Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 07 Chapter 07 Purports - What Prahlada Learned in the Womb
Pages in category "Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 07 Chapter 07 Purports - What Prahlada Learned in the Womb"
The following 332 pages are in this category, out of 332 total.
A
- A devotee sees everyone and everything in relationship with Narayana (narayanam ayam). Everything is an expansion of Narayana's energy
- A disciple should serve the spiritual master as a menial servant, and whatever he has in his possession should be dedicated to the spiritual master
- A person foolishly thinks that the material body has grown from a combination of chemicals, although he cannot find them. The Vedas inform us, however, that chemical combinations do not constitute the living force
- A person initiated into the Vaisnava cult should be offered the respect befitting a Vaisnava, which means that he should be offered service and prayers. However, one should not associate with him if he is not a fit person with whom to associate
- A sadhu, a saintly person, must be saintly in his behavior. Unless one adheres to the standard behavior, one's position as a sadhu, a saintly person, is not complete. Therefore a Vaisnava, a sadhu, must completely adhere to the standard of behavior
- A sober person can study himself and distinguish the soul from the body by analytical study
- According to one's activities of piety in different degrees, one obtains different standards of life, but none of them are permanent, and therefore they are all impure
- According to these (material) modes, the living entity gets the opportunity to perform different types of karma with different types of knowledge, thinking, feeling and willing. Thus the bodily machine begins to work
- Actually the truth of religious principles is extremely confidential. Nonetheless, it can be understood very easily if one actually adopts the principles of religion
- Actually, the activities of the body are not the activities of the soul. The soul is different from the body
- Advancement in Krsna consciousness is very powerful, and therefore even during this life such a devotee has achieved the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. This transcendental ecstatic existence of a devotee was completely exhibited by Sri Caitanya
- All the various grades of bodies - from the gigantic universal body to the small body of an ant - are perishable, but the Supersoul and the soul, being equal in quality, both exist eternally
- Although everything is an emanation from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one should not think that the Supreme Lord is dependent upon anything else
- Although King Indra and the other demigods are exalted personalities, they were so obedient to Narada Muni that King Indra immediately accepted Narada Muni's words concerning Prahlada Maharaja. This is called understanding by the parampara system
- Although one is acting according to false ambitions, he thinks he can improve his material conditions by his activities. The Vedas enjoin that one should not try to increase happiness or decrease distress, for this is futile
- Although one is strictly prohibited from staying with a woman in a secluded place, Narada Muni gave shelter to Prahlada Maharaja's young mother, who rendered service to him with great devotion and faith
- Although Prahlada's mother was in the conditional state and was the wife of a demon, even Yaksas, Raksasas, women, sudras and even birds and other lower living entities can be elevated to the acyuta-gotra, the family of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Although the living entity is the cause of his various types of bodies, the body is given by material nature according to the order of the Lord
- Although the soul is within the body, it is separate and always pure. One must analyze and understand his self. This is self-realization
- Among the linking processes that elevate one from bondage to material contamination, the one recommended by the Supreme Personality of Godhead should be accepted as the best
- An expert in the study of soil can find out where gold is and then dig there. He can then analyze the stone and test the gold with nitric acid. Similarly, one must analyze the whole body to find within the body the spirit soul
- An intelligent man should conclude that material economic development is not at all pleasing
- An intelligent person must inquire from the spiritual master about the goal of life. A bona fide spiritual master can answer all such questions because he has seen the real truth
- An iron rod put into a fire becomes warmer and warmer, and when it is red hot it is no longer an iron rod but fire
- Any person who is not expert in understanding this science (of the soul) or is unwilling to understand it remains in the bodily conception of life, or the animalistic conception of life
- Anyone can take shelter of a pure Vaisnava, without fear
- As an expert mineralogist or geologist can understand where there is gold and can then invest his money to dig there and chemically separate the gold from the ore, an expert spiritualist can understand where the soul is within matter
- As enunciated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye (CC Antya 20.29, Siksastaka 4). A very advanced devotee in Krsna consciousness does not want riches, followers or possessions
- As explained in the previous verse (SB 7.7.22): "A spiritually advanced person can understand how the spiritual particle exists within the body, and thus by cultivating spiritual knowledge he can attain perfection in spiritual life"
- As far as economic development is concerned, we should discharge our occupational duties but fully depend on the lotus feet of the Lord for the results
- As Krsna never falls, when we revive our spiritual consciousness, Krsna consciousness, we never fall again to material existence. One should understand the position of the supreme Acyuta, Krsna
- As soon as one begins acting according to his plan, his life of distress immediately begins. Therefore, one should not be ambitious to dissipate the unhappy conditions of life, for one cannot do anything about them
- As soon as one hears of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (krsna-kirtana), one immediately comes in touch with the Lord. A devotee immediately comes in touch with the Lord by any or all of the items of devotional service - sravanam kirtanam visnoh
- As soon as one is situated on the platform of bhakti-yoga, the root cause of one's suffering and material bondage is destroyed. This is clearly explained in the next verse (SB 7.7.29), which gives the secret of success
- As soon as one is very intimately connected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one surely becomes free from all material contamination. Ya nirvrtis tanu-bhrtam. This cessation of all material happiness is called nirvrti or nirvana
- As stated in Bhagavad-gita (BG 13.3), ksetra-ksetrajnayor jnanam: understanding of the ksetra (the constitution of the body) and of the individual soul and the Supersoul constitutes real jnana, or knowledge
- As stated in Bhagavad-gita (BG 18.55), bhaktya mam abhijanati. Unless one takes shelter of the bhakti-yoga process, one cannot understand the existence of the soul within the body
- As stated in Bhagavad-gita (BG 3.42): Above the senses is the mind, above the mind is the intelligence, and above the intelligence is the soul. Ultimately, when one's intelligence becomes clear through devotional service, one is situated in buddhi-yoga
- As the material positions we acquire here by hard work are vanquished in due course of time, one's residence in the heavenly planets is also eventually vanquished
- Asuras generally cannot understand that the objects of sexual pleasure, the so-called pleasure of materialistic life, depend on extremely hard labor. Prahlada Maharaja places this matter to his friends, the asuras, for their consideration
- Atma-tattva, or spiritual knowledge, will be revealed within the core of a devotee's heart because of his having taken shelter of the lotus feet of a mahajana such as Prahlada Maharaja
B
- Because of his developed consciousness, however, the human being must understand the constitutional position of the living entity and understand why he must accept a material body
- Because of inability to control the senses, one must go through great endeavor to go to hell, but if one is sensible he can very easily obtain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead because the Lord is always with him
- Because one thinks constantly in this way (as the Lord's servant, friend, father, mother or conjugal lover), one's present material body and mind are fully spiritualized, and the needs of one's material body completely vanish from one's existence
- Because the living entities are parts or samples of God, their qualities are not different from those of the Supreme Lord
- Because the Personality of Godhead is supreme, no one is equal to Him, and no one is greater than Him. Nonetheless, if one is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord is easily obtainable
- Beyond the existence of the body are the Paramatma and atma within the body. This is the first understanding of spiritual knowledge explained in Bhagavad-gita
- Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.234: "No one can understand Krsna as He is by the blunt material senses. But He reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased with them for their transcendental loving service unto Him"
- Bhumi, earth, includes all the objects of sense perception - rupa (form), rasa (taste), gandha (smell), sabda (sound) and sparsa (touch). Within the earth are the fragrance of roses, the taste of sweet fruit, and whatever else we want
- Both God and the living entity are fully conscious. As living entities, we are conscious of our bodily existence. Similarly, the Lord is conscious of the gigantic cosmic manifestation. This is confirmed in the Vedas
- Both the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the minute soul are individual. One is great, and the other is small, but both of them are the cause of all causes - the corporally limited and the universally unlimited
- By constantly engaging in the service of the Lord and thinking of His lotus feet, one is automatically freed from all material contamination
- By engaging in sravanam kirtanam visnoh under a spiritual master one's life becomes perfect, and his attachment for Krsna becomes positively manifested. In that stage, he is situated in ecstasy, experiencing bhava and anubhava
- By following the instructions of the guru and the sastras, the disciple attains the stage of devotional service and becomes unattached to possessions
- By preaching the gospel of Krsna consciousness all over the world others may become happy by executing the principles of Krsna consciousness
- By the laws of nature (prakrteh kriyamanani (BG 3.27)) the living entity evolves from lower grades of life to the human form
- By the practice of bhakti-yoga, one immediately comes to the spiritual platform, transcendental to the actions and reactions of the three modes of material nature
- By the simple method of sravanam kirtanam visnoh (SB 7.5.23), the Lord is satisfied. Indeed, the Lord (Krsna) says: "If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it" - BG 9.26
E
- Economic development may be pleasing for some time, but it cannot endure. Thus many big businessmen are now very morose because they are being harassed by various plundering governments
- Especially in this age, the concession is that simply by chanting Hare Krsna (harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21)) one revives his original relationship with God and thus becomes so happy that he does not want anything material
- Even if one is promoted to the higher planetary systems by performing great sacrifices, which are accompanied by the sinful act of sacrificing animals, the standard of happiness in Svargaloka is also not free of disturbances
- Even in ordinary activities, we first consider gain and loss, and then we act. Similarly, an intelligent person must consider the entire process of material existence and then act intelligently, following the directions of the bona fide spiritual master
- Even in this material world, a devotee does not see materially manifested things; instead he sees Govinda in everything. When he sees a tree or a human being, a devotee sees them in relation to Govinda
- Even when Prahlada Maharaja was a baby within the womb of his mother, he became fully convinced of the existence of the supreme power because of hearing the powerful instructions of Narada and understood how to attain perfection in life by bhakti-yoga
- Every conditioned soul is bound by the laws of material nature, as described in Bhagavad-gita (prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah) - BG 3.27
- Every member of human society should clearly understand the instructions of Bhagavad-gita, for only in this way can one be spiritually elevated and automatically give up the false, illusory knowledge
- Everyone begins his activities with some plan and ambition, but actually, from the beginning of one's plan to the end, one does not derive any happiness
- Everyone desires comfort for his body and tries to make a suitable situation for this purpose, forgetting that the body is meant to be eaten by dogs, jackals or moths and thus turned into useless stool, ashes or earth
- Everyone has achieved a certain type of body given by material nature according to the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Everyone has his life, his wealth, his intelligence and his words, and all of them should be offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the via medium of the spiritual master
- Everyone has knowledge of huge empires throughout the history of the world but all the societies engaged in such economic development (sarve 'rtha-kamah) have been frustrated by the laws of nature through periodic wars, pestilence, famine and so on
- Everyone should know that in every stage of life we are dependent upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore the dharma, religion, which we accept should be that which is recommended by Prahlada Maharaja - bhagavata-dharma
- Everything rests on the Lord, just like pearls strung together on a thread. The thread is the principal Brahman. He is the supreme cause, the Supreme Lord upon whom everything rests
- Everything should be offered to the spiritual master as a matter of duty, but the offering should be made to the spiritual master with heart and soul, not artificially to gain material prestige
- Everything, material and spiritual, consists of various energies of Vasudeva, to whom the individual soul, the spiritual part of the Supreme Lord, is subordinate. Upon understanding this perfect knowledge, one surrenders to the Supreme Personality of God
- Everything, material and spiritual, including earth, water, air, fire, sky and the living entities, exists on the platform of spirit soul
F
- Foolish persons do not distinguish between the atma and the Paramatma, who are situated in every body. The atma is the living entity, and the Paramatma is the SPG. The individual living entity, however, is different from the Paramatma, the Supreme Lord
- Fools and rascals consider these uncommon activities of the Lord to be mythological but the pure devotee immediately becomes ecstatic upon hearing the uncommon activities of the Lord. This is the difference between a devotee and a nondevotee
- Fools and rascals, who are not in the transcendental position, consider these uncommon activities of the Lord to be mythological
- For illicit sex he must arrange for money for brothels, for meat-eating he must arrange for many slaughterhouses, for gambling he must arrange for casinos and hotels, and for intoxication he must open many breweries
- For those who are strong enough, however, there is no question of forgetting
G
H
- Haridasa Thakura also spoke with a young woman, a prostitute, in the dead of night, but the woman could not deviate his mind. Instead, she became a Vaisnavi, a pure devotee, by the benediction of Haridasa Thakura
- Harih sarvesu bhutesu means that Hari is situated as Paramatma, not as atma, although atma is a part of Paramatma
- Harih sarvesu bhutesu. This statement is sometimes misunderstood by unscrupulous persons who wrongly conclude that because Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is situated in every living entity, every living entity is therefore Hari
- Having received instructions from the spiritual master and the sastra, one must be sufficiently intelligent. In the human form of life, one should not remain foolish and ignorant, but must inquire about his constitutional position
- He (Lord Krsna) is the original source of all living entities in the material world, and He is situated in everyone's heart as the Supersoul
- Head, hands, legs and indeed the entire body have grown on the basis of the soul. If the soul is within, the body, head, hands and legs grow, but otherwise they do not. A dead child does not grow up, for the soul is not present
- Here is a very good example concerning spiritual understanding. Foolish rascals, including so-called jnanis, philosophers and scientists, cannot understand the existence of the soul within the body because they are lacking in spiritual knowledge
- However, although the Supreme Person, the Paramatma, is also one, He is present as an individual in all the different bodies
I
- If brahmananda, the bliss of merging in the Brahman effulgence, were multiplied one hundred trillion times, it would still not equal even an atomic fragment of the ocean of transcendental bliss felt in devotional service
- If by a careful analysis of the body one still cannot find the existence of the soul, this is due to his ignorance
- If by good association, by the instructions of a bona fide spiritual master, one takes to Krsna consciousness, his conditional life of material existence is vanquished, and his original consciousness, known as Krsna consciousness, is revived
- If even a woman practices devotional service strictly, according to the rules and regulations, the statement by the Lord Himself that she can return to Godhead (te 'pi yanti param gatim) is not at all astonishing
- If one advances further from the brahma-nirvana platform, one enters the stage of devotional service - mad-bhaktim labhate param
- If one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one can automatically understand everything else. Because of not taking shelter of the Lord's lotus feet, even great scholars, scientists, philosophers and religionists are always bewildered
- If one does not take to the path of disciplic succession, it is not possible for one to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- If one is expert and follows the acarya, he can understand that he is the spiritual soul living within the body
- If one is fortunate enough to understand his relationship with God, knowing that God is great (vibhu) whereas the living entity is small (anu), he is perfect in knowledge
- If one understands the Supreme Lord through devotional service with faith in the disciplic succession and then advances further, he awakens his natural love for God, and then his success in life is assured
- If one wants to go to hell he must endeavor very much, but if he wants to return home, back to Godhead, there is no difficult endeavor
- If the class friends of Prahlada Maharaja, the sons of demons, were to accept the truth through Prahlada, they would certainly also become fully aware of transcendental knowledge
- In BG (9.32) Krsna says: "O son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me - though they be lowborn, women, vaisyas (merchants) or sudras (workers) - can approach the supreme destination." The word papa-yoni refers to those who are less than sudras
- In BG 15.15 Krsna says: "I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness." The living entities are completely absorbed in the three states of wakefulness, dreaming and deep sleep through their intelligence
- In human life, our eternal, dormant relationship with Krsna is possible to revive. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja has described this life as arthadam
- In recent history we have seen many political leaders work hard for individual and collective economic development, but they have all failed. This is the law of nature, as clearly explained in the next verse - SB 7.7.42
- In studying one's own body, one must ask himself whether his head is his soul, his fingers are his soul, his hand is his soul, and so on. In this way, one must gradually reject all the material elements & the combinations of material elements in the body
- In the human form of life, when one's intelligence is developed, one should change his consciousness by trying to understand Krsna. Then one can be liberated
- In the Medini dictionary, yoga is explained by its result: yoge 'purvartha-sampraptau sangati-dhyana-yuktisu
- In the Vedas it is said, nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13): the Lord is the chief individual living entity, the leader of the subordinate living entities
- In this verse (SB 7.7.17) the word bhuyat may be understood to mean "let there be."
- Indeed, it is due to the presence of the living entity that the body exists and bodily changes take place. Similarly, it is because the Supreme Lord is within this universe that the changes dictated by the material laws occur
- Indra and the demigods accepted the authoritative statements of Narada Muni and immediately offered their respects to the devotee by circumambulating the woman in whose womb he was living
- Indra and the demigods did not know that a great devotee was in the womb of Kayadhu, the wife of Hiranyakasipu
- Indra, the King of heaven, decided to arrest Prahlada mother because he thought that another demon, another Hiranyakasipu, was within her womb. The best course, he thought, was to kill the child when the child was born, then the woman could be released
- Instead of wasting our time for economic development, which cannot give us any happiness, if we simply try to revive our eternal relationship with Krsna, we will properly utilize our lives
- Intelligence is supplied by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who accompanies the individual soul as a friend
- It has been said that the process which immediately increases one's love and affection for the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the best of the many thousands of ways to become free from the entanglement of material existence
- It is because of the interaction of these three material modes of nature that the five knowledge-gathering senses, the five working senses and their controller, the mind, are manifested
- It is better to use one's time for advancement in the spiritual life of Krsna consciousness. One should not waste his valuable life as a human being. It is better to utilize this life for developing KC, without ambitions for so-called happiness
- It is said, vaisnavera kriya-mudra vijne na bujhaya. Even if a man is very advanced in learning, he cannot understand the behavior of a Vaisnava
- It is stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 9.19.17): "One should not remain in a secluded place with a woman, even one's mother, sister, or daughter"
J
- Just as aromas are distinct from the material vehicle in which they are carried, the soul is unattached to material activities. This analysis can be considered by a person who is fully under the shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord
- Just as one suffers pain when his head is cut off in a dream, in ignorance one suffers not only while dreaming but also while awake. Without the mercy of the SPG, one continues in ignorance and is thus subjected to material distresses in various ways
- Just as those who are greedy see everything as a source of money-making and those who are lusty see everything as being conducive to sex, the most perfect devotee, Prahlada Maharaja, saw Narayana even within a stone column
K
- Kayadhu, The mother of Prahlada Maharaja, stayed under the protection of Narada Muni without fear from any direction. Similarly, Narada Muni, in his transcendental position, stayed with the young woman without fear of deviation
- Krsna consciousness, devotional service to Krsna, is the ocean of eternal bliss. In comparison to this eternal bliss, the so-called happiness of society, friendship and love is simply useless and insignificant
- Krsna promises in Bhagavad-gita (BG 9.31), kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati. This is a declaration by the SP of Godhead that His devotee cannot be killed by demons. Prahlada Maharaja is the vivid example of the truth of this promise
M
- Material elevation to life as a brahmana, demigod, rsi and so on are not causes for developing love of Godhead, but if one sincerely engages in the service of the Lord, his Krsna consciousness is complete
- Mukti means giving up one's position in ignorance or illusion, by which one thinks in a way contrary to his constitutional position
N
- Narada Muni is a great saint and is transcendentally situated. Therefore, although he was a young man, he could give shelter to a young woman and accept her service
- Narada Muni told the King of heaven, "it would be impossible for you to kill the child (Prahlada Maharaja), even though you are demigods, and certainly it would be impossible for others"
- Narada Muni, Haridasa Thakura and similar acaryas especially empowered to broadcast the glories of the Lord cannot be brought down to the material platform. Therefore one is strictly forbidden to think that the acarya is an ordinary human being
- Narottama dasa Thakura sings that our only desire should be to perform the duties of KC. We should not be misled by the karma-mimamsa philosophy, which concludes that if we work seriously the results will come automatically. This is not a fact
- Neti neti is the analytical process of rejecting matter. By expertly conducting such an analysis, one can understand where the soul is. One who is not expert, however, cannot distinguish gold from earth, nor the soul from the body
- No one has ever achieved the results he desired from material activities. On the contrary, everyone has been frustrated again and again. One must not waste his time in such material activities for sensual pleasure, either in this life or in the next
O
- Of course, such brahma-sukha (of merging with Brahman) undoubtedly eliminates material happiness
- Offering respect to every living entity means offering respect to the Paramatma situated in every living entity. One should not misunderstand every living entity to be the Paramatma
- Offering service and surrendering to the spiritual master, one is elevated to devotional service, and by performing devotional service one gradually becomes attached to the SP of Godhead. Because of this attachment to the Lord, one can understand God
- One acquires natural happiness upon seeing the moon, but when one can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one's transcendental happiness increases hundreds and thousands of times
- One can meditate upon the Lord anywhere and everywhere. Thus Prahlada Maharaja advised his friends, the sons of the demons, to take this path back home, back to Godhead, without difficulty
- One can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by understanding the sample, the living entity, because all the qualities of God exist in a minute quantity in the living entities
- One can understand what the Lord's position is, what our position is and what our relationship is. All this can be understood very easily by the simple method of bhakti-yoga
- One can very easily understand that the material body is temporary, for it is generated at a certain date and ends at a certain date, after undergoing the six kinds of change, namely birth, death, growth, maintenance, transformation and dwindling
- One can very intelligently conclude that without devotional service, without becoming Krsna conscious, one cannot be happy
- One feels brahma-sukha, spiritual happiness, by merging into the impersonal Brahman because the brahma-jyotir is the effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- One may argue, "When we analyze the body we find a head, hands, legs, a belly, blood, bones, urine, stool and so on, but after everything is considered, where is the existence of the soul?" A sober man, however, avails himself to Taittiriya Upanisad 3.1.1
- One may be proud of possessing a vast empire, but such empires are impermanent; after one hundred or two hundred years, everything is finished. All such positions of economic development, although created with great hardship, are vanquished
- One may merge in the Brahman feature of the Absolute Truth, but there is a chance that one may fall because of not being acquainted with Adhoksaja, or Vasudeva
- One must accept the pure devotee, the representative of God, as one's guru and then offer him all the respects one would offer the Supreme Personality of God. This is the secret of success. For one who adopts this method, the perfect process is revealed
- One must approach a bona fide spiritual master by surrendering himself (pranipatena) and rendering service
- One must be intelligent enough to understand that although one's body is temporary and will not endure for long, as long as one has a body he must undergo the pangs of material existence
- One must give up his illusory conception and thus become fully aware of everything
- One must have full faith in the words of the spiritual master and similar faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then the real knowledge of atma and Paramatma and the distinction between matter and spirit will be automatically revealed
- One must realize that the material condition of life is full of distresses. One can realize this with purified intelligence. When one's intelligence is purified, he can understand that unwanted, temporary, material life is just like a dream
- One must take shelter of the Lord and rigidly follow the rules and regulations. Then, regardless of what one is, one will return home, back to Godhead
- One must understand one's relationship with God and then act accordingly. This is bhagavata-dharma. Bhagavata-dharma means bhakti-yoga
- One should be prepared to understand the spirit soul and the supreme spirit, God, who are eternally related. Thus one may return home, back to Godhead, having solved all the problems of life
- One should clearly understand that although Narayana is situated in the core of the heart of every living entity, the living entity never becomes Narayana
- One should live among devotees, saintly persons, to learn the etiquette and proper behavior of devotional service
- One should not be attached to temporary things. One should take to Krsna consciousness and become eternally happy
- One should not endeavor to be promoted to the higher planetary systems, only to return to this earth or descend still lower to the hellish planets. To stop this cycle of going up and coming down, one must take to Krsna consciousness
- One should personally serve the spiritual master by giving him bodily comforts, helping him in bathing, dressing, sleeping, eating and so on
- One should understand Acyuta (Krsna), the supreme infallible, and how we are related with Him, and one should take to the service of the Lord. This is the perfection of life
- One should work for self-realization, not for economic development, which is impossible to improve. Without endeavor, one can get the amount of happiness and distress for which he is destined, and one cannot change this
- One who actually envisions Narayana everywhere makes no distinction between the poor and the rich
- One who always thinks of Krsna within the core of his heart is the best yogi. By practicing this best of all yoga systems, one is liberated from the material condition
- One who has connected himself with spiritual knowledge can understand that there is a spiritual soul within the body. However, one who is in an animalistic conception of life and has no spiritual culture cannot understand
- One who has not been trained cannot distinguish between gold and stone. Similarly, fools and rascals who have not learned from an expert spiritual master what is soul and what is matter cannot understand the existence of the soul within the body
- One's first duty is to accept a bona fide spiritual master. The student or disciple should be very inquisitive; he should be eager to know the complete truth about eternal religion
- One's first duty is to approach the spiritual master, the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to begin rendering service to him
- Ordinary persons must strictly observe the rules and regulations by staying aloof from the association of women. No one should imitate Narada Muni or Haridasa Thakura
- Ordinary ritualistic activities constitute contaminated religion, by which one benefits by developing material wealth and prosperity, but uncontaminated, pure religion consists of understanding one's relationship with God and acting accordingly
- Our relationship with Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is eternal. Nitya-siddha krsna-prema
P
- Persons with a small fund of intelligence, finding themselves equal in quality with God, foolishly think that they are equal in quantity also. Their intelligence is called avisuddha-buddhayah-unpolished or contaminated intelligence
- Prahlada Maharaja advised his friends to depend completely on Krsna and worship Him in devotional service
- Prahlada Maharaja advised that one elevate oneself to the standard of bhagavata-dharma from the very beginning of life (kaumara acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan iha) - SB 7.6.1
- Prahlada Maharaja concludes that one can become perfect by serving the Supreme Lord sincerely by all means
- Prahlada Maharaja offers his blessings to his class friends, saying, "Also become faithful like me. Become bona fide Vaisnavas." A devotee of the Lord desires for everyone to take to Krsna consciousness
- Prahlada Maharaja proposed that from the very beginning of life (kaumara acaret prajnah) a small child should be trained to serve the spiritual master while living at the guru-kula
- Prahlada Maharaja's mother was more concerned with protecting the child in the womb and was very anxious to see her husband return. Therefore she could not consider very seriously the sublime instructions of Narada Muni
- Prahlada Maharaja, by his living example, requested his friends to engage in devotional service
S
- Sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te nisphala matah. The knowledge of the Supreme received from such a sampradaya, or disciplic succession, can give one enlightenment
- SB 1.2.7: "By rendering devotional service unto the Sri Krsna, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge & detachment from the world." To be situated on the platform of pure religion, one should perform bhakti-yoga in relationship with Krsna, Vasudeva
- SB 1.2.8: "Duties (dharma) executed by men, regardless of occupation, are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Supreme Lord." The test of perfection is one's unalloyed devotion to the Lord
- Seeing everyone and everything in relationship with Narayana does not mean, however, that we must accept the words daridra-narayana, which have been manufactured by some unscrupulous person
- Since the body is the external feature of the soul, the soul is not dependent on the body; rather, the body is dependent on the soul. One who understands this truth should not be very much anxious about the maintenance of his body
- Since the Lord assures that He will dissipate the results of fruitive material activities, there is no need to be worried. This process of understanding one's position as a spirit soul and then engaging oneself in devotional service is therefore the best
- So many nationalists, economists and other ambitious persons have tried for happiness, individually or collectively, but history proves that they have all been frustrated
- Sometimes unscrupulous persons designate a living entity as daridra-narayana, svami-narayana, this Narayana or that Narayana
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission is for everyone to engage in welfare activities to awaken the foolish living entity, especially in human society, so that he may come to the platform of Krsna consciousness and benefit by liberation from conditional life
- Srila Madhvacarya says that the living entity is sometimes described as sattva-buddhi when his intelligence acts directly to perceive pains and pleasures above activities
- Srila Madhvacarya says, acyutatam cyuti-varjanam. The word acyutatam refers to one who never falls to this material world but always remains in the Vaikuntha world, fully engaged in the service of the Lord
- Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 10.2.32): Even though one may artificially think himself liberated from material contamination, if he has not taken shelter of the Lord's lotus feet his intelligence is polluted
- Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.23: 'Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed"
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- Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam: (SB 11.3.21) if one is actually serious in inquiring about the solution to material existence, one must approach a bona fide guru
- The birth of a human being's material body takes place due to a mixture of the ovum and semen, but the history of birth is that although the ovum and semen mix together after sex, there is not always pregnancy
- The body exists because of the presence of the Supreme Lord and the jiva, which is part of the Lord. This is further explained by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita
- The body is just like a machine, a car, in which the living entity is given a chance to sit and move according to his desire. The Lord is the original cause of the material body and the soul, which is expanded by His marginal energy
- The body is just like an instrument by which the living entity moves according to false desires for happiness and thus suffers the pangs of birth, death, old age and disease in different standards of life
- The devotees are referred to as acyuta-gotra, or the dynasty of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is called Acyuta, as indicated in Bhagavad-gita (senayor ubhayor madhye ratham sthapaya me 'cyuta) - BG 1.21
- The disciple follows strictly and in this way learns how to control his senses. Then, by using his pure intelligence, he gradually becomes a lover of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as confirmed by Srila Rupa Gosvami - adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah
- The duty of all devotees is to preach Krsna consciousness everywhere all over the world, because all living entities without Krsna consciousness are suffering the pangs of material existence
- The earth (mahi) contains all our requirements. Thus the objects of sense perception are all present in bhumi, or the earth. The gross material elements and subtle elements (mind, intelligence and ahankara, false ego) constitute the total material energy
- The ecstatic condition of devotional service was completely exhibited by Sri Caitanya, who sometimes danced, sometimes cried, sometimes sang, sometimes remained silent, and sometimes chanted the holy name of the Lord. That is perfect spiritual existence
- The eight external energies are listed in Bhagavad-gita (BG 7.4): "Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego - all together these eight comprise My (Krsna's) separated material energies"
- The entire world is described in Bhagavad-gita as duhkhalayam asasvatam - miserable and temporary. Economic development may be pleasing for some time, but it cannot endure
- The entire world is suffering for want of Krsna consciousness. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised all human beings born in India to make their lives perfect by Krsna consciousness & then preach the gospel of Krsna consciousness all over the world
- The entire world is working so hard only for sexual pleasure. To enjoy sexual pleasure and maintain the status quo of material life, one must work very hard, and because of such activities, one prepares himself another material body
- The example of a tree and its fruits and flowers is very simple and clear. A tree stands for many years, but with the seasonal changes its fruits and flowers undergo six transformations - birth, existence, growth, transformation, dwindling and then death
- The first instruction is that one should understand that the soul is within the body and is transmigrating from one body to another. This is the beginning of spiritual knowledge
- The foolish theory of modern chemists that life can be produced by chemical interactions cannot be accepted as truth
- The fruit of a tree grows and undergoes six kinds of change because of the presence of the tree. If there were no tree, there could be no question of the growth and maturity of fruit
- The fruits and flowers of a tree seasonally come and go, but the tree continues to stand. Similarly, the transmigrating soul accepts various bodies, which undergo six transformations, but the soul remains permanently the same
- The greatest acarya, Krsna says in BG 2.13: "As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change"
- The history of the world has factually proved that attempts to increase economic development for bodily comfort through the advancement of material civilization have done nothing to remedy the inevitability of birth, death, old age and disease
- The human psychology gives rise to many questions, which various philosophers have considered and answered with various types of philosophy based upon mental concoction. This is not the way of liberation
- The impersonal Brahman, consists of the rays of Krsna's transcendental body. Therefore whatever transcendental bliss one feels from merging in Brahman is due to contact with Krsna. Contact with Krsna is perfect brahma-sukha
- The individual exists in darkness when he thinks that he is the material body and that everything in relationship with the material body belongs to him. This is called aham mama (janasya moho 'yam aham mameti (SB 5.5.8)). This is illusion
- The injunctions or directions of the Lord are infallible, and their benefits are fully assured. According to His directions, which are explained in this verse (SB 7.7.30-31), the perfect form of religion is bhakti-yoga
- The intelligent person who is expert in finding the self within the body must understand the eight external energies
- The linking processes that elevate one from bondage to material contamination is clearly explained in Bhagavad-gita (18.66), where Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me"
- The living entities are qualitatively the same as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the leader, the Supreme among all the living entities
- The living entities are smaller than the atom, but God is greater than the greatest. Our conception of greatness may be represented by the sky because we think of the sky as being unlimitedly big, but God is bigger than the sky
- The living entities have the same qualities as the Lord, just as a drop of sea water is composed of the same chemicals as the great sea itself. Thus there is oneness in quality but a difference in quantity
- The living entity is individual, but the body is a composition of many material elements. This is proved by the fact that as soon as the living entity quits this combination of material elements, it becomes a mere conglomeration of matter
- The living entity is rotating in the cycle of birth and death, going sometimes to the higher planets and sometimes to the lower planets, but that is not the solution to the problems of life
- The living entity is the master of his particular body, and according to his activities he is subjected to different types of pains and pleasures
- The living entity receives a particular type of body according to his karma, or fruitive activities. The material pleasure derived in the material world from one's particular body is based on sexual pleasure
- The living entity wastes his time in a futile attempt to gain material possessions for the comfort of one body after another
- The living entity's evolution through different types of bodies is conducted automatically by the laws of nature in bodies other than those of human beings
- The living force is the atma and Paramatma, and the body grows on the basis of that living force
- The Lord (Krsna) Himself also speaks of pure, uncontaminated religion when He says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me." - BG 18.66
- The Lord is compared to the sky because the sky is vast yet within the reach of all, not only of human beings but even of the animals. The Supreme Lord, in His Paramatma feature, exists as the best well-wisher and friend
- The Lord is infallible in the material world because He is the supreme spiritual person. Similarly, the jivas, who are part and parcel of the Lord, can also become infallible
- The Lord is so friendly to the living entity that He remains within the heart so that one can always contact Him without difficulty. One can do this simply by devotional service (sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam. pada-sevanam) - SB 7.5.23
- The Lord's activities are uncommon. For example, when He appeared as Lord Ramacandra, He performed uncommon activities like bridging the ocean. Similarly, when Lord Krsna appeared He raised the Govardhana Hill when He was only seven years of age
- The Lord, in His Supersoul feature, always stays in the heart along with the living entity
- The material energy is in fact divided into twenty-four elements. The individual soul, the owner of the individual body, is a twenty-fifth subject, and above everything is Lord Visnu as Paramatma, the supreme controller, who is the twenty-sixth subject
- The matter is qualitatively one, and the spiritual soul is qualitatively one with the Supreme
- The process of religion is enunciated by the Supreme Lord because He is the supreme authority. This is also indicated in the previous verse (SB 7.7.29) by the word bhagavatoditah
- The pure souls are eternally in love with Krsna, and this permanent love, either as a servant, a friend, a parent or a conjugal lover, is not at all difficult to revive
- The root of ignorance is material consciousness, which must be killed by spiritual consciousness, or Krsna consciousness
- The satisfaction of possessing material opulences, although perhaps of a different standard, is available even in the lives of dogs and hogs, who cannot revive their eternal relationship with Krsna
- The seer and controller is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Soul, by whose direction the individual soul can understand when he is awake, when he is sleeping, and when he is completely in trance
- The soul is eternal and ever existing, but the bodies accepted by the soul are changing
- The spirit soul does not need to enter such temporary bodies. He does so only due to his ignorance or his forgetfulness of Krsna
- The spirit soul is eternal, being freed from waste and change, which take place because of the material body
- The spirit soul possesses the body and is within the body. This is the real analysis. The soul never mixes with the bodily elements
- The spiritual master must be in the line of authorized disciplic succession, like Prahlada Maharaja, who received the knowledge from Narada
- The Supreme is one, and the individual soul is one, but the individual soul is understood to be the master of the individual combination of material energy, whereas the Supreme Lord is the controller of the total material energy
- The Supreme Lord is the dearmost object of all living entities. Prahlada Maharaja therefore advised his class friends, the sons of the demons, to take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead again
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is manifested by His different energies - the material energy, the spiritual energy and the marginal energy
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul, is present in everyone's heart, and as the living entity desires, the Lord gives him facilities with which to work according to his ambitions in different grades of bodies
- The Supreme Soul exists everywhere. The Vedas enjoin, sarvam khalv idam brahma: everything is Brahman or an expansion of Brahman's energies
- The test of a perfect devotee is that he sees Govinda everywhere in this universe, even in every atomic particle (anda-ntara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham). This is the perfect vision of a devotee
- The ultimate result depends upon the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In devotional service, therefore, the devotee completely depends upon the Lord and honestly performs his occupational duties
- The unwanted condition of temporary life is called ignorance
- The Vedas enjoin, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) to understand spiritual knowledge, one must approach a bona fide spiritual master
- The Vedic instructions say, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) to solve the problems of life, one must accept a spiritual master
- The word adhoksajalambham refers to keeping the mind always engaged in the Absolute Truth, who is beyond the mind and material speculation. Sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh (SB 9.4.18). This is the result of Deity worship
- The word atmaupamyena refers to thinking others to be like oneself
- The word bija-nirharanam refers to burning the root cause of material life to ashes
- The word brahma-nirvana-sukham indicates that when one is in touch with the Absolute Truth, material sense gratification is completely nullified
- The word nirmalam refers to spotless dharma, spotless religion - or, in other words, bhagavata-dharma
- The word papa-yoni refers to those who are less than sudras, but even though a woman may not be papa-yoni, because of being less intelligent she sometimes forgets devotional instructions
- The words brahma-nirvana refer to connecting with the Absolute Truth, who is realized in three features: brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate - SB 1.2.11
- The words sarvatra tad-iksanam describe the highest perfection of devotional service, in which one sees everything with reference to Govinda's activities. The highly elevated devotee never sees anything unrelated to Govinda
- The words vaisaradi dhih refer to intelligence concerning the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is extremely expert. The Lord has created wonderful universes by His expert knowledge
- Then (when one has a relationship with Him (Vasudeva) as a servant, friend, parent or conjugal lover) one automatically feels transcendental bliss, just as one becomes happy seeing the shining of the moon
- There are three states to our existence, namely wakefulness, dreaming and deep sleep. In all three states, we have different experiences. Thus the soul is the observer of these three states
- There are two entities - the head and "I." They are not identical, although they appear to be one conglomeration
- There are two kinds of soul - the Supreme Soul (the Personality of Godhead) and the individual soul (the living entity). As various bodily changes take place in the individual soul, different millenniums of creation take place in the Supreme Soul
- There have been many instances in which demons or nondevotees have attempted to kill a devotee, but they have never been able to destroy a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- There is a similar struggle for existence even for the King of heaven, Indra
- There is no difficulty in coming in contact with the Supreme Lord. On the other hand, going to hell requires great endeavor. If one wants to go to hell by illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling and intoxication, he must acquire so many things
- There is no need to be worried, for the Lord (Krsna) Himself assures that He will care for His devotee and save him from the reactions of sinful activities. Material bondage is a result of sinful activity
- There is no possibility of maintaining the body permanently or eternally. Antavanta ime deha nityasyoktah saririnah. This is the statement of Bhagavad-gita (BG 2.18). The material body is antavat (perishable), but the soul within the body is eternal
- There is no practical benefit in promoting oneself to the heavenly planets. Indeed, from the heavenly planets one must return to this earth after one has exhausted the results of his pious activities
- There is oneness, but God is great whereas the living entities are extremely small. Anor aniyan mahato mahiyan - Katha Upanisad 1.2.20
- These four sampradayas, or disciplic successions of knowledge and transcendence, are called the Brahma-sampradaya, Rudra-sampradaya, Sri-sampradaya, and Kumara-sampradaya
- These words of Prahlada Maharaja (in SB 7.7.17) are very important in regard to knowledge descending by the disciplic succession
- This (SB 7.7.18) is a very important verse in understanding the difference between the spiritual soul and the material body. The soul is eternal, as stated in Bhagavad-gita - BG 2.20
- This (the material energy) has all been properly analyzed in sankhya-yoga by the great acaryas, especially by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, in His incarnation as Devahuti-putra Kapila. This is indicated here (SB 7.7.22) by the word acaryaih
- This chance (to understand his constitutional position) is given to him by nature, but if he nonetheless acts like an animal, what is the benefit of his human life? In this life one must select the goal of life and act accordingly
- This condition of the eternal soul (of accepting a temporary material body) is due to his ignorance, and although it is temporary, it is unwanted. Because of ignorance one is put into temporary bodies one after another
- This process (of surrendering to Krsna) is the best because the Lord assures, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah: "I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear"
- This verse (SB 7.7.39) describes how the advocates of economic development are frustrated by the laws of nature. As the previous verse asks, kim visayopapadanaih: what is the actual benefit of so-called economic development
- To develop unalloyed love for Krsna is the perfection of life. Other processes may be helpful, but if one does not develop his love for Krsna, these other processes are simply a waste of time
- To go back to Godhead, one may live alone anywhere, in any condition, and simply sit down, meditate upon the Supersoul and chant and hear about the Lord. Thus there is no difficulty in approaching the Lord
- To practice bhakti-yoga, one must first accept a bona fide spiritual master
- To preach KC is the best welfare activity. Indeed, it is described by Sri Caitanya as para-upakara, work for the true benefit of others. The activities of para-upakara have been especially entrusted to those who have taken birth in India as human beings
- To single out the daridra-narayanas, or poor Narayana, and reject the dhani-narayana, or rich Narayana, is not the vision of a devotee. Rather, that is the imperfect vision of materialistic persons
- To take shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna means to act according to the rules and regulations of bhagavata-dharma, devotional service
- To understand God and the devotee by the parampara system is the process of knowledge. There is no need to speculate about God and His devotee. One should accept the statements of a bona fide devotee and thus try to understand
- To understand knowledge of the soul, one must be trained in the mystic yoga system, or, finally, in the bhakti-yoga system
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- Understanding one's relationship with God and acting accordingly fulfills the highest mission of life, thus one returns home, back to Godhead
- Unfortunately, people sometimes do not have staunch faith in the words of the spiritual master who comes by the disciplic succession, and therefore they are unable to understand transcendental knowledge
- Unless one has been trained in geology, one cannot detect gold in stone. Similarly, unless one has been trained by a spiritual master, he cannot understand what is spirit and what is matter
- Unless one is extremely expert, he cannot understand the expert management of the supreme expert. One can understand, however, if one is fortunate enough to meet a bona fide spiritual master
- Unless one ultimately understands that the Supreme Lord is eternally related with the individual soul, one's knowledge is imperfect
- Unless the soul enters the mixture (of the ovum and semen), there is no possibility of pregnancy, but when the soul takes shelter of the mixture the body takes birth, exists, grows, transforms and dwindles, and ultimately it is vanquished
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- We have knowledge that the living entities are smaller than atoms, being one ten-thousandth the size of the tip of a hair, yet the quality of being the supreme cause of all causes exists in the living entity as well as in the Supreme Personality of God
- We must study the atma and Paramatma - the individual soul and the Supersoul - upon whom the entire material cosmic manifestation rests. This is explained by the Vedic statement yato va imani bhutani jaya nte. yena jatani jivanti
- We need not follow anyone who is not an authorized acarya. Acaryavan puruso veda: one can understand the truth fully when he has taken shelter of an expert acarya
- We should always remember that although we are equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in quality, we are never equal to Him in quantity
- Whatever he (the disciple) possesses he offers to the spiritual master, the guru, who engages him in sravanam kirtanam visnoh - SB 7.5.23
- Whatever is offered to the spiritual master should be offered with love and affection, not for material adoration
- When a devotee constantly engages in devotional service and thinks of the Lord in his original Krsna consciousness, he no longer has any material activities, for his body is spiritualized
- When a devotee is completely purified, he becomes anyabhilasita-sunya. In other words, all of his material desires become zero, being burnt to ashes, and he exists either as the Lord's servant, friend, father, mother or conjugal lover
- When devotional service develops and one's intelligence becomes clear, one can use his intelligence to return home, back to Godhead
- When he was in the womb of his mother, Prahlada listened to the words of Narada Muni. One cannot imagine how the baby in embryo could hear Narada, but this is spiritual life; progress in spiritual life cannot be obstructed by any material condition
- When one advances through impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead in relationship with Him as a servant, friend, parent or conjugal lover, one's happiness becomes all-pervading
- When one chants the holy name of the Lord in ecstasy, not caring for outward social conventions, it is to be understood that he is atma-mati. In other words, his consciousness is turned toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- When one considers his body - his head, his hands and so on - one can certainly understand the difference between the spirit soul and the body. No one says, "I head." Everyone says, "My head"
- When one is Krsna conscious, he can realize that material existence, whether one is awake or dreaming, is nothing but a dream and has no factual value. This realization is possible by the grace of the Supreme Lord
- When one is put into an awkward position because of ignorance, the process by which one can be freed from this entanglement is called yoga. This is also called liberation
- When one understands all of these twenty-six subjects (the twenty-four elements, the individual soul, and Lord Visnu as Paramatma), he becomes adhyatma-vit, an expert in understanding the distinction between matter and spirit
- When persons with a small fund of intelligence, after endeavoring hard for many, many lives to understand the supreme cause, are finally in actual knowledge of Krsna, Vasudeva, they surrender unto Him. Thus they become great mahatmas, perfect souls
- When the mind is in touch with the impersonal Brahman one becomes satisfied, but one must advance further to render service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for one's remaining merged in the Brahman effulgence is not always assured
- When the pure devotee, the liberated person, hears about these uncommon activities of the Lord, he immediately becomes ecstatic and exhibits the symptoms of chanting, dancing, and crying very loudly and jubilantly
- Whether in demigod society, asura society, human society or Gandharva society, every living entity should take shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda and thus become perfect in good fortune
- Why should one waste his time for so-called economic development, which is neither permanent nor pleasing to the soul?
- Within the total material energy are the three material modes or qualities. These qualities - sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna - belong not to the soul but to the material energy
- Without intelligence one cannot understand the direct activities of the senses, nor can he understand dreaming or the cessation of all gross and subtle activities
- Women are generally attached to material enjoyment, and because of this tendency they sometimes forget devotional instructions
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- Yoga is the ultimate goal of life. Krsna therefore advised Arjuna to become a yogi (tasmad yogi bhavarjuna). Lord Krsna further advised in Bhagavad-gita that the first-class yogi is he who has come to the platform of devotional service
- You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. According to one's position, one should perform his duties, but for the results one should fully depend upon Krsna