Text 5]
The Activities of Mahārāja Priyavrata
9
mits it. Since Kṛṣṇa consciousness is eternal, it cannot be destroyed altogether, but advancement may be checked for the time being. Thus  vaiṣṇava-aparādha  is one kind of impediment to devotional service. Sometimes, however, the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotee desires to impede one's devotional service. For example, Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa were formerly Jaya and Vijaya, the gatekeepers in Vaikuṇṭha, but by the desire of the Lord, they became His enemies for three lives. Thus the desire of the Lord is another kind of impediment. But in both cases, the pure devotee, once advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, cannot be lost. Following the orders of his superiors (Svāyambhuva and Lord Brahmā), Priyavrata accepted family life, but this did not mean he lost his position in devotional service. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is perfect and eternal, and therefore it cannot be lost under any circumstances. Because the material world is full of obstructions to advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there may appear to be many impediments, yet Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, declares in  Bhagavad-gītā  (9.31),  kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati : once one has taken shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord, he cannot be lost.
In this verse, the word  śivatamām  is very significant.  Śivatamām  means "the most auspicious." The devotional path is so auspicious that a devotee cannot be lost under any circumstances. This is described in the  Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā  by the Lord Himself.  Pārtha naiveha nāmutra vināśas tasya vidyate : "My dear Arjuna, for a devotee there is no question of being lost, either in this life or in the next." (Bg. 6.40) In  Bhagavad-gītā  (6.43) the Lord clearly explains how this is so.
tatra tam buddhi-samyogam labhate paurva-dehikam yatate ca tato bhūyaḥ samsiddhau kuru-nandana
By the order of the Lord, a perfect devotee sometimes comes to this material world like an ordinary human being. Because of his previous practice, such a perfect devotee naturally becomes attached to devotional service, apparently without cause. Despite all kinds of impediments due to surrounding circumstances, he automatically perseveres in devotional service and gradually advances until he once again becomes perfect. Bilvamangala Thākura had been an advanced devotee in his previous