186
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 2, Ch. 4]
Lord. The  Vedas  say that He is so complete that even though the whole complete identity is emanated from Him, He still remains the same complete whole ( pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśisyate ). As such, there is no validity in a material conception of the Lord by the mental speculators. Thus He remains always a mystery for the mundane scholar, even if he is vastly learned in the Vedic literatures ( vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau ). Therefore, the Lord is beyond the limit of conception for mundane learned scholars, philosophers or scientists. He is easily understandable by the pure devotee because the Lord declares in the  Bhagavad-gītā  that after surpassing the stage of knowledge, when one is able to be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, then only can one know the true nature of the Lord (Bg. 18.54). No one can have any clear conception of the Lord or His holy name, form, attributes, pastimes, etc., unless one is engaged in His transcendental loving service. The statement of the  Bhagavad-gītā  that one must first of all surrender unto the Lord, being freed from all other engagements, means that one must become a pure unconditional devotee of the Lord. Only then can one know Him by the strength of devotional service.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit admitted in the previous verse that the Lord is inconceivable even for the greatest learned scholars. Why then should he again request Śukadeva Gosvāmī to clarify his insufficient knowledge about the Lord? The reason is clear. Śukadeva Gosvāmī was not only vastly learned in the Vedic literatures, but he was also a great self-realized soul and a powerful devotee of the Lord. A powerful devotee of the Lord is, by the grace of the Lord, more than the Lord Himself. The Personality of Godhead Śrī Rāmacandra attempted to bridge the Indian Ocean to reach the island of Laṅkā, but Śrī Hanumānjī, the unalloyed devotee of the Personality of Godhead, could cross the ocean simply by jumping over it. The Lord is so merciful upon His pure devotee that He presents His beloved devotee as more powerful than Himself. The Lord expressed Himself to be unable to save Durvāsā Muni, although the Muni was so powerful that he could reach the Lord directly in these material conditions. But Durvāsā Muni was saved by Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, a devotee of the Lord. Therefore, a devotee of the Lord is not only more powerful than the Lord, but also worship of the devotee is considered more effective than direct worship of the Lord ( mad-bhakta pūjābhyadhikā ).
The conclusion is, therefore, that a serious devotee must first approach a spiritual master who is not only well versed in the Vedic literatures but is also a great devotee with factual realization of the Lord and His different energies. Without the help of such a devotee spiritual master, no one can