Text 14] The Process of Creation 191

the devotees or His punishment of the demons, He is ever kind to everyone
because He is complete existence for all individual existence.

The paramahamsa stage of existence is the highest perfectional stage of
spiritual values. According to Srimati Kuntidevi, the Lord is factually
understood by the paramahamsas only. As there is gradual realization of
the transcendence from impersonal Brahman to localized Paramatma to
the Personality of Godhead, Purusottama Lord Krsna, similarly there is
gradual promotion of one’s situation in the spiritual life of sannydsa.
Kuticaka, bahiidaka, parivrajakacarya and paramahamsa are gradual pro-
gressive stages in the renounced order of life, sannydsa, and Queen Kunti-
devi, the mother of the Pandavas, has spoken about them in her prayers
for Lord Krsna (Canto One, Chapter Eight). The paramahamsas are general-
ly found both among the impersonalists and the devotees, but according to

imad-Bhagavatam (as it is clearly stated by Kuntidevi), pure bhakti-yoga
is understood by the paramahamsas, and she has especially mentioned
that the Lord descends (paritrandya sadhiinam) especially to award bhakti-
yoga to the paramahamsas. So ultimately the paramahamsas, in the true
sense of the term, are unalloyed devotees of the Lord. Srila Jiva Gosvami
has directly accepted that the highest destination is bhakti-yoga, by which
one accepts the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Those who
accept the path of bhakti-yoga are the factual paramahamsas.

Since the Lord is very kind to everyone, the impersonalists, who accept
bhakti as the means of being merged in the existence of the Lord in His
impersonal brahmajyoti, are also awarded their desired destination. He has
assured everyone in the Bhagavad-gita: ye yatha mam prapadyante. Accord-
ing to Srila Vigvanatha Cakravarti, there are two classes of paramahamsas,
namely the brahmanandis (impersonalists) and the premanandis (devotees),
and both are awarded their desired destinations, although the premanandis
are more fortunate than the brahmdnandis. But both the brahmdnandis
and the premanandis are transcendentalists, and they have nothing to do
with the inferior material nature full of the existential miseries of life.

TEXT 14

Saat Tater aI AA UVM
