244 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta [Madhya-lila, Ch. 8
tat-tad-gunanusravanam mukunda-
padaravindam hrdayesu yesam
“After much hard labor, a person highly learned in Vedic literature is certainly very
famous. However, one who is always hearing and chanting the glories of the lotus
feet of Mukunda within his heart is certainly superior.”
In the Narayana-vyGha-stava, it is said:
naham brahmapi bhiyasam
tvad-bhakti-rahito hare
tvayi bhaktas tu kito ‘pi
bhdyasam janma-janmasu
“| do not aspire to take birth as a Brahma if that Brahma is not a devotee of the
Lord. | shall be satisfied simply to take birth as an insect if | am given a chance to
remain in the house of a devotee.”

There are many similar verses in Srimad-Bhagavatam, especially 3.25.38,
4.24.29, 4.31.22, 7.9.24, and 10.14.30.

It was Lord Siva who said: “| do not know the truth about Krsna, but a devotee
of Lord Krsna’s knows all the truth. Out of all the devotees of Lord Krsna, Prahlada
is the greatest.”

Above Prahlada, the Pandavas are supposedly more advanced. Above the Pan-
davas are the members of the Yadu dynasty, who are even more advanced. In the
Yadu dynasty, Uddhava is the furthest advanced, and above Uddhava are the
damsels of Vraja-dhama, the gopis themselves.

In the Brhad-vamana Purana, Bhrgu is told by Lord Brahma:

sasti-varsa-sahasrani
maya taptam tapah pura
nanda-gopa-vraja-strinamh
pada-rendpalabdhaye
“| underwent meditation and austerities for 60,000 years just to understand the
dust of the lotus feet of the gopis. Still, | could not understand them. To say
nothing of me, even Lord Siva, Lord Sesa and the goddess of fortune Laksmi could
not understand them.”

In the Adi Purana the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself says:

na tatha me priyatamo
brahmd rudras ca parthiva

na ca laksmir na catmda ca
yatha gopi-jano mama
