Text 8]
The Island of Jambūdvipa
235
Śrīdhara and whose only business was to sell pots made of the skin of banana trees. Whatever income he had, he used fifty percent for the worship of mother Ganges, and with the other fifty percent he provided for his necessities. On the whole, he was so very poor that he lived in a cottage that had a broken roof with many holes in it. He could not afford brass utensils, and therefore he drank water from an iron pot. Nevertheless, he was a great devotee of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is a typical example of how a poor man with no material possessions can become a most exalted devotee of the Lord. The conclusion is that one cannot attain shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa or Śrī Caitanya Gosāñi through material opulence; that shelter is attainable only by pure devotional service.
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu- śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
“One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.”
TEXT 8
सुरोऽसुरो वाप्यथ वानरो नरः
सर्वात्मना यः सुकृतश्चमुत्तमम् ।
भजेत रामं मनुजाकृतिं हरिं
य उत्तराननयत्कोसलान्दिवमिति ॥ ८ ॥
suro 'suro vāpy atha vānaro naraḥ
sarvātmanā yaḥ sukṛtajñam uttamam
bhajeta rāmaṁ manujākṛtiṁ hariṁ
ya uttarān anayat kosalān divam iti
suraḥ—demigod; asuraḥ—demon; vā api—or; atha—therefore; vā—or; anaraḥ—other than a human being (bird, beast, animal and so on); naraḥ—a human being; sarva-ātmanā—wholeheartedly; yaḥ—