Submissive devotees

Expressions researched:
"as soon as you become submissive, you become devotee" |"submissive devotee" |"submissive devotees"

SB Canto 3

The best path is to become a cool-headed, submissive devotee of the Lord, try to hear about the Lord from the bona fide spiritual master, and thus serve the Lord in transcendental loving service.

SB 3.6.35, Purport:

Bhagavad-gītā was specifically spoken to Arjuna, and the viśva-rūpa was exhibited before him at his request. He was awarded the specific eyes to see this viśva-rūpa, yet although he was able to see the Lord's innumerable hands and mouths, he was unable to see Him completely. Since Arjuna was unable to estimate the length and breadth of the potency of the Lord, who else would be able to do so? One may only indulge in miscalculation like the frog-philosopher. The frog-philosopher wanted to estimate the length and breadth of the Pacific Ocean by his experience of a well three cubic feet large, and thus he began to puff himself up to become as big as the Pacific Ocean, but at last he burst and died by this process. This story is applicable to the mental philosophers who, under the illusion of the Lord's external energy, indulge in estimating the length and breadth of the Supreme Lord. The best path is to become a cool-headed, submissive devotee of the Lord, try to hear about the Lord from the bona fide spiritual master, and thus serve the Lord in transcendental loving service, as suggested in the previous verse.

CC Madhya-lila

Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the most famous of submissive devotees.

CC Madhya 23.87-91, Translation and Purport:

“"Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī"s twenty-five chief transcendental qualities are: (1) She is very sweet. (2) She is always freshly youthful. (3) Her eyes are restless. (4) She smiles brightly. (5) She has beautiful, auspicious lines. (6) She makes Kṛṣṇa happy with Her bodily aroma. (7) She is very expert in singing. (8) Her speech is charming. (9) She is very expert in joking and speaking pleasantly. (10) She is very humble and meek. (11) She is always full of mercy. (12) She is cunning. (13) She is expert in executing Her duties. (14) She is shy. (15) She is always respectful. (16) She is always calm. (17) She is always grave. (18) She is expert in enjoying life. (19) She is situated at the topmost level of ecstatic love. (20) She is the reservoir of loving affairs in Gokula. (21) She is the most famous of submissive devotees. (22) She is very affectionate to elderly people. (23) She is very submissive to the love of Her friends. (24) She is the chief gopī. (25) She always keeps Kṛṣṇa under Her control. In short, She possesses unlimited transcendental qualities, just as Lord Kṛṣṇa does.’

These verses are found in the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Śrī-rādhā-prakaraṇa 11–15).

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Although Lord Nṛsiṁha is very severe to demons and nondevotees, He is very kind to His submissive devotees like Prahlāda.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 27:

When Lord Caitanya visited this temple, He praised the Deity and quoted a verse from Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.9.1):

ugro 'py anugra evāyaṁ

sva-bhaktānāṁ nṛkeśarī

keśarīva svapotānām

anyeṣām ugra-vikramaḥ

"Although Lord Nṛsiṁha is very severe to demons and nondevotees, He is very kind to His submissive devotees like Prahlāda." Lord Nṛsiṁha appeared as a half-man, half-lion incarnation of Kṛṣṇa when Prahlāda, a boy devotee of the Lord, was harassed by his demoniac father Hiraṇyakaśipu. Just as a lion is very ferocious to other animals but very kind and submissive to his cubs, so Lord Nṛsiṁha appeared ferocious to Hiraṇyakaśipu and very kind to His devotee Prahlāda.

After visiting the temple of Jiyara-nṛsiṁha, the Lord proceeded further south into India and ultimately reached the bank of the Godāvarī. While on the bank of this river, the Lord remembered the Yamunā River in Vṛndāvana, and He considered the trees on the bank to be the forest of Vṛndāvana. Thus He was in ecstasy there. After taking a bath on the banks of the Godāvarī, the Lord sat near the bank and began chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Mukunda-mala-stotra (mantras 1 to 6 only)

A submissive devotee becomes automatically enlightened in all the intricacies of knowledge because the Lord, from within, dissipates his ignorance with the self-illumined lamp of wisdom.

Mukunda-mala-stotra mantra 1, Purport:

A devotee is never as eager to see the Lord as he is to render service to Him. Yet the Lord does appear before His devotee, for He is just like an affectionate father, who is more eager to see his son than the son is to see him. There is no contradiction in such a quantitative difference in affection. Such a disparity exists in the original reality—between the Lord and His devotees—and is reflected here not only in the relations between parents and children in human society but even in the animal kingdom. Parental affection is exhibited even among lower animals because originally such affection in its fullness exists in God, the original father of all species of living beings. When a man kills an animal, God, the affectionate father, is perturbed and is pained at heart. Thus the slaughterer of the animal is suitably punished by the material energy, just as a murderer is punished by the government through police action.

By the mercy of the Lord, a devotee develops all the good qualities of God, for a devotee can never remain in the darkness of ignorance. A father is always anxious to impart knowledge and experience to his son, but the son can choose whether to accept such instructions. A submissive devotee becomes automatically enlightened in all the intricacies of knowledge because the Lord, from within, dissipates his ignorance with the self-illumined lamp of wisdom. If the Lord Himself instructs the devotee, how can he remain foolish like the mundane wranglers?

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

God is the always ready to be revealed to you. But how does He reveal? He reveals as soon as you become submissive, you become devotee, you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, you just follow the path traversed by the great mahājanas, great ācāryas.

Lecture on BG 10.2-3 -- New York, January 1, 1967:

Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva and san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām. San-mukharitām means just try to hear about the glories of the Supreme Lord from the mouth of realized souls. Don't go to the unauthorized persons. Now, how you can know what is the difference between unauthorized and authorized? That you can know also. There is description. That, in Bhagavad-gītā you'll see, who is authorized, who is not authorized. The Lord says, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). This authority is handed over by disciplic succession.

So just like Kṛṣṇa is handing over the authority to Arjuna. And Arjuna says paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). So here, if we follow the Arjuna's process and if we try to understand as Arjuna understood, then the authority is there. It is not very, very difficult to understand who is authority. So sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva san-mukharitām. You have to find out that authority. That's all. That authority you have to find out and remain in your place and try to hear submissively everything, svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. As soon as you become submissive and hear from authorities, then the whole thing will reveal within yourself. God is the always ready to be revealed to you. But how does He reveal? He reveals as soon as you become submissive, you become devotee, you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, you just follow the path traversed by the great mahājanas, great ācāryas. Then it is... Everything is known.

1973 Correspondence

Although Krsna understanding is very easy for those who are simple and submissive devotees, for the duratma, Krsna is very difficult.

Letter to Yasomatinandan -- Herts, England July 20, 1973:

The thing is Brahmananda Maharaj is having difficulty translating literature into the Gujarat language in Nairobi. There is a large Gujarati population there and he has had some of our literature translated by a non-devotee translator. You know well the havoc which can result if a nondevotee tries to give his interpretation of Krsna. Although Krsna understanding is very easy for those who are simple and submissive devotees, for the duratma, Krsna is very difficult. So if at all possible we want all our foreign language books to be translated by devotees. I think you are already working on Gujarati translations of our works, so please immediately correspond with Brahmananda Maharaj at our Nairobi center and offer your services as translator. Take this as a great responsibility and it will please me very much. I will be glad to hear your progress in this important matter.