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namah—obeisances; kamala-kinjalka—like the saffron in a lotus flower; pisanga—yellowish; amala—spotless; vasase—unto Him whose garment; sarva-bhuta—of all living entities; nivasaya—the shelter; namah—obeisances; ayunksmahi—let us offer; saksine—unto the supreme witness.

Dear Lord, the garment You have put on is yellowish in color, like the saffron of a lotus flower, but it is not made of anything material. Since You live in everyone’s heart, You are the direct witness of all the activities of all living entities. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You again and again.

In this verse the dress of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His all-pervasive nature are described. The Lord puts on a dress that is yellow, but such a garment is never to be considered material. The garments of the Lord are also the Lord. They are nondifferent from the Lord because they are spiritual in nature.

The word sarva-bhuta-nivasaya further clarifies how Lord Visnu lives in everyone’s heart and acts as the direct witness of all the activities of the conditioned soul. Within this material world the conditioned soul has desires and acts in accordance with these desires. All these acts are observed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (15.15):

sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto
mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca

“I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.” The Lord is present in everyone’s heart, and He gives the living entity intelligence. According to the desires of the living entity, the Lord makes him remember or forget. If the living entity is demoniac and wants to forget the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord gives him the intelligence to be able to forget the Supreme Lord forever. Similarly, when a devotee wants to serve the Supreme Lord, the Lord, as Paramatma, gives the devotee the intelligence to make progress in devotional service. The Lord directly witnesses our activities and experiences our desires. The Supreme Lord gives us the facilities to act in the way we wish.

SB4.30.27

TEXT 27

rupam bhagavata tv etad

asesa-klesa-sanksayam

aviskrtam nah klistanam

kim anyad anukampitam

rupam—form; bhagavata—by Your Lordship; tu—but; etat—this; asesa—unlimited; klesa—miseries; sanksayam—which dissipates; aviskrtam—revealed; nah—of us; klistanam—who are suffering from material conditions; kim anyat—what to speak of; anukampitam—those to whom You are always favorably disposed.

Dear Lord, we conditioned souls are always covered by ignorance in the bodily conception of life. We therefore always prefer the miserable conditions of material existence. To deliver us from these miserable conditions, You have advented Yourself in this transcendental form. This is evidence of Your unlimited causeless mercy upon those of us who are suffering in this way. What, then, to speak of the devotees to whom You are always so favorably disposed?

sva-buddhyabhadra-randhana

When the Lord appears in His original form, He acts to deliver the pious and annihilate the miscreants (Bg. 4.8). Although He annihilates the demons, He nonetheless benefits them. It is said that all the living entities who died on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra attained their original constitutional position (svarupa) because they had the chance to see Krsna face to face riding in the chariot of Arjuna. On the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, superficially two things were going on—the demons were being killed, and the devotee, Arjuna, was being protected. However, the results were the same for everyone. Thus it is said that the appearance of the Lord diminishes all kinds of miserable conditions caused by material existence.

It is clearly stated in this verse that this form (asesa-klesa-sanksayam) is meant to diminish all the miserable conditions experienced in life not only by the devotees but by all others. Aviskrtam nah klistanam. The Pracetas identified themselves as common men. Kim anyad anukampitam. The devotees are always favorably accepted by the Lord. The Lord shows all mercy not only to conditioned souls but also to the devotees, who are already liberated due to their devotional service.

The form of the Lord as worshiped in the temples is called arca-vigraha or arcavatara, the worshipable form, the Deity incarnation. This facility is offered to neophyte devotees so that they can see the real form of the Lord face to face and offer their respectful obeisances and sacrifices in the form of arca. Through such facilities the neophytes gradually invoke their original Krsna consciousness. Deity worship in the form of temple worship is the most valuable benediction given by the Lord to beginners. All neophytes must therefore engage in the worship of the Lord by keeping the arca-vigraha (arcavatara) at home or in the temple.

SB4.30.28

TEXT 28

etavat tvam hi vibhubhir

bhavyam dinesu vatsalaih

yad anusmaryate kale

etavat—thus; tvam—Your Lordship; hi—certainly; vibhubhih—by expansions; bhavyam—to be conceived; dinesu—unto the humble devotees; vatsalaih—compassionate; yat—which; anusmaryate—is always remembered; kale—in due course of time; sva-buddhya—by one’s devotional service; abhadra-randhana—O killer of all inauspiciousness.

Dear Lord, You are the killer of all inauspicious things. You are compassionate upon Your poor devotees through the expansion of Your arca-vigraha. You should certainly think of us as Your eternal servants.

The form of the Lord known as arca-vigraha is an expansion of His unlimited potencies. When the Lord is gradually satisfied with the service of a devotee, in due course of time He accepts the devotee as one of His many unalloyed servants. By nature, the Lord is very compassionate; therefore the service of neophyte devotees is accepted by the Lord. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (9.26):

patram puspam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnami prayatatmanah

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” The devotee offers eatables in the form of vegetables, fruits, leaves and water to the arca-vigraha. The Lord, being bhakta-vatsala, compassionate upon His devotees, accepts these offerings. Atheists may think that the devotees are engaged in idol worship, but the fact is different. Janardana, the Supreme Lord, accepts bhava, the attitude of service. The neophyte devotee engaged in the worship of the Lord may not understand the value of such worship, but the Supreme Lord, being bhakta-vatsala, accepts His devotee and in due course of time takes him home.

In this connection there is a story about a brahmana who was offering sweet rice to the Lord within his mind. The brahmana had no money nor any means of worshiping the Deity, but within his mind he arranged everything nicely. He had gold pots to bring water from the sacred rivers to wash the Deity, and he offered the Deity very sumptuous food, including sweet rice. Once, before he offered the sweet rice, he thought that it was too hot, and he thought, “Oh, let me test it. My, it is very hot.” When he put his finger in the sweet rice to test it, his finger was burned and his meditation broken. Although he was offering food to the Lord within his mind, the Lord accepted it nonetheless. Consequently, the Lord in Vaikuntha immediately sent a chariot to bring the brahmana back home, back to Godhead. Thus it is the duty of every sincere devotee to accept the arca-vigraha at home or in the temple and worship the form of the Lord as advised in authorized scriptures and directed by the spiritual master.

SB4.30.29

TEXT 29

yenopasantir bhutanam

ksullakanam apihatam

antarhito ’ntar-hrdaye

kasman no veda nasisah

yena—by which process; upasantih—satisfaction of all desires; bhutanam—of the living entities; ksullakanam—very much fallen; api—although; ihatam—desiring many things; antarhitah—hidden; antah-hrdaye—in the core of the heart; kasmat—why; nah—our; veda—He knows; na—not; asisah—desires.

When the Lord, out of His natural compassion, thinks of His devotee, by that process only are all desires of the neophyte devotee fulfilled. The Lord is situated in every living entity’s heart, although the living entity may be very insignificant. The Lord knows everything about the living entity, including all his desires. Although we are very insignificant, why should the Lord not know our desires?

A very advanced devotee does not think himself advanced. He is always very humble. The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His plenary expansion as the Paramatma, or Supersoul, sits in everyone’s heart and can understand the attitudes and desires of His devotees. The Lord also gives opportunity to the nondevotees to fulfill their desires, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca [Bg. 15.15]).

Whatever a living entity desires, however insignificant he may be, is noted by the Lord, who gives him a chance to fulfill his desires. If the desires of the nondevotees are fulfilled, why not those of the devotee? A pure devotee simply wants to engage in the service of the Lord without material desire, and if he wants this within the core of his heart, where the Lord is situated, and if he is without ulterior motive, why should the Lord not understand? If a sincere devotee renders service to the Lord or to the arca-vigraha, the form of the Lord, all his activities prove successful because the Lord is present within his heart and understands his sincerity. Thus if a devotee, with all confidence, goes on discharging the prescribed duties of devotional service, he will ultimately attain success.

SB4.30.30

TEXT 30

asav eva varo ’smakam

ipsito jagatah pate

prasanno bhagavan yesam

apavarga-gurur gatih

asau—that; eva—certainly; varah—benediction; asmakam—our; ipsitah—desired; jagatah—of the universe; pate—O Lord; prasannah—satisfied; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yesam—with whom; apavarga—of transcendental loving service; guruh—the teacher; gatih—the ultimate goal of life.

O Lord of the universe, You are the actual teacher of the science of devotional service. We are satisfied that Your Lordship is the ultimate goal of our lives, and we pray that You will be satisfied with us. That is our benediction. We do not desire anything other than Your full satisfaction.

na hy antas tvad-vibhutinam

In this verse the words apavarga-gurur gatih are very significant. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.11), the Supreme Lord is the ultimate fact of the Absolute Truth. Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. The Absolute Truth is realized in three features—impersonal Brahman, localized Paramatma and ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavan. The word apavarga means “liberation.” pavarga means “material existence.” In material existence, one always works very hard but is ultimately baffled. One then dies and has to accept another body to work very hard again. This is the cycle of material existence. Apavarga means just the opposite. Instead of working hard like cats and dogs, one returns home, back to Godhead. Liberation begins with merging into the Brahman effulgence of the Supreme Lord. This conception is held by the jnani-sampradaya, philosophical speculators, but realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is higher. When a devotee understands that the Lord is satisfied, liberation, or merging into the effulgence of the Lord, is not very difficult. One has to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the impersonal Brahman effulgence just as one has to approach the sun through the sunshine. It is not very difficult to merge into the impersonal effulgence of the Lord, Brahman, if one has satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB4.30.31

TEXT 31

varam vrnimahe ’thapi

natha tvat paratah parat

so ’nanta iti giyase

varam—benediction; vrnimahe—we shall pray for; atha api—therefore; natha—O Lord; tvat—from You; paratah parat—beyond the transcendence; na—not; hi—certainly; antah—end; tvat—Your; vibhutinam—of opulences; sah—You; anantah—unlimited; iti—thus; giyase—are celebrated.

Dear Lord, we shall therefore pray for Your benediction because You are the Supreme, beyond all transcendence, and because there is no end to Your opulences. Consequently, You are celebrated by the name Ananta.

There was no need for the Pracetas to ask any benediction from the Supreme Lord because the devotees are simply satisfied by the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Dhruva Maharaja practiced severe austerities and penances to see the Supreme Lord, and his intention was to receive benediction from the Lord. He wanted to acquire the throne of his father—or attain an even better position—but when he was actually in the presence of the Supreme Lord, he forgot everything. He said, “My dear Lord, I do not wish to ask any benediction.” This is the actual position of the devotee. The devotee simply wants to be in the presence of the Supreme Lord—either in this world or in the next—and engage in His service. That is the ultimate goal and benediction for the devotees.

The Lord asked the Pracetas to pray for some benediction, and they said, “What kind of benediction should we pray for? The Lord is unlimited, and there are unlimited benedictions.” The purport is that if one must ask for benediction, he must ask for unlimited benediction. The words tvat paratah are very significant in this verse. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is paratah parat. The word para means “transcendental, beyond this material world.” The impersonal Brahman effulgence is beyond this material world, and this is called param padam. Aruhya krcchrena param padam (Bhag. 10.2.32). Merging into the impersonal effulgence of the Lord is called param padam, but there is a higher transcendental position, which is the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate (Bhag. 1.2.11). The Absolute Truth is realized first as impersonal Brahman, then as Paramatma, and finally as Bhagavan. Thus the Personality of Godhead, Bhagavan, is paratah parat, beyond Brahman and Paramatma realization. In this connection, Srila Jiva Gosvami points out that paratah parat means “better than the best.” The best is the spiritual world, and it is known as Brahman. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, is known as Parabrahman. Therefore paratah parat means “better than Brahman realization.”

As will be explained in the next verses, the Pracetas planned to ask the Lord for something that has no limit. The Lord’s pastimes, qualities, forms and names are all unlimited. There is no limit to His name, forms, pastimes, creation and paraphernalia. The living entity cannot conceive of the unlimitedness of the unlimited. However, if living entities are engaged in hearing about the unlimited potencies of the Supreme Lord, they are factually connected directly to the unlimited. Such understanding of the unlimited becomes unlimited by hearing and chanting.

SB4.30.32

TEXT 32

parijate ’njasa labdhe

sarango ’nyan na sevate

tvad-anghri-mulam asadya

saksat kim kim vrnimahi

parijate—the celestial tree known as parijata; anjasa—completely; labdhe—having achieved; sarangah—a bee; anyat—other; na sevate—does not resort to; tvat-anghri—Your lotus feet; mulam—the root of everything; asadya—having approached; saksat—directly; kim—what; kim—what; vrnimahi—may we ask.

Dear Lord, when the bee approaches the celestial tree called the parijata, it certainly does not leave the tree, because there is no need for such action. Similarly, when we have approached Your lotus feet and taken shelter of them, what further benediction may we ask of You?

sangah syan no bhave bhave

When a devotee is actually engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, his engagement in itself is so perfect that there is no need to ask for further benediction. When a bee approaches the parijata tree, it gets unlimited supplies of honey. There is no need to go to another tree. If one is fixed in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, there is unlimited transcendental bliss, and as such there is no need to ask for further benediction. The parijata tree is not commonly found within this material world. The parijata tree is also known as kalpa-vrksa, or the wish-fulfilling tree. One can get anything he desires from such a tree. In the material world, one can get oranges from an orange tree or mangoes from a mango tree, but there is no possibility of getting oranges from a mango tree or vice versa. However, one can get whatever he wants from the parijata tree—oranges, mangoes, bananas and so on. This tree is found in the spiritual world. Cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-laksavrtesu [Bs. 5.29]. The spiritual world, cintamani-dhama, is surrounded by these kalpa-vrksa trees, but the parijata tree is also found in the kingdom of Indra, that is, on Indra’s heavenly planet. This parijata tree was brought by Krsna to please Satyabhama, one of His queens, and this tree was implanted in the Dvaraka mansions constructed for the queens. The lotus feet of the Lord are exactly like the parijata trees, or wish-fulfilling trees, and the devotees are like bumblebees. They are always attracted by the lotus feet of the Lord.

SB4.30.33

TEXT 33

yavat te mayaya sprsta

bhramama iha karmabhih

tavad bhavat-prasanganam

yavat—as long as; te—Your; mayaya—by the illusory energy; sprstah—contaminated; bhramamah—we wander; iha—in this material world; karmabhih—by the reaction of fruitive activities; tavat—so long; bhavat-prasanganam—of Your loving devotees; sangah—association; syat—let there be; nah—our; bhave bhave—in every species of life.

Dear Lord, as long as we have to remain within this material world due to our material contamination and wander from one type of body to another and from one planet to another, we pray that we may associate with those who are engaged in discussing Your pastimes. We pray for this benediction life after life, in different bodily forms and on different planets.

This is the best benediction that a devotee can ask of the Supreme Lord. This is also confirmed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih (Bhag. 10.14.3). One may be in one position or another according to destiny, but in any case one must continue to hear about the activities and pastimes of the Supreme Lord, regardless of circumstances. A pure devotee does not pray for liberation or for cessation of the cycle of birth and death because he does not consider that important. The most important thing for a devotee is getting a chance to hear about the pastimes and glories of the Lord. The devotees who engage in the service of the Lord in this world will have the same opportunity in the spiritual world also. Thus for a devotee, everything is in the spiritual world, for as long as he can hear about the pastimes of the Lord, or wherever he can chant, the Lord is personally present. Tatra tisthami narada yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah. When the pure devotees assemble to chant, hear and talk about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the place where they assemble becomes Vaikuntha. For the devotee there is no need to pray to the Lord for transferal to the Vaikuntha world. A pure devotee can create Vaikuntha or Vrndavana anywhere simply by chanting the glories of the Lord without offense.

The Pracetas pray for an opportunity to hear of the glories of the Lord in every form of life (bhave bhave). A living entity transmigrates from one body to another. The devotee is not particularly eager to stop this process. Caitanya Mahaprabhu prays, mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi: “My dear Lord, life after life may I be fixed in Your pure devotional service.” Out of humility, a devotee considers himself unfit to be transferred to the spiritual world. He always thinks himself contaminated by the modes of material nature. Nor is there any need for a devotee to ask to be freed from the modes of material nature. Devotional service itself is in the transcendental position; therefore there is no question of asking for this special facility. The conclusion is that a pure devotee is not anxious to stop the repetition of birth and death, but is always eager to associate with other devotees who are engaged in chanting and hearing about the glories of the Lord.

SB4.30.34

TEXT 34

tulayama lavenapi

na svargam napunar-bhavam

bhagavat-sangi-sangasya

martyanam kim utasisah

tulayama—we compare; lavena—with a moment; api—even; na—not; svargam—attainment of the heavenly planets; na—not; apunah-bhavam—merging into the Brahman effulgence; bhagavat—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sangi—with associates; sangasya—of association; martyanam—of persons who are destined to die; kim uta—how much less; asisah—benedictions.

Even a moment’s association with a pure devotee cannot be compared to being transferred to heavenly planets or even merging into the Brahman effulgence in complete liberation. For living entities who are destined to give up the body and die, association with pure devotees is the highest benediction.

The great saint Prabodhananda Sarasvati, a devotee of Lord Caitanya, has stated: kaivalyam narakayate tridasa-pur akasa-puspayate. For a pure devotee, kaivalya, merging into the existence of Brahman, the Brahman effulgence, is no better than living in hell. Similarly, he considers promotion to heavenly planets (tridasa-pur) just another kind of phantasmagoria. In other words, a pure devotee does not place much value in the destination of the karmis (the heavenly planets) or in the destination of the jnanis (merging into the Brahman effulgence). A pure devotee considers a moment’s association with another pure devotee to be far superior to residing in a heavenly planet or merging in the Brahman effulgence. The topmost benediction for those who are living in this material world and are subjected to the repetition of birth and death (transmigration) is association with pure devotees. One should search out such pure devotees and remain with them. That will make one completely happy, even though living within the material world. This Krsna consciousness movement is started for that purpose. A person who is overly affected materially may take advantage of this movement and become intimately associated with it. In this way the confused and frustrated inhabitants of this material world may find the highest happiness in association with devotees.

SB4.30.35

TEXT 35

yatredyante katha mrstas

trsnayah prasamo yatah

nirvairam yatra bhutesu

nodvego yatra kascana

yatra—where; idyante—are worshiped or discussed; kathah—words; mrstah—pure; trsnayah—of material hankerings; prasamah—satisfaction; yatah—by which; nirvairam—nonenviousness; yatra—where; bhutesu—among living entities; na—not; udvegah—fear; yatra—where; kascana—any.

Whenever pure topics of the transcendental world are discussed, the members of the audience forget all kinds of material hankerings, at least for the time being. Not only that, but they are no longer envious of one another, nor do they suffer from anxiety or fear.

mukta-sangaih punah punah

Vaikuntha means “without anxiety,” and the material world means full of anxiety. As stated by Prahlada Maharaja: sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat. The living entities who have accepted this material world as a residence are full of anxiety. A place immediately becomes Vaikuntha whenever the holy topics of the Personality of Godhead are discussed by pure devotees. This is the process of sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23], chanting and hearing about the Supreme Lord Visnu. As the Supreme Lord Himself confirms:

naham tisthami vaikunthe
yoginam hrdayesu va
tatra tisthami narada
yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah

“My dear Narada, actually I do not reside in My abode, Vaikuntha, nor do I reside within the hearts of the yogis, but I reside in that place where My pure devotees chant My holy name and discuss My form, pastimes and qualities.” Because of the presence of the Lord in the form of the transcendental vibration, the Vaikuntha atmosphere is evoked. This atmosphere is without fear and anxiety. One living entity does not fear another. By hearing the holy names and glories of the Lord, a person executes pious activities. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah (Bhag. 1.2.17). Thus his material hankerings immediately stop. This sankirtana movement started by the Society for Krishna Consciousness is meant for creating Vaikuntha, the transcendental world that is without anxiety, even in this material world. The method is the propagation of the sravanam kirtanam process throughout the world. In the material world everyone is envious of his fellow man. Animalistic envy exists in human society as long as there is no performance of sankirtana-yajna, the chanting of the holy names—Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The Pracetas therefore decided to remain always in the society of devotees, and they considered that to be the highest benediction possible in human life.

SB4.30.36

TEXT 36

yatra narayanah saksad

bhagavan nyasinam gatih

samstuyate sat-kathasu

yatra—where; narayanah—Lord Narayana; saksat—directly; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; nyasinam—of persons in the renounced order of life; gatih—the ultimate goal; samstuyate—is worshiped; sat-kathasu—by discussing the transcendental vibration; mukta-sangaih—by those who are liberated from material contamination; punah punah—again and again.

The Supreme Lord, Narayana, is present among devotees who are engaged in hearing and chanting the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Narayana is the ultimate goal of sannyasis, those in the renounced order of life, and Narayana is worshiped through this sankirtana movement by those who are liberated from material contamination. Indeed, they recite the holy name again and again.