314 The Nectar of Devotion

verse, the great sage Narada informs Maharaj Yudhisthira about
Prahlada Maharaj, who was a devotee from the very beginning of his
life. The proof of Prahlada’s natural devotion is that even when he was
asmall child he did not play with his playmates, but was always eager
to preach the glories of the Lord. Instead of joining in their sportive
acrobatic feats, he remained as an inactive child because he was
always in trance, meditating on Krsna. As such, there was no possi-
bility of his being touched by the external world.

The following statement is about a brahmana devotee: “This brah-
mana is very expert in all kinds of activities, but I do not know why
he is looking up without moving his eyes. It appears that his body is
fixed motionless just like a doll’s. In this condition, I can guess that
he has been captivated by the transcendental beauty of that expert
flute-player, Sri Krsna, and, being attached to Him, he is simply
staring at the black cloud, remembering the bodily hue of Sri Krsna.”
This is an example of how a devotee can become inert due to ecstatic
love.

In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Seventh Canto, 4th Chapter, 30th
verse, Prahlada Maharaj says that even in his childhood, when he was
loudly speaking the glories of the Lord, he used to dance just like a
shameless madman. And sometimes, being fully absorbed in thought
on the pastimes of the Lord, he used to imitate such pastimes. This is
an instance of a devotee’s being almost like a madman. Similarly, it is
said that the great sage Narada was so ecstatically in love with Krsna
that he would sometimes dance naked, and sometimes his whole
body would become stunned. Sometimes he would laugh very loudly,
sometimes he would cry very loudly, sometimes he would remain
silent, and sometimes he would appear to be suffering from some
disease, although he had no disease. This is another instance of be-
coming like a madman in the ecstasy of devotion.

In the Hari-bhak ti-sudhodaya it is stated that when Prahlada Maharaj
was thinking himself unfit to approach the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, he immersed himself in great distress, in an ocean of un-
happiness. As such, he used to shed tears and lie down on the floor as
though unconscious.

The students of a great devotee once talked amongst themselves in
this way: ““My dear Godbrothers, our spiritual master, after seeing the
