Text 24] Prahlada, the Saintly Son of Hiranyakasipu 261

prayers to the Lord. In this way he becomes successful. In this connec-
tion, the following are some of the offenses to be avoided: (a) to offer
obeisances on one hand, (6) to offer obeisances with one’s body covered,
(c) to show one’s back to the Deity, (d) to offer obeisances on the left
side of the Deity, (e) to offer obeisances very near the Deity.

(7) Dasyam. There is the following statement in regard to assisting
the Lord as a servant. After many, many thousands of births, when one
comes to understand that he is an eternal servant of Krsna, one can
deliver others from this universe. If one simply continues to think that
he is an eternal servant of Krsna, even without performing any other
process of devotional service, he can attain full success, for simply by
this feeling one can perform all nine processes of devotional service.

(8) Sakhyam. In regard to worshiping the Lord as a friend, the
Agastya-samhita states that a devotee engaged in performing devotional
service by Sravanam and kirtanam sometimes wants to see the Lord per-
sonally, and for this purpose he resides in the temple. Elsewhere there is
this statement: ‘‘O my Lord, Supreme Personality and eternal friend, al-
though You are full of bliss and knowledge, You have become the friend
of the residents of Vrndavana. How fortunate are these devotees!” In
this statement the word “friend” is specifically used to indicate intense
love. Friendship, therefore, is better than servitude. In the stage above
dasya-rasa, the devotee accepts the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a
friend. This is not at all astonishing, for when a devotee is pure in heart
the opulence of his worship of the Deity diminishes as spontaneous love
for the Personality of Godhead is manifested. In this regard, Sridhara
Svami mentions Sridama Vipra, who expressed to himself his feelings of
obligation, thinking, “‘Life after life, may I be connected with Krsna in
this friendly attitude.”

(9) Atma-nivedanam. The word Gtma-nivedanam refers to the stage
at which one who has no motive other than to serve the Lord surrenders
everything to the Lord and performs his activities only to please the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such a devotee is like a cow that is
cared for by its master. When cared for by its master, a cow is not in
anxiety over its maintenance. Such a cow is always devoted to its master,
and it never acts independently, but only for the master’s benefit. Some
devotees, therefore, consider dedication of the body to the Lord to be
dtma-nivedanam, and as stated in the book known as Bhakti-viveka,
