from Brihad Bhagavatamrita by Sanatana Goswami
Narada Muni said: By the
mercy of pure devotional service, the Personality of Godhead, the supreme
controller, becomes subordinate to His devotees. This in effect deprives Him of
independence, so pure devotional service He rarely bestows. In my opinion, the
Lord’s coming under the control of His dearmost servants creates no unhappiness
or fault of any kind. Rather, it creates great joy and broadcasts such glorious
qualities of the Lord as His affectionate concern for His devotees.
COMMENTARY
Having recounted others’
thoughts on why the Personality of Godhead rarely bestows prema-bhakti, Närada
now discloses his own. First, he refutes the idea that the Lord wants to avoid
losing His independence. The Lord causes no distress for His devotees when He
submits Himself to their desires, nor by surrendering His independence does He
suffer. Rather, these intimate dealings bring joy to the entire world, and they
spread the Lord’s fame for being generous and concerned for His devotees.
Because the Lord’s submission to His devotees enlarges their mutual joy, it is
a source of delight rather than distress; furthermore, because it increases His
glories, it is faultless.
Narada Muni continued: The way
the chief of expert heroes voluntarily submits to His devotees is supremely
dear and attractive because it contradicts His self-satisfaction and certain
other of His natural qualities. It is the ultimate perfection of Godhood.
COMMENTARY
The greatness of God is
seen most fully when He becomes subordinate to His servants. In such intimate
dealings the Lord reveals His most special qualities, like His unselfish
efforts to give happiness to His devotees. This aspect of His personality
attracts the admiration of pure Vaiñëavas, even when it seems to contradict
such features of His absolute status as His eternal self-satisfaction, His
effortless acquisition of whatever He might desire, His supreme mastery of the
powers of mystic yoga, and so on. One may learn more about this topic by
studying such pastimes of Kåñëa as His destroying the pride of Satyabhämä, as
told in Çré Hari-vaàça and other devotional scriptures.
Narada Muni continued: When
persons addicted to mundane vision see the bewildering symptoms of ecstasy born
from pure love of God, they ridicule the devotees. Because such mudane persons
have no desire to achieve devotional service, the Supreme Lord withholds from
them His prema-bhakti. Devotional service endowed with prema is very rarely
achieved. In contrast, the enjoyments of heaven are easy to obtain, and so too
is freedom from material existence. People rarely if ever find a cintämaëi gem;
they usually find only glass, or sometimes gold. Only once in a while does the
Supreme Lord give bhakti, and only to a rare intelligent person who desires
only that, indifferent to the opinions of the world. We are not able to
describe completely this special ecstatic state, nor is it proper for us to do
so. And even if the most perfect of scriptures, those dedicated to promoting
devotional service, were to describe it in detail, the effect on ignorant
people would be contrary.
