373 The Nectar of Devotion

Once Krsna challenged all His friends and said, “My dear friends,
just see—I am jumping with great chivalrous prowess. Please do
not flee away.” Upon hearing these challenging words, another
friend named Varithapa counter-challenged the Lord and struggled
against Him.

One of the friends once remarked, “‘Sudama is trying his best to see
Damodara defeated, and I think that if our powerful Subala joins
him, they will be a very beautiful combination, like a valuable jewel
bedecked with gold.”

In these chivalrous activities, only Krsna’s friends can be the op-
ponents. Krsna’s enemies can never actually be His opponents. There-
fore, this challenging by Krgna’s friends is called devotional service in
chivalrous activities.

Dana-vira, or chivalry in the giving in charity, can be divided into
two parts: munificence and renunciation. A person who can sacrifice
everything for the satisfaction of Krsna is called munificent. When a
person desires to make a sacrifice because of his seeing Krsna, Krsna
is called the impetus of the munificent activity. When Krsna appeared
as the son of Nanda Maharaj, in clear consciousness Nanda Maharaj
desired all auspiciousness for his son and thus began to give in charity
valuable cows to all the brahmanas. The brahmanas were so satisfied
by this charitable action that they were obliged to say that the chari-
ty of Nanda Maharaj had excelled the charity of such past kings as
Maharaj Prthu and Nrga.

When a person knows the glories of the Lord completely and is
prepared to sacrifice everything for the Lord, he is called sampra-
danaka, or one who gives everything in charity for the sake of Krsna.

When Maharaj Yudhisthira went with Krsna in the arena of the
raja-suya sacrifice, in his imagination he began to anoint the body of
Krsna with pulp of sandalwood, he decorated Him with a garland
hanging down to His knees, he began to give Him garments all em-
broidered with gold, he gave Him ornaments all bedecked with valu-
able jewels, and he gave Him many fully decorated elephants, chariots
and horses. He further wished to give Krsna in charity his kingdom,
his family and his personal self also. After so desiring, when there was
nothing to actually give in charity, Maharaj Yudhisthira became very
perturbed and anxious.
