375
The Nectar of Devotion
post of Indra, the heavenly King. They know that the post of the King of heaven is also fearful, whereas for those who are engaged in glorifying Your transcendental qualities there is only joyfulness and freedom from all danger. As such, why should persons with this knowledge be attracted by a post in the heavenly kingdom?”
One devotee has described his feelings about the charity exhibited by King Mayūradhvaja: “I am faltering even to speak about the activities of Mahārāj Mayūradhvaja, to whom I offer my respectful obeisances.” Mayūradhvaja was very intelligent, and he could understand why Kṛṣṇa came to him once, in the garb of a  brāhmaṇa . Kṛṣṇa demanded from him half of his body, to be sawed off by his wife and son, and King Mayūradhvaja agreed to this proposal. On account of his intense feeling of devotional service, King Mayūradhvaja was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, and when he understood that Kṛṣṇa had come in the garb of a  brāhmaṇa , he did not hesitate to part with half of his body. This sacrifice of Mahārāj Mayūradhvaja for Kṛṣṇa’s sake is unique in the world, and we should offer our all-respectful obeisances to him. He had full knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the garb of a  brāhmaṇa , and he is known as the perfect  dāna-vīra , or renouncer.
Any person who is always ready to satisfy Krṣṇa and who is always dexterous in executing devotional service is called  dharma-vīra , or chivalrous in executing religious rituals. Only advanced devotees performing religious ritualistic performances can come to this stage of  dharma-vīra .  Dharma-vīras  are produced after going through the authoritative scriptures, following moral principles, being faithful and tolerant and controlling the senses. Persons who execute religious rituals for the satisfaction of Krṣṇa are steady in devotional service, whereas persons who execute religious rituals without intending to please Krṣṇa are only called pious.
The best example of a  dharma-vīra  is Mahārāj Yudhiṣṭhira. A devotee once told Kṛṣṇa: “My dear Kṛṣṇa, O killer of all demons, Mahārāj Yudhiṣṭhira, the eldest son of Mahārāj Pāṇḍu, has performed all kinds of sacrifices just to please You. He has always invited the heavenly King, Indra, to take part in the  yajñas  [sacrifices]. Because King Indra was thus absent so often from Śacīdevī, she had to pass much