Personal devotees

Expressions researched:
"personal devotee" |"personal devotees"

SB Canto 3

SB 3.16.36, Purport:

Although Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa, formerly Jaya and Vijaya, became asuras, the demigods of this material world could not control them, and therefore Lord Brahmā said that neither he nor all the demigods could counteract the disturbance they created. They came within the material world by the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He alone could counteract such disturbances. In other words, although Jaya and Vijaya assumed the bodies of asuras, they remained more powerful than anyone, thus proving that the Supreme Personality of Godhead desired to fight because the fighting spirit is also within Him. He is the original in everything, but when He desires to fight He must fight with a devotee. Therefore by His desire only were Jaya and Vijaya cursed by the Kumāras. The Lord ordered the gatekeepers to go down to the material world to become His enemies so that He could fight with them and His fighting desires would be satisfied by the service of His personal devotees.

SB 3.21.31, Purport:

Thus they accept the world and everything in it to be the Lord. That is pantheism, wherein everything is considered to be the Lord. This is the view of the impersonalist. But those who are personal devotees of the Lord take everything to be the property of the Supreme Lord. Everything, whatever we see, is the manifestation of the Supreme Lord; therefore, everything should be engaged in the service of the Lord. This is oneness. The difference between the impersonalist and the personalist is that the impersonalist does not accept the separate existence of the Lord, but the personalist accepts the Lord; he understands that although He distributes Himself in so many ways, He has His separate personal existence.

SB Canto 8

SB 8.24.53, Purport:

Arjuna is therefore tattva-darśī or guru. Arjuna accepted the Supreme Personality of Godhead (paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12)). Similarly, following in the footsteps of Śrī Arjuna, who is a personal devotee of the Lord, one should accept the supremacy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, as supported by Vyāsa, Devala, Asita, Nārada and later by the ācāryas Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka and Viṣṇu Svāmī and still later by the greatest ācārya, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Where, then, is the difficulty in finding a guru? If one is sincere he can find the guru and learn everything. One should take lessons from the guru and find out the goal of life. Mahārāja Satyavrata, therefore, shows us the way of the mahājana. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186).

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

SB 10.2.6, Translation:

To protect the Yadus, His personal devotees, from Kaṁsa's attack, the Personality of Godhead, Viśvātmā, the Supreme Soul of everyone, ordered Yogamāyā as follows.

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 5.134, Translation:

Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard the narration of Gopāla's activities. Both He and His personal devotees became very pleased.

CC Madhya 14.1, Translation:

Accompanied by His personal devotees, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to the festival known as Lakṣmī-vijayotsava. There He discussed the superexcellent love of the gopīs. Just by hearing about them, He became very pleased and danced in great ecstatic love for the Lord.

CC Madhya 14.114, Translation:

Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His personal devotees returned to Nīlācala with great eagerness to see the Herā-pañcamī festival.

CC Madhya 20.340, Translation:

“In the Age of Kali, Lord Kṛṣṇa assumes a golden color and, accompanied by His personal devotees, introduces hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. By this process He delivers love for Kṛṣṇa to the general populace.

CC Antya-lila

CC Antya 1.110, Translation:

Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His personal devotees met Rūpa Gosvāmī and Haridāsa Ṭhākura. The Lord then sat down in an elevated place with His devotees.

CC Antya 3.93, Translation:

Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to His personal devotees and began speaking about Haridāsa Ṭhākura's transcendental qualities as if He had hundreds of mouths.

CC Antya 9.4, Translation:

Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu lived at Nīlācala (Jagannātha Purī) with His personal devotees, always merged in ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa.

CC Antya 10.57, Translation:

The next day, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went with His personal devotees to see Lord Jagannātha when Lord Jagannātha arose early in the morning.

CC Antya 11.11, Translation:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu thus resided at Jagannātha Purī with His personal devotees and enjoyed the congregational chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

CC Antya 18.1, Translation:

In the brilliant autumn moonlight, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu mistook the sea for the river Yamunā. Greatly afflicted by separation from Kṛṣṇa, He ran and dove into the sea and remained unconscious in the water the entire night. In the morning, He was found by His personal devotees. May that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the son of mother Śacī, protect us by His transcendental pastimes.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 31:

Affection for Kṛṣṇa on the level of the gopīs is called rāgātmikā, spontaneous love. When one enters into a spontaneous loving affair with Kṛṣṇa, there is no need to follow the Vedic rules and regulations.

There are various kinds of personal devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the transcendental abode. For example, there are servants of Kṛṣṇa, like Raktaka and Patraka, and friends of Kṛṣṇa, like Śrīdāmā and Subala. There are also Kṛṣṇa's parents, Nanda and Yaśodā, who are also engaged in His service according to their respective transcendental emotions. One who desires to enter into the supreme abode of Kṛṣṇa can take shelter of one of such transcendental servitors. Then, through the execution of loving service one can ultimately attain transcendental affection for Kṛṣṇa, the highest goal.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.1 and Review -- New York, July 13, 1966:

So such position, I mean to say, Arjuna, did, I mean to say, manifested. He manifested himself as one of us. Otherwise, there was no possibility of speaking Bhagavad-gītā. Although Arjuna... (aside:) You can take your seat. Come here. Come here. Yes.

So Arjuna, although he is a personal devotee of Kṛṣṇa, a personal friend of Kṛṣṇa, he is... Just like we are trying to have Kṛṣṇa consciousness just to make our life perfect. Now, the person who is not only Kṛṣṇa conscious but, I mean to say, constant associate, such a person, Arjuna, he was in bewilderment, "Whether I shall fight with my kinsmen, my brothers and my nephews, my brother-in-laws, my father-in-law, my grandfather, my other friends, so many all?" Because it was a family war, so he was afraid, that "I shall not fight. I shall not fight." It is quite natural.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.7.25 -- Vrndavana, September 22, 1976:

We do not like to see such ugly avatāra. We kick on their face, this avatāra. This is not avatāra. Avatāra must be mentioned in the śāstra. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He was talking with Sanātana Gosvāmī, so Caitanya Mahāprabhu described about avatāra. So just to make a little joke, because they are personal devotees... So he knew that Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the avatāra. Still, he inquired from Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "How we shall know one avatāra?" So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "Why? It is all mentioned in the śāstra." So avatāra should be understood from the śāstra, not by jugglery or magic. This is rascal. As soon as one wants to establish his avatarship by jugglery and magic, kick him out, immediately on the face, directly. Kick him. Let the avatāra take steps. I don't mind. If he's avatāra, let him kill me, all right. But I shall kick him on his face. Not that avatāra.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1972:

That is also Vedic. But because we cannot select... Vedeṣu adurlabha. If we study Vedas independently, without going through the lines chalked out by the six Gosvāmīs, then we'll be misled. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). These Gosvāmīs, they were personal devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. They are eternal associates of the Lord. Therefore if we follow their principle, our success is guaranteed. But if we take to the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies without any reference to the path chalked out by the Gosvāmīs, it will not be possible to be successful.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 28, 1973:

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught us by His practical behavior that... Mahārāja Pratāparudra, he was a great devotee and serving Caitanya Mahāprabhu in every way. But when he wanted to see Him, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He denied: "No, no, no. I cannot see a king. I cannot see." So His personal devotees, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Rāmānanda Rāya, very confidential devotees, they requested, "Sir, he's a great devotee. He serves You in so many ways." "Yes, I know that, but because he's king, I cannot see him. Because he's king, I cannot see him." And in this connection, He's made a verse, Sanskrit verse: