There is always a difference of opinion between the devotees and the demons. The devotee simply wants to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead without any motives. Indeed, Lord Caitanya in his Antya Lila relished hearing the recitation of this part of the Srimad Bhagavatam (7th Canto) with his dear internal devotee Gadadhara Pandit. This is significant because Gadadhara Pandit represents the incarnation of Srimati Radharani, the full embodiment of service to Krishna in conjugal love of God. Srimati Radharani is also known as Karuna Mayi, the reservoir of unlimited compassion. Proper understanding of the topmost level of devotional service, madhurya rasa, conjugal love of Godhead is simultaneously based on the deepest expression of compassion for all fallen conditioned souls. Therefore, in Prahlad Maharaj's intense compassion he prayed, "My dear Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, I see that there are many saintly persons indeed, but they are interested only in their own deliverance. Not caring for the big cities and towns, they go to the Himalayas or the forest to meditate with vows of silence [mauna-vrata]. They are not interested in delivering others. As for me, however, I do not wish to be liberated alone, leaving aside all these poor fools and rascals. I know that without Krsna consciousness, without taking shelter of Your lotus feet, one cannot be happy. Therefore I wish to bring them back to shelter at Your lotus feet."
April Sankirtan Address
By His Grace Rama Raya Prabhu
This is the holy Vedic month of Vaisakh (April-May) following the lunar calendar, one of the most spiritually potent months for making spiritual advancement in the year. On the 14th day of the waxing moon of this month, May 9th, Lord Nrsinghadev appeared.
Hearing the deeply meaningful pastimes of Lord Nrsingha and Prahlad Maharaj is most purposeful and important. Hiranyakashipu, the greatest demon. His son, the greatest devotee. The meeting of these two creates an unprecedented situation of contrast. The contrast being so great that it ultimately necessitated the appearance of an adbhuta, unprecedented, wonderful, never before seen, half-man half-lion incarnation of the Lord - Nrsinghadev. Why?
We hear how Hiranyakashipu in the topmost position in this material world put everyone into immense misery by his demoniac mentality. All the residents of the heavenly planets and sages were forced to offer prayers and glorification to him just to keep him satisfied. He then usurped the positions of the demigods who perform the important functions of material nature.
Even in the topmost position of capturing the King of Heaven Indra’s throne and in spite of enjoying all types of sense gratification possible, Hiranyakashipu was dissatisfied because instead of controlling his senses, he remained their servant. To be a controller of the senses means to be a spotlessly pure servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In contrast, we see the example of Bhakta Prahlad, the pure devotee of the Lord. Always in samadhi, complete in loving absorption in the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna, he never experienced any personal inconvenience. Hiranyakashipu schemed to kill him in many different ways, throwing him in a pit of snakes and even off of a mountain cliff. None of these diabolical schemes worked because he was completely sheltered by Krishna, who saved him in all circumstances.
The only dissatisfaction he did experience was out of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls and amazingly enough, his father who was envious of Krishna (Visnu), the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his worshipful Lord. Knowing that only pure devotional service to the Lord can make one happy, Bhakta Prahlad only wanted to render unalloyed devotional service to the Lord and help others understand this truth.
After Lord Nrsingha appeared to kill Hiranyakashipu, the Lord asked Prahlad to take a benediction. Prahlad stated that his relationship with the Lord was not based on expecting some reward. His only desire was that there be no material desire in his heart. In a mood of Christ-like forgiveness, he also asked that his father be freed from the reactions to his offenses and granted salvation.
Our minds should be trained so that they are always thinking of how to do good for others. Prabhupada writes in one purport that only the distribution of Krishna consciousness can actually do good to others because any other type of attempt to help others will not be on the eternal spiritual platform, but on the the temporary material platform; hence the so-called good we are doing has no lasting benefit. By following the footsteps of Bhakta Prahlad and the great Vaishnava acaryas, we can gradually come to the stage of rendering pure devotional service in full samadhi, experiencing the topmost love of God and simultaneously feeling intense compassion for all fallen conditioned souls, which is the actual standard of the topmost devotees of the Lord, the residents of Goloka Vrindavan.
svasty astu visvasya khalah prasidatam
dhyayantu bhutani sivam mitho dhiya
manas ca bhadram bhajatad adhoksaje
avesyatam no matir apy ahaituki
May there be good fortune throughout the universe, and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting devotional service they will think of each other’s welfare. Therefore let us all engage in the service of the supreme transcendence, Lord Sri Krsna, and always remain absorbed in thought of Him.
- Srimad Bhagavatam 5.18.9
Life-Changing Impact
By Bhakta Cesar
A couple of months ago we were doing harinama in Union Square Park on a Saturday night. As the harinama was getting very lively and ecstatic, there were a couple of girls passing by. They saw some people dancing in front of the harinama so they also started spontaneously dancing. After they danced for a while, I called them over to the book table and gave them some prasad candy. I found out they were visiting from Philadelphia and introduced them to Srila Prabhupada's books that they gladly took with them.
By Krishna's mystical arrangement, I ended up going to Philadelphia a few months later to pick up some books for distribution. My sankirtan partner Mahotsaha Prabhu and I went out to distribute some books; first we went to Liberty Bell and then we decided to go to Temple University - a college with 30-40,000 students. We were only there for 1 hour.
By a higher arrangement, I ran into one of the girls who had bought a book from me a few months earlier at the harinama. She was telling me, "Yes! I can see how the higher vibration [of the Hare Krishna mantra] has put us together." She said she loved the books and so I gave her information about Haryasva Prabhu's program in Philadelphia and the Govinda's restaurant.
