Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Sri Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 19.150

muktanam api siddhanam

narayana-parayanah

sudurlabhah prasantatma

kotishv api maha-mune

SYNONYMS

muktanam -- of persons liberated or freed from the bondage of ignorance; api -- even; siddhanam -- of persons who have achieved perfection; narayana -- of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; parayanah -- the devotee; su-durlabhah -- very rare; prasanta-atma -- completely satisfied, desireless; kotishu -- among many millions; api -- certainly; maha-mune -- O great sage.

TRANSLATION

"'O great sage, out of many millions of materially liberated people who are free from ignorance, and out of many millions of siddhas who have nearly attained perfection, there is hardly one pure devotee of Narayana. Only such a devotee is actually completely satisfied and peaceful.'

PURPORT

This verse is quoted from Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.14.5). The narayana-parayana, the devotee of Lord Narayana, is the only blissful person. One who becomes a narayana-parayana is already liberated from material bondage. He already possesses all the perfections of yoga. Unless one comes to the platform of narayana-parayana and passes over the platform of bhukti-mukti-siddhi, he cannot be fully satisfied. That is the pure devotional stage.

anyabhilashita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavritam

anukulyena krishnanusilanam bhaktir uttama

[Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu 1.1.11]

One who desires nothing but Krishna and who is not influenced by the process of jnana-marga (cultivation of knowledge) actually becomes free from ignorance. A first-class person is one who is not influenced by karma (fruitive activity) or yoga (mystic power). He simply depends on Krishna and is satisfied in his devotional service. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.17.28): narayana-parah sarve na kutascana bibhyati. Such a person is never afraid of anything. For him, heaven and hell are the same. Not knowing the situation of a narayana-parayana, rascals become envious. By the grace of Narayana, a devotee is situated in the most opulent position in the material world. Rascals are envious of Narayana and His devotee, but the devotee endeavors to please another devotee of Narayana because he knows that by pleasing Narayana's representative one directly pleases Lord Narayana. Therefore a devotee offers the best comforts and facilities to his spiritual master. Outsiders who have no knowledge of Narayana are envious of both Narayana and His devotee. Consequently when they see that Narayana's devotee is opulently situated, they become even more envious. But when the devotee of Narayana asks such foolish people to come live with him in the same comfortable situation, they do not agree because they cannot give up illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. Therefore the materialist refuses the company of a narayana-parayana, although he is envious of the devotee's material situation. In Western countries when ordinary men -- storekeepers and workers -- see our devotees living and eating sumptuously and yet not working, they become very eager to know where they get the money. Such people become envious and ask, "How is it possible to live so comfortably without working? How is it you have so many cars, bright faces and nice clothes?" Not knowing that Krishna looks after His devotees, such people become surprised, and some become envious.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness