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The saint Narada Muni continued: Although Prahlada Maharaja was only a boy, when he heard the benedictions offered by Lord Nrsimhadeva he considered them impediments on the path of devotional service. Thus he smiled very mildly and spoke as follows.

Material achievements are not the ultimate goal of devotional service. The ultimate goal of devotional service is love of Godhead. Therefore although Prahlada Maharaja, Dhruva Maharaja, Ambarisa Maharaja, Yudhisthira Maharaja and many devotee kings were materially very opulent, they accepted their material opulence in the service of the Lord, not for their personal sense gratification. Of course, possessing material opulence is always fearful because under the influence of material opulence one may be misdirected from devotional service. Nonetheless, a pure devotee (anyabhilasita-sunyam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]) is never misdirected by material opulence. On the contrary, whatever he possesses he engages one hundred percent in the service of the Lord. When one is allured by material possessions, they are considered to be given by maya, but when one uses material possessions fully for service, they are considered God’s gifts, or facilities offered by Krsna for enhancing one’s devotional service.

SB7.10.2

TEXT 2

sri-prahrada uvaca

ma mam pralobhayotpattya

saktamkamesu tair varaih

tat-sanga-bhito nirvinno

mumuksus tvam upasritah

sri-prahradah uvaca—Prahlada Maharaja said (to the Supreme Personality of Godhead); ma—please do not; mam—me; pralobhaya—allure; utpattya—because of my birth (in a demoniac family); saktam—(I am already) attached; kamesu—to material enjoyment; taih—by all those; varaih—benedictions of material possessions; tat-sanga-bhitah—being afraid of such material association; nirvinnah—completely detached from material desires; mumuksuh—desiring to be liberated from material conditions of life; tvam—unto Your lotus feet; upasritah—I have taken shelter.

Prahlada Maharaja said: My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because I was born in an atheistic family I am naturally attached to material enjoyment. Therefore, kindly do not tempt me with these illusions. I am very much afraid of material conditions, and I desire to be liberated from materialistic life. It is for this reason that I have taken shelter of Your lotus feet.

Materialistic life means attachment to the body and everything in relationship to the body. This attachment is based on lusty desires for sense gratification, specifically sexual enjoyment. Kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah: [Bg. 7.20] when one is too attached to material enjoyment, he is bereft of all knowledge (hrta jnanah). As stated in Bhagavad-gita, those who are attached to material enjoyment are mostly inclined to worship the demigods to procure various material opulences. They are especially attached to worship of the goddess Durga and Lord Siva because this transcendental couple can offer their devotees all material opulence. Prahlada Maharaja, however, was detached from all material enjoyment. He therefore took shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nrsimhadeva, and not the feet of any demigod. It is to be understood that if one really wants release from this material world, from the threefold miseries and from janma-mrtyu jara-vyadhi (birth, death, old age and disease), one must take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for without the Supreme Personality of Godhead one cannot get release from materialistic life. Atheistic men are very much attached to material enjoyment. Therefore if they get some opportunity to achieve more and more material enjoyment, they take it. Prahlada Maharaja, however, was very careful in this regard. Although born of a materialistic father, because he was a devotee he had no material desires (anyabhilasita-sunyam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]).

SB7.10.3

TEXT 3

bhrtya-laksana-jijnasur

bhaktam kamesv acodayat

bhavan samsara-bijesu

hrdaya-granthisu prabho

bhrtya-laksana-jijnasuh—desiring to exhibit the symptoms of a pure devotee; bhaktam—the devotee; kamesu—in the material world, where lusty desires predominate; acodayat—has sent; bhavan—Your Lordship; samsara-bijesu—the root cause of being present in this material world; hrdaya-granthisu—which (desire for material enjoyment) is in the cores of the hearts of all conditioned souls; prabho—O my worshipable Lord.

O my worshipable Lord, because the seed of lusty desires, which is the root cause of material existence, is within the core of everyone’s heart, You have sent me to this material world to exhibit the symptoms of a pure devotee.

Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu has given considerable discussion about nitya-siddha and sadhana-siddha devotees. Nitya-siddha devotees come from Vaikuntha to this material world to teach, by their personal example, how to become a devotee. The living entities in this material world can take lessons from such nitya-siddha devotees and thus become inclined to return home, back to Godhead. A nitya-siddha devotee comes from Vaikuntha upon the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and shows by his example how to become a pure devotee (anyabhilasita-sunyam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]). In spite of coming to this material world, the nitya-siddha devotee is never attracted by the allurements of material enjoyment. A perfect example is Prahlada Maharaja, who was a nitya-siddha, a maha-bhagavata devotee. Although Prahlada was born in the family of Hiranyakasipu, an atheist, he was never attached to any kind of materialistic enjoyment. Desiring to exhibit the symptoms of a pure devotee, the Lord tried to induce Prahlada Maharaja to take material benedictions, but Prahlada Maharaja did not accept them. On the contrary, by his personal example he showed the symptoms of a pure devotee. In other words, the Lord Himself has no desire to send His pure devotee to this material world, nor does a devotee have any material purpose in coming. When the Lord Himself appears as an incarnation within this material world, He is not allured by the material atmosphere, and He has nothing to do with material activity, yet by His example He teaches the common man how to become a devotee. Similarly, a devotee who comes here in accordance with the order of the Supreme Lord shows by his personal behavior how to become a pure devotee. A pure devotee, therefore, is a practical example for all living entities, including Lord Brahma.

SB7.10.4

TEXT 4

nanyatha te ’khila-guro

ghateta karunatmanah

yas ta asisa asaste

na sa bhrtyah sa vai vanik

na—not; anyatha—otherwise; te—of You; akhila-guro—O supreme instructor of the entire creation; ghateta—such a thing can happen; karuna-atmanah—the Supreme Person, who is extremely kind to His devotees; yah—any person who; te—from You; asisah—material benefits; asaste—desires (in exchange for serving You); na—not; sah—such a person; bhrtyah—a servitor; sah—such a person; vai—indeed; vanik—a merchant (who wants to get material profit from his business).

Otherwise, O my Lord, O supreme instructor of the entire world, You are so kind to Your devotee that You could not induce him to do something unbeneficial for him. On the other hand, one who desires some material benefit in exchange for devotional service cannot be Your pure devotee. Indeed, he is no better than a merchant who wants profit in exchange for service.

It is sometimes found that one comes to a devotee or a temple of the Lord just to get some material benefit. Such a person is described here as a mercantile man. Bhagavad-gita speaks of arto jijnasur artharthi. The word arta refers to one who is physically distressed, and artharthi refers to one in need of money. Such persons are forced to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead for mitigation of their distress or to get some money by the benediction of the Lord. They have been described as sukrti, pious, because in their distress or need for money they have approached the Supreme Lord. Unless one is pious, one cannot approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, although a pious man may receive some material benefit, one who is concerned with material benefits cannot be a pure devotee. When a pure devotee receives material opulences, this is not because of his pious activity but for the service of the Lord. When one engages in devotional service, one is automatically pious. Therefore, a pure devotee is anyabhilasita-sunyam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]. He has no desire for material profit, nor does the Lord induce him to try to profit materially. When a devotee needs something, the Supreme Personality of Godhead supplies it (yoga-ksemam vahamy aham [Bg. 9.22]).

Sometimes materialists go to a temple to offer flowers and fruit to the Lord because they have learned from Bhagavad-gita that if a devotee offers some flowers and fruits, the Lord accepts them. In Bhagavad-gita (9.26) the Lord says:

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.” Thus a man with a mercantile mentality thinks that if he can get some material benefit, like a large amount of money, simply by offering a little fruit and flower, this is good business. Such persons are not accepted as pure devotees. Because their desires are not purified, they are still mercantile men, even though they go to temples to make a show of being devotees. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam: [Cc. Madhya 19.170] only when one is fully freed from material desires can one be purified, and only in that purified state can one serve the Lord. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate. This is the pure devotional platform.

SB7.10.5

TEXT 5

asasano na vai bhrtyah

svaminy asisa atmanah

na svami bhrtyatah svamyam

icchan yo rati casisah

asasanah—a person who desires (in exchange for service); na—not; vai—indeed; bhrtyah—a qualified servant or pure devotee of the Lord; svamini—from the master; asisah—material benefit; atmanah—for personal sense gratification; na—nor; svami—the master; bhrtyatah—from the servant; svamyam—the prestigious position of being the master; icchan—desiring; yah—any such master who; rati—bestows; ca—also; asisah—material profit.

A servant who desires material profits from his master is certainly not a qualified servant or pure devotee. Similarly, a master who bestows benedictions upon his servant because of a desire to maintain a prestigious position as master is also not a pure master.

aham tv akamas tvad-bhaktas

As stated in Bhagavad-gita (7.20), kamais tais tair hrta jnanah prapadyante ’nya-devatah. “Those whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto demigods.” A demigod cannot become master, for the real master is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The demigods, to keep their prestigious positions, bestow upon their worshipers whatever benedictions the worshipers want. For example, once it was found that an asura took a benediction from Lord Siva by which the asura would be able to kill someone simply by placing his hands on that person’s head. Such benedictions are possible to receive from the demigods. If one worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, the Lord will never offer him such condemned benedictions. On the contrary, it is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.88.8), yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaih. If one is too materialistic but at the same time wants to be a servant of the Supreme Lord, the Lord, because of His supreme compassion for the devotee, takes away all his material opulences and obliges him to be a pure devotee of the Lord. Prahlada Maharaja distinguishes between the pure devotee and the pure master. The Lord is the pure master, the supreme master, whereas an unalloyed devotee with no material motives is the pure servant. One who has materialistic motivations cannot become a servant, and one who unnecessarily bestows benedictions upon his servant to keep his own prestigious position is not a real master.

SB7.10.6

TEXT 6

tvam ca svamy anapasrayah

nanyathehavayor artho

raja-sevakayor iva

aham—as far as I am concerned; tu—indeed; akamah—without material desire; tvat-bhaktah—fully attached to You without motivation; tvam ca—Your Lordship also; svami—the real master; anapasrayah—without motivation (You do not become the master with motivation); na—not; anyatha—without being in such a relationship as master and servant; iha—here; avayoh—our; arthah—any motivation (the Lord is the pure master, and Prahlada Maharaja is the pure devotee with no materialistic motivation); raja—of a king; sevakayoh—and the servitor; iva—like (just as a king exacts taxes for the benefit of the servant or the citizens pay taxes for the benefit of the king).

O my Lord, I am Your unmotivated servant, and You are my eternal master. There is no need of our being anything other than master and servant. You are naturally my master, and I am naturally Your servant. We have no other relationship.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, jivera ‘svarupa’ haya—krsnera ‘nitya-dasa’: [Cc. Madhya 20.108] every living being is eternally a servant of the Supreme Lord, Krsna. Lord Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (5.29), bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram: “I am the proprietor of all planets, and I am the supreme enjoyer.” This is the natural position of the Lord, and the natural position of the living being is to surrender unto Him (sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]). If this relationship continues, then real happiness exists eternally between the master and servant. Unfortunately, when this eternal relationship is disturbed, the living entity wants to become separately happy and thinks that the master is his order supplier. In this way there cannot be happiness. Nor should the master cater to the desires of the servant. If he does, he is not the real master. The real master commands, “You must do this,” and the real servant immediately obeys the order. Unless this relationship between the Supreme Lord and the subordinate living entity is established, there can be no real happiness. The living entity is asraya, always subordinate, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is visaya, the supreme objective, the goal of life. Unfortunate persons trapped in this material world do not know this. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum: [SB 7.5.31] illusioned by the material energy, everyone in this material world is unaware that the only aim of life is to approach Lord Visnu.

aradhananam sarvesam
visnor aradhanam param
tasmat parataram devi
tadiyanam samarcanam

In the Padma Purana Lord Siva explains to his wife, Parvati, the goddess Durga, that the highest goal of life is to satisfy Lord Visnu, who can be satisfied only when His servant is satisfied. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore teaches, gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah. One must become a servant of the servant. Prahlada Maharaja also prayed to Lord Nrsimhadeva that he might be engaged as the servant of the Lord’s servant. This is the prescribed method of devotional service. As soon as a devotee wants the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be his order supplier, the Lord immediately refuses to become the master of such a motivated devotee. In Bhagavad-gita (4.11) the Lord says, ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham. “As one surrenders unto Me, I reward him accordingly.” Materialistic persons are generally inclined to material profits. As long as one continues in such an adulterated position, he does not receive the benefit of returning home, back to Godhead.

SB7.10.7

TEXT 7

yadi dasyasi me kaman

varams tvam varadarsabha

kamanam hrdy asamroham

bhavatas tu vrne varam

yadi—if; dasyasi—want to give; me—me; kaman—anything desirable; varan—as Your benediction; tvam—You; varada-rsabha—O Supreme Personality of Godhead, who can give any benediction; kamanam—of all desires for material happiness; hrdi—within the core of my heart; asamroham—no growth; bhava tah—from You; tu—then; vrne—I pray for; varam—such a benediction.

O my Lord, best of the givers of benediction, if You at all want to bestow a desirable benediction upon me, then I pray from Your Lordship that within the core of my heart there be no material desires.

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us how to pray for benedictions from the Lord. He said:

na dhanam na janam na sundarim
kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare
bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

“O my Lord, I do not want from You any amount of wealth, nor many followers, nor a beautiful wife, for these are all materialistic desires. But if I have to ask You for any benediction, I pray that in whatever forms of life I may take my birth, under any circumstances, I will not be bereft of Your transcendental devotional service.” Devotees are always on the positive platform, in contrast to the Mayavadis, who want to make everything impersonal or void. One cannot remain void (sunyavadi); rather, one must possess something. Therefore, the devotee, on the positive side, wants to possess something, and this possession is very nicely described by Prahlada Maharaja, who says, “If I must take some benediction from You, I pray that within the core of my heart there may be no material desires.” The desire to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not at all material.

SB7.10.8

TEXT 8

indriyani manah prana

atma dharmo dhrtir matih

hrih sris tejah smrtih satyam

yasya nasyanti janmana

indriyani—the senses; manah—the mind; pranah—the life air; atma—the body; dharmah—religion; dhrtih—patience; matih—intelligence; hrih—shyness; srih—opulence; tejah—strength; smrtih—memory; satyam—truthfulness; yasya—of which lusty desires; nasyanti—are vanquished; janmana—from the very beginning of birth.

O my Lord, because of lusty desires from the very beginning of one’s birth, the functions of one’s senses, mind, life, body, religion, patience, intelligence, shyness, opulence, strength, memory and truthfulness are vanquished.

As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam, kamam hrd-rogam. Materialistic life means that one is afflicted by a formidable disease called lusty desire. Liberation means freedom from lusty desires because it is only due to such desires that one must accept repeated birth and death. As long as one’s lusty desires are unfulfilled, one must take birth after birth to fulfill them. Because of material desires, therefore, one performs various types of activities and receives various types of bodies with which to try to fulfill desires that are never satisfied. The only remedy is to take to devotional service, which begins when one is free from all material desires. Anyabhilasita-sunyam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]. Anya-abhilasita means “material desire,” and sunyam means “free from.” The spiritual soul has spiritual activities and spiritual desires, as described by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi. Unalloyed devotion to the service of the Lord is the only spiritual desire. To fulfill this spiritual desire, however, one must be free from all material desires. Desirelessness means freedom from material desires. This is described by Srila Rupa Gosvami as Anyabhilasita-sunyam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]. As soon as one has material desires, one loses his spiritual identity. Then all the paraphernalia of one’s life, including one’s senses, body, religion, patience and intelligence, are deviated from one’s original Krsna consciousness. As soon as one has material desires, one cannot properly use his senses, intelligence, mind and so on for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mayavadi philosophers want to become impersonal, senseless and mindless, but that is not possible. The living entity must be living, always existing with desires, ambitions and so on. These should be purified, however, so that one can desire spiritually and be spiritually ambitious, without material contamination. In every living entity these propensities exist because he is a living entity. When materially contaminated, however, one is put into the hands of material misery (janma-mrtyu jara-vyadhi). If one wants to stop repeated birth and death, one must take to the devotional service of the Lord.

sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hrsikena hrsikesa-
sevanam bhaktir ucyate

[Cc. Madhya 19.170]

“Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and, simply by being employed in the service of the Lord, one’s senses are purified.”

SB7.10.9

TEXT 9

vimuncati yada kaman

manavo manasi sthitan

tarhy eva pundarikaksa

bhagavattvaya kalpate

vimuncati—gives up; yada—whenever; kaman—all material desires; manavah—human society; manasi—within the mind; sthitan—situated; tarhi—at that time only; eva—indeed; pundarika-aksa—O lotus-eyed Lord; bhagavattvaya—to be equally as opulent as the Lord; kalpate—becomes eligible.

O my Lord, when a human being is able to give up all the material desires in his mind, he becomes eligible to possess wealth and opulence like Yours.