Text 15] The Behavior of a Perfect Person 99

people understand whether he was the same person they had
known.

PURPORT

The inhabitants of that particular place on the bank of the Kaveri in
the valley of the mountain known as Sahya were unable to understand
whether that saint was the same man they had known. It is therefore
said, vaisnavera kriya mudra vijfie nd bhujhaya. A highly advanced
Vaisnava lives in such a way that no one can understand what he is or
what he was. Nor should attempts be made to understand the past of a
Vaisnava. Without asking the saintly person about his previous life,
Prahlada Maharaja immediately offered him respectful obeisances.

TEXT 15

° iy
dacanaat fafraq meat: facet ea |
fafacaftcamet-acramratsat: 124
tam natvabhyarcya vidhivat
padayoh Sirasd sprsan
vivitsur idam apraksin

mahd-bhdégavato ’surah

tam—him (the saintly person); natvad—after offering obeisances
unto; abhyarcya—and worshiping; vidhi-vat—in terms of the rules and
regulations of etiquette; pddayoh—the lotus feet of the saintly person;
Sirasa—with the head; sprsan—touching; vivitsuh—desiring to know
about him (the saintly person); idam—the following words; apraksit—
inquired; mahd-bhagavatah—the very advanced devotee of the Lord;

asurah—although born in an asura family.

TRANSLATION

The advanced devotee Prahlada Maharaja duly worshiped and
offered obeisances to the saintly person who had adopted a
python’s means of livelihood. After thus worshiping the saintly
person and touching his own head to the saint’s lotus feet,
Prahlada Maharaja, in order to understand him, inquired very
submissively as follows.
