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ya—a woman who; tasya—of Him; te—of You; pada-saroruha—of the lotus feet; arhanam—the worship; nikamayet—fully desires; sa—such a woman; akhila-kama-lampata—although maintaining all kinds of material desire; tat—that; eva—only; rasi—You award; ipsitam—some other desired benediction; ipsitah—being looked to for; arcitah—worshiped; yat—from which; bhagna-yacna—one who desires objects other than Your lotus feet and who thus becomes broken; bhagavan—O my Lord; pratapyate—is pained.

My dear Lord, You automatically fulfill all the desires of a woman who worships Your lotus feet in pure love. However, if a woman worships Your lotus feet for a particular purpose, You also quickly fulfill her desires, but in the end she becomes broken-hearted and laments. Therefore one need not worship Your lotus feet for some material benefit.

mat-praptaye ’jesa-surasuradayas

Srila Rupa Gosvami describes pure devotional service as anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Madhya 19.167]. One should not worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead to fulfill some material desire for success in fruitive activities or mental speculation. To serve the lotus feet of the Lord means to serve Him exactly as He desires. The neophyte devotee is therefore ordered to worship the Lord strictly according to the regulative principles given by the spiritual master and the sastras. By executing devotional service in that way, he gradually becomes attached to Krsna, and when his original dormant love for the Lord becomes manifest, he spontaneously serves the Lord without any motive. This condition is the perfect stage of one’s relationship with the Lord. The Lord then looks after the comfort and security of His devotee without being asked. Krsna promises in Bhagavad-gita (9.22):

ananyas cintayanto mam
ye janah paryupasate
tesam nityabhiyuktanam
yoga-ksemam vahamy aham

The Supreme Lord personally takes care of anyone who is completely engaged in His devotional service. Whatever he has, the Lord protects, and whatever he needs, the Lord supplies. Therefore why should one bother the Lord for something material? Such prayers are unnecessary.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains that even if a devotee wishes the Lord to fulfill a particular desire, the devotee should not be considered a sakama-bhakta (a devotee with some motive). In the Bhagavad-gita (7.16) Krsna says:

catur-vidha bhajante mam
janah sukrtino ’rjuna
arto jijnasur artharthi
jnani ca bharatarsabha

“O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.” The arta and the artharthi, who approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead for relief from misery or for some money, are not sakama-bhaktas, although they appear to be. Being neophyte devotees, they are simply ignorant. Later in Bhagavad-gita the Lord says, udarah sarva evaite: they are all magnanimous (udarah). Although in the beginning a devotee may harbor some desire, in due course of time it will vanish. Therefore the Srimad-Bhagavatam enjoins:

akamah sarva-kamo va
moksa-kama udara-dhih
tivrena bhakti-yogena
yajeta purusam param

“A person who has broader intelligence, whether he is full of all material desire, is free from material desire, or has a desire for liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead.” (Bhag. 2.3.10)

Even if one wants something material, he should pray to no one but the Lord to fulfill his desire. If one approaches a demigod for the fulfillment of his desires, he is to be considered nasta-buddhi, bereft of all good sense. Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (7.20):

kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah
prapadyante ’nya-devatah
tam tam niyamam asthaya
prakrtya niyatah svaya

“Those whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures.”

Laksmidevi advises all devotees who approach the Lord with material desires that according to her practical experience, the Lord is Kamadeva, and thus there is no need to ask Him for anything material. She says that everyone should simply serve the Lord without any motive. Since the Supreme Personality of Godhead is sitting in everyone’s heart, He knows everyone’s thoughts, and in due course of time He will fulfill all desires. Therefore let us completely depend on the service of the Lord without bothering Him with our material requests.

SB5.18.22

TEXT 22

tapyanta ugram tapa aindriye dhiyah

rte bhavat-pada-parayanan na mam

vindanty aham tvad-dhrdaya yato ’jita

mat-praptaye—to obtain my mercy; aja—Lord Brahma; isa—Lord Siva; sura—the other demigods, headed by King Indra, Candra and Varuna; asura-adayah—as well as the demons; tapyante—undergo; ugram—severe; tapah—austerity; aindriye dhiyah—whose minds are absorbed in thoughts of superior sense gratification; rte—unless; bhavat-pada-parayanat—one who is wholly and solely engaged in the service of the Supreme Lord’s lotus feet; na—not; mam—me; vindanti—obtain; aham—I; tvat—in You; hrdayah—whose hearts; yatah—therefore; ajita—O unconquerable one.

O supreme unconquerable Lord, when they become absorbed in thoughts of material enjoyment, Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, as well as other demigods and demons, undergo severe penances and austerities to receive my benedictions. But I do not favor anyone, however great he may be; unless he is always engaged in the service of Your lotus feet. Because I always keep You within my heart, I cannot favor anyone but a devotee.

sa tvam mamapy acyuta sirsni vanditam

In this verse the goddess of fortune, Laksmidevi, clearly states that she does not bestow her favor on any materialistic person. Although sometimes a materialist becomes very opulent in the eyes of another materialist, such opulence is bestowed upon him by the goddess Durgadevi, a material expansion of the goddess of fortune, not by Laksmidevi herself. Those who desire material wealth worship Durgadevi with the following mantra: dhanam dehi rupam dehi rupa-pati-bhajam dehi. “O worshipable mother Durgadevi, please give me wealth, strength, fame, a good wife and so on.” By pleasing goddess Durga one can obtain such benefits, but since they are temporary, they result only in maya-sukha (illusory happiness). As stated by Prahlada Maharaja, maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan: [SB 7.9.43] those who work very hard for material benefits are vimudhas, foolish rascals, because such happiness will not endure. On the other hand, devotees like Prahlada and Dhruva Maharaja achieved extraordinary material opulences, but such opulences were not maya-sukha. When a devotee acquires unparalleled opulences, they are the direct gifts of the goddess of fortune, who resides in the heart of Narayana.

The material opulences a person obtains by offering prayers to the goddess Durga are temporary. As described in Bhagavad-gita (7.23), antavat tu phalam tesam tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam: men of meager intelligence desire temporary happiness. We have actually seen that one of the disciples of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura wanted to enjoy the property of his spiritual master, and the spiritual master, being merciful toward him, gave him the temporary property, but not the power to preach the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu all over the world. That special mercy of the power to preach is given to a devotee who does not want anything material from his spiritual master but wants only to serve him. The story of the demon Ravana illustrates this point. Although Ravana tried to abduct the goddess of fortune Sitadevi from the custody of Lord Ramacandra, he could not possibly do so. The Sitadevi he forcibly took with him was not the original Sitadevi, but an expansion of maya, or Durgadevi. As a result, instead of winning the favor of the real goddess of fortune, Ravana and his whole family were vanquished by the power of Durgadevi (srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka [Bs. 5.44]).

SB5.18.23

TEXT 23

karambujam yat tvad-adhayi satvatam

bibharsi mam laksma varenya mayaya

ka isvarasyehitam uhitum vibhur iti

sah—that; tvam—You; mama—of me; api—also; acyuta—O infallible one; sirsni—on the head; vanditam—worshiped; kara-ambujam—Your lotus hand; yat—which; tvat—by You; adhayi—placed; satvatam—on the head of the devotees; bibharsi—You maintain; mam—me; laksma—as an insignia on Your chest; varenya—O worshipable one; mayaya—with deceit; kah—who; isvarasya—of the supremely powerful controller; ihitam—the desires; uhitum—to understand by reason and argument; vibhuh—is able; iti—thus.

O infallible one, Your lotus palm is the source of all benediction. Therefore Your pure devotees worship it, and You very mercifully place Your hand on their heads. I wish that You may also place Your hand on My head, for although You already bear my insignia of golden streaks on Your chest, I regard this honor as merely a kind of false prestige for me. You show Your real mercy to Your devotees, not to me. Of course, You are the supreme absolute controller, and no one can understand Your motives.

In many places, the sastras describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead as being more inclined toward His devotees than toward His wife, who always remains on His chest. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.14.15) it is stated:

na tatha me priyatama
atma-yonir na sankarah
na ca sankarsano na srir
naivatma ca yatha bhavan

Here Krsna plainly says that His devotees are more dear to Him than Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Lord Sankarsana (the original cause of creation), the goddess of fortune or even His own Self. Elsewhere in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.9.20) Sukadeva Gosvami says,

nemam virinco na bhavo
na srir apy anga samsraya
prasadam lebhire gopi
yat tat prapa vimuktidat

The Supreme Lord, who can award liberation to anyone, showed more mercy toward the gopis than to Lord Brahma, Lord Siva or even the goddess of fortune, who is His own wife and is associated with His body. Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.47.60) also states:

nayam sriyo ’nga u nitanta-rateh prasadah
svar-yositam nalina-gandha-rucam kuto ’nyah
rasotsave ’sya bhuja-danda-grhita-kantha-
labdhasisam ya udagad vraja-sundarinam

“The gopis received benedictions from the Lord that neither Laksmidevi nor the most beautiful dancers in the heavenly planets could attain. In the rasa dance, the Lord showed His favor to the most fortunate gopis by placing His arms on their shoulders and dancing with each of them individually. No one can compare with the gopis, who received the causeless mercy of the Lord.”

In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said that no one can receive the real favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead without following in the footsteps of the gopis. Even the goddess of fortune could not receive the same favor as the gopis, although she underwent severe austerities and penances for many years. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu discusses this point with Vyenkata Bhatta in Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 9.111–131): “The Lord inquired from Vyenkata Bhatta, ‘Your worshipable goddess of fortune, Laksmi, always remains on the chest of Narayana, and she is certainly the most chaste woman in the creation. However, My Lord is Lord Sri Krsna, a cowherd boy engaged in tending cows. Why is it that Laksmi, being such a chaste wife, wants to associate with My Lord? Just to associate with Krsna, Laksmi abandoned all transcendental happiness in Vaikuntha and for a long time accepted vows and regulative principles and performed unlimited austerities.’

“Vyenkata Bhatta replied, ‘Lord Krsna and Lord Narayana are one and the same, but the pastimes of Krsna are more relishable due to their sportive nature. They are very pleasing for Krsna’s saktis. Since Krsna and Narayana are both the same personality, Laksmi’s association with Krsna did not break her vow of chastity. Rather, it was in great fun that the goddess of fortune wanted to associate with Lord Krsna. The goddess of fortune considered that her vow of chastity would not be damaged by her relationship with Krsna. Rather, by associating with Krsna she could enjoy the benefit of the rasa dance. If she wanted to enjoy herself with Krsna what fault is there? Why are you joking so about this?’

“Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, ‘I know that there is no fault in the goddess of fortune, but still she could not enter into the rasa dance. We hear this from revealed scriptures. The authorities of Vedic knowledge met Lord Ramacandra in Dandakaranya, and by their penances and austerities, they were allowed to enter into the rasa dance. But can you tell me why the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, could not get that opportunity? ’

“To this Vyenkata Bhatta replied, ‘I cannot enter into the mystery of this incident. I am an ordinary living being. My intelligence is limited, and I am always disturbed. How can I understand the pastimes of the Supreme Lord? They are deeper than millions of oceans.’

“Lord Caitanya replied, ‘Lord Krsna has a specific characteristic. He attracts everyone’s heart by the mellow of His personal conjugal love. By following in the footsteps of the inhabitants of the planet known as Vrajaloka or Goloka Vrndavana, one can attain the shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Krsna. However, the inhabitants of that planet do not know that Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unaware that Krsna is the Supreme Lord, the residents of Vrndavana like Nanda Maharaja, Yasodadevi and the gopis treat Krsna as their beloved son or lover. Mother Yasoda accepts Him as her son and sometimes binds Him to a grinding mortar. Krsna’s cowherd boy friends think He is an ordinary boy and get up on His shoulders. In Goloka Vrndavana no one has any desire other than to love Krsna.’ ”

The conclusion is that one cannot associate with Krsna unless he has fully received the favor of the inhabitants of Vrajabhumi. Therefore if one wants to be delivered by Krsna directly, he must take to the service of the residents of Vrndavana, who are unalloyed devotees of the Lord.

SB5.18.24

TEXT 24

ramyake ca bhagavatah priyatamam matsyam avatara-rupam tad-varsa-purusasya manoh prak-pradarsitam sa idanim api mahata bhakti-yogenaradhayatidam codaharati.

ramyake ca—also in Ramyaka-varsa; bhagavatah—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; priya-tamam—the foremost; matsyam—fish; avatara-rupam—the form of the incarnation; tat-varsa-purusasya—of the ruler of that land; manoh—Manu; prak—previously (at the end of the Caksusa-manvantara); pradarsitam—exhibited; sah—that Manu; idanim api—even until now; mahata bhakti-yogena—by dint of advanced devotional service; aradhayati—worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead; idam—this; ca—and; udaharati—chants.

Sukadeva Gosvami continued: In Ramyaka-varsa, where Vaivasvata Manu rules, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as Lord Matsya at the end of the last era [the Caksusa-manvantara]. Vaivasvata Manu now worships Lord Matsya in pure devotional service and chants the following mantra.

SB5.18.25

TEXT 25

om namo bhagavate mukhyatamaya namah sattvaya pranayaujase sahase balaya maha-matsyaya nama iti.

SYNONYMS

om—O my Lord; namah—respectful obeisances; bhagavate—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mukhya-tamaya—the first incarnation to appear; namah—my respectful obeisances; sattvaya—unto the pure transcendence; pranaya—the origin of life; ojase—the source of the potency of the senses; sahase—the origin of all mental power; balaya—the origin of bodily strength; maha-matsyaya—unto the gigantic fish incarnation; namah—respectful obeisances; iti—thus.

TRANSLATION

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is pure transcendence. He is the origin of all life, bodily strength, mental power and sensory ability. Known as Matsyavatara, the gigantic fish incarnation, He appears first among all the incarnations. Again I offer my obeisances unto Him.

PURPORT

Srila Jayadeva Gosvami sings:

pralayo payodhi-jale dhrtavan asi vedam
vihita-vahitra-caritram akhedam
kesava dhrta-mina-sarira jaya jagad-isa hare

Soon after the cosmic creation, the entire universe was inundated with water. At that time Lord Krsna (Kesava) incarnated as a gigantic fish to protect the Vedas. Therefore Manu addresses Lord Matsya as mukhyatama, the first incarnation to appear. Fish are generally considered a mixture of the modes of ignorance and passion, but we must understand that every incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is completely transcendental. There is never any deterioration of the Supreme Lord’s original transcendental quality. Therefore the word sattvaya is used here, meaning pure goodness on the transcendental platform. There are many incarnations of the Supreme Lord: Varaha murti (the boar form), Kurma murti (the tortoise form), Hayagriva murti (the form of a horse) and so on. Yet we should never think any of Them material. They are always situated on the platform of suddha-sattva, pure transcendence.

SB5.18.26

TEXT 26

antar bahis cakhila-loka-palakair

adrsta-rupo vicarasy uru-svanah

sa isvaras tvam ya idam vase ’nayan

namna yatha darumayim narah striyam

antah—within; bahih—without; ca—also; akhila-loka-palakaih—by the leaders of the different planets, societies, kingdoms and so on; adrsta-rupah—not seen; vicarasi—You wander; uru—very great; svanah—whose sounds (Vedic mantras); sah—He; isvarah—the supreme controller; tvam—You; yah—who; idam—this; vase—under control; anayat—has brought; namna—by different names like brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra; yatha—exactly like; darumayim—made of wood; narah—a man; striyam—a doll.

My dear Lord, just as a puppeteer controls his dancing dolls and a husband controls his wife, Your Lordship controls all the living entities in the universe, such as the brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras. Although You are in everyone’s heart as the supreme witness and commander and are outside everyone as well, the so-called leaders of societies, communities and countries cannot realize You. Only those who hear the vibration of the Vedic mantras can appreciate You.

yam loka-palah kila matsara-jvara

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is antarbahih, present within and without everything. One must overcome the delusion caused by the Lord’s external energy and realize His presence both externally and internally. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.8.19) Srimati Kuntidevi has explained that Krsna appears in this world nato natyadharo yatha, “exactly like an actor dressed as a player.” In Bhagavad-gita (18.61) Krsna says, isvarah sama-bhutanam hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati: “The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna.” The Lord is situated within everyone’s heart, and outside as well. Within the heart He is the Supersoul, the incarnation who acts as the adviser and witness. Yet although God is residing within their hearts, foolish people say, “I cannot see God. Please show Him to me.”

Everyone is under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, exactly like dancing dolls controlled by a puppeteer or a woman controlled by her husband. A woman is compared to a doll (darumayi) because she has no independence. She should always be controlled by a man. Still, due to false prestige, a class of women wants to remain independent. What to speak of women, all living entities are prakrti (female) and therefore dependent on the Supreme Lord, as Krsna Himself explains in Bhagavad-gita (apareyam itas tv anyam prakrtim viddhi me param). The living entity is never independent. Under all circumstances, he is dependent on the mercy of the Lord. The Lord creates the social divisions of human society—brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras—and ordains that they follow rules and regulations suited to their particular position. In this way, all members of society remain always under the Supreme Lord’s control. Still, some people foolishly deny the existence of God.

Self-realization means to understand one’s subordinate position in relation to the Lord. When one is thus enlightened, he surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is liberated from the clutches of the material energy. In other words, unless one surrenders to the lotus feet of the Lord, the material energy in its many varieties will continue to control him. No one in the material world can deny that he is under control. The Supreme Lord, Narayana, who is beyond this material existence, controls everyone. The following Vedic mantra confirms this point: eko ha vai narayana asit. Foolish persons think Narayana to be on the platform of ordinary material existence. Because they do not realize the natural constitutional position of the living entity, they concoct names like daridra-narayana, svami-narayana or mithya-narayana. However, Narayana is actually the supreme controller of everyone. This understanding is self-realization.

SB5.18.27

TEXT 27

hitva yatanto ’pi prthak sametya ca

patum na sekur dvi-padas catus-padah

sarisrpam sthanu yad atra drsyate

yam—whom (You); loka-palah—the great leaders of the universe, beginning with Lord Brahma; kila—what to speak of others; matsara-jvarah—who are suffering from the fever of envy; hitva—leaving aside; yatantah—endeavoring; api—although; prthak—separately; sametya—combined; ca—also; patum—to protect; na—not; sekuh—able; dvi-padah—two-legged; catuh-padah—four-legged; sarisrpam—reptiles; sthanu—not moving; yat—whatever; atra—within this material world; drsyate—is visible.

My Lord, from the great leaders of the universe, such as Lord Brahma and other demigods, down to the political leaders of this world, all are envious of Your authority. Without Your help, however, they could neither separately nor concertedly maintain the innumerable living entities within the universe. You are actually the only maintainer of all human beings, of animals like cows and asses, and of plants, reptiles, birds, mountains and whatever else is visible within this material world.

It is fashionable for materialistic persons to compete with the power of God. When so-called scientists try to manufacture living entities in their laboratories, their only purpose is to defy the talent and ability of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called illusion. It exists even in the higher planetary systems, where great demigods like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and others reside. In this world everyone is puffed up with false prestige despite the failure of all his endeavors. When so-called philanthropists, who supposedly want to help the poor, are approached by members of the Krsna consciousness movement, they say, “You are simply wasting your time, while I am feeding vast masses of starving people.” Unfortunately, their meager efforts, either singly or together, do not solve anyone’s problems.

Sometimes so-called svamis are very eager to feed poor people, thinking them to be daridra-narayana, the Lord’s incarnations as beggars. They prefer to serve the manufactured daridra-narayana than the original, supreme Narayana. They say, “Don’t encourage service to Lord Narayana. It is better to serve the starving people of the world.” Unfortunately such materialists, either singly or combined in the form of the United Nations, cannot fulfill their plans. The truth is that the many millions of human beings, animals, birds and trees—indeed, all living entities—are maintained solely by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman: one person, the Supreme Lord, is supplying the necessities of life for all other living entities. To challenge the authority of Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the business of asuras (demons). Yet sometimes suras, or devotees, are also bewildered by the illusory energy and falsely claim to be the maintainer of the entire universe. Such incidents are described in the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, where Sukadeva Gosvami tells how Lord Brahma and King Indra became puffed up and were eventually chastised by Krsna.

SB5.18.28

TEXT 28

bhavan yugantarnava urmi-malini

ksonim imam osadhi-virudham nidhim

maya sahoru kramate ’ja ojasa

tasmai jagat-prana-ganatmane nama iti

bhavan—Your Lordship; yuga-anta-arnave—in the water of devastation at the end of the millennium; urmi-malini—possessing rows of big waves; ksonim—the planet earth; imam—this; osadhi-virudham—of all kinds of herbs and drugs; nidhim—the storehouse; maya—me; saha—with; uru—great; kramate—You roamed; aja—O unborn one; ojasa—with speed; tasmai—unto Him; jagat—of the entire universe; prana-gana-atmane—the ultimate source of life; namah—my respectful obeisances; iti—thus.

O almighty Lord, at the end of the millennium this planet earth, which is the source of all kinds of herbs, drugs and trees, was inundated by water and drowned beneath the devastating waves. At that time, You protected me along with the earth and roamed the sea with great speed. O unborn one, You are the actual maintainer of the entire universal creation, and therefore You are the cause of all living entities. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.