54 verses
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O best of the Kurus! Eager to engage in the worship of Kṛṣṇa, Nārada Muni stayed constantly in Dvārakā, which was always protected by the arms of Govinda.
O King! Who among the conditioned souls with senses, confronted by death at every step of life, would not render service to the lotus feet of Mukunda, who is worshipable even for the greatest devatās?
Who would not worship Kṛṣṇa, since the Lord binds even liberated persons to him with eagerness? Persons with senses like ears are qualified for worshiping the Lord. Not only jīvas worship the Lord, but even the best of devatās like Śiva worship him as well.
One day the sage among the devatās, Nārada, came to the house of Vasudeva. After worshiping Nārada, seating him comfortably and respectfully bowing down to him, Vasudeva spoke as follows.
Vasudeva said: O Lord! Your visit, like that of a father to his children, is for the benefit of all living beings, for the most wretched among them, as well as those who are worshipping the Lord.
You come for the benefit of ordinary beings, for the very low and for the highest beings, the devotees, just as a father comes to help three types of children equally. This shows Nāradas affection for all living entities.
The activities of devatās lead to both misery and happiness for living beings, but the activities of great saints like you, who have accepted the infallible Lord as their very soul, result only in the happiness of all beings.
It is improper to compare the devotees with the devatās. Sometimes the devatās give too much rain, and in this way afflict the living beings.
Those who worship the devatās receive reciprocation from the devatās in a way corresponding to the offering. The devatās are attendants of karma, like a person's shadow, but devotees are affectionate to the fallen.
Just as a person acts, his shadow follows. Similarly the devatās respond to acts of worship of the worshipper. The devatās follow the actions of the worshiper.
O brāhmaṇa! Although I am satisfied simply by seeing you, I still wish to inquire about those duties which give pleasure to the Supreme Lord. Any mortal who faithfully hears about them is freed from all kinds of fear.
Though I am satisfied just with seeing you, I am asking. Having heard bhagavad-dharma, mortals, even without seeing you, are freed from all fears. This is astonishing.
In a previous birth on this earth, I worshiped the Supreme Lord, Ananta, who alone can award liberation, but because I desired to have a child, I did not worship him for liberation, since I was bewildered by the Lord's illusory energy.
But you are successful, yes? I wanted a child, not liberation.
My dear lord, true to your vow! Please instruct me clearly, so that by your mercy I may easily free myself from material existence, which is full of dangers.
Viśvato-bhayāt means from saṁsāra.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King! Nārada was pleased by the questions of the highly intelligent Vasudeva, which reminded Nārada of Lord Kṛṣṇa and his qualities. Thus Nārada replied to Vasudeva as follows.
He remembered the Lord along with his qualities. There is a rule adhīg artha-dayeśāṁ karmaṇi: verbs indicating remembering, giving, pitying, protecting, moving and ruling take the possessive case rather than the accusative. (Pāṇinī 2.3.52) Thus hareh is in the possessive rather than accusative case.
Nārada said: O best of the Sātvatas! You have quite correctly asked about the eternal duty of the living entity toward the Supreme Lord, which purifies the whole universe.
Pure devotional service rendered to the Supreme Lord, consisting of hearing, chanting, meditating, accepting it with faith, or praising others who perform it, immediately purifies even those who are envious of the Lord and the universe.
Today you have made me remember my Lord, the supremely blissful Nārāyaṇa, who is so auspicious that whoever hears and chants about him becomes completely pure.
To explain the devotional service of the Lord, sages have related the ancient history of the conversation between the great soul King Videha and the sons of Ṛṣabha.
Svāyambhuva Manu had a son named Mahārāja Priyavrata, and among Priyavrata's sons was Āgnīdhra. From Āgnīdhra was born Nābhi, whose son was known as Ṛṣabhadeva.
The sons of Ṛṣabha were mentioned in the previous verse. Who was Ṛṣabha? This is now explained.
Ṛṣabhadeva is accepted as a portion of Vāsudeva who to propagate liberation. He had one hundred sons, all perfect in Vedic knowledge.
Of the one hundred sons of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, the eldest, Bharata, was completely devoted to Lord Nārāyaṇa. The famous varṣa became the astonishing Bhārata-varsā because of his name.
King Bharata rejected this material world, considering all types of material pleasure temporary and useless. Leaving his house, he worshiped the Lord by severe austerities and attained the abode of the Lord after three lifetimes.
Nine of the remaining sons of Ṛṣabhadeva became the rulers of the nine islands of Bhārata-varṣa, and they exercised complete sovereignty over this planet. Eighty-one sons became brāhmaṇas and helped initiate the Vedic path of karma.
Among the sons of Ṛṣabha, nine became rulers of nine islands such as Brahmāvarta of Bhārat-varṣa. Eighty-on sons became brāhmaṇas who started the path of karma.
kavir havir antarīkṣaḥ prabuddhaḥ pippalāyanaḥ āvirhotro 'tha drumilaś camasaḥ karabhājanaḥ
The nine remaining sons of Ṛṣabha were greatly fortunate sages, discerning the highest truth, endeavoring for Paramātmā, were learned concerning Paramātmā. They wandered about naked. Their names were Kavi, Havir, Antarīkṣa, Prabuddha, Pippalāyana, Āvirhotra, Drumila, Camasa and Karabhājana.
They were discerners of the highest truth (artha-śaṁsinaḥ), making great endeavor for realizing ātmā, and were naked (vāta-rasanā).
These sages wandered the earth while seeing the entire universe, with all its gross and subtle objects, as a manifestation of the Supreme Lord and as nondifferent from Paramātmā.
Ātmanaḥ means Paramātmā. They saw the universe as identical with Paramātmā since it is his śakti.
The nine Yogendras are liberated souls who travel unchecked to the planets of the devatās, the perfected mystics, the Sādhyas, the heavenly musicians, the Yakṣas, the human beings, and the Kinnaras and the serpents. As they wish, they can travel as well to the worlds of the sages, the Cāraṇas, the ghostly followers of Lord Śiva, the Vidyādharas, the brāhmaṇas and the cows.
Once in Ajanābha (Bhārata-varṣa), they came upon the sacrificial performance of the great soul Mahārāja Nimi, which was being carried out under the direction of sages.
My dear King, seeing those pure devotees of the Lord, who rival the sun in brilliance, everyone presentthe performer of the sacrifice, the brāhmaṇas and even the sacrificial firesstood in respect.
King Nimi understood that the nine sages were exalted devotees of Nārāyaṇa. Therefore, overjoyed at their auspicious arrival, he offered them suitable sitting places and worshiped them in the proper way.
Yathārhataḥ means properly.
Overwhelmed by transcendental joy, the King humbly bowed his head and then proceeded to question the nine sages, who glowed by their own effulgence and thus appeared equal to the four Kumāras, the sons of Lord Brahmā.
King Nimi said: I think that you must be direct associates of the Supreme Lord, who is famous as the enemy of the demon Madhu. The pure devotees of Lord Viṣṇu wander throughout the universe to purify all the conditioned souls.
Two verses describe how the King welcomed them. Why would the associates of Viṣṇu come here? The associates (bhūtāni) of Viṣṇu move about to purify the worlds with their mercy.
For the conditioned souls, the human body which can be lost at any moment is a rare opportunity for gaining liberation. But I think that even rarer than liberation is the association of pure devotees, who are dear to the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha.
Today, I have seen my good fortune. Human birth is rare for attaining liberation. However meeting the associates of the Lord is rarer, because they bestow bhakti.
O sinless ones! Therefore, I ask you to kindly tell me what is most beneficial. Even half a moment's association with pure devotees within this world of birth and death is a treasure for any man.
The meaning is this. When a guest comes one must ask about his welfare. But to inquire to ātmārāmas who are the very form of auspiciousness, this is inappropriate by its very nature. To ask about their health is a useless question. Therefore one should ask about spiritual welfare only. O sinless ones! Sins cannot exist in your presence. Just by bestowing your presence, you have destroyed all my sins. But there is a goal for which we should strive. I ask about that.
This may be asked later. What is the rush? Half a moment of the treasure of your association is valuable. If suddenly one attains this treasure, why should one delay in asking about the desired goal with enthusiasm? I have special good fortune because you are staying here for a long time.
Please speak about how one engages in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord, if you consider me capable of properly hearing these topics. When a living entity offers loving service to the Supreme Lord, the Lord is immediately satisfied, and in return he gives himself to the surrendered soul.
Then ask what you desire. This verse explains the request. If we have ears qualified for hearing about these topics, then you should speak. You should speak the very essence of those topicsby which the Lord is satisfied and gives himself.
Nārada said: O Vasudeva! When Mahārāja Nimi had inquired from the nine Yogendras about devotional service to the Lord, those best of saintly persons sincerely thanked the King for his questions and with affection spoke to him, in the presence of the priests and members of the sacrificial assembly.
Kavi said: for one whose intelligence is disturbed by his falsely identifying himself with the temporary material world I consider that worship of the Lords lotus feet, which produces fearlessness from the material world, is the highest goal because Paramātmā destroys all fear by that worship.
O King! I see that all dharmas have an element of fear. But bhakti gives fearlessness. I consider the highest goal to be bhakti from which there is no fear from time, karma or other obstacles. The chief qualification is mentioned. A person is disturbed by his (ātmā) thoughts of body and family (asat), which are difficult to give up. This means he must desire to give up attachment to body, house and other objects unfavorable for bhakti. When one performs that worship, fear is destroyed by the Paramātmā.
Even ignorant living entities can very easily come to know the Supreme Lord if they adopt those means prescribed by the Supreme Lord. The process recommended by the Lord is to be known as bhāgavata-dharma.
The characteristics of bhāgavata-dharma are described. Varṇāśrama was spoken by Manu and others. But because bhakti is most secret, the Lord himself speaks it. Know the method for quick attain ones benefit (ātmā-labdhaye), even for ignorant persons, to be bhāgavata-dharma.
O King! One who accepts this process of devotional service will never be affected by pride. Even while running with eyes closed, he will never trip or fall.
The power of the process is explained. Taking shelter of bhakti, having faith (āsthā means faith), just having faith in the process, what to speak of performing it, a person will never be strongly (pra) affected by pride (mādyeta). In karma or yoga the practitioner becomes proud. Or pramādyeta can mean he never becomes inattentive. That means the obstacles cannot overpower him. Moreover, taking shelter of bhakti, whether having his eyes open or closed, while running the person does not stumble or fall. Someone may offer an easy process and say Run with your eyes closed using the method taught by me. But do not have any doubt. Running means moving by putting a foot forward and placing it on the earth. One may stumble by going a little and more likely one will fall by moving longer. But if one performs a little or a lot of one aḍga of the whole of bhakti, there is no loss as there is in karma. One will not lose the result by performing only one aḍga for a short period. Though one is ignorant at present (closing the eyes), if one performs bhakti without awareness, it is not a fault. What to speak then of performing bhakti with awareness? Not performing even one aḍga however is a fault, since it was said that one should have faith in bhakti. Acting in such a way, one will fall from the correct path. To follow another path to attain the Lord is a big fault:
śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā |
aikāntikī harer bhaktir utpātāyaiva kalpate ||
Even if a person seems to have attained steadiness in practicing pure bhakti to the Lord, that bhakti is a misfortune if it rejects the rules of śruti, smṛti, purāṇa and pañcarātra out of atheism. Brahma-yamala
The person who has begun bhakti is no longer qualified for varṇāśrama. In performing bhakti there is no considereation of whether one has performed those duties or not. The Lord says:
tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta na nirvidyeta yāvatā |
mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā śraddhā yāvan na jāyate ||
One should continue to perform the Vedic ritualistic activities only until one becomes detached from material sense gratification and develops faith for hearing and chanting about me. SB 11.20.9
In this chapter later it is said bhaktyaikayeśaṁ guru-devatātmā. The word ekayā modifying bhaktyā indicates that karma-miśra and other types of bhakti are also rejected.
In accordance with ones particular nature, whatever one does with body, words, mind, senses, intelligence or purified consciousness one should offer to the Lord, thinking, "This is for the pleasure of Lord Nārāyaṇa."
The intelligent person who begins the process described later in verse 39 should become absorbed in that process with all his functions such as speech. The meaning is this. Just as the material person, starting in the morning, performs actions such as urinating, stooling, washing his mouth, brushing his teeth, bathing, seeing, hearing and speaking for material happiness and performs rituals for worship of devatās and Pitṛs, so the devotee of the Lord will do all these activities as service to the Lord. These become aḍgas of bhakti. Whatever he performs according to his nature acquired by beginningless identification with body, using body, mind, words, senses, intelligence and citta, should be made to serve Nārāyaṇa. Dative case here has the sense of for that purpose.
For the jīva averse to the Lord, there will be saṁsāra consisting of identity with body and lack of identity with the soul, because of his absorption in the material coverings on the soul, arising from the Lords māyā. Saṁsāra takes Therefore, the intelligent person, taking guru as his Lord and very self, should fully worship the Lord with pure bhakti.
However, the devotees should not fear bondage from saṁsāra. Fear naturally is destroyed for the person who starts bhakti. Because of the false identity arising from imposition of body and senses (dvitīye), for the jīva averse to the Lord (īṣād apetasya), there will be fear or saṁsāra. But there is no fear for the person faithful to the Lord:
tāvad rāgādayaḥ stenās tāvat kārā-gṛhaṁ gṛham
tāvan moho 'ḍghri-nigaòo yāvat kṛṣṇa na te janāḥ
O Kṛṣṇa! Until people become your devotees, their material attachments and desires remain thieves, their homes remain prisons, and their affectionate feelings for their family members remain foot-shackles. SB 10.14.36
That fear or saṁsāra takes two forms: the form of reversal and the form of forgetfulness. Reversal means thinking oneself to be the body, different from the soul. Forgetfulness means not remembering that one is soul. A person becomes devoid of questions concerning the past and future such as Who am I? What should I do? What was I before? What will I be after? This fear arises by the māyā of the Lord. It is said smṛti-bhraṁśād buddhi-nāśo buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati: from loss of memory, intelligence is lost and from loss of intelligence one is destroyed. (BG 2.61) Because of this (ataḥ), the intelligent person, getting his intelligence by the mercy of gurus lotus feet, should fully (ā) worship (bhajet) the Lord by pure (ekayā) bhakti devoid of other desires, devoid of karma or jñāna. This person considers the guru to be as dear as the Lord and the self.
The world of enjoyment, even it is not directly present, remains an influence on the jīva, who thinks of the enjoyment, just as he does in a dream or in a desire in the mind. Therefore the intelligent person will control the mind which accepts and rejects actions. Then he becomes fearless.
One who does not have the enjoyments like garlands, sandalwood and women, or who lives in the forest renouncing them, should not have this fear. Do not say this. The world of enjoyment (dvayaḥ), though not present, remains in the mind for the person who still thinks of the enjoyments. It is like the desires or dreams created by the mind (dhiyā). Therefore, one should control the mind which accepts or rejects actions. Control of the mind however will not take place except by devotion to the lotus feet of guru, and by no other method. It is said by the Vedas:
vijita-hṛṣīka-vāyubhir adānta-manas tura-gaṁ
ya iha yatanti yantum ati-lolam upāya-khidaḥ
vyasana-śatānvitāḥ samavahāya guroś caraṇaṁ
vaṇija ivāja santy akṛta-karṇa-dharā jaladhau
The mind is like an impetuous horse that even persons who have regulated their senses and breath cannot control. Those in this world who try to tame the uncontrolled mind, but who abandon the feet of their spiritual master, encounter hundreds of obstacles in their cultivation of various distressful practices. O unborn Lord, they are like merchants on a boat in the ocean who have failed to employ a helmsman. SB 10.87.33
rajas tamaś ca sattvena sattvaṁ copaśamena ca
etat sarvaṁ gurau bhaktyā puruṣo hy añjasā jayet
One conquers rajas and tamas by a predominance of sattva. One conquers sattva by being indifferent to the results of actions. One conquers all of these obstacles quickly and easily by devotion to guru. SB 7.15.25
This has been said in the previous verse as well.
Hearing the most auspicious birth and activities of Kṛṣṇa, which are sung by all people, singing his names which describe those activities, while having no attachment to anything else, a person should without shame wander in the world.
It has just been said that one should worship the Lord with devotion. What is that bhakti? This verse answers. One should sing the names of the Lord which describe him in different languages, and hear about his births and activities through scripture and disciple succession, and which are sung by all people, even ungrammatically. Singing and chanting, devoid of attachment to anything else (asaḍgaḥ), he should wander around.
Regulated with such devotion, chanting the name of his dear Kṛṣṇa, he develops prema. His heart melts and he laughs loudly, weeps, wails and sings. He dances like a madman without regard for the public.
This verse describes the transcendental activities of the person beyond saṁsāra who has attained prema. He who has been regulated in this way (evam-vrataḥ) particularly chants the names of Kṛṣṇa who is dear to him, or he chants the names which are dear to him. By chanting he has developed prema (jātānurāgaḥ). In great longing to see the Lord, his heart melts like molten gold. Oh! That thief, the son of Yaśodā, has entered a house to steal the butter. He should be caught and driven away. When Kṛṣṇa hears the voice of an old woman in the house, he begins to flee. Seeing Kṛṣṇa in this sudden appearance, he laughs. When the vision disappears, he laments and weeps. He wails, Oh! I had attained a great treasure, and now it has escaped my hands! O Lord! Where are you? Give me an answer! The Lord says, O devotee! Hearing your wailing, I have come. Again the Lord appears and, seeing him, the devotee sings, Today I have been successful. In bliss he dances madly. He does not care whether people laugh, praise, respect or disrespect him (loka-bāhyaḥ).
A devotee, devoted only to the Lord, should bow down to ether, fire, air, water, earth, the sun and other luminaries, all living beings, the directions, trees and other plants, the rivers and oceans, seeing them as the body of Kṛṣṇa.
The Purāṇas say:
nārāyaṇam ayaṁ dhīrāḥ paśyanti paramārthinaḥ
jagad dhananmayaṁ lubdhāḥ kāmukāḥ kāminīmayam
A devotee sees everyone and everything in relationship with Nārāyaṇa. Everything is an expansion of Nārāyaṇa's energy. Just as those who are greedy see everything as a source of money-making and those who are lusty see everything as women.
That is illustrated in this verse. The potential mood of the verb is used. Whatever falls within ones vision one should see it as the manifestation of the body of Śyāmasundara (in the state of prema). Or the devotee, contemplating his state of perfection, even in the state of sādhana, sees in this way. Knowing the Lords body is the basis of all elements such as ether, he should offer respects. For him there is no object of service except Kṛṣṇa.
Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other thingsthese three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa, in the same way that pleasure, fullness of the stomach and relief from hunger are experienced simultaneously, with each bite, for a person engaged in eating.
An example is given to show that even at the stage of sādhana, which gives great happiness, one achieves the result. When there is bhakti in the form of hearing and chanting about Kṛṣṇa, the supreme deity, there should be a sweet experience. At that time, there should also be an experience of detachment from material happiness. These three should arise at the same time for the person who worships Kṛṣṇa (prapadyamānasya). Similarly for a person who eats, there is happiness, nourishment and disappearance of hunger with each mouthful. As one takes a mouthful of rice, this happens. Just as a person who eats a little gets a little satisfaction, a little nourishment (fullness of stomach) and a little relief from hunger, so a person who worships the Lord a little with hearing and chanting, gets a little experience of the Lord, and a little detachment from material life. And just as a person who eats a lot gets full satisfaction, full nourishment and full relief from hunger, so a person who worships the Lord fully experiences the Lord fully and becomes completely detached from material life. But though it is impossible to keep eating, by more worship of the Lord one becomes more capable of worshipping. That is the difference.
O King! The devotee who worships the lotus feet of the infallible Lord with constant endeavor achieves unflinching devotion, detachment and experience of the Lord. He achieves supreme happiness.
This verse supports the meaning of the previous verse. That person achieves extreme happiness (parāṁ śāntim).
Mahārāja Nimi said: Now please tell me about the devotees of the Supreme Lord--their natures, the different types, the conduct, and speech by which one can know who is dear to the Lord.
The previous verse mentioned the devotees. He asks concerning their qualities. What is their nature (dharma)? This is a question about their mental condition. What types (yādṛṣaḥ) of devotees are there? This is a question about various grades of devotees. What is their conduct? This is a question about their bodily nature. What do they say? This is a question about their speech. Why should one ask such questions? By these characteristics one can infer who is dear to the Lord.
Havi said: The most advanced devotee sees Supreme Lord, ones object of worship, within everything, and sees everything in the Supreme Lord.
One should see the presence (bhāvam) of the Lord, who is ones (ātmanaḥ) object of worship, in all things. When Hiraṇyakaśipu asked, Where is your Lord? Prahlāda said, He is everywhere. One can see the Lord even a pillar. In this way he saw his worshippable Lord. Similarly one should see all living beings in the Lord (ātmani), the object of ones worship, just as Yaśodā saw all beings in the belly of Kṛṣṇa.
There is another meaning. One should see all beings as having prema for the Lord, absorbed in the Lord who appears in their minds. This shown by the prema of gopīs and the queens of Dvārakā.
vana-latās tarava ātmani viṣṇuṁ
vyañjayantya iva puṣpa-phalāòhyāḥ
praṇata-bhāra-viṭapā madhu-dhārāḥ
prema-hṛṣṭa-tanavo vavṛṣuḥ sma
The trees and creepers in the forest respond by becoming so luxuriant with fruits and flowers that they seem to be manifesting Lord Viṣṇu within their hearts. As their branches bend low with the weight, the filaments on their trunks and vines stand erect out of the ecstasy of love of God, and both the trees and the creepers pour down a rain of sweet sap. SB 10.35.9
nadyas tadā tad upadhārya mukunda-gītam
āvarta-lakṣita-manobhava-bhagna-vegāḥ
āliḍgana-sthagitam ūrmi-bhujair murārer
gṛhṇanti pāda-yugalaṁ kamalopahārāḥ
When the rivers hear the flute-song of Kṛṣṇa, their minds begin to desire him, and thus the flow of their currents is broken and their waters are agitated, moving around in whirlpools. Then with the arms of their waves the rivers embrace Murāri's lotus feet and, holding on to them, present offerings of lotus flowers. SB 10.21.15
kurari vilapasi tvaṁ vīta-nidrā na śeṣe
svapiti jagati rātryām īśvaro gupta-bodhaḥ
vayam iva sakhi kaccid gāòha-nirviddha-cetā
nalina-nayana-hāsodāra-līlekṣitena
O kurarī bird, you are lamenting. Now it is night, and somewhere in this world the Supreme Lord is asleep in a hidden place. But you are wide awake, O friend, unable to fall asleep. Is it that, like us, you have had your heart pierced to the core by the lotus-eyed Lord's munificent, playful smiling glances? SB 10.90.15
na calasi na vadasy udāra-buddhe
kṣiti-dhara cintayase mahāntam artham
api bata vasudeva-nandanāḍghriṁ
vayam iva kāmayase stanair vidhartum
O magnanimous mountain, you neither move nor speak. You must be pondering some matter of great importance. Or do you, like us, desire to hold on your breasts the feet of Vasudeva's darling son? SB 10.90.22
And one should contemplate the mood of the Lord within oneself as being present in all living entities. Sanātana Gosvāmī says this meaning is approved by past authorities.
One should see in this way. This implies that one must gain qualification for seeing, rather than being able to see like this at all times. However, this does not apply to Nārada, Vyāsa and Śukadeva. They do not see the Lord at all times, everywhere, but this increases their desire for him. When this longing to see the Lord increases further, then the devotees see the whole world as the Lord, based on the logic that a lusty man sees women everywhere. And according to the saying that one sees everyone else like oneself (ātmavān manyate jagat), they see all beings as suffering from eagerness for prema. One should not explain that the verb to see here means to know and that therefore the best devotee is he who knows the Lord is in everything and everything is in the Lord simply by scripture knowledge.
An intermediate or second-class devotee, called madhyama-adhikārī, offers his love to the Supreme Lord, is a sincere friend to all the devotees of the Lord, shows mercy to ignorant people who are innocent, and disregards those who are envious of the Lord.
The madhyama devotee shows prema for the Lord, his object of worship. This actually means he has attachment for the Lord (rather than prema). He has friendship with the devotees, those who are dependent on the Lord. He shows mercy to those who are ignorant of bhakti. Since even Bharata, Vyāsa and Śukadeva did not show mercy to all persons they saw, it should be explained that this mercy to the ignorant arises on its own. This is understood from the example of the mountain:
girayo mumucus toyaṁ kvacin na mumucuḥ śivam
yathā jñānāmṛtaṁ kale jñānino dadate na vā
During this season the mountains sometimes released their pure water and sometimes did not, just as experts in transcendental science sometimes give the nectar of transcendental knowledge and sometimes do not. SB 10.20.36
They avoid those who hate the Lord, since they know the mercy will be useless. The proper conduct is to remain at a distance from those who show hatred to oneself, with the understanding that they are foolish, and at the same time meditating on their good fortune. The madhyama devotee, who does not have the qualification to see the Lord in all beings, is characterized by these four qualities. When he is seen to have that quality then he should be considered an uttama devotee. But even among uttama devotees like Nārada one will see these four qualities of prema, friendship, mercy and indifference also manifest.
A devotee who faithfully engages in the worship of the deity in the temple but does not behave properly toward other devotees or people in general is called an unrefined devotee.
Śrīdhara Svāmī explains this verse as follows. Arcāyām means in the deity. He faithfully engages in worship of the deity to please the Lord (haraye). He does not worship the Lords devotees or others. He is considered a beginning (prākrṭaḥ) devotee. This initial bhakti gradually will become uttama-bhakti. The question about the nature of devotees and the types of devotees has now been answered.
Even while engaging his senses in contact with their objects, one who sees this whole world as the energy of Lord Viṣṇu and is neither repelled nor elated is the greatest among devotees.
Other qualities of the uttama devotees are now mentioned in eight verses according to differing dispositions of those devotees.
A person who, by remembering the Lord, is not bewildered by the qualities of saṁsāra, such as birth and death of the body, hunger of the prāṇas, fear in the mind, longing in the intelligence and fatigue in the senses, is the best among the devotees.
One who is not bewildered by the qualities of saṁsāra such as birth in different bodies is the best of devotees. He is not bewildered by birth and death concerning the body, by hunger and thirst concerning the prāṇas, by fear in the mind, by longing in the intelligence and by fatigue (kṛcchram) of the senses.
The person completely surrendered to the Lord, in whose mind no impressions, desires or actions arise, is considered to be the best of devotees.
Impressions do not arise in his mind. Furthermore desires for women etc, and actions by the senses do not arise. These three do not occur in his mind. The three verses starting from verse 48 answer the question about the conduct of the devotee. He is free from hatred, joy, illusion and lust in his actions. The rest of the chapter mentions more qualities of the devotees.
He whose body does not give rise to false identity with good family, pious actions, or caste considerations is dear to the Lord.
Janma refers to being born in a good family. Karma means activities like japa and meditation. Jātibhiḥ means by castes such as ambaṣṭha (mixture of brāhmaṇa man and vaiśya woman.) He in whose body there is no ahaḍkāra is dear to the Lord.
He who does not think that wealth is his, who does not think in terms of self and other, who is equal to all beings and peaceful, is the best devotee.
Svaḥ means ones own group and para means an enemy. He does not consider wealth to be his. He does not show affection for his body and hatred for other bodies.
He, whose remembrance is not lured by dominion over the three worlds, and who does move for half a minute or half a second from the Lords lotus feet which are sought by the devatās who also meditate on the Lord, is the best of devotees.
The best devotees remembrance cannot be lured even for gaining lordship over the three worlds.
na pārameṣṭhyaṁ na mahendra-dhiṣṇyaṁ
na sārvabhaumaṁ na rasādhipatyam
na yoga-siddhīr apunar-bhavaṁ vā
mayy arpitātmecchati mad vinānyat
One who has fixed his consciousness on me desires neither the position or abode of Brahmā or Indra, nor an empire on the earth, nor sovereignty in the lower planetary systems, nor the eightfold perfection of yoga, nor liberation. Such a person desires me alone. SB 11.14.14
He does not move for half a second from the lotus feet of the Lord, which are hard to obtain and thus only sought by devatās who concentrate their minds on the Lord. Or another meaning is The lords lotus feet are sought by the devatās who cannot control their senses, so that they can rule the three worlds.
How can the heat of material existence again arise in the hearts of those who worship the Lord, since the heat of lust is destroyed by the Lords heroic lotus feet, his toes, his toenails, his toe jewels and the soothing light from his feet? When the moon rises, the heat of the sun is dissipated.
If there is agitation of lust by seeking material enjoyment, the devotee will be disturbed. But such lust does not exist in the great devotees. How can the heat again arise in the hearts of persons who worship the Lord who has destroyed the heat of lust by his two heroic feet, by his toes, by his toe nails, by the jewels on his toes, by the cool rays emanating from those toes? When the moon rises the suns heat is destroyed.
He who binds the lotus feet of the Lord by ropes of love, and whose heart the Lord, destroyer of heaps of sin, does not leave, even if beckoned accidentally, is called the best of devotees.
This is the essence of all the qualities. The Lord himself does not give up the heart of this devotee. What is the problem with even heaps of sins? The Lord, just being addressed, even accidentally, destroys a multitude of sins. What to speak then of chanting with a taste for rasa, continuously. This verse answers the question What do the devotees speak? Why does the Lord not leave the temple of their hearts? The devotee binds the lotus feet of the Lord to his heart by the ropes of affection. Just as Yaśodā bound Kṛṣṇa to the mortar by her prema, the Lord who binds all jīvas by the chains of māyā is bound by the chains of prema by the devotee.
Thus ends the commentary on Second Chapter of the Eleventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
In the Second Chapter Vasudeva asked Nārada questions. In response to King Nimis question, Kavi and Havi spoke about Vaiṣṇava principles.
Nārada stayed in Dvārakā constantly. By the influence of Kṛṣṇa, it could not be influenced by the curse of Dakṣa, and thus Nārada could remain there, though cursed by Dakṣa to travel continuously.