36 The Nectar of Devotion

children, society, friends, royal opulence and beautiful wife. He was
so very lucky that the goddess of fortune was pleased to offer him all
kinds of material concessions, but he never accepted any of these ma-
terial opulences.” Sukadeva Gosvami eulogizes this behavior of King
Bharata very highly. He says, “Any person whose heart is attracted
by the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of God-
head, Madhustidana, not to speak of material opulences, does not
care even for that liberation which is aspired to by many great sages.”

In the Bhagavatam, Sixth Canto, 11th Chapter, 23rd verse, there is
a similar statement by Vrtrasura, who addresses the Lord as follows:
“My dear Lord, by leaving Your transcendental service I may be pro-
moted to the planet called Dhruva-loka [the Pole Star], or I may
gain lordship over all the planetary systems of the universe. But I do
not aspire to this. Nor do I wish the mystic perfections of yoga prac-
tice, nor do I aspire to spiritual emancipation. All I wish for, my
Lord, is Your association and transcendental service eternally.”

This statement is confirmed by Lord Siva in the Srimad-
Bhagavatam, Sixth Canto, 17th Chapter, 52nd verse, wherein Lord
Siva addresses Sati thusly: “My dear Sati, persons who are devoted to
Narayana [Krsna] are not afraid of anything. If they are elevated to
the higher planetary systems, or if they get liberation from material
contamination, or if they are pushed down to the hellish condition
of life—or, in fact, in any situation whatever—they are not afraid of
anything. Simply because they have taken shelter of the lotus feet of
Narayana, for them any position in the material world is as good as
another.”

There is a similar statement by Indra, the King of heaven, in
Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sixth Canto, 18th Chapter, 52nd verse. There
Indra addresses his mother in this manner: “My dear Mother [Aditi],
persons who have given up all kinds of desire and are simply engaged
in devotional service to the Lord know what is actually their self-
interest. Such persons are actually serving their self-interests and are
considered first-class experts in the matter of advancing to the per-
fectional stage of life.”

In the Seventh Canto of the Bhagavatam, 6th. Chapter, 23rd verse,
Maharaj Prahlada says: ““My dear friends who are born into atheistic
