurt, the friend dropped a\nflower in His mouth. After tasting this flower, :Kf§'tla turned His\n365\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0405": "366\n\nLaughing Ecstasy\n\nmouth in a disfigured way, and upon seeing this all His friends standing there began to laugh very loudly.\n\nOnce a palmist came to the house of Nanda Maharaj, and Nanda\n\nMaharaj asked him, \"My dear sage, will you kindly check the hand of\nmy child, Kr�l)a? Tell me how many years He will live and whether\nHe will become the master of thousands of cows.\" Upon hearing this,\n\nthe palmist began to smile, and Nanda Maharaj asked him, \"My dear\nsir, why are you laughing, and why are you covering your face?\"\n\nIn such a laughing ecstasy of love, Kr�'!a or matters pertaining to\n\nKr�'!a are the cause of the laughter. In such laughing devotional ser­\n\nvice, there are symptoms of jubilation, laziness, concealed feelings and\n\nsimilar other seemingly disturbing elements.\n\nAccording to Srila Riipa Gosvam'i's calculation, laughter in ecstatic\n\nlove can be broken down into six divisions. These divisions, according\n\nto different degrees of smiling, are call1\n\nin the Sanskrit language\n\nsmita, hasita, vihasita, avahasita, apaha:>ita, and atihasita. These six\nclasses of smiling can be classified a� major and minor. The major\n\ndivision includes smita, hasita and vilwsita smiling, and the minor\ndivision includes avahasita, apahasita ;1nd atihasita smiling.\n\nWhen one is smiling but his teeth are not visible, one can distinctly\n\nmark a definite change in the eyes and in the cheeks. This is called\n\nsmita smiling. Once when Kr�ra was stealing yogurt, J arat'i, the headmistress of the house, could detect His activities, and she was there­\n\nfore coming very hurriedly to catch Him. At that time, Kr�'!a became\n\nvery much afraid of Jarat'i and went to His elder brother Baladeva.\n\nHe said, \"My dear brother, I have stolen yogurt! Just see-J arat'i is\n\ncoming hurriedly to catch Me!\" When Kr�l)a was thus seeking the\n\nshelter of Baladeva because He was being chased by J arat!, all the\ngreat sages in the heavenly planets began to smile. This smiling is\ncalled smita smiling.\n\nSmiling in which the teeth are slightly visible is called hasita\n\nsmiling. One day Abhimanyu, the so-called husband of Radhariil)1,\n\nwas returning home, and at that time he could not see that Kr�l)a was\nthere in his house. Kr�l)a immediately changed His dress to look ex­\n\nactly like Abhimanyu and approached Abhimanyu's mother, Jatila,\naddressing her thus: \"My dear Mother, I am your real son Abhimanyu,\n\nbut just see-Kr�l)a, dressed up like me, is coming before you!\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0406": "367\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nJatila, the mother of Abhimanyu, immediately believed that Krwa\nwas her own son and thus became very angry at her real son who\nwas coming home. She began to drive away her real son, who was\ncrying, \"Mother! Mother! What are you doing?\" Seeing this incident,\nall the girl friends of Radhara�1, who were present there, began to\nsmile, and a portion of their teeth was visible. This is an instance of\nhasita smiling.\n\nWhen the teeth are distinctly visible in a smile, that is called vihasita. One day when Kr��a was engaged in stealing butter and yo·\n\ngurt in the house of Jatila, He assured His friends, \"My dear friends,\nI know that this old lady is now sleeping very profoundly because\nshe is breathing very deeply. Let us silently steal butter and yogurt\nwithout making any disturbance.\" But the old lady, Jatila, was not\nsleeping; so she could not contain her smiling, and her teeth immediately became distinctly visible. This is an instance of vihasita\nsmiling.\nIn a state of smiling, when the nose becomes puffed and the eyes\nsquint, the smiling is called avahasita. Once, early in the morning\nwhen Krwa returned home after performing His riisa dance, Mother\nYasoda looked upon Kr��a's face and addressed Him thus: \"My dear\nson, why do Your eyes look like they have been smeared with some\noxides? Have You dressed Yourself with the blue garments of Baladeva?\" When Mother Yasoda was addressing Krwa in that way, a\ngirl friend who was nearby began to smile with a puffed nose and\nsquinting eyes. This is an instance of avahasita smiling. The gopi\nknew that Kr��a had been enjoying the riisa dance and that Mother\nYasoda could not detect her son's activities nor understand how He\nhad become covered with the gopis' makeup. Her smiling was in the\navahasita feature.\nWhen tears from the eyes are added to the smiling, and the shoul­\n\nders are shaking, the smile is called apahasita. When child Kr��a was\ndancing in response to the singing of the old maidservant J arat1,\nNarada was astonished. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who\ncontrols all the movements of great demigods like Brahma and\nothers, was now dancing to the indications of an old maidservant.\nSeeing this fun, Narada also began to dance, and his shoulders\n\n'-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0407": "Laughing Ecstasy\n\n368\n\ntrembled, and his eyes moved. Due to his smiling, his teeth also became visible, and on account of the glaring effulgence from his teeth,\nthe clouds in the skies turned silver.\nWhen a smiling person claps his hands and leaps in the air, the\nsmiling expression changes into atihasita, or overwhelming laughter.\nAn example of atihasita was manifested in the following incident:\nKrwa once addressed Jarat1 thus: \"My dear good woman, the skin (}f\nyour face is now slackened, and so your face exactly resembles a\nmonkey's. As such, the King of the monkeys, Bal1mukha, has selected\nyou as his worthy wife.\" While Kr�!la was teasing Jarat1 in this way,\nshe replied that she was certainly aware of the fact that the King of\nthe monkeys was trying to marry her, but she had already taken\nshelter of Krwa, the killer of many powerful demons, and therefore\nshe had already decided to marry Krwa instead of the King of the\nmonkeys. On hearing this sarcastic reply by the talkative Jarat1, all\nthe cowherd girls present there began to laugh very loudly and clap\ntheir hands. This laughter, accompanied by the clapping of hands, is\ncalled atihasita.\nSometimes there are indirect sarcastic remarks which also create\natihasita circumstances. An example of one such remark was made\n\nby one of the cowherd girls to KutiHi, the daughter of JatiHi and sister of Abhimanyu, the so-called husband of Radhara!\\1. Indirectly\nKutila was insulted by the following statement: \"My dear Kutila,\ndaughter of Jatila, your breasts are as long as string beans-simply dry\nand long. Your nose is so gorgeous that it is defying the beauty of the\nnoses of frogs. And your eyes are more beautiful than the eyes of\ndogs. Your lips are defying the flaming cinders of fire, and your abdomen is as beautiful as a big drum. Therefore, my dear beautiful\nKutila, you are the most beautiful of all the cowherd girls of Vrndavana, and because of your extraordinary beauty, I think you must be\nbeyond the attraction of the sweet blowing of Kr9!1a's flute!\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0408": "46 I Astonishment and Chivalry\n\nAstonishment\nThe ecstasy of astonishment in devotional service is perceived in\ntwo ways: directly, by the experience of one's own eyes, and indirectly, by hearing from others.\nWhen Narada came to see the activities of the Lord at Dvaraka,\nand he saw that :Kfgta was present within every palace in the same\nbody and was engaged in different activities, he was struck with wonder. This is one of the examples of astonishment in devotional service\nby direct perception. One of the friends of Mother Y asoda says,\n\"Yasoda, j ust see the fun! On the one hand, there is your child who\nis always captivated by sucking the milk from your breast, and on the\nother hand there is the great Govardhan Hill which can ob::>tll lCt the\npassing of the clouds. But still, j ust see how wonderful it is that this\ngreat Govardhan Hill is resting on the finger of your child's left hand,\n\nj ust as though it were a toy. Is this not very mysterious?\" This statement is another example of astonishment in devotional service by direct perception.\nAn instance of astonishment in devotional service by indirect perception occurred when Maharaj Parik�it heard from S ukadeva Gosvami about Kr�!la's killing Narakiisura, who had been fighting Kr�!la\nwith eleven divisions of ak§auhiri soldiers. Each division of ak§auhiTy,i\nsoldiers contained several thousand elephants, several thousand horses\nand chariots, and several hundreds of thousands of infantry soldiers.\nNarakiisura possessed eleven such divisions, and all of them were\n\n369\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0409": "Astonishment and Chivalry\n\n370\n\nthrowing arrows toward Krwa, but Kn;�a killed them all, simply by\nthrowing three arrows from His side. When Maharaj Parik�it heard of\nthis wonderful victory, he immediately rubbed the tears from his\neyes and became overwhelmed with joy. This instance is an example\nof astonishment in devotional service by indirect perception through\naural reception.\nThere is another example of indirect astonishment. Trying to test\nKr��a to see if He were truly the Supreme Personality of Godhead,\nLord Brahma stole all the cowherd boys and cows from Him. But\nafter a few seconds, he saw that Kr��a was still present with all the\ncows, calves and cowherd boys, exactly in the same way as before.\nWhen Lord Brahma described this incident to his associates on the\nSatya-loka planet, they all became astonished. Brahma told them\nthat after taking away all the boys, he saw Kr��a again playing with\nthe same boys in the same fashion. Their bodily complexion was\nblackish, almost like Kr��a's, and they all had four arms. The same\ncalves and cows were still present there, in the same original fashion.\nEven while describing this incident, Brahma became almost overwhelmed. \"And the most astonishing thing,\" he added, \"was that\nmany other Brahmas from many different universes had also come\nthere to worship Kr��a and His associates.\"\nSimilarly, when there was a forest fire in the Bha��iravana, Kr��a\ninstructed His friends to close their eyes tightly, and they all did this.\nThen when Kr��a had extinguished the fire, the cowherd boys opened\ntheir eyes and saw that they had been relieved from the danger and\nthat their cows and calves were all safe. They began to perceive the\nwonder of the situation simply by guessing how Kr��a had saved\nthem. This is another instance of indirect perception causing astonishment in devotional service.\nThe activities of a person, even if they are not very extraordinary,\ncreate an impression of wonder in the heart and mind of the person's\nfriends. But even very wonderful activities performed by a person\nwho is not one's friend will not create any impression. It is because\nof love that one's wonderful activities create an impression in the\nmind.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0410": "---- ------- --\n\n371\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nChivalry\nWhen on account of love and devotional service for the Lord there\nis special valorous enthusiasm, the resultant activities are called chiv­\n\nalrous. These chivalrous activities can be manifested in the acts of\n\nmock-fighting, giving in charity, showing mercy and executing reli­\n\ngious principles. By performing chivalrous activities in fighting, one is\ncalled yuddha-vira. By charitable activities one is called diina-vira. By\nshowing extraordinary mercy one is called dayii-vira. And when one\nis munificent in executing religious rites, he is called dharma-vira. In\n\nall such different chivalrous activities, Krwa is the object.\n\nWhen a friend wants to satisfy Kr�rta by performing some chival­\n\nrous activities, the friend becomes the challenger, and Kr�rta Himself\n\nbecomes the opponent; or else Kr�rta may give audience to the fight­\n\ning, and by His desire another friend becomes the opponent. A friend\nonce challenged Kr�rta thus: \"My dear Madhava, You are very restless\n\nbecause You think that no one can defeat You. But if You do not\n\nflee from here, then I shall show You how I can defeat You. And my\n\nfriends will be very satisfied to see this!.\"\n\nKr�rta and Sridama were very intimate friends, yet Sridama, out of\nanger with Kr�rta, challenged Him. When both of them began to fight,\n\nall the friends on the bank of the Yamuna enjoyed the wonderful\nfighting of the two friends. They prepared some arrows for mock­\n\nfighting, and Kr�rta began to throw his arrows at Sridama. Sridama\n\nbegan to block these arrows by whirling his pole, and by Sridama's\n\nchivalrous activities, Kr�rta became very satisfied. Such mock-fighting\n\ngenerally takes place amongst chivalrous persons and creates wonderful excitement for all viewers.\n\nThere is a statement in the Hari-varhsa that sometimes Arjuna and\n\nKrwa fought in the presence of Kunti, and Arjuna would be defeated\n\nby Kr�rta.\nIn such chivalrous fighting between friends, there is sometimes\n\nbragging, self-complacence, pride, power, taking to weapons, challenging and standing as opponent. All of these symptoms become\nimpetuses to chivalrous devotional service.\nOne friend challenged Kr�rta thus: \"My dear friend Damodara, You\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0411": "Astonishment and Chivalry\n\n372\n\nare an expert only in eating. You have defeated Subala only because\n\nhe is weak and You adopted cheating means. Don't advertise Yourself\n\nto be a great fighter by such action. You have advertised Yourself as a\n\nserpent, and I am the peacock who will now defeat You.\" The peacock is the ablest enemy of the serpent.\n\nIn such fighting between friends, when the self-advertisement be­\n\ncomes personal, learned scholars say it is sub-ecstasy. When there is a\nroaring challenge, certain kinds of movement for fighting, enthusiasm,\n\nno weapons and assurance given to frightened witnesses-all these\n\nchivalrous activities are called sub-ecstasy.\n\nOne friend addressed Kr�!la in this 1manner: \"My dear Madhu­\n\nsiidana, You know my strength, yet You are encouraging Bhadrasena,\n\nand not me, to challenge mighty Baladeva. By this action You are\n\nsimply insulting me because my arms are as strong as the bolts of the\n\ngate!\"\n\nA devotee once said, \"My dear Lord Kr$!!a, may Your challenger,\n\nSr'idama, become glorious for his chivalrous activities, such as vibrat­\n\ning like a thunder cloud and roaring like a lion. May all glories go to\nSridama's chivalrous activities!\" Chivalrous activities in the matter of\n\nfighting, charity, mercy and execution of religious rituals are called\n\nconstitutional; whereas the expression of pride, emotions, endurance,\nkindness, determination, jubilation, enthusiasm, jealousy and remem­\n\nbrance are called unconstitutional. When Stokakf${la, one of the many\nfriends of Kf�{la, was fighting with Him, his father chastised him for\nfighting with Kr${la, who was the life and soul of all residents of\n\nVrndavana. Upon hearing these chastisements, Stokakr$!1a stopped\n\nhis fighting. But Krwa continued to challenge him, and thus, in order\n\nto meet the challenge, Stokakr$!la took his pole and began to display\nhis dexterity by whirling it.\n\nOnce Sridama challenged Bhadrasena and said to him, \"My dear\n\nfriend, you needn't be afraid of me yet. I shall first of all defeat\n\nour brother Balarama, then I shall beat Kr$!!a, and then I shall come\nto you.\" Bhadrasena therefore left the party of Balarama and joined\nKr$!!a, and he agitated his friends as much as the Mandara Hill had\nagitated the whole ocean. By his roaring sounds he deafened all his\nfriends, and he enthused Kr$!la with his chivalrous activities.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0412": "373\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nOnce Kn;�a challenged all His friends and said, \"My dear friends,\njust see-I am jumping with great chivalrous prowess. Please do\nnot flee away.\" Upon hearing these challenging words, another\nfriend named V ariithapa counter-challenged the Lord and struggled\nagainst Him.\nOne of the friends once remarked, \"Sudama is trying his best to see\nDamodara defeated, and I think that if our powerful Subala joins\nhim, they will be a very beautiful combination, like a valuable jewel\nbedecked with gold.\"\nIn these chivalrous activities, only Kr��a's friends can be the opponents. Kr��a's enemies can never actually be His opponents. Therefore, this challenging by Kr��a's friends is called devotional service in\nchivalrous activities.\nDiina-vira, or chivalry in the giving in charity, can be divided into\ntwo parts: munificence and renunciation. A person who can sacrifice\neverything for the satisfaction of Kr��a is called munificent. When a\nperson desires to make a sacrifice because of his seeing Kr��a, Kr�rm\nis called the impetus of the munificent activity. When Kr��a appeared\nas the son of Nanda Maharaj, in clear consciousness Nanda Maharaj\ndesired all auspiciousness for his son and thus began to give in charity\nvaluable cows to all the briihmarws. The briihmaflaS were so satisfied\nby this charitable action that they were obliged to say that the charity of N anda Maharaj had excelled the charity of such past kings as\nMaharaj Prthu and Nrga.\nWhen a person knows the glories of the Lord completely and is\nprepared to sacrifice everything for the Lord, he is called sampradiinaka, or one who gives everything in charity for the sake of Krwa.\nWhen Maharaj Yudhi�thira went with Kr��a in the arena of the\nriija-silya sacrifice, in his imagination he began to anoint the body of\nKr��a with pulp of sandalwood, he decorated Him with a garland\nhanging down to His knees, he began to give Him garments all embroidered with gold, he gave Him ornaments all bedecked with valuable jewels, and he gave Him many fully decorated elephants, chariots\nand horses. He further wished to give Krwa in charity his kingdom,\nhis family and his personal self also. After so desiring, when there was\nnothing to actually give in charity, Maharaj Yudhi�thira became very\nperturbed and anxious.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0413": "Astonishment and Chivalry\n\n374\n\nSimilarly, Maharaj Bali once told his priest, Sukracarya: \"My dear\n\nsage, you are fully expert in knowledge of the Vedas, and as such you\nworship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vi�l).U, by Vedic rituals. As far as this briihmar-a dwarf [the incarnation Vamanadeva]\n\nis concerned, if He is Lord Vi�l).U, a simple briihmar-a, or even my\n\nenemy, I have decided to give to Him in charity all the land He has\n\nasked for.\" Maharaj Bali was so fortunate that the Lord extended be­\n\nfore Him His hand, which was reddish from touching the breast of\n\nthe goddess of fortune, who is always smeared with red kunkum\npowder. In other words, although the Personality of Godhead is so\ngreat that the goddess of fortune is always under His command for\nenjoyment, He still extended His hands to take charity from Maharaj\nBali.\n\nA person who wants to give everything in charity to Krwa but does\n\nnot want anything in return is considered the real renouncer. Thus, a\ndevotee will refuse to accept any kind of liberation, even if it is of­\n\nfered by the Lord. Real love of Kr�l}a becomes manifested when\n\nKr�l}a becomes the recipient of charity and the devotee becomes the\n\ng�ver.\n\nIn the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya there is another example, forwarded\n\nby Maharaj Dhruva. He says there, \"My dear Lord, I have practiced\n\nausterities and penances because I was desiring to receive something\n\nfrom You, but in exchange You have allowed me to see You, who are\nnever visible even to the great sages and saintly persons. I had been\n\nsearching out some pieces of broken glass, but instead I have found\n\nthe most valuable jewel. I am therefore fully satisfied, my Lord. I do\nnot wish to ask anything more from Your Lordship.\"\n\nA similar statement is to be found in the Third Canto of Srimad­\n\nBhiigavatam, 15th Chapter, 48th verse. The four sages headed by\nSanaka Muni addressed the Lord as follows: \"My dear Supreme Per­\n\nsonality of Godhead, Your reputation is very attractive and free from\nall material contamination. Therefore You are worthy of being glorified and are actually the reservoir of all pilgrimages. Auspicious per­\n\nsons, who are fortunate enough to be engaged in glorifying Your\nattributes and who actually know what Your transcendental position\n\nis, do not even care to accept liberation offered by You. Because they\n\nare so transcendentally enriched, they do not care to accept even the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0414": "375\n\nThe Nectar ofDevotion\n\npost of Indra, the heavenly King. They know that the post of the\n\nKing of heaven is also fearful, whereas for those who are engaged in\n\nglorifying Your transcendental qualities there is only joyfulness and\n\nfreedom from all danger. As such, why should persons with this\n\nknowledge be attracted by a post in the heavenly kingdom?\"\n\nOne devotee has described his feelings about the charity exhibited\n\nby King Mayiiradhvaja: \"I am faltering even to speak about the\n\nactivities of Maharaj Mayiiradhvaja, to whom I offer my respectful\n\nobeisances.\" Mayiiradhvaja was very intelligent, and he could under­\n\nstand why Kr�!la came to him once, in the garb of a briihmar-a. Kr�!la\n\ndemanded from him half of his body, to be sawed off by his wife and\n\nson, and King Mayiiradhvaja agreed to this proposal. On account of\n\nhis intense feeling of devotional service, King Mayiiradhvaja was\n\nalways thinking of Kr�!J.a, and when he understood that Krwa had\n\ncome in the garb of a briihmar-a, he did not hesitate to part with half\n\nof his body. This sacrifice of Maharaj Mayiiradhvaja for Kr�!!a's sake\n\nis unique in the world, and we should offer our all-respectful obei­\n\nsances to him. He had full knowledge of the Supreme Personality of\nGodhead in the garb of a briihmar-a, and he is known as the perfect\n\ndiina-vira, or renouncer.\n\nAny person who is always ready to satisfy Kr�!la and who is always\n\n\\I\n\ndexterous in executing devotional service is called dharma-vira, or\nchivalrous in executing religious rituals. Only advanced devotees per­\n\nforming religious ritualistic performances can come to this stage of\ndharma-vira. Dharma-viras are produced after going through the au­\n\nthoritative scriptures, following moral principles, being faithful and\n\ntolerant and controlling the senses. Persons who execute religious\nrituals for the satisfaction of Kr�!ia are steady in devotional service,\n\nwhereas persons who execute religious rituals without intending to\nplease Kr�!ia are only called pious.\n\nThe best example of a dharma-vira is Maharaj Yudhi�thira. A devo­\n\ntee once told Kr�!J.a: \"My dear Kr�!J.a, 0 killer of all demons, Maharaj\n\nYudhi�thira, the eldest son of Maharaj Pa!l-9-u, has performed all kinds\n\nof sacrifices just to please You. He has always invited the heavenly\n\nKing, Indra, to take part in the yajnas [sacrifices] . Because King\n\nIndra was thus absent so often from Sacidevi, she had to pass much\n\nI\n\nL\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0415": "Astonishment and Chivalry\n\n376\n\nof her time pining over Indra's absence, with her cheeks upon her\nhands.\"\nThe performance of different yajiias for the demigods is considered\nto be worship of the limbs of the Supreme Lord. The demigods are\nconsidered to be different parts of the universal body of the Lord,\nand therefore the ultimate purpose in worshiping them is to please the\nLord by partially worshiping His different limbs. Maharaj Yudhi�thira\nhad no such material desire; he executed all sacrifices under the direction of Krwa, and not to take any personal advantage from them.\nHe only desired to please Kr��a and was therefore called the best of\nthe devotees. He was always merged in the ocean of loving service.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0416": "4 7 I Compassion and Anger\n\nCompassion\nWhen the ecstasy of devotional service produces some kind of\nlamentation in connection with Kr��a, it is called devotional service\nin compassion. The impetus of this devotional service is Krwa's tran­\n\nscendental quality, form and activities. In this ecstasy of devotional\nservice there are sometimes symptoms like regret, heavy breathing,\n\ncrying, falling on the ground and beating upon one's chest. Sometimes symptoms like laziness, frustration, defamation, humility, anxiety, moroseness, eagerness, restlessness, madness, death, forgetfulness,\n\ndisease and illusion are also visible. When in the heart of a devotee\nthere is expectation of some mishap to Krwa it is called devotional\nservice in bereavement. Such bereavement is another symptom of\n\nthis devotional service in compassion.\n\nIn the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 16th Chapter, 13th verse,\n\nthere is the following description. When Kr��a was chastising the\nKaliyanaga in the Yamuna, the big snake wrapped his coils all over\nKr��a's body, and upon seeing Kr��a in this situation, all His dear\n\ncowherd friends became greatly disturbed. Out of bereavement, dis­\n\ntress and fearfulness, they became bewildered and began to fall on\nthe ground. Because the cowherd boys were under the illusion that\nKr��a could be in some mishap, their symptoms are not at all aston­\n\nishing; they had dedicated their friendship, their possessions, their\n\ndesires and their very selves to Kr��a.\n\nWhen Kr��a entered the Yamuna River, which had become very\npoisonous from the presence of Kaliya, Mother Yasoda feared all\nkinds of mishaps, and she was breathing hotly. Tears from her eyes\n377\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0417": "Compassion and Anger\n\n378\n\nwere soaking her clothes, and she was almost collapsing.\n\nSimilarly, when the Sankhasura demon was attacking Kr�!la's\n\nqueens one after another, Lord Baladeva became more and more\nbluish.\n\nIn the Harhsadiita, the following incident is described: The gopis\n\nrequested Hamsadiita to search after the marks of Kr��a's lotus feet\n\nand to accept them as Lord Brahma had accepted them on his helmet\n\nafter he had stolen all Kr�!la 's cowherd boys. Regretting his challenge\nto Kr��a, Lord Brahma had bowed down before the Lord, and his\nhelmet became marked with the footprints of Kr��a. The gopis reminded Hamsadiita that sometimes even the great sage Narada be­\n\ncomes very ecstatic by seeing these footprints, and sometimes great\n\nliberated sages also aspire to see them. \"You should therefore seek\nvery enthusiastically to find the footprints of Krwa,\" they urged.\nThis is another instance of devotional service in compassion.\n\nThere is another instance when Sahadeva, the younger brother of\nNakula, became greatly gladdened at seeing the effulgent glowing of\n\nKr�!la's footprints. He began to cry and call out, \"Mother Madri!\nWhere are you now? Father Pa!l�u! Where are you now? I am very\n\nsorry that you are not here to see these footprints of Kt$�a!\" This is\n\nanother instance of devotional service in compassion.\n\nIn such devotional service in compassion there are sometimes\n\nsmiling symptoms, but never is there any stress or lamentation. The\n\nbasic principle is always ecstatic love. The apprehension of some\nmishap to Kr�!la or to His beloved queens, as exhibited by Baladeva\nand Yudhi�thira, has been explained above. This apprehension is not\n\nexactly due to their ignorance of the inconceivable potencies of\n\nKr�!la but to their intense love for Him. This kind of apprehension\nof some mishap to Kr�!la first of all becomes manifested as an object\n\nof lamentation, but gradually it develops into such compassionate\nloving ecstasy that it turns to another channel and gives transcendental pleasure.\n\nAnger\nIn ecstatic loving service to Kr�!la in anger, Kn;�a is always the ob-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0418": "379\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nject. In Vidagdha-miidhava, Second Canto, 53rd verse, Lalitagopi ex­\n\npressed her anger, which was caused by Kr��a, when she addressed\n\nSrimati Radhara�i thus: \"My dear friend, my inner desires have been\n\npolluted. Therefore I shall go to the place of Yamaraja. But I am sor­\n\nry to see that Kr��a has still not given up His smiling over cheating\nYou. I do not know how You could repose all Your loving propensities upon this lusty young boy from the neighborhood of the cow­\n\nherds.\"\n\nAfter seeing Kr��a, Jarati sometimes said, \"0 You thief of young\n\ngirls' properties! I can distinctly see the covering garment of my\ndaughter-in-law on Your person.\" Then she cried very loudly, ad­\n\ndressing all the residents of V rndavana to inform them that this son\nof King N anda was setting fire to the household life of her daughter­\n\nin-law.\n\nSimilar ecstatic love for Kr��a in anger was expressed by Rohi¢\"­\n\ndevi when she heard the roaring sound of the two falling arjuna trees\n\nto which Krwa had been tied. The whole neighborhood proceeded\n\nimmediately towards the place where the accident took place, and\nRohi�idevi took the opportunity to rebuke Mother Yasoda as fol­\n\nlows: \"You may be very expert in giving lessons to your son by\n\nbinding Him with rope, but don't you look to see if your son is in a\ndangerous spot? The trees are falling on the ground, and He is simply\nloitering there!\" This expression of Rohi�idevi's anger toward Yasoda\n\nis an example of ecstatic love in anger caused by Kr��a.\n\nOnce, while Kr��a was in the pasturing ground with His cowherd\n\nboys, His friends requested Him to go to the Talavana Forest, where\n\nGardabhasura, a disturbing demon in the shape of an ass, resided.\nThe friends of Kr��a wanted to eat the fruit from the forest trees,\n\nbut they could not go because of fear of the demon. Thus they re­\n\nquested Kr�pa to go there and kill Gardabhasura. After Kr�pa did\n\nthis, they all returned home, and their report of the day's activity\n\nperturbed Mother Yasoda because Kr�pa had been sent alone into\n\nsuch danger in the Talavana Forest. Thus she looked upon the boys\nwith anger.\n\nThere is another instance of anger on the part of a friend of\n\nRadhara�i's. When Radharapi was dissatisfied with the behavior of\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0419": "Compassion and Anger\n\n380\n\nKr�rta and had stopped talking with Him, Krwa was very sorry for\nRadhararti's great dissatisfaction, and in order to beg forgiveness, He\n\nfell down at Her lotus feet. But even after this, Radhararti was not\n\nsatisfied, and She did not talk with Kr�rta. At that time, one of Her\n\nfriends chastised Her in the following words: \"My dear friend, You\n\nare allowing Yourself to be churned by the rod of dissatisfaction, so\n\nwhat can I say unto You? The only advice I can give You is that You\n\nhad better leave this scene immediately, because Your misbehavior\n\nis giving me too much pain. I cannot bear to see Your behavior, be­\n\ncause even though Kr�rta's peacock feather has touched Your feet,\nYou still appear to be red-faced.\"\n\nThe above attitudes of dissatisfaction and anger in devotional ser­\n\nvice are called ir§yu.\n\nWhen Uddhava was leaving Vrndavana, some of the elderly gopis\n\nrebuked him as follows: \"0 son of Gandini, your cruelty is defaming\n\nthe dynasty of King Yadu. You are taking Kr�rta away, keeping us in\n\nsuch pitiable condition without Him. Now, even before you have\nleft, the life air of all the gopis has practically disappeared.\"\n\nWhen Kr�rta was insulted by Sisupala in the assembly of riija-siiya\n\nyajfia convened by Maharaj Yudhi�thira, there was a great turmoil\namongst the Part9avas and Kurus, involving grandfather Bhi�ma. At\nthat til_!le Nakula said with great anger, \"Krwa is the Supreme Per­\n\nsonality of Godhead, and the nails of His toes are beautified by the\nlight emanating from the jeweled helmets of the authorities of the\nVedas. If He is derided by anyone, I declare herewith as a Part9ava\n\nthat I will kick his helmet with my left foot, and I will strike him\nwith my arrows, which are as good as Yamadarz4a, the sceptor of\nYamaraja!\" This is an instance of ecstatic love for Kr�p.a in anger.\n\nIn such a transcendental angry mood sometimes sarcastic remarks,\n\nunfavorable glances and insulting words are exhibited. Sometimes\n\nthere are other symptoms, like rubbing the two hands, clacking the\nteeth, clamping the lips, moving the eyebrows, scratching the arms,\n\nlowering the head, breathing rapidly, uttering strong words, nodding\nthe head, exhibiting yellowishness at the corner of the eyes, and exhi­\n\nbiting trembling lips. Sometimes the eyes turn red, and sometimes\n\nthey fade. And there is sometimes chastisement and silence. All these\n\n�\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0420": "381\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nsymptoms of anger can be divided into two parts: constitutional and\n\nunconstitutional, or permanent and temporary symptoms. Sometimes great emotion, bewilderment, pride, frustration, illusion, im­\n\npotence, jealousy, dexterity, negligence and signs of hard labor are\n\nalso manifest as unconstitutional symptoms.\n\nIn all these humors of ecstatic love, the feeling of anger is accepted\n\nas the steady factor.\n\nWhen J arasandha angrily attacked the city of Mathura, he looked\n\nat Kr�!la with sarcastic glances. At that time Baladeva took up His\n\nplow weapon and gazed upon J arasandha with colored eyes.\n\nThere is a statement in the Vidagdha-miidhava wherein Sr1mat1\n\nRadhara!l-1, in an angry mood, addressed Her mother, Paur!lamas1,\n\nafter she had accused Radhara!l-1 of going to Kr�!la. \"My dear moth­\n\ner,\" Radha declared, \"what can I say to you? Krwa is so cruel that\n\nHe often attacks Me on the street, and if I want to cry out veryloud�\n\nly, this boy with a peacock feather on His head immediately covers\n\nMy face so that I cannot cry. And if I want to go away from the scene\n\nbecause I am afraid of Him, He will immediately spread His arms to\n\nblock My path. If I piteously fall down at His feet, then this enemy\nof the Madhu demon, in an angry mood, bites My face! Mother, just\n\ntry to understand My situation, and don't be unnecessarily angry with\n\nMe. Instead, please tell Me how I can save Myself from these terrible\n\nattacks of Kr�!la!\"\n\nSometimes amongst contemporary personalities there are signs of\n\necstasy in anger because of love for Kr�!la. An example of such anger\nwas exhibited in the quarrel between Jatila and Mukhara. Jatila was\nthe mother-in-law of Radhara!l-1, and Mukhara was Her great grand­\n\nmother. Both of them were talking about Krwa's unnecessary har­\n\nrassment of Radhara!l-1 when She was walking on the street. Jatila\n\nsaid, \"You cruel-faced Mukhara! By hearing your words my heart\n\nfeels like it is burning in a fire!\" And Mukhara replied, \"You sinful\nJatila, by hearing your words, there is aching in my head! You cannot\n\ngive any evidence that Kr�!la has attacked Radhara!l-1, the daughter of\nmy granddaughter Kirtida.\"\n\nOnce, when Radhara!l-1 was taking off the necklace given to Her by\n\nKr�!la, Jatila, her mother-in-law, told a friend: \"My dear friend, just\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0421": "Compassion and Anger\n\n382\n\nsee the beautiful necklace that Kr��a has presented to Radhara�i.\n\nShe is now holding it, but still she wants to tell us that She has no\n\nconnection with Kr��a. This girl's activities have disgraced our whole\n\nfamily!\"\n\nNatural jealousy of Kr��a by persons like Sisupala cannot be ac­\n\ncepted as ecstatic love in anger with Kr��a.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0422": "48 I Dread and Ghastliness\n\nDread\nIn ecstatic love for Knp.a in dread, there are two causes of fear:\neither Kr9p.a Himself or some dreadful situation for Kr9tta. When a\ndevotee feels himself to be an offender at Kr9tta's lotus feet, at that\ntime Kr9tta Himself becomes the objective of dreadful ecstatic love.\nAnd when out of ecstatic love friends and well-wishers of Kr9p.a\napprehend some danger for Him, that situation becomes the object of\ntheir dread.\nWhen ij,k9araj was in front of Krwa fighting and 'suddenly realized\nthat Krwa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kr9tta addressed\nhim thus: \"My dear ij,k9araj, why is your face so dry? Please do not\nfeel threatened by Me. There is no need for your heart to tremble like\nthis. Please calm yourself down. I have no anger toward you. You\ncan, however, become as angry as you like with Me-to expand your\nservice in fighting with Me and to increase My sporting attitude.\" In\nthis dreadful situation in ecstatic love for Kr9p.a, Kr9pa Himself is the\nobject of dread.\nThere is another instance of a dreadful situation with Kr�p.a as the\nobject as follows: After being sufficiently chastised by child Kr9p.a in\nthe Yamuna River, the Kaliya snake began to address the Lord, \"0\nkiller of the Mura demon, I have acquired many mystic powers by my\nausterity and penances, but before You I am nothing, I am most insignificant. Therefore, please be kind upon a poor soul like me, and\ndon't be angry with me. I did not know Your actual position, and\nout of ignorance I have committed such horrible offenses. Please\n383\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0423": "Dread and Ghastliness\n\n384\n\nsave me. I am a most unfortunate, foolish creature. Please be merciful\n\nto me.\" This is another instance of the ecstasy of dread in devotional\nserVIce.\n\nWhen the KeSi demon was causing disturbance in V rndavana by\n\nassuming a large horse's body that was so big that he could jump over\n\nthe trees, Mother Y asoda told her husband, N anda Maharaj, \"Our\nchild is very restless, so we had better keep Him locked up within the\n\nhouse. I have been very worried about the recent disturbances of the\nKesi demon, who has been assuming the form of a giant horse.\" When\n\nit was learned that the demon was entering Gokula in an angry mood,\n\nMother Y asoda became so anxious to protect her child that her face\n\ndried up and there were tears in her eyes. These are some of the\n\nsigns of the ecstasy of dread in devotional service, caused by seeing\n\nand hearing something that is dangerous to K.r9pa.\n\nAfter the Putana witch had been killed, some friends of Mother\n\nY asoda inquired from her about the incident. Mother Y asoda at once\n\nrequested her friends, \"Please stop! Please stop! Don't bring up the\n\nincident of PUtana. I become distressed just by remembering this\n\nincident. The Putana witch came to devour my son, and she deceived\n\nme into letting her take the child on her lap. After that, she died and\nmade a tumultuous sound with her gigantic body.\"\n\nIn the ecstasy of devotional service in dread, the unconstitutional\n\nsymptoms are drying up of the mouth, exuberance, glancing towards\n\nthe back side, concealing oneself, bewilderment, searching after the\n\nendangered lovable object and crying very loudly. Some other un­\n\nconstitutional symptoms are illusion, forgetfulness, and expectation\nof danger. In all such circumstances the ecstatic dread is the steady or\n\nconstant factor. Such dreadfulness is caused either by offenses com­\n\nmitted or by dreadful circumstances. Offenses can be committed in\n\nvarieties of ways, and the dread is felt by the person who has com­\n\nmitted the offense. When dread is caused by a fearful object, this\nfearful object is generally a person who is fearsome in his features,\n\nnature and influence. An example of an object which caused ecstatic\n\ndread is the Putanii witch. Dread can be caused by mischievous de­\n\nmonic characters, such as King Kamsa, and it can be caused by great\npowerful demigods, such as lndra or Sankara.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0424": "385\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nDemons like Kamsa feared Kr�!ia, but their feelings cannot be\ndescribed as ecstatic dread in devotional service.\n\nGhastliness\nIt is understood from authoritative sources that an attachment for\nKrwa because of feelings of disgust sometimes presents a ghastly\necstasy in devotional service. The person experiencing such ecstatic\nlove for Kr�!la is almost always in the neutral stage of devotional service; or siinta-rasa. A description of ecstatic love caused by ghastliness\nis found in the following statement: \"This person was formerly interested solely in the matter of lust and sense gratification, and he\nhad perfected the greatest skill in exploiting women to fulfill his\nlusty desires. But now how wonderful it is that this same man is\nchanting the names of Kr�!la with tears in his eyes, and as soon as he\nsees the face of a woman, he immediately becomes disgusted. From\nthe indication of his face, I would think that now he hates sex life.\"\nIn this mellow of devotional service in ghastliness, the sub-ecstatic\nsymptoms are spitting upon the consideration of one's past life, contorting the face, covering the nose and washing the hands. There is\nalso trembling of the body, forcible twisting of the body and perspiration. Other symptoms which may be present are shame, exhaustion,\nmadness, illusion, frustration, humility, self-pity, restlessness, eagerness and stunning of the body.\nWhen a devotee, lamenting for his past abominable activities, shows\nspecial symptoms on his body, his feeling is called ecstasy in devotional service in ghastliness. This is caused by the awakening of his\nKr�!ia consciousness.\nIn this connection there is the following statement: \"How can a\nperson take pleasure in the enjoyment of sex life in this body, which\nis a bag of skin and bones, filled with blood, covered by skin and\nflesh and which produces mucus and evil smells?\" This perception is\n::I\n\npossible only for one who is awakened to Kr�!la consciousness and\nwho has become fully cognizant of the abominable nature of this\nmaterial body.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0425": "Dread and Ghastliness\n\n386\n\nA fortunate child in the womb of his mother prayed to Kr�tta as\nfollows: \"0 enemy of Kamsa, I am suffering so much because of this\nmaterial body. Now I am trapped within a mess of blood, urine and\nliquid stool, within the womb of my mother. Because I am living in\nsuch a condition, I am suffering great pangs. Therefore, 0 divine ocean\nof mercy, please be kind to me. I have no capacity to be engaged in\nYour loving devotional service, but please save me!\" There is a similar\nstatement by a person fallen in the hellish condition of life. He addressed the Supreme Lord thus: \"My dear Lord, Yamaraja has placed\nme in a situation which is full of filthy and obnoxious smells. There\nare so many insects and worms, surrounded by the stools left by different kinds of diseased persons. And after visualizing this horrible\nscene, my eyes have become sore, and I am becoming nearly blind. I\ntherefore pray, 0 my Lord, 0 deliverer from the hellish conditions of\nlife. I have fallen into this hell, but I shall try to remember Your holy\nname always, and in this way I shall try to keep my body and soul\ntogether.\" This is another instance of ecstatic love for Kr�tta in an\nabominable situation.\nIt is to be understood that any person who is constantly engaged\nin chanting the holy names of the Lord, Hare Kr9tJ.a, Hare Kr�tJ.a,\nKr�tta Krwa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare\nHare, has attained a transcendental affection for Kr9tJ.a, and as such,\n\nin any condition of life, he remains satisfied simply by remembering\nthe Lord's name in full affection and ecstatic love.\nIn conclusion, it may be stated that the ecstatic love for Kr�tta\nin ghastliness appears during the development of dormant neutrality\ninto developed affection.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0426": "49 I Mixing of Rasas\n\nAs already described, there are twelve different kinds of rasas, or ecstatic relationships which are shared with Kr�!la. Five of these rasas\nare direct, and they are listed as neutrality, servitude, fraternal love,\nparental love, and conjugal love. Seven of the rasas are indirect, and\nthey are listed as humor, astonishment, chivalry, compassion, anger,\ndread and ghastliness. The five direct rasas are eternally manifested\nin the Vaiku!ltha world, the spiritual kingdom, whereas the seven indirect rasas are eternally manifesting and unmanifesting in Gokula\nVrndavana, where Kr�!ia displays His transcendental pastimes in the\nmaterial world.\nVery often, in addition to one's regular rasa, there is found the\npresence of some other rasa, and the mixture of these loving humors\nis sometimes compatible, or palatable, and sometimes incompatible,\nor unpalatable. The following is a scientific analysis of the compatibility and incompatibility of the mixtures of these various rasas, or\nloving moods.\nWhen in the rasa of neutral love (santa-rasa) there are found\ntraces of dread or astonishment, the result is compatible. When with\nthis neutral love there are manifestations of conjugal love, chivalry,\nanger or dread, the result is incompatible.\nWhen in the ecstasy of a serving humor, there are manifestations\nof dread, neutral love, or chivalry (such as dharma-vira and diina-vira)\nthe result is compatible. The ecstasy of devotional service in chivalry\n\n(yuddha-vira) and anger are directly produced by Kr�!ia Himself.\nWith the ecstasy of fraternal love, a mixture of conjugal love,\nlaughter or chivalry is highly compatible. With the same fraternal\n387\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0427": "Mixing of Rasas\n\n388\n\nlove, a mixture of dread or parental love is most incompatible.\nAlthough there are gulfs of differences between them, with the\necstasy of parental affection, a mixture of laughter, compassion or\ndread is compatible.\nWith the ecstasy of parental love, a mixture of conj ugal love,\nchivalry or anger is incompatible.\nWith the ecstasy of devotion in conj ugal love, a mixture of laughter or fraternity is compatible.\nAccording to certain expert opinions, in the ecstasy of conj ugal\nlove, the feelings of chivalry which are known as _yuddha-vira and\n\ndharma-vira are the only compatible additions. According to this\nview, except for these two humors, all other manifestations are taken\nas incompatible with conj ugal love.\nWith the ecstasy of devotional laughter, a mixture of dread, con­\n\nj ugal love or parental love is compatible, whereas a mixture of compassion or ghastliness is incompatible.\nWith the ecstasy of devotion in astonishment, a mixture of chivalry\nor neutral love is compatible; whereas a mixture of anger or dread is\nalways incompatible.\nWith the ecstasy of devotional chivalry, a mixture of astonishment,\nlaughter or servitude is compatible, while a mixture of dread or con­\n\nj ugal love is incompatible. According to some expert opinions, the\necstasy of neutral love is always compatible with devotional service\nin chivalry.\nWith the ecstasy of compassion in devotional service, a mixture of\nanger or parental love is compatible; while a mixture of laughter, con­\n\nj ugal love or astonishment is always incompatible.\nWith the ecstasy of anger in devotional service, a mixture of compassion or chivalry is compatible; while a mixture of laughter, con­\n\nj ugal union or dread is completely incompatible.\nWith the ecstasy of dread in devotional service, a mixture of ghastliness or compassion is compatible.\nWith the ecstasy of chivalry in devotional service, a mixture of\nconj ugal union, laughter or anger is always incompatible.\nIn the ecstasy of ghastliness in devotional service, feelings of\nneutral love, laughter or servitude are compatible; whereas feelings\n\n_j\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0428": "389\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nof conj ugal union and fraternity are incompatible.\nThe above analysis is a sample of the study of rasiibhiisa or incompatible mixing of rasas. This transcendental science of rasiibhiisa can\nthoroughly explain the humors in ecstatic love which are compatible\nand incompatible with one another. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu\nwas residing in J agannatha Purl, many poets and devotees used to\ncome to Him and offer their different kinds of poetry, but the regulation was that Lord Caitanya's secretary, Svariipa Damodara, first\nexamined all of these writings scrutinizingly, and then if he would\nfind that there were no incompatibilities in the rasas, or transcendental mellows, he would then allow the poet to approach Lord Caitanya\nand recite his poetry.\nThe topic of incompatibility is a very important one, and those\nwho are pure devotees always expect to find perfect compatibility in\ndescriptions of the different relationships with the Personality of\nGodhead. The study of compatibility and incompatibility sometimes\nbecomes very involved, and a hint of why this is so is given as follows: When a friend meets another friend, the mellow produced out\nof that meeting is generally taken as very palatable. But actually with\nsuch meetings between two friends, there are so many feelings involved that it is difficult to ascertain when these feelings are actually\nbecoming compatible and when they are becoming incompatible.\nExpert literary scholars have analyzed the rasas which are compatible with one another by contrasting the various rasas in a particular\nmixture under the names \"whole\" and \"part.\" According to this\nmethod, the prominent feeling is called the \"whole,\" and the subordinate feeling is called the \"part.\"\nThe following statement elucidates the subj ect of part and whole:\n\"All living entities are j ust like sparks from the supreme fire, and as\nsuch, I do not know if I, a tiny spark, shall be able to engage myself\nin the transcendental loving service of this supreme fire, Lord Krwa.\"\nIn this statement, the feelings of neutral love are taken as the whole,\nwhereas the desire to serve the Lord is taken as the part. Actually, in\nthe Brahman effulgence there is no chance for reciprocation of loving\necstasy between the Lord and the devotee.\nThere is another quotation by a devotee who laments as follows:\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0429": "Mixing of Rasas\n\n390\n\n\"Alas, I am still trying to relish different pleasurable states from this\n\nbody, which is simply some skin covering mucus, semina and blood.\n\nIn this state of consciousness I am so condemned that I cannot relish\n\nthe transcendental ecstasy of remembering the Supreme Personality\n\nof Godhead.\" In this statement there are two ecstatic loving humors,\n\nnamely neutrality and ghastliness. Neutrality is taken here as the\nwhole, whereas the ecstasy of ghastliness is the part.\n\nThere is a similar statement by a devotee as follows: \"I shall now\n\nbegin my service of fanning the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri\nKr�!J.a, who is seated on a golden throne. He is the supreme Param­\n\nbrahma in His eternal transcendental form of a cloudy blackish com­\n\nplexion. Now I shall give up my affection for my material body,\n\nwhich is nothing but a bunch of flesh and blood.\" Herein also there\n\nis a combination of servitude and ghastliness, where the ecstasy of\nservitude is taken as the whole, and the ecstasy of ghastliness is taken\n\nas the part.\n\nThere is another statement as follows: \"When shall I be freed from\n\nthe mode of ignorance? And being thus purified, when shall I attain\n\nthe stage of serving Kr�!la eternally? Only then shall I be able to wor­\n\nship Him, always observing His lotus eyes and beautiful face.\" In this\n\nstatement the whole is the ecstasy of neutrality, and the part is ser­\n\nvitorship.\n\nThere is another statement as follows: \"Please look at this devotee\n\nof the Lord who is dancing just from remembering the lotus feet of\nKr�!J.a. Simply by observing his dance you will lose all interest in even\n\nthe most beautiful women!\" In this statement the whole is in neutrality, and the part is in ghastliness.\n\nOne devotee boldly said, \"My dear Lord, now I am turning my\n\nface from any thought of association with young girls. As far as\n\nBrahman realization is concerned, I have lost all interest because I am\n\ncompletely absorbed in thinking about You. And being absorbed so\nblissfully, I have lost all other desires, even the desire for mystic\npowers. Now my mind is only attracted to worshiping Your lotus\n\nfeet.\" In this statement, the whole is the ecstasy of neutrality, and\n\nthe part is chivalry.\n\nIn another statement, Subala is addressed thus: \"My dear Subala,\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0430": "391\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nthe damsels of Vrndavana who had the opportunity of enjoying\nKr�!ia's kissing must be the foremost of all the fortunate women in\nthe world.\" In this example, the ecstasy of fraternal devotional ser·\nvice is the whole, and the ecstasy of conjugal love is the part.\nThe following statement was made by Kr�!ia to the gopis: \"My\ndear enchanted, don't gaze at Me with longing eyes like this. Be satisfied arrd return to your homes in Vrndavana. There is no necessity of\nyour presence here.\" While Kr�!ia was joking in this way with the\ndamsels of Braja, who with great hope had come to enjoy the riisa\ndance with Him, Subala was also on the scene, and he began to look\nat Kr�!ia with wide and laughing eyes. Subala's feeling contained a\nmixture of fraternity and laughter in devotional service. Fraternity\nis considered here as the whole, and the laughter is considered as the\npart.\nThe following example contains a mixture of ecstatic fraternity\nand laughter, taken respectively as the whole and part. When Kr�!J.a\nsaw that Subala, in the dress of Radhara!J.'i, was silently hiding under\nthe shade of a beautiful asoka tree on the bank of the Yamuna, He\nimmediately arose from His seat in surprise. Upon seeing Kr�!J.a,\nSubala tried to hide his laughter by covering his cheeks.\nThere is also an example of a mixture of parental love and compassion in devotional service. When Mother Yasoda was thinking that\nher son was walking in the forest without any umbrella or shoes, she\nbecame greatly perturbed to think of how much difficulty Kr�!la\nmust have been feeling. In this example the whole is the paternal\nlove, and the part is compassion.\nThere is the following example of a mixture of parental love and\nlaughter. A friend of Mother Yasoda told her, \"My dear Yasoda, your\nson has very cunningly stolen a lump of butter from my home. And\nto make me blame my own son for His mischief, He has smeared\nsome of the butter on my son's face while he was sleeping!\" Upon\nhearing this, Mother Yasoda shook her curved eyebrows. She could\nonly look at her friend with a smiling face. May Mother Yasoda bless\neveryone with this smiling attitude. In this example the whole is the\nparental love, and the part is the laughter.\nThere is an example of a mixture of several humors with devo-\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0431": "Mixing of Rasas\n\n392\n\ntional service as follows. When Kr�!la was holding up Govardhan Hill\n\nwith His left hand, His hairs became scattered all over His shoulders,\n\nand He appeared to be perspiring. When Mother Yasoda saw this\n\nscene, she began to tremble. Then, as she stared at the scene with\nbroadened eyes, she saw Krwa begin to exhibit varieties of facial\n\ncaricatures. Mother Yasoda then became very happy and began to\n\nsmile. Then again, when she thought that Kr�!la was holding up the\n\nhill for such an extremely long time, her clothes became soaked with\nperspiration. May Mother Yasoda Brajesvari protect the whole uni­\n\nverse by her infinite mercy! In this example, the whole is parental\n\nlove, and the part is dread, wonder, laughter, compassion, etc.\n\nThere is an example of a mixture of conjugal love and fraternal af­\n\nfection when Srimati Radhara!li said, \"My dear friends, just see how\n\nKr�!la is resting His hand on the shoulder of Subala, who is dressed\n\nup just like a young girl! I think He must be sending some message to\n\nMe through Subala. The purport is that the superiors of Radhara!li\ndo not like Kr�!la or His cowherd friends to associate with Her; there­\n\nfore these friends sometimes clothe themselves in female dress so\n\nthey can give Radhara!li a message from Krwa. In this example the\n\nwhole is conjugal love and the part is fraternity.\n\nThe following is an example of a mixture of conjugal love and\n\nlaughter in devotional service: Kr�!la, in the dress of a young girl,\n\ntold Radhara!li, \"Oh, You hard-hearted girl! Don't You know that I\nam Your sister? Why are You unable to recognize Me? Be merciful\n\nupon Me and please capture My shoulders and embrace Me with\n\nlove!\" While Kr�!la was dressed up exactly like Radhara!li, He was\n\nspeaking these nice words, and Srimati Radhara!li could understand\nHis purpose. But because She was in front of many of Her superiors,\n\nShe simply smiled and did not say anything. In this instance, the\necstasy of conjugal love is taken as the whole, and the ecstasy of\n\nlaughter is taken as the part.\n\nThe following illustrates a mixture of several feelings. When one of\n\nthe consort friends of Candravali saw that Krwa was preparing to\n\nfight with the Vr�asura demon, she began to think: \"How wonderful\nKr�!la is! His mind is captivated by the eyebrows of Candravali in a\n\nsmiling spirit, His snake-like arms are on the shoulder of His friend,\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0432": "393\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nand at the same time He is roaring like a lion to encourage V r�asura\nto fight with Him!\" This is an example of conjugal love, fraternity,\n\nand chivalry. The conjugal love is taken here as the whole, and the\nfraternity and chivalry are taken as the parts.\n\nWhen Kubja caught hold of Kr��a's yellow garment because she\n\nwas feeling almost lusty with sex urge, Kr��a simply bowed down His\nhead with His cheeks glowing in front of the many people who were\n\nstanding there and laughing. This is an example of a mixture of\n\necstatic conjugal love and laughter. The laughter is taken as the\nwhole, and the conjugal love is taken as the part.\n\nVisala, a cowherd boy who was attempting to fight with Bhadra­\n\nsena, was addressed by another cowherd boy as follows: \"Why are\n\nyou attempting to show your chivalrous spirit before me? Before\n\nthis, you even attempted to fight with Sridama, but you must know\nthat Sridama does not even care to fight with hundreds of Balaramas.\n\nSo why are you acting so enthusiastically when you actually have no\n\nimportance at all?\" This is an example of a mixture of devotional\nfraternity and chivalry. The chivalry is taken as the whole, and the\nfraternity is taken as the part.\n\nSisupala was habituated to calling Kr��a ill names, and by his in­\n\nsults he irritated the sons of Pandu more than he irritated Krsna. The\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nPa��avas therefore equipped themselves with all kinds of weapons\n\nto kill Sisupala. Their feelings were a mixture of ecstatic anger and\nfraternity, the anger being taken as the whole, and fraternity as the\n\npart.\n\nOnce Kr��a was watching Sridama very expertly using his stick to\n\nfight with Balarama, who was an expert club-fighter and who had\n\neven killed the Pralambasura demon with His club. When Krsna saw\n·\nBalarama finally defeated by Sridama, who was using onl � small\n\ny\n\nstick, Krwa became filled with pleasure and began to look upon\n\nSridama with great wonder. In this instance there is a mixture of\n\nastonishment, fraternity and chivalry in devotional service. The fra­\n\nternity and chivalry are considered as the parts, and the astonishment\n\nis considered as the whole.\n\nExpert analyzers of these various kinds of mellows instruct us that\n\nwhen different mellows overlap one another, the mellow which is the\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0433": "Mixing of Rasas\n\n394\n\nwhole, or the prominent humor, is called the permanent ecstasy. It is\nconfirmed in the Vi§r-u-dharmottara that when there are many mellows of devotional ecstasy mixed together, the prominent one, or the\nwhole, is called the steady ecstasy of devotional service. Although\nthe subordinate mellow may be manifested for a certain time, at\nlength it will become merged into the prominent whole. Thus it is\ncalled an unconstitutional ecstasy of devotional service.\nThere is a good analogy in this connection, showing the relationship between the part and the whole. Lord Vamanadeva is actually\nthe Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He appeared to have been\n\"born\" as one of the brothers of lndra. Although Vamanadeva is\nsometimes taken as a less-important demigod, He is actually the\nmaintainer of lndra, the King of the demigods. Thus, although sometimes Vamanadeva is considered to be a subordinate demigod, His\nactual position is that of the supreme whole, the source of the entire\ndemigod system. In the same way, a rasa which is actually prominent\nmay sometimes appear to be manifested in a subordinate way, although its actual position is as the main or prominent loving feeling\nof a devotee.\nWhen an unconstitutional ecstasy of devotional service is manifested prominently at a certain time, it is still accepted as the part. If\nit is not very prominently manifested, it appears only slightly and\nquickly merges back into the whole. At such times of slight ap­\n\npearance, no consideration is given to it; as when one is eating some\npalatable dishes, if one also eats a small blade of grass, he will not\ntaste it, nor will he care to distinguish what its taste is like.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0434": "50 I Further Analysis of Mixed Rasas\n\nAs already described, if certain kinds of mellows become mixed\n\nand there is a joining of opposite mellows, then the situation is called\n\nincompatible. When one is eating sweet rice and something salty or\nsour is mixed in, the mixture is not very tasteful, and it is called in­\n\ncompatible.\n\nAn exemplary instance of incompatibility is the following state­\n\nment by an impersonalist who was lamenting aloud, \"I have been attached simply to the impersonal Brahman feature, and I have passed\nmy days uselessly in practicing trance. I have not given any proper at­\n\ntention to Sri Kr��a, who is the source of the impersonal Brahman\n\nand who is the reservoir of all transcendental pleasures.\" In this\n\nstatement there are traces of neutrality and conjugal love, and the\n\nresulting humor is incompatible.\n\nSometimes it is found in places like Vrndavana that a person with\n\na slight devotional attitude of neutral love for Kr��a may immediate­\n\nly and artificially try to attain to the platform of conjugal love. But\n\nbecause of the incompatibility of neutrality and conjugal love, the\n\nperson is found to fall from the standard of devotional service.\n\nIncompatibility was expressed by a great devotee on the platform\n\nof neutrality when he sarcastically prayed, \"I am very anxious to see\nKr��a, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is many millions of\n\ntimes more affectionate than the pitrs (forefathers) in the Pitr-loka,\n\nand who is always worshiped by the great demigods and sages. I am a\n\nlittle surprised, however, that although Krwa is the husband of the\n\ngoddess of fortune, His body is often marked with the nail pricks of\n\nordinary society girls!\" Here is an example of incompatibility due to\n\na mixture of neutrality and high conjugal love.\n\n395\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0435": "Analysis of Mixed Rasas\n\n396\n\nThere is the following statement by a gopi: \"My dear Kr�pa, the\n\nfirst thing You should do is just embrace me with Your strong arms.\nThen, my dear friend, I shall first smell Your head, and then I shall\nenjoy with You.\" This is an example of incompatibility in which\nconjugal love is the whole and servitorship is the part.\n\nOne devotee said, \"My dear Kr�pa, how can I address You as my\n\nson when You are addressed by the great V edantists as the absolute\ntruth and by the Vai§rz.avas who follow the principles of Niirada­\n\npancariitra as the Supreme Personality of Godhead? You are the same\n\nSupreme Person, so how shall my tongue be so extraordinarily bold\n\nas to address You as an ordinary son?\" In this statement there is a\nmixture of neutrality and parental love, and the result is incompatible.\n\nAnother devotee said, \"My dear friend, my youthful beauty is as\n\ntemporary as lightning in the sky, and therefore, my possessing at­\n\ntractive bodily features is unimportant. I have never met Kr�pa, so I\n\nrequest you to please arrange for my meeting Him immediately.\" In\n\nthis statement there is the incompatibility of a neutral mellow mixed\n\nwith conjugal love.\n\nA lusty woman in Kailasa once told Kr�pa: \"My dear Kr�pa, may\n\nYou have a long life!\" Then, after saying this, she embraced Kr�pa.\n\nThis is an example of incompatibility resulting from a mixture of\n\nparental love and conjugal love.\n\nThe purpose of the above analysis is to show that in the mixture\n\nof various mellows, or reciprocations of ecstatic love between Kr�pa\nand the devotees, if the result is not pure, there will he incompati­\n\nbility. According to the opinion of stalwart devotees like Riipa Go­\n\nsvami, as soon as there are contradictory feelings, the result is incompatible.\n\nOnce an ordinary female devotee addressed Kr�pa, \"My dear boy,\n\nI know that my body is just a composition of flesh and blood and\n\ncan never be enjoyable to You. But still, I have been so attracted by\nYour beauty that I wish that You accept me as Your conjugal lover.\"\n\nIn this statement there is incompatibility caused by a mixture of\nghastliness and conjugal love in devotional service.\n\nSrila Riipa Gosvami warns devotees to not commit such incompati­\n\nbilities in their writings or in their dealings. The presence of such\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0436": "1'1\n\n,,\n\n�\n\nI\n\n397\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ncontradictory feelings is called rasiibhiisa. When there is rasiibhiisa in\n\nany book of Kr��a consciousness, no learned scholar or devotee will\naccept it.\nIn the\n\nVidagdha-miidhava, second act, verse 29, Paur�amasi tells\n\nNandimukhi: \"Just see how wonderful it is! Great sages meditate\n\nupon Kr��a after being relieved from all material transactions, and\n\nwith great difficulty they try to situate Krwa in their hearts. And\n\nopposed to this, this young girl is trying to withdraw her mind from\nKr��a so she can apply it in the material activities of sense gratifica­\n\ntion. What a regrettable thing it is that this girl is trying to drive away\n\nfrom her heart the same Kr��a who is sought after by great sages\nthrough severe austerities and perseverance!\" Although in this statement there are contradictory mellows of ecstatic devotion, the result\nis not incompatible because conj ugal love is so elevated that it is de­\n\nfeating all other varieties of mellows. Srila }iva Gosvami comments in\n\nthis connection that such a loving state of mind is not possible for\n\nall. It is only possible in the case of the gopis of V rndiivana. There\n\nare many other instances of contradictory mellows where there is no\nperverted experience of rasiibhiisa.\nOnce some minor demigod of the heavenly planets remarked:\n\n\"Kr��a, whose j oking words were once the source of so much laugh­\n\nter for the residents of Braj a, has now been attacked by the serpent\n\nking, Kaliya, and He has become the obj ect of everyone's overwhelming lamentation!\" In this instance there is a mixture of laugh­\n\nter and compassion, but there is no incompatibility because by both\nof these rasas the loving affection for Kr��a is increased.\n\nSrimati Radhiira�i was once told that although She had stopped\n\nall activities, She was still the supreme source of inspiration for all\nkinds of devotional service. The statement says, \"My dear Radhiirii�i,\nin separation from Krwa You are now as still as the most beautiful\n\ntree, whose gracefulness is not blocked by any covering of leaves.\n\nYour tranquil mood makes You appear to be completely merged in\n\nBrahman realization!\" In this example there is a mixture of conj ugal\nlove and neutral love, but the conj ugal love has surpassed everything.\n\nActually, Brahman realization is only a stunted existence. There is\n\nthe following statement by Kr��a Himself: \"Srimati Radhara�i has\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0437": "Analysis of Mixed Rasas\n\n398\n\nbecome peace personified for Me. Because of Her I now go without\nsleep. I stare constantly without blinking my eyes, and I am always\n\nin a meditative mood. Because of Her I have even made My home in\nthe cave of a mountain!\" This is an example of conj ugal love mixed\nwith neutral love, but there is no incompatibility.\n\nThe following is a conversation consisting of questions put before\n\nRambha, a celebrated beautiful woman, and her corresponding an­\n\nswers. Rambha was asked, \"My dear Rambha, who are you?\" She\n\nanswered, \"I am peace personified.\" Question: \"Then why are you in\n\nthe sky?\" Answer: \"I am in the sky to experience the supreme abso­\n\nlute truth.\" Question: \"Then why are you staring?\" Answer: \"Just\n\nto look into the supreme beauty of the absolute truth.\" Question:\n\n\"Then why do you appear to be disturbed in mind?\" Answer: \"Be­\n\ncause Cupid is acting.\" In the above example also there is no per­\n\nverted representation of mellows because on the whole the ecstasy of\nconj ugal love has exceeded the neutral position of devotional service.\n\nIn the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 60th Chapter, 44th\n\nverse, Rukmi�idevi said, \"My dear husband, a woman who has no\n\ntaste for the transcendental pleasure available from Your personal\n\ncontact must be inclined to accept as her husband somebody who is\n\nexternally a combination of mustaches, beard, body hairs, fingernails\nand some head hair. And within him there are muscles, bones, blood,\nintestinal worms, stools, mucus, bile, and similar things. Actually,\n\nsuch a husband is only a dead body, but due to not being attracted\nto Your transcendental form, a woman will have to accept this combi­\n\nnation of stools and urine for her husband.\" This statement, which\n\nlists the ingredients of a material body, is not a perverted mellow in\ntranscendental realization because it shows correct discrimination be­\n\ntween matter and spirit.\n\nIn the Vidagdha-miidhava, second act, 42nd verse, Kr��a tells His\n\nfriend, \"My dear friend, what a wonderful thing it is that since I have\n\nseen the beautiful lotus eyes of Srimati Radhara�i, I have developed\na tendency to spit on the moon and the lotus flower!\" This is an\n\nexample of conj ugal love mixed with ghastliness, but there is no incompatibility.\n\nThe following is a statement which describes different mellows of\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0438": "399\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\ndevotional service: \"Although Kr�pa was invincible to any enemy,\n\nthe cowherd boys of Vrndavana became almost blackish with astonishment upon seeing His wonderful royal garments and His fighting\nfeats on the battlefield of Kuruk�etra.\" In this statement, although\n\nthere is a mixture of chivalrous activities and astonishment in devotional service, there is no perverted reflection of mellows.\n\nOne resident of Mathura requested her father to bolt the doors\n\nand then go with her to the school of Sandipani Muni to find Kr�pa.\n\nShe complained that Kr9pa had completely stolen her mind. In this\n\nincident there is a mixture of conjugal love and parental love, but\nthere is no incompatibility.\n\nA brahmiinandi (impersonalist) expressed his desire as follows:\n\n\"When shall I be able to see that supreme absolute Personality of\n\nGodhead who is eternal bliss and knowledge, and whose chest has be­\n\ncome smeared with red kunkum powder by touching the breast of\nRukmipi?\" Here there is a mixture of conjugal love and neutrality.\n\nAlthough this is a contradiction of mellows, there is no incompatibility because even a brahmiinandi will become attracted to Krwa.\n\nNanda Maharaj told his wife, \"My dear Y asoda, although your son,\n\nKr?pa, is as delicate and soft as the mallikii flower, He has gone to\nkill the Kesi demon, who is as strong as the mountain. Therefore I\n\nhave become a little disturbed. But never mind, all auspiciousness to\n\nmy son! I shall raise this hand which is as strong as a pillar, and I shall\n\nkill the Kesi demon, just to give freedom from all anxieties to the in­\n\nhabitants of Brajamap�ala!\" In this statement there are two kinds of\n\nmellows: chivalry and dread. Both of them, however, improve the\n\nposition of parental love, and therefore there is no incompatibility.\n\nIn the Lalita-miidhava of Srila Riipa Gosvami it is stated, \"After\n\nKrwa's arrival in Kamsa's arena, Kamsa's priest looked at Kr�pa with\na detestful expression. The entire arena was filled with dread on the\n\npart of Kamsa and his priest and restless expressions of pleasure on\nthe cheeks of Kr�pa's friends. Frustration was felt by His envious\n\nrivals. The great sages meditated. Hot tears were in the eyes of\nDevaki and other motherly ladies, and hairs stood on the bodies of\n\nthe expert warriors. There was astonishment in the hearts of demi­\n\ngods such as Indra. The servants danced, and the restless eyes of all\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0439": "Analysis of Mixed Rasas\n\n400\n\nthe young girls glanced about.\" In this statement there is a description of a combination of different mellows, but there is no incompatibility.\nA similar statement, which is free from incompatibility, is in the\n\nLalita-madhava wherein the author blesses all the readers of the book\nin the following manner: \"Although the Supreme Personality of\nGodhead is able to lift a mountain with a finger of His left hand, He\nis always humble and meek. He is always very kind to His loving devotees. He has frustrated Indra's attempt at vengeance by refusing him\nthe sacrifice of Indra-yajiia. He is the cause of all pleasure to all\nyoung girls. May He be ever compassionate upon you all!\"\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0440": "51 I Perverted Expression of Mellows\n\nRasabhasa, or incompatible mixtures of mellows, can be classified\n\nas uparasa (false expression) anurasa (imitation) and aparasa (perverted or misrepresented mellows).\nThere is the following statement by an impersonalist who had just\nseen Kr�!la: \"When a person has passed completely from all contamination of material existence, he relishes a transcendental bliss of\nbeing established in trance. But as soon as I saw You, the original\nPersonality of Godhead, I experienced the same bliss.\" This perverted\nreflection of mellows is called santa-u parasa, or a perverted reflection\nof mixed impersonalism and personalism.\nThere is another statement as follows: \"Wherever I am glancing I\nsimply see Your personality. Therefore I know You are the uncontaminated Brahman effulgence, the supreme cause of all causes. I\nthink there is nothing but You in this cosmic manifestation.\" This is\nanother example of uparasa, or a perverted reflection of impersonalism and personalism.\nWhen Madhumari.gala, an intimate friend of Kr�!la, was dancing before Kr�!la in a joking manner, no one was paying attention to him,\nand he jokingly said, \"My dear Lord, please be merciful upon me. I\nam praying for Your mercy.\" This is an example of uparasa in fraternal affection and neutrality.\nKamsa once addressed his sister Devaki as follows: \"My dear sister,\nhaving seen your dear son Kr�!la, I think that He is so strong that He\ncan kill even wrestlers strong as the mountains. So I will have no\nmore anxieties about Him, even if He is engaged in a terrible fight.\"\nThis is an instance of uparasa in a perverted reflection of parental\nlove.\n401\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0441": "Perverted Expression of Mellows\n\n402\n\nIn the Lalita-miidhava, Srila Rupa Gosvami says, \"The wives of the\n\nyajfiic briihmav-as were all young girls, and they were attracted to\n\nKr��a in the same way as the gopis of Vrndavana. Out of their at­\n\ntraction they distributed food to Kr��a.\" Here the two devotional\nmellows are conjugal love and parental love, and the result is called\nupa-rasa in conjugal love.\n\nOne of the friends of Srimati Radhara�i told Her, \"My dear friend\n\nGandharvika [Radhara�i], You were the most chaste girl in our vil­\n\nlage, but now You have divided Yourself and are partially chaste and\n\npartially unchaste. It is all due to Cupid's influence upon You after\nYou saw Krwa and heard the sound of His flute.\" This is another ex­\n\nample of uparasa caused by divided interests in conjugal love.\n\nAccording to some expert learned scholars, the feelings between\n\nlover and beloved create perverted reflections of mellows in many\n\nways.\n\n\"The gopis have become purified by Krwa's glance, and as such,\n\nCupid's influence is distinctly visible on their bodies.\" Although in\n\nthe material sense the glancing of a boy at a girl is a kind of pollution,\n\nwhen Kr��a threw His transcendental glance at the gopis, they became purified. In other words, because Kr��a is the absolute truth,\n\nany action by Him is transcendentally pure.\n\nAfter Krwa chastised the Kaliyanaga in the Yamuna River by\n\ndancing on his heads, the Kaliyanaga's wives addressed Kr�!la, \"My\n\ndear cowherd boy, we are all only young wives of the Kiliyanaga, so\n\nwhy do you agitate our minds by sounding Your flute?\" Kaliya's\nwives were flattering Krwa so that He would spare their husband.\nTherefore this is an example of uparasa, or imitation.\n\nOne devotee said, \"My dear Govinda, here is a nice flowery bush\n\nin Kailasa. I am a young girl, and You are a young poetic boy. After\n\nthis, what more can I say? You just consider.\" This is an example of\nuparasa, caused by impudency in conjugal love.\n\nWhen Narada Muni was passing through Vrndavana, he came to\n\nthe Bha��iravana F<:>rest and saw in one of the trees the famous parrot couple that always accompanies Lord Kr��a. The couple was imi­\n\ntating some discussion they heard upon the Vedanta philosophy, and\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0442": "403\n\nThe Nectar of Devotion\n\nthus were seemingly arguing upon various philosophical points. Upon\n\nseeing this, Narada Muni was struck with wonder, and he began to\nstare without moving his eyelids. This is an example of anurasa, or\n\nimitation.\nWhen Kr�!ia was fleeing away from the battlefield, from a distant\n\nplace J arasandha was watching Him with restless eyes and was feeling\nvery proud. Being thus puffed up with his conquest, he was repeatedly laughing. This is an example of aparasa.\n\nEverything in connection with Kr�!ia is called ecstatic devotional\n\nlove, although it may be exhibited in different ways: sometimes in\n\nright order and sometimes as a perverted reflection. According to the\n\nopinion of all expert devotees, anything that will arouse ecstatic love\nfor Kr�!ia is to be taken as an impetus for transcendental mellow.\n\nThus ends\n\nthe Bhaktivedaata summary study of Sri Bhakti­\n\nrasamrta-sindhu by Sn1a Riipa Gosviimi.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0443": "Concluding Words\n\nSrila Rupa Gosvami concludes by saying that Bhakti-rasiimrtasindhu is very difficult for ordinary men to understand, yet he hopes\nthat Lord Kr��a, the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead, will\n\nbe pleased with his presentation of this book.\n\nBy rough calculation it is estimated that Srila Rupa Gosvami\nfinished Sri Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu in Gokula Vrndavana in the year\n\n1552. While physically present, Srila Rupa Gosvami was living in dif­\n\nferent parts of V rndavana, and h�s headquarters were in the temple\n\nof Radha-Damodara in the present city of Vrndavana. The place of\nRupa Gosvami's bhajana, execution of devotional service, is com­\n\nmemorated still. There are two different tomb-like structures in the\nRadha-Damodara temple; one structure is called his place of bhajana,\n\nand in the other his body is entombed. Behind this very tomb I have\n\nmy place of bhajana, but since 1965 I have been away. The place,\n\nhowever, is being taken care of by my disciples. By Krwa 's will, I am\n\nnow residing at the Los Angeles Temple of the International Society\n\nfor Krishna Consciousness. This purport is finished today, the 30th\n\nof June, 1969.\n\n404\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0444": "Glossary\n\nAciirya-spiritual master who teaches by example\nAnubhiiva-bodily manifestations of ecstatic love for Kr�l).a, such as\ndancing, crying, etc.\nAnugas-followers; devotees engaged as personal servitors of the Lord\nArcana-Deity worship in the temple\nAriitrika-worship of the Deity\nBrahmiinanda-happiness of becoming one with the Supreme\nCarar-amrta-scented, flavored water used to bathe the Deities\nDiisya-eternal relation of servitorship with the Supreme Lord\nDviirakii-fortified city built by Kf�l).a within the sea\nEkiidasi-literally, the eleventh day; day of fasting from grains in\norder to increase devotion\nKaisora-Kr�l).a's age beginning from His eleventh year and continuing\nup to His fifteenth\nKirtana-chanting the glories of Krwa\nKaumiira-Kr�l).a's age from babyhood up to five years old\nMadana-mohana-a name of Kf�l).a, who is more attractive than thousands of cupids\nMahiibhiiva-the supreme symptom of ecstatic love of God, as expressed by the gopis\nMukti-liberation from material bondage\nPiirijiita flower-a kind of flower grown on the heavenly planets\nPrakrta-sahajiyii-pseudo-devotees with a mundane concept of the\npastimes of Kr�l).a\n\nPrasiidam-mercy; divine remnants of foodstuffs offered to the Deity\nRasa-mellows of a particular relationship with Kr�l).a\n\n405\nI\n\nI\nI\nI\n\nli\nli\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0445": "Glossary\n\n406\n\nRasabhiisa-incompatible mixing of rasas\n\nRatha-yatra-car festival in which the J agannatha Deity is paraded,\ncommemorating Kr��a 's meeting with Radhara�i at Kuruk�etra\nduring a solar eclipse\nSadhaka-one who is cultivating devotion in Kr��a consciousness\nSamutkartha-eagerness to achieve success in devotional service\nSiddhis-materialistic perfections developed by the mystic yoga process\nSadhana-bhakti-following the rules imd regulations of devotional\nservice for development of natural love for Krwa\n\nSanta-passive or neutral relationship with the Lord\n\nTilaka-clay resembling fuller's earth which is used to mark Vi��u\ntemples on twelve places on the body of a devotee\nVatsalya-rasa of parental relationship with the Lord, such as that of\nY asoda and N anda\nVayasyas-fraternal associates of Kr��a, friends of the same age as\nthe Lord\nVibhava-the basis from which ecstatic love of God is born\nVrndavana-the village where Kr��a lived as a child; the topmost\ntranscendental abode of the Supreme Lord\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0446": "Index\n\nAnurasa (imitation),401 -403\n\nAcarya\n\nAparasa (perverted or misrepresented\n\nfollowing in footsteps of, xviii,ix­\n\nmellow), 401 -403\n\nxx,53,60\nof holy name (Haridasa Thakur), ix\n\nAratrika, 20, 88\n\nduty of, 20\n\nArjuna\n\n(see also Spiritual Master)\n\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n\nAjamila, 5\n\n254, 272, 342-343\n\nAkrura\n\ndescription, 327-328\n\nAsa-bandha (great hope)\n\nperfection by praying, 1 1 9\n\nas symptom of ecstatic love, 1 40-\n\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n\n221 , 225�26, 234, 247, 262, 309\n\n1 41\n\ntaking Kr��a from V rndavana, 233\n\nAstonishment\nas indirect ecstasy, 369-3 70\n\nAmbari�a Maharaj\n\nmixed with other rasas, 387, 388,\n\nfixed mind on Kr��a, 20, 1 1 9-1 20\n\n393,399\n\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n\nAttachment\n\n233-234\ncontamination),1 28\n\n(for\n\nKr��a),\n\nImitative\n\n(shadow & para), 1 42-1 45\n\nAnartha-nivrtti (freedom from material\n\nAuspiciousness\ninvocation of,xviii\n\nAnger\nas indirect ecstasy,378-382\n\ndefined,7\n\nmixed with other rasas, 387, 388,\n\nof Kr��a consciousness, 7-9\n\n393\n\nKr��a all-auspicious, 183\n\nAnubhava (bodily ecstatic symptoms)\ndefined & described,225-229, 286,\n\nBalarama (Baladeva)\n\n307\n\npastimes of,245-246\n\nof Kr��a & friends,339-340\n\ndescription of,330\n\nof Kr��a & gopis, 361\n\naffection for KH�a of, 330, 359\n\nAnugas (personal servitors,\"followers\"), Bhagavad-gita, 3, 1 5, 1 6, 24, 29-31, 52,\n64, 97, 11 4, 1 90, 1 96, 290-291\n\n303,304\n\n407\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0447": "Index\nBhakti (see Devotional Service)\n\nBhakti-rasa (mellow of devotional service), xi-xiii\n\nBhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu\n\n408\nreceived Vedic knowledge, 164\nprayers of, 193, 199, 243\n\ncondemned by gopis, 196\n\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n232, 234, 242, 247, 370\n\ncontents of, xix\npreparation of by Riipa Gosvami,\n\nas devotee in servitude, 300\n\nxi, 404\n\nBrahman, happiness of, 9, 14-15\n\nprayer for protection of, xviii\n\nBuddha, Lord\n\nquotations of, authorized, 103-104\nBhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur\nobeisances offered to, xvii\n\nincarnation & followers of, 60-61\nappearance of, prayed for by demigods' wives, 176-177\n\nauthority for Kr��a consciousness\nCaitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Sri\n\nin West, 46-47\nrecommendations of for spiritual\n\nacceptance of Haridasa Thakur by,\n\nmasters, 66\n\nIX\n\nmeeting\n\nBhaktivinode Thakur\non advancement of material knowledge, ll-12\nself-surrender of, 99\n\nwith Riipa &\n\nSanatana\n\nGosvami, ix-x\n\nsiidhana-bhakti program of, 20\n\nSik§ii§takaof, 32, 73\n\nBharata Maharaj, 35-36, 139-140\n\non general behavior of Vai§rwva, 63\n\nBhiiva (see Ecstasy)\n\nsannyiisis in line of, 65\n\nBhima\n\nbehavior toward Jagai & Madhai,\n\nas dhiroddhata, 203\n\n73\n\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n272\n\nmagnanimity of, 208\n\nBhi�ma\nlove of Godhead defined by, 147\nmercy of Kr��a to, 179, 181-182\n\non achievement of devotional ser­\n\non liberation, 32\neagerness\n\nmahiibhiiva expression by, 238\nGaitanya-caritiimrta\non contact of spiritual master, xxi\n\nBilvamangala Thakur\nintense\n\non importance of hearing, 90\n\non Kr��a & gopis, 125-126\n\nexpressed by,\n\nvice, 13\n\n141-142, 311\n\non potency of Kr��a's name, 80\n\non opulence of Vrndavana, 186\n\non lust & love, 125, 147\n\nas example of siidhaka, 209\n\nexpression of pride by, 246\nabandonment of impersonal conception by, 297\nBody\necstatic symptoms in, 154\nvictory over demands of, 294\n\n(see also Kmw, bodily features of)\n\nBlasphemy, 73-74\nBrahma\n\nCarartiimrtam, 56, 85\n\nCatu[tsana (four Kumaras), 195, 280,\n292, 294\n\nCeremonies & Celebrations, 68, 76, 77,\n88, 104, 223-224\nChivalry\nas indirel:t ecstasy, 371-3 76\n\nmixed with other rasas, 387, 388\n\nCompassion\nof Kr��a, 178-179\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0448": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n409\n\nas indirect ecstasy, 377-378\n\ntopmost, 44-45\n\nmixed with other rasas, 388, 397\n\nof Lord Buddha, 60-61\nof demigods, 64, 84\n\nConjugal Love\ndivisions of, 129-131\n\nservice of, 103\n\nsix features of, 217\n\nKrwa partial to, 185\n\nexpressions of, 283-285\n\nKr�'!a surrounded by, 197\nfollowing in footsteps of, 280-281\n\ndescription of, 360-364\nmixed with other rasas, 387-388,\n\nDevotees, Pure\ndefinition of, xxii, 149\n\nCows\n\nmercy of, 13, 134-137\n\nworshiped by Kr�l)a, 163\ngiven in charity by Kr�p.a,\n\n176\n\nassociation with, ll9, 150-151\n\nof\n\n255\n\nmust follow regulative principles,\n\nsymptoms of ecstasy manifested\n\nunable to check inner feelings, 278\n\nv rndavana,\n\nCowherd\n\necstasy\n\nof,\n\nBoys\n\n128-129\n\nby, 256, 378\n(see also\n\nDevotional Service (bhak ti)\ndefined, xix, xxii-xxiv\n\nFriendship)\n\nin practice (see\n\nDamodara\npastimes of Kr�p.a as, 40-41\n\npure, six characteristics of, 1-17\n\nworship of, 104\n\nnine items of, 3, ll8-120, 129\n\nDancing\nimportance of, 75\n\nthree categories of, 18-19\n·\n\nto invoke the Lord's grace, 135\nas anubhiiva, 225\n\nfatigue cause by, 244-245\n\nworship\n\ntouching\n\nbody\n\nof,\n\nof,\n\ndirect & indirect, 287\ndirect mellows of, 291-364\n68-71,\n\n87\n\nDemigods\ndevotees of condemned, 64, 84\nrespect for, 67\nabsence of from earth, 177\nas devotees in servitude, 299-300\nDetachment\nas symptom of ecstatic love, 139140\nDevaki, 231-232, 274\nDevaprastha (Kr�p.a 's sakhii friend), 331\nDevotees\ndevelop all good qualities , 7-9\nclasses of, 28-31, 209-213\n\nneophyte, 29-31, 135-137\n\nsurpasses all liberation, 35-45\n\nbasic principles enumerated, 53-57\n\nworship of, 55-56, llO, 1ll\nin\n\neligibility for execution of, 28-34\nopen for everyone, 46-4 7\n\nDeity (arcii-vigraha)\noffenses\n\nSiidhana-Bhakti)\n\nspontaneous (see Riigiinugii-bhakti)\n\nreverential, 298, 321-325\nindirect mellows of, 365-384\nDhruva, Maharaj\nas neophyte devotee, 30\non transcendental happiness, 34\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n223\nchivalry of, 374\nDistress, Material\nrelief from, 2-6\nKr�p.a free from, 181\nDraupadi, 97-98, 168\nDread\nas indirect ecstasy, 383-385\nmixed with other rasas, 387, 388,\n399\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0449": "410\n\nIndex\n\non incarnations of Lord, 193-194\n\nDurvasa Muni, 188-189\nDuty, Occupational, 23-26,51-52,100\n\non conjugal love, 360, 363\n\nGopis\n\nDvaraka\nliving in, 61\n\nspontaneous love of, 121-122\n\nassociates of Kr��a in, 302-303\n\n\"lusty desire\" of, 124-126\ncauseless mercy of Lord upon, 148\nBrahma condemned by, 196\n\nEagerness\nfor success in devotional service,\n\nmeditation of, 215\n\n83-84, 141-142\n\npastimes of with Kr��a, 231,258,\n\nas feature of ecstatic love, 263-264\n\n340,360\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n\nEcstasy\nfive divisions of, 152\n\n235, 236, 244, 248, 253, 260,\n\ncontinuous, symptoms of, 279-282\n\n264-265\n\nunconstitutional (subordinate ),394\n\nability of to conquer Kr��a, 338\n\n(see also Anubhiiva, Love of God,\n\nelderly, parental love of, 348, 353,\n\n359\n\nSaiiciiri-bhiiva, Vibhiiva)\nEkiidasi (fast day), 54, 63, 214, 224\n\nGovardhana-lilii, 170, 180, 201, 205,\n354, 390\n\nFalse Ego, 6\nFriendship\n\n(relationship with\n\nin reverence,\n\n281\n\nexamples\n\n281-282\n\nof,\n\nKr��a)\n\nHanuman, 42\nHappiness\nmaterial,\n\nspiritual\n\nanalysis & description of, 326-346\n\n9-13, 32-33\n\nmixed with other rasas, 359, 387-\n\nof Kr��a, 181\n\n388,391,392,393,401\nFlute, Krwa's\n\n&\n\ndevotional,\n\nas feature of ecstatic love, 262,263\nHare Kr��a (see Mahii-mantra)\n\neffect of hearing, 197, 198, 226, Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya, 12,76,77\n237, 255-256, 266, 268-269,306- Hari-bhakti-viliisa, 47,53\n\n307,341,361\ndescription of, 220\n\nHearing (srava!lam), importance of, 89-\n\n91\nHoly Name (see Mahii-mantra)\n\nGajendra, 38\nGa�apati, worship of, 70\n\nIm personalism\n\nGarlands (of Kr��a), 75,219\n\nextension\n\nGaru�a\n\nabsence\n\nof\n\nof in\n\nmaterial\n\nidea,\n\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n\nKr��a, 251\n\n232-233, 263, 273\n\nmixed with personalism, 399\n\naffection for Kr��a of, 359\nGhastliness\n\nlmpersonalists\nallowed to enter spiritual sky, 122-\n\nas indirect ecstasy, 385-386\n\n124\n\nmixed with other rasas, 388-389,\n\ncompared\n\n390, 396, 398\n\n123-124\n\nGita-govinda\n\n32\n\nrelationship with\n\nto enemies\n\nof\n\nLord,\n\nlove of God imitated by, 143-145,\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0450": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n411\n\nunable to relish Bhagavad-gitii, 290291\n\nIncarnations (of Godhead), Kr�!la source\nof all, 193-194,203-204\n\nas symptom of ecstatic love, 228\nin conjugal love, 283\nas indirect ecstasy, 365-368\nmixed with other rasas, 388, 391,\n397\n\nJagannatha Purl, 62\n\nLaulyam liilasiimayi (desire & eagerness\n\nto serve), 83-84\nLiberation (mukti)\nfive kinds of, 1,38,44\nKapiladeva (incarnation of Godhead), 1,\ndesire for an impediment to devo32\ntional service, 31-33\nKaliia, 163,175,187,300,377\nsurpassed by devotional service, 32,\nKirtana (see Sankirtana)\nKholaveca Srldhara (devotee of Lord\nVai§rava, surpasses miiyaviida, 149,\nCaitanya), 12-13\n190-191\nKisora-Kisori (Radha-Kr�!la), 339\nKr�!la the giver of, 194-195\nKriyii-yoga, 88\nLove\nKr�!la\nbasic principle of life, xii, XIV\ndefined, xxi\ndefined, 147\npotency of name, 79-80\nKr�!la controlled by, 182-183\nelevation by special mercy of, 134,\n(see also Ecstasy)\nLove of Godhead\n136-137,148-150,211\nfirst symptom of, 133\nbodily features of, 156, 158-160,\necstatic, character of one in, 138\n214-218, 219, 337-338, 350-352\n146\nsixty-four qualities of, listed, 156invocation of, 147-148\n158\npure, stages in development of, 150\nsixty-four qualities of, described,\necstatic, stimulations for, 214-224\n158-208\nexistential ecstatic, 230-239\nages of, 161, 214-218, 336-340,\n]apa, 81\n\n350-352\n\npersonality of, 200-204\napparel of, 218-220\nfootprints of, 221-222\ncauseless mercy of (as impetus to\ndevotional service), 306\nKmw-karriimrta (see Bilvamangala Thiikur)\n\nMadhumailgala (friend of Kf�l).a's), 259,\n332\n\nMadness\nof conditioned souls, 20\nas ecstatic symptom, 314-316,357358\n\nMahiibhava, 238,252\n\nKubja, 126,391\nMaha-mantra (Hare Kf�l).a), 4, 5, 81, 89,\nKumaras (see Catu�sana)\n108-109,112,135,168\nKuntl, Queen\nMahiitmii (great soul), 31\nprayers of, 43\nassociation with, 28\nrelationship with Kr�!la ot, 348,356 Ma!l�allbhadra, 330\nMayuradhvaja Maharaj, 375\nLaughter\nMeditation\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0451": "412\n\nIndex\nbogus,8\n\n230, 239\n\non Lord,92-93\non executing devotional serVIce,\n\nOffenses\n\n93-95\n\nin chanting holy name,56, 71-72\n\non Vi�!lu,291\n\nin serving Krwa,listed, 68-71\n\nMucukunda,166,243\nNagapatni (wives of Kaliya serpent),38\n\nto pure devotee, 144-145\nPadma Puriirw\n\nNalakuvara & Ma�igriva,41\n\nanalyzes effects of sinful activities,\n\nNanda Maharaj (father of Kr��a)\n\n4\n\nfollowing in footsteps of, 132\n\nrecommends meditation on Vi��u,\n\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n\n23\n\n242, 262\n\non eligibility for devotional service,\n\nworshipability of, 348\n\n47\n\ndescription of, 349-350\n\nPa�9avas\n\nactivities of, 351-352\n\nrelationship with Kr��a, 326,327,\n\nchivalry of, 373\n\n339,342,346\n(see also Arjuna, Bhima)\n\nNarada Muni\non siidhana-bhakti, 20\nsons of Kuvera benedicted by, 41\n\nParenthood\n\n(viitsalya-rasa relationship\n\nwith Kn�a)\n\ninstructions to Vyasa,49,80-81\n\ndefined\n\non effect of dancing before Deity,\n\n282, 347, 359\n\n&\n\nexplained, 127, 132,\n\n75\n\nmixed with other rasas, 359, 388,\n\nconversion of hunter by, ll8,137\n\n391,396,401,402\n\nlife story of,134-135\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n\nParik�it Maharaj\nreserved character of, 139\n\n226, 227-228, 238, 314, 367-368\n\nmanifestations of ecstatic love by,\n\naffection for Kr�!la of,359\n\n310,369-370\n\nNiirada-paiicariitra\ndefines devotional service, xxiii\ndescribes regulative principles of\ndevotional service, 26-27\nNeutrality (santa-rasa relationship with\nKr��a)\n\nPerserverance, as symptom of ecstatic\nlove,139\nPradyumna (son of Kr�!la), 321, 323325\nPrasiidam, 75-85\nPrahlada Mahiiriij\n\ndescription of,290-297\n\nprayers of, 12,14-15,42,80\n\n& ghastliness, 385-386, 390\n\ninstructions to friends by, 36-37\n\nmixed with other rasas, 387, 388,\n\ndevelopment of love by, 136-137\n\n389,395-398\n\nmanifestations of ecstatic love by,\n\nNitya-siddha (eternally perfected devotees),2ll-213\nNondevotees (avai§r-avas)\navoidance of,63-64\n\n314\nPrayers,84-85\nPridelessness, as symptom of ecstatic\nlove,140\n\necstatic symptoms manifested by, Priya-narmiis (Kfwa 's intimate friends),\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0452": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n413\n333-334\n\nmellows), 365,385-403\n\nPriya-sakhas (Kp;;�a's confidential\nfriends), 332-333\n\nRiisa-lilii, 168,170, 196,216,233,245,\n246,367\n\nRatha-yiitrii (Jagannatha Car Festival),\n76\ndevotional serVIce controlled by,\n\nRenunciation\ncomplete & incomplete, 155-116\n\n15\ncompassionate nature of Krwa represented by, 179\npastimes with Km1a, 166-167,201\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n226-227,228, 230,234,238,241,\n\nfalse, 288\nRukmi�i, ecstatic symptoms manifested\nby, 235-236,261,266,363\nRiipa Gosvami\nlife of & preparation of Bhakti-\n\n244,245-247,251,254,257,267-\n\nrasiimrta-sindhu by, ix-xi, 404\n\n268,273-275,361-364, 381\n\nobeisances offered to, xvii\n\nKr�pa as kisora-kisori, 339\n\noffers obeisances to Sanatana Go-\n\nbeauty of & attraction for Kr��a,\n360-361\n\nsvami, xVIn\n\nRiigiinugii-bhakti\n\n(spontaneous devo-\n\nSacred Place\n\ntiona! service)\n\nresidence in & travel to, 61-62,76,\n\nin practice, 21\n\n102-103, 109-110, 112, 138,142-\n\nin friendship, 98\nof eternal associates of Krwa, 121122\nof followers of eternal associates,\n\n(devotional serVIce\n\nm\n\ndefined, 20\ndivisions of, 21-22\n\n127\nRaktaka (chief of Krwa's anuga friends)\ndescription of, 303-304\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n\n(see also Riigiinugii-bhak ti, Vaidhi-\n\nbhakti)\nSahajiyii (pseudo-devotees), 60,129\nSaintly persons (see Neutrality)\n\n316\nRamacandra, Lord\n& sages at Da�9akara�ya, 130-131\n\nmercy of, 173\nas\n\n143,223\n\nSiidhana-bhakti\npractice)\n\ndhirodiitta, 201\n\nSakhiis (Krwa's younger friends), 330332\n\nSamiidhi (trance), 23, 134\nSanatana Gosvami, 4 7\n\nRiimiiyarw, 228\n\nlife of, ix-x\n\nRasas (mellows or relationships with\n\nobeisances offered to, XVII, 151,\n152\n\nGod)\n\nBhakti-rasa, xi-xiii\n\nSaiiciiri-bhiiva, 286\n\nlisted, xvii, 287,387\n\nSandipani Muni, 164,165,348\n\nword defined, 152,289\n\nSaitkirtana (kirtana), xx, 56,79, 81\n\nmixtures of, 281,359,387-403\n\nSannyiisis, rules for, 65\n\ndirect, 291-364\n\nScriptures\n\nindirect, 365-384\n\nRasiibhiisa\n\n(perverted presentation of\n\ndefined, 102\nKr��a seer by authority of, 170-171\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0453": "Index\n\n414\n\nSelf-surrender, 98-100\n\n341\n\nSelf-satisfaction (of Kr��a), 174\n\n393\n\nSelf-control (of Kr��a), 172\n\nSense Gratification\n\nlack of satisfaction from, xi-xii\nsix agents of, 58\n\nchivalrous\n\nSnmad-Bhiigavatam\nrecommends hearing about Kr��a,\n21-22\n\nSeparation\n\ndefined & described, 313-317,343-\n\niitmiiriima verse of, 43-44\nhearing of, 56,59\n\nessence of Vedanta, 102\n\n345\nof y asoda, 355-358\nin\n\nconjugal\n\nlove\n\n(vipralambha),\n\n363-364\nServitude (relationship with Kr��a)\nawe & reverence in, 298\ndevotees in, 299-305\n\nmixed with other rasas, 359, 388\n\n389,390,396\n\nSik§ii§taka, 73\nSin\n\nactivities of, 371-372,\n\nimportance of & method of understanding, 105-107,111\n\nSthiiyi-bhiiva, 152, 341-342\n\nSubmission (to Kr��a), 81-84\nSubala (friend of Kr��a)\n\nfollowing in footsteps of, 132\nrelationship with Kr��a, 223,333\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n240-241\ndescription of, 333\n\n& reactions of, 2-6\n\nfreedom from, 74-75, 79, 80,103\n\nconfession of, 82-83\n\nSisupala, 173-174\n\nSiva, Lord\n\nestimation of devotees by, 36\n\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n226,255\naffection for Kr��a of, 359\n\nSmiling (see Laughter)\n\nSons (of Krwa), 321-325\n\nSridhara Svami, 15\n\nSpiritual Master (guru)\n\nconnection with Krwa through, xx\nacceptance of, xxi, 53,59, 103\n\nmercy of, 13\n\nduty of, 20\n\nqualifications of, 58, 117\n\nservice of, 59\n\nenvied by Radhara!li,\n\nSukadeva Gosvami\n\nrecommends hearing about Kr��a,\n22\nattracted\n\nto\n\ndevotional\n\nserVIce,\n\n106-107, 211, 297\nSurrender\nunto\n\nKr��a,\n\nsix\n\nitems\n\n(see also Self-surrender)\n\nof,\n\n320\n\nSvariipa Damodara Gosvami (secretary\nof Lord Caitanya), 387\n\nTeachings of Lord Caitanya, x, 65,212\n\nTears\n\nprice for highest perfection, 84\n\nscientific explanation of, 231\n\nsymptom of existential ecstatic de'\nvotion, 235-236\n\nKr��a's, 172-173 (see also Siindipani Muni)\nSridama (priya-sakhii friend of Kr��a)\n\nTemples\n\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n\n77\n\ndescription of, 332,333\n\n341\n\nSudama Vipra, 182\n\nin laughing ecstasy, 367\n\nconstruction of, 66,78-79\n\nvisiting & circumambulation of, 76,\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0454": "The Nectar of Devotion\n\n415\n\nVrtrasura\n\nTilaka\nof devotees, 47,54-55,74-75,103\n\nprayers by, 36\n\nthree-lined, 70\n\ntransformation of, 42-43\n\nVyabhiciiri-bhiiva\n\nof Kr��a, 219,338\nTime, utilization of, 138-139\n\nsymptoms enumerated &\n\nTulasi, 100-101,223\n\ndescribed, 240-269\n\nUddhava\n\nmanifested by friends of Krwa,\n\nanalysis of, 270-271\n\n341\n\nfriendship in reverence of, 281,359\ndescription of, 302\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n\nYamaraja\ndevotees beyond jurisdiction of,\n\n310,311,313,315,316\nUjjvala (priya-narmii friend of Kn�a),\n334\n\n74, 192\nYamunacarya\n\nUparasa (false expression), 401-402\n\nself-surrender of, 99\n\nVaidhi-bhakti (obligatory devotional\n\nness, 173\n\npraises Kr��a 's power of forgiveservice in practice), 21-22\n\necstatic love in ghastliness of, 285\n\nVai§[!ava\n\nYasoda (mother of Kr��a)\n\nautomatically a briihma[ta, 47\n\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n\ngeneral behavior of, 63\n\n230, 233, 240, 244-245, 248-252,\n\nbeyond jurisdiction of Yamaraja,\n\n260-261, 266 , 347-349, 350-358,\n\n74\n\n377-378,384\n\nservice to, 103\n\nactivities & physical description of,\n\n349\n\nVar[tiisrama-dharma, 23-26, 96-97, 113\nVa_yasyas (friends of Kr��a), 327\n\nYoga\n\nVedas, personified, prayers by, 39,124\n\nunfavorable for devotional service,\n\nVibhiiva (cause or basis for relishing\n\n114\n\ntranscendental mellow), 152,154-\n\nmeeting of Kr��a & devotees, 318-\n\n155,271,286\n\n320\nYogis\n\nVidura, 171\n\nmystic perfections of, 10-11, 191\n\nVikarma, 20\nVipralambha\nlove),\n\n(separation\n\nm\n\nconjugal\n\n291,295-297\n\n363\n\nYudhi�thira Maharaj\n\nViwu\nmeditation\n\nin neutral devotional service, 290,\n\non,\n\n23\n\nKrwa source of, 203-204\n\nrespect for Kr��a displayed by, 179\nas dhira-prasiinta, 202\n\nappreciation of by devotees in neu­\n\necstatic symptoms manifested by,\n\ntrality, 291-292\n\n256, 315\n\nawe & reverence for, 298-299\n\nchivalry of, 373, 375-376\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0455": "-�\n\nNote on Transliterated Sanskrit Words\nThe vowels are pronounced almost as in Italian. The sound of the\nsho,rt a is like the u in but, the long ii is like the a in far and held\ntwice as long as the short a, and e is like the a in evade. Long i is like\nthe i in pique. The vowel r is pronounced like the re in the English\nword fibre. The cis pronounced as in the English word chair, and the\naspirated consonants (ch, jh, dh, etc.) are pronounced as in staunchheart, hedge -hog, red-hot, etc. The two spirants s and§ are pronounced\nlike the English sh; sis pronounced as in sun .\n\ni\n\nI\n\nI\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0456": "\"0 Supreme Lord, I know that young girls have natural affection\nfor young boys and that young boys have natural affection for young\ngirls. I am praying rrt Ycur lotus fed that my mind may bec9me\nattracted unto You in the sam..: �'>;wntc.ueous way.\"\n\n•.\n\nf!Jevotion\n\nfrom The Nect�: o\n··=·\n\n·�\n\n\"Chapter 9\n\nThis book is espec}ally intended t� hdp establish eternal religious\nprinciples for the benefit of �11 human hejngs. 'fhe text is flooded '\n-, .. -r\n\nwith nectarcan stories, philosophy-anJ poetic verses about Kr�IJ.a and\n\nHis pure devotees--all taken dtrectly from the Vedic literatures. It is a\nsummary study of Bhakti-ra�amrta-sindhu,\n\nwhich was written in\n\nSanskrit hy Srila Rupn Gosvami, the chief of the six direct disciples\nof Lord Caitanya Mahiiprabhu. Lord Caitany<', who appeared in India\n\n500 ye\"\"S ago, is revealed by Vedic scriptures to be an incarnation of\n\nGod in the role of His own devotee. He and His· followers are thus\nmost authorized to teach us how to become perfect in spiritual life.\n\nThe subject matter is love of God. The basic principle of life is that'·\n\nwe all have a general propensity to love someone. At the present\n\n·\n\nm0rncnt, human society teaches one to love his country or family or\n\nhis personal self, but there is no hformation where to repose the\n\nloving propensity so that everyone can become happy. That missing\npoint !s God, or Kr�IJ.a. The Nectar of Devotion teaches us how. tQ\n\nstimulate our original love for Kr�IJ.a and how to be situated in that\npo�ition where we can enjoy our blissful life. The presentation of this\nauthoritative information about the Supreme Personality of Godhead,\n\n��I]a, and our relationship with Him is simply the· mercy of J:Iis pure\ndevotee, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktive'danta Swami Prabhuplida,\n'the spiritual master in disciplic succession from Lord Caitanya ·who\n\nis distributing the science of Kr�IJ.a throughout the world.\n\n��G6�\n\n�\nr\n\n=�\n\n��\n�e�\n32 Tiffany Place\nBrooklyn, New York 11231\n\n•\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0457": "Bhaktivedanta Swami\n\nThe\n\nInternational\n\nSociety\n\nfor Krishna\n\nConsciousness is pleased to announce the\npublication by the Macmillan Company of\nlong-awaited Complete\nEdition of\n\nthe\n\nBhagavad-gTta As It Is. This most basic and\n\nessential of all spiritual texts is now available\nin one complete, authoritative, beautifully\n\nillustrated I ,000-page volume. In Bhaga�·adgltii As It Is, the message of this timeless\nclassic is now transmitted in its purity and\nfullness. By reading this book, one can\nattain the perfection of human life.\nI ,000 pages, 44 full-color reproductions\nhardcover-$) 0.95; paperback-$4.95\n\nThe science of God is greater than all\nother sciences, and this spiritual technology\nis rationally and authoritptively explained in\nthe\n\n18,000 verses of SrTmad-Bizagavatam,\n\nIndia's sublime contribution of culture, philosophy,\nDivine\n\npolitics,\n\nGrace\n\nreligion\n\nand\n\nlove. His\n\nA.C. Bhaktivedanta\n\nSwami\n\nPrabhupada has undertaken the mighty task\nof rendering the entire work into the English\nlanguage, verse by verse. This is a book to be\ntranscendentally relished even by liberated\nsouls, for in each verse one will find new\nenlightenment regarding the Absolute Truth,\nthe origin of all emanations.\n\nSecond Canto\n\nFirst Canto\nVol. I\nVol. II\nVol. III\n\n$6.50\n$6.50\n$6.50\n\nVol. I\nVol. II\n\n$6.50\n$6.50\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0458": "The Nectar of Devotion is a summary study of S rila\nROpa\n\nGosvami's\n\nBhakti-rasamrta-sindhu,\n\nor\n\n\"the\n\nnectar which is derived from the ocean of devotion\n(bhakti).\" It fully .::ontains the complete science of\nbhakti-yoga, or linking with the Supreme by transcendental loving devotion. Bhakti-yoga is the highest path of attaining God consciousness, but it is\nsimultaneously simple and sublime. It is recommended for everyone in this age.\n\n", "The_Nectar_of_Devotion-1970_ISKCON_Press_edition-Hardcover-SCAN#p0459": ""}