Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Narada Bhakti Sutra 70

tan-mayah

SYNONYMS

tat -- with Him; mayah -- filled.

TRANSLATION

The intimate servants of the Supreme Lord are fully absorbed in loving Him.

PURPORT

Narada's definitions give us portraits of complete dedication, of love, and of oneness of interest between the Supreme Lord and His devotee. When we read a superb sutra such as number 49 or 67 we may think, "Now he has given the last word on bhakti: nothing more can be said as briefly and as well." But then Narada delights us with even more precise aphorisms on bhakti-yoga.

This sutra is quite similar to number 41: "The Lord and His pure devotees are nondifferent." In the Gurv-astaka, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura states, "The spiritual master is to be honored as much as the Supreme Lord because he is the most confidential servitor of the Lord. This is acknowledged in all revealed scriptures and followed by all authorities." Although a qualified student of bhakti knows that the Vaisnava is not God Himself, the disciple experiences Krsna's direct presence in the form of His dedicated servant. And the disciple is fully satisfied in serving the Supreme Lord by serving His pure devotee, who is the transparent medium to Krsna.

When Sanatana Gosvami met Lord Caitanya, the Lord told him, "Lord Krsna has saved you from life's deepest hell." Sanatana replied, "I do not know who Krsna is. As far as I am concerned, I have been released from prison only by Your mercy" (Cc. Madhya 20.64). The disciple's gratitude toward the Vaisnava is also expressed in Bhaktivinoda Thakura's song Ohe! vaisnava thakura: "Krsna is yours. You're able to give Him to me, for such is your power. I am indeed wretched and simply run after you, crying, 'Krsna! Krsna!' "

This is why the place where great devotees reside is a tirtha and why Narada says that they purify established holy places and give authority to the scriptures -- because they are tan-mayah, "filled with Him."

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari