Text 5]
Lord Kṛṣṇa Shows the Universal Form
85
this mission of  para-upakāra , performing welfare activities for people in general, is recognized by Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as being very, very dear to Him ( na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ ). Similarly, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised this  para-upakāra , and He has especially advised the inhabitants of India:
bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
“One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bhāratavarṣa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people.” (Cc.  Ādi.  9.41) On the whole, the duty of a pure Vaiṣṇava devotee is to act for the welfare of others.
Nanda Mahārāja could understand that Gargamuni had come for this purpose and that his own duty now was to act according to Gargamuni’s advice. Thus he said, “Please tell me what is my duty.” This should be the attitude of everyone, especially the householder. The  varṇāśrama  society is organized into eight divisions:  brāhmaṇa ,  kṣatriya ,  vaiśya ,  śūdra ,  brahmacarya ,  gṛhastha ,  vānaprastha  and  sannyāsa . Nanda Mahārāja represented himself as  gṛhiṇām , a householder. A  brahmacārī  factually has no needs, but  gṛhī , householders, are engaged in sense gratification. As stated in  Bhagavad-gītā  (2.44),  bhogaiśvarya-prasak-tānām tayāpahṛta-cetasām . Everyone has come to this material world for sense gratification, and the position of those who are too attached to sense gratification and who therefore accept the  gṛhastha-āśrama  is very precarious. Since everyone in this material world is searching for sense gratification,  gṛhasthas  are required to be trained as  mahat , great  mahātmās . Therefore Nanda Mahārāja specifically used the word  mahad-vicalanam . Gargamuni had no interest to serve by going to Nanda Mahārāja, but Nanda Mahārāja, as a  gṛhastha , was always perfectly ready to receive instructions from a  mahātmā  to gain the real benefit in life. Thus he was ready to execute Gargamuni’s order.
TEXT 5
ज्योतिषामयनं साक्षाद् यत्तज्ज्ञानमतीन्द्रियम् ।
प्रणीतं भवता येन पुमान् वेद परावरम् ॥ ५ ॥