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Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.) "Translation: Prahlada Maharaja fixed his mind and sight upon Lord Nrsimhadeva with full attention in complete trance. With a fixed mind, he began to offer prayers in love with a faltering voice."
Prabhupada: astausid dharim ekagra- manasa susamahitah prema-gadgadaya vaca tan-nyasta-hrdayeksanah [SB 7.9.7] |
So this is the process. This process you cannot expect immediately, but if you practice general process, very easily done, as it is recommended in the Bhagavad-gita, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru... [Bg. 18.65]. You cannot get the position of Prahlada Maharaja immediately. That is not possible. The process is, first of all, sadhana-bhakti. This Prahlada Maharaja's position is different. He is maha-bhagavata. In many places we have seen already. He is nitya-siddha. There are two kinds of devotees, three: nitya-siddha, sadhana-siddha, krpa-siddha. These things are described in The Nectar of Devotion. Nitya-siddha means they are eternally associate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They are called nitya-siddha. And sadhana-siddha means one is fallen in this material world, but by practice of devotional service according to the rules and regulation, injunction of the sastra, direction of guru, in this way, one can reach also the same position as the nitya-siddha. This is sadhana-siddha. And there is another. That is Krpa-siddha. Krpa-siddha means... Just like Nityananda Prabhu. He wanted that these Jagai-Madhai must be delivered. There was no sadhana. They never followed any rules and regulation. They were thieves and rogues, very fallen condition. But Nityananda Prabhu wanted to show an example that "I shall deliver these two brothers. Never mind they are so fallen." That is called krpa-siddha. So we should always remember there are three categories: nitya-siddha, sadhana-siddha and krpa-siddha. But when they become siddha, perfect, by any process, they are on the same level. There is no distinction.
So Prahlada Maharaja's position is nitya-siddha. Gaurangera sangi gane nitya-siddha boli mane. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when He came... Not only He, but others also. Just like with Krsna so many devotees, they descended. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is nitya-siddha, nitya-siddha friend. When Krsna said that "I spoke this philosophy of Bhagavad-gita to the sun-god...," imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam... [Bg. 4.1]. That is so many millions of years ago. To clear the matter, Arjuna inquired that "Krsna, You are of my age. How I can believe that You spoke this philosophy so many millions of years ago?" So what Krsna replied, you know, that "My dear Arjuna, both you and Me, we appeared many, many times. The difference is that you have forgotten. That means you were also present at that time because you are My nitya-siddha friend. Whenever I appear, you also appear. But you have forgotten; I have not forgotten." That is the difference between jiva and siva, or Lord, that we are minute part and particle of the Supreme; therefore we may forget. But Krsna does not forget. That is the difference. So nitya-siddha. Prahlada Maharaja is to be understood as nitya, maha-bhagavata, nitya-siddha. They appear to complete the lila of Krsna.
So we should not try to imitate Prahlada Maharaja. That is not good. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. I have already explained yesterday. Prahlada Maharaja is one of the mahajanas, authorized persons, authorized devotee. We should try to follow him. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. So srutayo vibhinnah,
tarko 'pratisthah srutayo vibhinna
nasau munir yasya matam na bhinnam
dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam
mahajano yena gatah sa panthah
[Cc. Madhya 17.186]
You cannot understand God by logic and arguments. It will never settle up. There are so many Mayavadis, they are going on perpetually: "What is God?" Neti neti: "This is not, this is not, this is not. What is Brahman?" So by that process you'll never be able to understand what is God. Jnane prayase udapasya namanta eva. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has accepted this formula. By knowledge, by your erudite scholarship, if you want to understand, you may be very high standard scholar, but that is not your qualification to understand God. That is not qualification. You have to give up your vanity that "I am rich, I am very learned, I am very beautiful, I am very...," so on, so on. They are janmaisvarya sruta sri [SB 1.8.26]. These are not qualification. Kuntidevi has said, akincana gocarah: "Krsna, You are akincana gocara." Akincana. Kincana means if somebody thinks that "I possess this; therefore I can purchase Krsna," oh, no, that is not. That is not possible. You have to become blank, akincana-gocarah.
So Prahlada Maharaja... There was some disagreement with the father, but he was not ordinary person. His father might... He's a very, very big man. He conquered the whole universe. So he was not a poor man's son. He was very rich man's son, Prahlada Maharaja. And he was educated by his father sufficiently. Of course, within five years... So janmaisvarya-sruta-sri. Everything was there, but Prahlada Maharaja was not depending on his material circumstances. He was depending on his profound, ecstatic transcendental bliss of devotional service. That is wanted. So that stage immediately we cannot reach. He is nitya-siddha. As I was going to explain, that whenever Krsna descends, His nitya-siddha devotees, associates, they also come. So gaurangera sangi-gane, nitya-siddha boli mane, tara haya vrajabhumi vasa. Like that. Narottama dasa Thakura... Just like sri krsna caitanya prabhu nityananda sri advaita gadadhara srivasadi gaura... So these associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they are nitya-siddha. You cannot avoid any one of them and make your imagination, that "I shall simply worship..." [break] Krsna has appeared -- Panca-tattva. Krsna is isa, and Nityananda Prabhu, He is prakasa, the first expansion of God. God has many expansion. Advaita acyuta anadi ananta-rupam adyam purana-purusam. He has got thousands and thousands exp... So first expansion is Baladeva-tattva, Nityananda; and His incarnation, Advaita; and His spiritual potency, Gadadhara; and His marginal potency, Srivasa. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu has appeared with panca..., panca-tattvatmakam. You cannot neglect anything. If you think that "I shall simply worship...," oh, that is a great offense, "...Caitanya Mahaprabhu or only Caitanya-Nityananda" No. You must worship Panca-tattva, panca-tattvatmakam krsnam, in full. Similarly, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, sixteen names, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ (devotees chant) Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. So you cannot mix up. You must do according to sastra. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. If you deviate from the sastra, then you will never be successful.
yah sastra vidhim utsrjya
vartate kama-karatah
na siddhim avapnoti
na sukham na param gatim
[Bg. 16.23]
So if you want to approach the same level like Prahlada Maharaja, we should not immediately imitate him. We must follow the sadhana-bhakti, sadhana-bhakti, for general, and krpa-siddha, that is special. That is incalculable. If Krsna wants, He can make immediately somebody very important. That is krpa-siddha. So there are three classes of devotees: nitya-siddha and sadhana-siddha and krpa-siddha. Prahlada Maharaja is nitya-siddha. He is not ordinary sadhana-siddha or of course, ultimately there is no difference, either sadhana-siddha or krpa-siddha or nitya-siddha. But we should always remember that Prahlada Maharaja is not ordinary devotee. He is nitya-siddha. Therefore immediately he developed the transcendental symptoms, asta-siddhi. Asta-siddhi, you have read in The Nectar of Devotion. So the ecstasies Ekagra-manasa. Ekagra-manasa, "with full attention." For us to bring that full attention may take hundreds and thousands of years, full attention. But Prahlada Maharaja, immediately. Immediately. Five-years-old boy. Because he is nitya-siddha. Always we should remember that we cannot imitate. "Now, Prahlada Maharaja has immediately ekagra-manasa, and I shall become also." No. That is not possible. May be possible, but that is not the way.
Just like in our country, perhaps you know, there was a poet, Rabindranath Tagore. He got many distinction from the Oxford University. He got... He never went to school but he got the title "doctor," "Doctor Rabindranath Tagore." And if you think that "I shall also get doctorate without going to school," that is foolishness. That is special. Similarly, don't try to imitate. Follow the general course, sadhana-siddhi. The regulative principles you must follow as instructed in the sastra. Therefore there are so many sastras. And guru is guide. We must always... Even if you are nitya-siddha or krpa-siddha, you should not neglect the general regulative principle. That is very dangerous. Don't try to do that. We must follow. Nitya. Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself, God, but He is accepting guru. Who is His guru? He is guru of everyone, but He has also accepted Isvara Puri as His guru. Krsna Himself, He accepted His guru, Sandipani Muni, teaching us that without guru you cannot make any advance. Adau gurvasrayam. The first business is to accept guru. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. Don't think that "I am so advanced. I may not require any guru. I can do without guru." That is nonsense. That, not possible. "Must." Tad vijnanartham. Tad-vijnanartham is spiritual science. "Must approach." Gurum evabhigacchet samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham. Tasmad-gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21]. If you are actually serious to understand the transcendental science, spiritual knowledge, oh, you must have guru. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam. And... Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, amara ajnaya guru hana tara' ei desa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. Guru cannot be self-made. No. There is no such single instance throughout the whole Vedic literature. And nowadays, so many rascals, they are becoming guru without any authority. That is not guru. You must be authorized. Evam parampara-praptam imam ra... [Bg. 4.2]. As soon as the parampara is lost, sa kalena yoga nasto parantapa, immediately finished. The spiritual potency finished. You can dress like a guru, you can talk big, big words, but it will never be effective.
So these are the science. So Prahlada Maharaja is our guru. He's not ordinary. Don't think that "He's a five-years-old boy. He has no knowledge." No. He is perfect nitya-siddha guru, and we should always pray for his mercy. And that is Vaisnavata. Vaisnava thakur tomara kukkura boliya janaha more. This is a humble way. "O Vaisnava Thakura..." All Vaisnavas are thakura. They are not ordinary persons. Thakura... We therefore address: Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. So Vaisnava Prahlada Thakura. So we should always pray, vaisnava thakura, tomara kukkura boliya janaha more. This is There is a song of Bhaktivinoda Thakura: "My dear Vaisnava Thakura, kindly accept me as your dog." Vaisnava Thakura. As the dog, by the indication of the master, does everything very obedient, we have to learn this lesson from the dog, how to become faithful to the master. That is the instruction. In everything you can learn something. Everyone Therefore maha-bhagavata, they accept everyone as guru, to learn something. Actually, from the dog we can learn this art, how to become faithful at the risk of life even. There are many instances, dog have given the life for the master. So, and we should be dog to the Vaisnava. Chadiya vaisnava-seva, nistara payeche keba.
Vaisnava aparadha is a great offense. You know Ambarisa Maharaja. He was a devotee, and he Durvasa, he was very proud of his yogic power, and he committed offense at the feet of Ambarisa Maharaja, and he was punished by Krsna by sending the sudarsana-cakra. And he wanted help from so many, Brahma, Visnu. He could go directly to the Visnuloka, but he was not pardoned. He had to come to Vaisnava, Ambarisa Maharaja, fall down at his lotus feet. And he, of course, Vaisnava, immediately excused him. So Vaisnava aparadha is great offense, hati-mata. So we should be very careful about Vaisnava aparadha. We should not Arcye visnu sila-dhir gurusu nara-matir vaisnava-jati-buddhih. The vaisnava-jati-buddhih is also another offense, great offense. Similarly, to think of guru as ordinary human being, that is also offense. To think of Deity as made of metal, stone, that is These are offenses. Sa naraki. So we should be very careful about the regulative principles and follow the footprints of Vaisnava. Mahajano yena sa gatah. Don't think that Prahlada Maharaja is ordinary boy. We should learn from Prahlada Maharaja how to advance in devotional service.
Thank you very much. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.7 -- Mayapur, February 27, 1977
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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