Sri Caitanya-caritamrta: Madhya-lila
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter 22

Madhya22.110

TEXT 110

tasmad bharata sarvatma

bhagavan harir isvarah

srotavyah kirtitavyas ca

smartavyas cecchatabhayam

SYNONYMS

tasmat-therefore; bharata-O descendant of Bharata; sarva-atma-the all pervasive Lord, who is situated in everyone’s heart; bhagavan-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; harih-Lord Hari, who takes away all the miserable conditions of material existence; isvarah-the supreme controller; srotavyah-to be heard about (from bona fide sources); kirtitavyah-to be glorified (as one has heard); ca-also; smartavyah-to be remembered; ca-and; icchata-by a person desiring; abhayam-freedom from the fearful condition of material existence.

TRANSLATION

" ’O descendant of Bharata! O Maharaja Pariksit! The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in everyone’s heart as Paramatma, who is the supreme controller and who always removes the miseries of living entities, must always be heard about from reliable sources, and He must be glorified and remembered by one who wishes to become fearless.’

PURPORT

This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.1.5). It is one’s duty to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the hearing process. This is called srotavyah. If one has heard properly about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his duty is to glorify the Lord and preach His glories. This is called kirtitavyah. When one hears about the Lord and glorifies Him, it is natural to think of Him. This is called smartavyah. All this must be carried out if one actually wants to be immune from fear.

Madhya22.111

TEXT 111

mukha-bahuru-padebhyah

purusasyasramaih saha

catvaro jajnire varna

gunair vipradayah prthak

SYNONYMS

mukha—the mouth; bahu—the arms; uru—the waist; padebhyah—from the legs; purusasya—of the supreme person; asramaih—the different spiritual orders; saha—with; catvarah—the four; jajnire—appeared; varnah—social orders; gunaih—with particular qualifications; vipra-adayahbrahmanas, etc.; prthak—separately.

TRANSLATION

" ’From the mouth of Brahma, the brahminical order has come into existence. Similarly, from his arms the ksatriyas have come, from his waist the vaisyas have come and from his legs the sudras have come. These four orders and their spiritual counterparts [brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa] combine to make human society complete.

PURPORT

This verse and the next are quotations from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.5.2-3).

Madhya22.112

TEXT 112

ya esam purusam saksad

atma-prabhavam isvaram

na bhajanty avajananti

sthanad bhrastah patanty adhah

SYNONYMS

ye—those who; esam—of those divisions of social and spiritual orders; purusam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; saksat—directly; atma-prabhavam—the source of everyone; isvaram—the supreme controller; na—not; bhajanti—worship; avajananti—or who neglect; sthanat—from their proper place; bhrastah—being fallen; patanti—fall; adhah—downward into hellish conditions.

TRANSLATION

" ’If one simply maintains an official position in the four varnas and asramas but does not worship the Supreme Lord Visnu, he falls down from his puffed-up position into a hellish condition.’

Madhya22.113

TEXT 113

smartavyah satatam visnur

vismartavyo na jatucit

sarve vidhi-nisedhah syur

etayor eva kinkarah

SYNONYMS

smartavyah—to be remembered; satatam—always; visnuh—Lord Visnu; vismartavyah—to be forgotten; na—not; jatucit—at any time; sarve—all; vidhi-nisedhah—rules and prohibitions mentioned in the revealed scripture or given by the spiritual master; syuh—should be; etayoh—of these two principles (always to remember Krsna or Visnu and never to forget Him); eva—certainly; kinkarah—the servants.

TRANSLATION

" ’Krsna is the origin of Lord Visnu. He should always be remembered and never forgotten at any time. All the rules and prohibitions mentioned in the sastras should be the servants of these two principles.’

PURPORT

This verse is a quotation from the Padma Purana. There are many regulative principles in the sastras and directions given by the spiritual master. These regulative principles should act as servants of the basic principle-that is, one should always remember Krsna and never forget Him. This is possible when one chants the Hare Krsna mantra. Therefore one must strictly chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra twenty-four hours daily. One may have other duties to perform under the direction of the spiritual master, but he must first abide by the spiritual master’s order to chant a certain number of rounds. In our Krsna consciousness movement, we have recommended that the neophyte chant at least sixteen rounds. This chanting of sixteen rounds is absolutely necessary if one wants to remember Krsna and not forget Him. Of all the regulative principles, the spiritual master’s order to chant at least sixteen rounds is most essential.

One may sell books or enlist life members or render some other service, but these duties are not ordinary duties. These duties serve as an impetus for remembering Krsna. When one goes with a sankirtana party or sells books, he naturally remembers that he is going to sell Krsna’s books. In this way, he is remembering Krsna. When one goes to enlist a life member, he talks about Krsna and thereby remembers Him. Smartavyah satatam visnur vismartavyo na jatucit. The conclusion is that one must act in such a way that he will always remember Krsna, and one must refrain from doing things that make him forget Krsna. These two principles form the basic background of Krsna consciousness.

Madhya22.114

TEXT 114

vividhanga sadhana-bhaktira bahuta vistara

sanksepe kahiye kichu sadhananga-sara

SYNONYMS

vividha-anga—varieties of limbs (regulative principles); sadhana-bhaktira—of regulative devotional service; bahuta—many; vistara—expansions; sanksepe—in brief; kahiye—I shall speak; kichu—something; sadhana-anga-sara—the essential parts of the practice of devotional service.

TRANSLATION

"I shall say something about the various practices of devotional service, which is expanded in so many ways. I wish to speak briefly of the essential practices.

Madhya22.115

TEXT 115

guru-padasraya, diksa, gurura sevana

sad-dharma-siksa, prccha, sadhu-marganugamana

SYNONYMS

guru-pada-asraya—shelter at the feet of a bona fide spiritual master; diksa—initiation by the spiritual master; gurura sevana—service to the spiritual master; sat-dharma-siksa—instruction in the transcendental process of devotional service; prccha—and inquiry; sadhu-marga—the path of transcendental devotional service; anugamana—following strictly.

TRANSLATION

"On the path of regulative devotional service, one must observe the following items: (1) One must accept a bona fide spiritual master. (2) Accept initiation from him. (3) Serve him. (4) Receive instructions from the spiritual master and make inquiries in order to learn devotional service. (5) Follow in the footsteps of the previous acaryas and follow the directions given by the spiritual master.

Madhya22.116

TEXT 116

krsna-pritye bhoga-tyaga, krsna-tirthe vasa

yavan-nirvaha-pratigraha, ekadasy-upavasa

SYNONYMS

krsna-pritye—for satisfaction of Krsna; bhoga-tyaga—acceptance and rejection of something; krsna-tirthe vasa—residence in a place where Krsna is situated; yavat-nirvaha—as much as required to keep the body and soul together; pratigraha—acceptance of gifts; ekadasi-upavasa—observance of fasting on the Ekadasi day.

TRANSLATION

"The next steps are as follows: (6) One should be prepared to give up everything for Krsna’s satisfaction, and one should also accept everything for Krsna’s satisfaction. (7) One must live in a place where Krsna is present-a city like Vrndavana or Mathura or a Krsna temple. (8) One should acquire a livelihood that is just sufficient to keep body and soul together. (9) One must fast on Ekadasi day.

Madhya22.117

TEXT 117

dhatry-asvattha-go-vipra-vaisnava-pujana

seva-namaparadhadi dure visarjana

SYNONYMS

dhatri—a type of tree; asvattha—the banyan trees; go—the cows; vipra—the brahmanas; vaisnava—the devotees of Lord Visnu; pujana—worshiping; seva—in devotional service; nama—in chanting of the holy name; aparadha-adi—the offenses; dure—far away; visarjana—giving up.

TRANSLATION

"One should worship dhatri trees, banyan trees, cows, brahmanas and devotees of Lord Visnu. One should avoid offenses against devotional service and the holy name.

There are ten items in the beginning of devotional service, up to the point of worshiping the dhatri tree, banyan tree, cow, brahmana and devotee of Lord Visnu. The eleventh item is to avoid offenses when rendering devotional service and chanting the holy names.

Madhya22.118

TEXT 118

avaisnava-sanga-tyaga, bahu-sisya na kariba

bahu-grantha-kalabhyasa-vyakhyana varjiba

SYNONYMS

avaisnava—of one who is not a devotee of the Lord; sanga—the association; tyaga—giving up; bahu-sisya—an unlimited number of disciples; na kariba—should not accept; bahu-grantha—of many different types of scriptures; kala-abhyasa—studying a portion; vyakhyana—and explanation; varjiba—we should give up.

TRANSLATION

"The twelfth item is to give up the company of nondevotees. (13) One should not accept an unlimited number of disciples. (14) One should not partially study many scriptures just to be able to give references and expand explanations.

PURPORT

Accepting an unlimited number of devotees or disciples is very risky for one who is not a preacher. According to Srila Jiva Gosvami, a preacher has to accept many disciples to expand the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This is risky because when a spiritual master accepts a disciple, he naturally accepts the disciple’s sinful activities and their reactions. Unless he is very powerful, he cannot assimilate all the sinful reactions of his disciples. Thus if he is not powerful, he has to suffer the consequences, for one is forbidden to accept many disciples.

One should not partially study a book just to pose oneself as a great scholar by being able to refer to scriptures. In our Krsna consciousness movement we have therefore limited our study of Vedic literatures to Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta and Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. These four works are sufficient for preaching purposes. They are adequate for the understanding of the philosophy and the spreading of missionary activities all over the world. If one studies a particular book, he must do so thoroughly. That is the principle. By thoroughly studying a limited number of books, one can understand the philosophy.

Madhya22.119

TEXT 119

hani-labhe sama, sokadira vasa na ha-iba

anya-deva, anya-sastra ninda na kariba

SYNONYMS

hani—in loss; labhe—in gain; sama—equal; soka-adira—of lamentation and so on; vasa—under the control; na ha-iba—we should not be; anya-deva—other demigods; anya-sastra—other scriptures; ninda—criticizing; na kariba—we should not do.

TRANSLATION

"Fifteen: The devotee should treat loss and gain equally. (16) The devotee should not be overwhelmed by lamentation. (17) The devotee should not worship demigods, nor should he disrespect them. Similarly, the devotee should not study or criticize other scriptures.

Madhya22.120

TEXT 120

visnu-vaisnava-ninda, gramya-varta na suniba

prani-matre manovakye udvega na diba

SYNONYMS

visnu-vaisnava-ninda—blaspheming of Lord Visnu and His devotee; gramya-varta—ordinary talks; na suniba—we should not hear; prani-matre—to any living entity however insignificant; manah-vakye—by mind or by words; udvega—anxiety; na diba—we should not give.

TRANSLATION

"Eighteen: The devotee should not hear Lord Visnu or His devotees blasphemed. (19) The devotee should avoid reading or hearing newspapers or mundane books that contain stories of love affairs between men and women or subjects palatable to the senses. (20) Neither by mind nor words should the devotee cause anxiety to any living entity, regardless how insignificant he may be.

PURPORT

The first ten items are dos and the second ten items are don’ts. Thus the first ten items give direct action, and the second ten items give indirect action.

Madhya22.121

TEXT 121

sravana, kirtana, smarana, pujana, vandana

paricarya, dasya, sakhya, atma-nivedana

SYNONYMS

sravana—hearing; kirtana—chanting; smarana—remembering; pujana—worshiping; vandana—praying; paricarya—serving; dasya—accepting servitorship; sakhya—friendship; atma-nivedana—surrendering fully.

TRANSLATION

"After one is established in devotional service, the positive actions are (1) hearing, (2) chanting, (3) remembering, (4) worshiping, (5) praying, (6) serving, (7) accepting servitorship, (8) becoming a friend and (9) surrendering fully.

Madhya22.122

TEXT 122

agre nrtya, gita, vijnapti, dandavan-nati

abhyutthana, anuvrajya, tirtha-grhe gati

SYNONYMS

agre nrtya—dancing before the Deity; gita—songs; vijnapti—opening the mind; dandavat-nati—offering obeisances; abhyutthana—stand up; anuvrajya—following; tirtha-grhe gati—going to temples and places of pilgrimage.

TRANSLATION

"One should also (10) dance before the Deity, (11) sing before the Deity, (12) open one’s mind to the Deity, (13) offer obeisances to the Deity, (14) stand up before the Deity and the spiritual master just to show them respect, (15) follow the Deity or the spiritual master and (16) visit different places of pilgrimage or go see the Deity in the temple.

Madhya22.123

TEXT 123

parikrama, stava-patha, japa, sankirtana

dhupa-malya-gandha-mahaprasada-bhojana

SYNONYMS

parikrama—circumambulation; stava-patha—recitation of different prayers; japa—chanting softly; sankirtana—chanting congregationally; dhupa—incense; malya—flower garlands; gandha—scents; maha-prasada—remnants of food offered to Visnu; bhojana—eating or enjoying.

TRANSLATION

"One should (17) circumambulate the temple, (18) recite various prayers, (19) chant softly, (20) chant congregationally, (21) smell the incense and flower garlands offered to the Deity, and (22) eat the remnants of food offered to the Deity.

Madhya22.124

TEXT 124

aratrika-mahotsava-srimurti-darsana

nija-priya-dana, dhyana, tadiya-sevana

SYNONYMS

aratrika—arati; mahotsava-festivals; srimurti-darsana—seeing the Deity; nija-priya-dana—to present to the Lord something very dear to oneself; dhyana—meditation; tadiya-sevana—rendering service to those related to the Lord.

TRANSLATION

"One should (23) attend arati and festivals, (24) see the Deity, (25) present what is very dear to oneself to the Deity, (26) meditate, and (27) serve those related to the Lord.

Madhya22.125

TEXT 125

’tadiya’--tulasi, vaisnava, mathura, bhagavata

ei carira seva haya krsnera abhimata

SYNONYMS

tadiya—related to the Lord; tulasitulasi leaves; vaisnava—devotees; mathura—the birthplace of Krsna; bhagavataSrimad-Bhagavatam; ei carira—of these four; seva—the service; haya—is; krsnera abhimata—the desire of Krsna.

TRANSLATION

"Tadiya means the tulasi leaves, the devotees of Krsna, the birthplace of Krsna, Mathura, and the Vedic literature Srimad-Bhagavatam. Krsna is very eager to see His devotee serve tulasi, Vaisnavas, Mathura and Bhagavatam.

PURPORT

After item twenty-six (meditation), the twenty-seventh is to serve tulasi, the twenty-eighth is to serve the Vaisnava, the twenty-ninth is to live in Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krsna, and the thirtieth is to read Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly.

Madhya22.126

TEXT 126

krsnarthe akhila-cesta, tat-krpavalokana

janma-dinadi-mahotsava lana bhakta-gana

SYNONYMS

krsna-arthe—for the sake of Krsna; akhila-cesta—all activity; tat-krpa-avalokana—looking for His mercy; janma-dina-adi—the appearance day and so on; mahotsava—festivals; lana bhakta-gana—with devotees.

TRANSLATION

"Thirty-one: One should perform all endeavors for Krsna. (32) One should look forward to His mercy. (33) One should partake of various ceremonies with devotees, ceremonies like Lord Krsna’s birthday or Ramacandra’s birthday.

Madhya22.127

TEXT 127

sarvatha saranapatti, kartikadi-vrata

’catuh-sasti anga’ ei parama-mahattva

SYNONYMS

sarvatha—in all respects; sarana-apatti—surrender; kartika-adi-vrata—to observe special vows in the month of Karttika; catuh-sasti anga—sixty-four parts; ei—this; parama-mahattva—very important items.

TRANSLATION

"Thirty-four: One should surrender to Krsna in all respects. (35) One should observe particular vows like kartika-vrata. These are some of the sixty-four important items of devotional service.

Madhya22.128

TEXT 128

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana

mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana

SYNONYMS

sadhu-sanga—association with devotees; nama-kirtana—chanting the holy name; bhagavata-sravana—hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam; mathura-vasa—living at Mathura; sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana—worshiping the Deity with faith and veneration.

TRANSLATION

"One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worship the Deity with faith and veneration.

Madhya22.129

TEXT 129

sakala-sadhana-srestha ei panca anga

krsna-prema janmaya ei pancera alpa sanga

SYNONYMS

sakala-sadhana—of all items for executing devotional service; srestha—the best; ei panca anga—these five limbs; krsna-prema—love of Krsna; janmaya—awakens; ei—these; pancera—of the five; alpa sanga—slight association with or performance.

TRANSLATION

"These five limbs of devotional service are the best of all. Even a slight performance of these five awakens love for Krsna.

PURPORT

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura points out that there are thirty-five items up to the point of observing special vows in the month of Karttika. To these thirty-five items, another four are added-namely marking tilaka on different parts of the body, writing the names of the Lord all over the body, accepting the Deity’s garland and accepting caranamrta. These four items are understood to be included by Kaviraja Gosvami within arcana, worship of the Deity. Although these items are not mentioned here, they are to be added to the previous thirty-five items. Thus the total number becomes thirty-nine. To these thirty-nine should be added five others: association with devotees, chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, reading Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly, residing in Mathura, the birthplace of Krsna, and worshiping the Deity with great respect and veneration. The thirty-nine items plus these five come to a total of forty-four. If we add the previous twenty items to these forty-four, the total number becomes sixty-four. The five items mentioned above repeat previously mentioned items. In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami states:

anganam pancakasyasya
purva-vilikhitasya ca
nikhila-sraisthya-bodhaya
punar apy atra samsanam

"The glorification of these five items [association with devotees, chanting the holy name and so on] is to make known the complete superiority of these five practices of devotional service.

The sixty-four items of devotional service include all the activities of the body, mind and senses. Thus the sixty-four items engage one in devotional service in all respects.

Madhya22.130

TEXT 130

sraddha visesatah pritih

sri-murter anghri-sevane

SYNONYMS

sraddha—faith; visesatah—particularly; pritih—love; sri-murteh—of the Deity form of the Lord; anghri-sevane—in service of the lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

" ’One should have full faith and Iove in worshiping the lotus feet of the Deity.

PURPORT

This verse and the following two verses are found in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.90-92).

Madhya22.131

TEXT 131

srimad-bhagavatarthanam

asvado rasikaih saha

sajatiyasaye snigdhe

sadhau sangah svato vare

SYNONYMS

srimad-bhagavata—of Srimad-Bhagavatam; arthanam—of the meanings; asvadah—enjoying the taste; rasikaih saha—with the devotees; sa-jatiya—similar; asaye—endowed with a desire; snigdhe—advanced in devotional affection; sadhau—with a devotee; sangah—association; svatah—for one’s self; vare—better.

TRANSLATION

" ’One should taste the meaning of Srimad-Bhagavatam in the association of pure devotees, and one should associate with the devotees who are more advanced than oneself and endowed with a similar type of affection for the Lord.

PURPORT

The words sajatiyasaye snigdhe sadhau sangah svato vare are very important items. One should not associate with professional Bhagavatam reciters. A professional Bhagavatam reciter is one who is not in the disciplic succession or one who has no taste for bhakti-yoga. Simply on the strength of grammatical knowledge and word jugglery, professional reciters maintain their bodies and their desires for sense gratification by reading Srimad-Bhagavatam. One should also avoid those who are averse to Lord Visnu and His devotees, those who are Mayavadis, those who offend the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, those who simply dress as Vaisnavas or so-called gosvamis, and those who make a business by selling Vedic mantras and reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam to maintain their families. One should not try to understand Srimad-Bhagavatam from such materialistic people. According to the Vedic injunctions: yasya deve para bhaktih. Srimad-Bhagavatam can only be recited by one who has unflinching faith in the lotus feet of Krsna and His devotee, the spiritual master. One should try to understand Srimad-Bhagavatam from the spiritual master. The Vedic injunction states: bhaktya bhagavatam grahyam na buddhya na ca tikaya. One has to understand Srimad-Bhagavatam through the process of devotional service and by hearing the recitation of a pure devotee. These are the injunctions of Vedic literature-sruti and smrti. Those who are not in the disciplic succession and who are not pure devotees cannot understand the real mysterious objective of Srimad-Bhagavatam and Srimad Bhagavad-gita.

Madhya22.132

TEXT 132

nama-sankirtanam sriman-

mathura-mandale sthitih

SYNONYMS

nama-sankirtanam—chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra; sriman-mathura-mandale—in Mathura, where Krsna specifically performs His pastimes; sthitih—residence.

TRANSLATION

" ’One should congregationally chant the holy name of the Lord and reside in Vrndavana.’

PURPORT

Navadvipa-dhama, Jagannatha Puri-dhama and Vrndavana-dhama are considered to be identical. If one goes to Mathura-mandala-bhumi for sense gratification or to make a livelihood, he commits an offense and is condemned. Whoever does so must be penalized in the next life by becoming a hog or a monkey in Vrndavana-dhama. After taking on such a body, the offender is liberated in the next life. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura remarks that residing in Vrndavana with a view to enjoy sense gratification surely leads a so-called devotee to a lower species.

Madhya22.133

TEXT 133

duruhadbhuta-virye ’smin

sraddha dure ’stu pancake

yatra svalpo ’pi sambandhah

sad-dhiyam bhava-janmane

SYNONYMS

duruha—difficult to be reconciled; adbhuta—wonderful; virye—in the power; asmin—in this; sraddha—faith; dure—far away; astu—let it be; pancake—in the above-mentioned five principles; yatra—in which; svalpah—a little; api—even; sambandhah—connection; sat-dhiyam—of those who are intelligent and offenseless; bhava-janmane—to awaken one’s dormant love for Krsna.

TRANSLATION

" ’The power of these five principles is very wonderful and difficult to reconcile. Even without faith in them, a person who is offenseless can experience dormant love of Krsna simply by being a little connected with them.’

PURPORT

This verse is also found in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.238).

Madhya22.134

TEXT 134

’eka’ anga sadhe, keha sadhe ’bahu’ anga

’nistha’ haile upajaya premera taranga

SYNONYMS

eka—one; anga—portion; sadhe—executes; keha—someone; sadhe—executes; bahu—many; anga—portions; nistha—firm faith; haile—if there is; upa-jaya—awaken; premera—of love of Godhead; taranga—the waves.

TRANSLATION

"When one is firmly fixed in devotional service, whether he executes one or many processes of devotional service, the waves of love of Godhead will awaken.

PURPORT

The processes of devotional service are sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam.

Madhya22.135

TEXT 135

’eka’ ange siddhi paila bahu bhakta-gana

ambarisadi bhaktera ’bahu’ anga-sadhana

SYNONYMS

eka ange—by one portion; siddhi—perfection; paila—achieved; bahu—many; bhakta-gana—devotees; ambarisa-adi—King Ambarisa Maharaja and others; bhaktera—of devotees; bahu anga-sadhana—execution of many processes of devotional service.

TRANSLATION

"There are many devotees who execute only one of the nine processes of devotional service. Nonetheless, they get ultimate success. Devotees like Maharaja Ambarisa execute all nine items and they also get ultimate success.

Madhya22.136

TEXT 136

sri-visnoh sravane pariksid abhavad vaiyasakih kirtane

prahladah smarane tad-anghri-bhajane laksmih prthuh pujane

akruras tv abhivandane kapi-patir dasye ’tha sakhye ’rjunah

sarvasvatma-nivedane balir abhut krsnaptir esam para

SYNONYMS

sri-visnoh—of Lord Sri Visnu; sravane—in hearing; pariksit—King Pariksit, known also as Visnurata, or one who is protected by Lord Visnu; abhavat—was; vaiyasakih—Sukadeva Gosvami; kirtane—in reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam; prahladah—Maharaja Prahlada; smarane—in remembering; tat-anghri—of Lord Visnu’s lotus feet; bhajane—in serving; laksmih—the goddess of fortune; prthuh—Maharaja Prthu; pujane—in worshiping the Deity of the Lord; akrurah—Akrura; tu—but; abhivandane—in offering prayers; kapi-patih—Hanumanji, or Vajrangaji; dasye—in servitude to Lord Ramacandra; atha—moreover; sakhye—in friendship; arjunah—Arjuna; sarvasva-atma-nivedane—in fully dedicating oneself; balih—Maharaja Bali; abhut—was; krsna-aptih—the achievement of the lotus feet of Lord Krsna; esam—of all of them; para—transcendental.

TRANSLATION

" ’Maharaja Pariksit attained the highest perfection, shelter at Lord Krsna’s lotus feet, simply by hearing about Lord Visnu. Sukadeva Gosvami attained perfection simply by reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam. Prahlada Maharaja attained perfection by remembering the Lord. The goddess of fortune attained perfection by massaging the transcendental legs of Maha-Visnu. Maharaja Prthu attained perfection by worshiping the Deity, and Akrura attained perfection by offering prayers unto the Lord. Vajrangaji [Hanuman] attained perfection by rendering service to Lord Ramacandra, and Arjuna attained perfection simply by being Krsna’s friend. Bali Maharaja attained perfection by dedicating everything to the lotus feet of Krsna.’

PURPORT

This verse appears in the Padyavali (53) and the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.265).

Madhya22.137-139

TEXTS 137-139

sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayor

vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane

karau harer mandira-marjanadisu

srutim cakaracyuta-sat-kathodaye

mukunda-lingalaya-darsane drsau

tad-bhrtya-gatra-sparase ’nga-sangamam

ghranam ca tat-pada-saroja-saurabhe

srimat-tulasya rasanam tad-arpite

padau hareh ksetra-padanusarpane

siro hrsikesa-padabhivandane

kamam ca dasye na tu kama-kamyaya

yathottamahsloka-janasraya ratih

SYNONYMS

sah—he (Maharaja Ambarisa); vai—certainly; manah—the mind; krsna-pada-aravindayoh—on the two lotus feet of Krsna; vacamsi—words; vaikuntha-guna-anuvarnane—in describing the transcendental character of Krsna; karau—the two hands; hareh—of Lord Krsna or Visnu; mandira-marjana-adisu—in cleansing the temple of Hari and similar other duties; srutim—the ears; cakara—engaged; acyuta—of the Lord; sat-katha-udaye—in the arising of transcendental topics; mukunda-linga—of the Deities of the Lord; alaya—temples; darsane—in visiting; drsau—the two eyes; tat-bhrtya—of the servants of the Lord; gatra—the bodies; sparase—in touching; anga-sangamam—bodily contact such as embracing or touching the lotus feet; ghranam—the sensation of smell; ca—and; tat-pada-saroja—of the Lord’s lotus feet; saurabhe—in the fragrance; srimat—most auspicious; tulasyah—of tulasi leaves; rasanam—the tongue; tat-arpite—in food offered to the Lord; padau—the two feet; hareh—of the Lord; ksetra—the place of pilgrimage; pada-anusarpane—in walking to; sirah—the head; hrsikesa—of the Lord of the senses, the Personality of Godhead; pada-abhivandane—in offering prayers at the lotus feet; kamam—all desires; dasye—in serving the Lord; na—not; tu—but; kama-kamyaya—with a desire for sense gratification; yatha—as much as; uttamah-sloka—of the Lord, who is worshiped by selected poems; jana—in the devotee; asraya—having shelter; ratih—attachment.

TRANSLATION

" ’Maharaja Ambarisa always engaged his mind at the lotus feet of Krsna, his words in describing the spiritual world and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his hands in cleansing and washing the Lord’s temple, his ears in hearing topics about the Supreme Lord, his eyes in seeing the Deity of Lord Krsna in the temple, his body in touching the lotus feet of Vaisnavas and embracing them, his nostrils in smelling the aroma of the tulasi leaves offered to Krsna’s lotus feet, his tongue in tasting food offered to Krsna, his legs in going to places of pilgrimage like Vrndavana and Mathura or to the Lord’s temple, and his head in touching the lotus feet of the Lord and offering Him prayers. Thus Maharaja Ambarisa desired only to serve the Lord faithfully. In this way he engaged his senses in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. As a result, he awakened his dormant loving propensity for the Lord’s service.’

PURPORT

This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (9.4.18-20).

Next verse (Madhya22.140)