As soon as one becomes Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all these good qualities will develop in him. Therefore the very good example, that tac cātmane prati-mukhasya yathā mukha-śrīḥ. Mukha-śrīḥ, the beauty of the face after decoration, the face cannot see immediately. But it is reflected; it can be seen in the reflection. So if people accept this philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the reflection—the world is the reflection; this material world is the reflection of the spiritual world—everything will be satisfactory, everything will be peaceful, everything will be glorious.
- tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya
- sarvātmanā mahi gṛṇāmi yathā manīṣam
- nīco ’jayā guṇa-visargam anupraviṣṭaḥ
- pūyeta yena hi pumān anuvarṇitena
- (SB 7.9.12)
Tasmād ahaṁ. Therefore, if the process is like that, if one understands fully that by simply serving Kṛṣṇa, simply becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, I become fully qualified in everything, then why not accept it?
So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, tasmād evaṁ, because it is like that. Tasmād evaṁ bhagavan bhakti eva tucchyati (Śrīdhara Svāmī commentary). So simply by discharging devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness everything can be achieved; then what shall I do? Tasmād ahaṁ nīco ’pi.
"I know that I am disqualified in every respect. I am born of a demon father. I cannot give any good representation of my family, my father. And I am also a little boy, which I . . . I am not educated. I never studied Vedānta, how to please God, how to understand. Never studied philosophy. So I am disqualified by birth, by age, by education and everything." Nīco. "In everything I am lower."
That is the temperament of a Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava never thinks, "Oh, I am this, I am that." Prahlāda Mahārāja, just see how much qualified he is, but he is thinking himself nīca. Nīca means the most downtrodden, the most fallen. Just like Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, he is singing:
- patita-pāvana-hetu tava avatāra
- mo sama patita prabhu nā pāibe āra
- (Prārthanā 39)
"My dear Lord Caitanya, You have appeared to deliver the fallen souls, but please note that You will find no degraded fallen souls more than me. I am the last. If You are finding out the fallen souls, my number is the last. So therefore kindly accept me. And then from the opposite side, because You have come to claim the fallen souls, thus from the opposite side my number is first. Please accept me."