Srimad Bhagavatam Analogy - 30

Dhruva Maharaja continued:
O unlimited Lord, kindly bless me so that I may associate with great devotees, who engage in Your transcendental loving service constantly, as the waves of a river constantly flow.
By the process of devotional service I shall surely be able to cross the nescient ocean of material existence, which is filled with the waves of blazing, fire-like dangers.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 9 Verse 11

Pearls of Wisdom - 95

Dhruva Maharaja to Lord Vishnu:
My Lord, the transcendental bliss derived from meditating upon Your lotus feet or hearing about Your glories from pure devotees is so unlimited that it is far beyond the stage of brahmananda, wherein one thinks himself merged in impersonal Brahman as one with Supreme. Since brahmananda is also defeated by the transcendental bliss derived from devotional service, then what to speak of the temporary blissfulness of elevating oneself to the heavenly planets , which is ended by the seperating sword of time? Although one may be elevated to heavenly planets, he falls down in due course of time.

Srimad Bhagavatam: Canto 4 Chapter 9 Verse 10

Pearls of Wisdom - 94

Dhruva Maharaja to Lord Vishnu:
Persons who worship You simply for the sense gratification of this bag of skin are certainly influenced by maya. In spite of having You, who are like a desire tree and are the cause of liberation from birth and death, foolish persons, desire benedictions from You for sense gratification, which is available even for those who live in hellish conditions.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 9 Verse 9

Pearls of Wisdom - 93

Dhruva Maharaja to Lord Vishnu:

O my master, You are the only shelter of all persons who desire liberation, and You are the friend of all who are distressed. How, therefore, can a learned person who has perfect knowledge ever forget You?

Srimad Bhagavatam: Canto 4 Chapter 9 Verse 8

Srimad Bhagavatam Analogy - 29

Dhruva Maharaja to Lord Vishnu:

O my master, Lord Brahma is fully surrendered unto You. In the beginning You gave him knowledge, and thus he could see and understand the entire universe, just as a person awakens from sleep and visualizes his immediate duties.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 9 Verse 8

Srimad Bhagavatam Analogy - 28

Dhruva to Lord Vishnu:

You are the Supreme Person, and through the temporary modes of material nature You create varieties of manifestation, just as fire, entering into wood of different shapes, burns brilliantly in different varieties.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 9 Verse 7

Pearls of Wisdom - 92

Narada Muni to Dhruva:

Anyone who engages in the devotional service of the Lord, seriously and sincerely, with his mind, words and body, and who is fixed in the activities of the prescribed devotional methods, is blessed by the Lord according to his desire. If a devotee desires material religiosity, economic development, sense gratification or liberation from the material world, he is rewarded this results.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 8 Verses 59-60

Pearls of Wisdom - 91

Narada Muni to Dhruva:
One should follow in the footsteps of previous devotees regarding how to worship the Supreme Lord with the prescribed paraphernalia, one should offer worship within the heart by reciting the mantra to the Personality of Godhad, who is non-different from the mantra.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 8 Verse 59

Pearls of Wisdom - 90

Narada Muni to Dhruva: One should worship the Lord by offering pure water, pure flower garlands, fruits, flowers and vegetables, newly gown grasses, small buds of flowers and tulasi leaves, which are very dear to the Supreme Lord.

It is possible to worship the form of the Lord made of physical elements such as earth, water, pulp, wood and metal. A devotee who has full control over his self should be very sober and peaceful and must be staisfied simply with eating remanants of the food offered to the Lord.

Srimad Bhagavatam: Canto 4 Chapter 8 Verses 55 & 56

Pearls of Wisdom - 89

Narada Muni to Dhruva: One should install the physical forms of the Lord, and with chanting of mantras one should offer flowers and fruits and other varieties of foodstuff exactly according to the rules and regulations prescribed by authorities. But this should be done in consideration of place, time, and attendent conveniences and inconveniences.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 8 Verse 54

Pearls of Wisdom - 88

Narada Muni describes the form of Supreme Lord to Dhruva: (Continued...)

The Lord is decorated with small golden bells around His waist, and His lotus feet are decorated with golden ankle bells. All His bodily features are very attractive and pleasing to the eyes. He is always peaceful, calm and quiet and very pleasing to the eyes and the mind.

Real yogis meditate upon the transcendental form of the Lord as He stands on the whorl of the lotus of their hearts, the jewel like nails of His lotus feet glittering.

The Lord is always smiling, and the devotee should constantly see the Lord in this form, as He looks very mercifully towards the devotee. In this way the meditator should look toward the Supreme Lord, the bestower of of all benedictions.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 8 Verses 49-51

Pearls of Wisdom - 87

Narada Muni describes the form of Supreme Lord to Dhruva: (Continued...)
The Lord is having the mark of Srivatsa, or the sitting place of Lakshmi, and His bodily hue is deep bluish. The Lord is a person (purusha), He wears a garland of flowers and He is eternally manifest with four hands, which hold a conchshell, wheel, club and lotus flower.

The entire body of the Supreme Lord, Vasudeva, is decorated. He wears a valuable jeweled helmet, necklaces and bracelets. His neck is adorned with the Kaustubha jewel, and He is dressed in yellow silk garments.

(To be continued....)

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 8 Verses 47 & 48

Pearls of Wisdom - 86

Narada Muni describes the form of Supreme Lord to Dhruva: The Lord's face is perpetually very beautiful and pleasing in attitude. To the devotees who see Him, He appears never to be displeased, and He is always prepared to award benedictions to them. His eyes, His nicely decorated eyebrows, His raised nose and His broad forehead are all very beautiful. He is more beautiful than all the devatas.

The Lord's form is always youthful. Every limb and every part of His body is properly formed, free from defect. His eyes and lips are pinkish like the rising sun. He is always prepared to give shelter to the surrendered soul, and anyone so fortunate as to look upon Him feels all satisfaction. The Lord is always worthy to be the master of the surrendered soul, for He is the ocean of mercy.

(To be continued...)

Srimad Bhagavatam - canto 4 Chapter8 Verses 45 & 46

Pearls of Wisdom - 85

Narada Muni to Bhakta Dhruva: Every man should act like this: when he meets a person more qualified than himself, he should be very pleased; when he meets someone less qualified than himself, he should be compassionate toward him; and when he meets someone equal to himself, he should make friendship with him. In this way one is never affected by the threefold miseries of the material world.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 8 Verse 34

Srimad Bhagavatam Analogy - 27

As a snake, when struck by a stick, breathes very heavily, Dhruva Maharaja, having been stuck by the strong words of his stepmother, began to breathe very heavily because of great anger.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 8 Verse 15

Srimad Bhagavatam Analogy - 26

The Siddhas prayed: Like an elephant that has suffered in a forest fire but can forget all its troubles by entering a river, our minds, O Lord, always merge in the nectarean river of Your transcendental pastimes.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 7 Verse 35

Pearls of Wisdom - 84

Sri Bhrigu said: My dear Lord, all living entities, beginning from the highest, namely Lord Brahma, down to the ordinary ant, are under the influence of the insurmountable spell of illusory energy, and thus they are ignorant of their constitutional position. Everyone believes in the concept of the body, and all are thus submerged in the darkness of illusion. They are actually unable to understand Your absolute position. But You are the eternal friend and protector of all surrendered souls. Therefore, please be kind toward us and forgive all our offenses.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 7 Verse 30

Pearls of Wisdom - 83

The sages to the Supreme Lord: This world is full of ditches of so-called distress and happiness, and there are many ferocious animals always ready to attack. The fire of lamentation is always blazing, and the mirage of false happiness is always alluring, but one has no shelter from them. Thus foolish persons live in the cycle of birth and death, always overburdened in discharging their so-called duties, and we do not know when they will accept the shelter of Your lotus feet.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 7 Verse 28

Srimad Bhagavatam Analogy - 25

The members of the assembly addressed the Lord: O exclusive shelter of all who are situated in troubled life, in this formidable fort of conditional existence the time element, like a snake, is always looking for an opportunity to strike.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 7 Verse 28

Pearls of Wisdom - 82

If in some places materialists, who are already bewildered by the insurmountable illusory energy of the Supreme God, sometimes commit offenses, a saintly person, with compassion, does not take it seriously. Knowing that they commit offenses because they are overpowered by the illusory energy he does not show his prowess to counteract them.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 6 Verse 48

Pearls of Wisdom - 81

Lord Brahma to Lord Shiva: Persons who observe everything with differentiation, who are simply attached to fruitive activities, who are mean minded, who are always pained to see the happiness of others and who thus give distress to them bu uttering harsh and piercing words have been already killed by providence. Thus there is no need for them to be killed by an exalted personality like yours.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 6 Verse 47

Pearls of Wisdom - 80

In the Vedas there are directions for two kinds of activities - activities for those who are attached to material enjoyment and activities for those who are materially detached. In consideration of these two kinds of activities, there are two kinds of people, who have different symptoms. If one wants to see two kinds of activities in one one person, that is contradictory. But both kinds of activities may be neglected by a person who is transcendentally situated.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 4 Verse 20

Srimad Bhagavatam Analogy - 24

Elevated transcendentalists may sometimes forgo the rules and regulations of the Vedas, since they do not need to follow them, just as the devatas travel in space whereas ordinary men travel on the surface of the earth.

Srimad Bhagavatam- Canto 4 Chapter 4 Verse 19

Pearls of Wisdom - 79

Lord Siva to mother Parvati: My dear young wife, certainly friends and relatives offer mutual greetings by standing up, welcoming one another and offering obeisances. But those who are elevated to the transcendental platform, being intelligent, offer such respects to the Supersoul, who is sitting within the body, not to the person who identifies with the body.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 3 Verse 22

Pearls of Wisdom - 78

Lord Shiva to Mother Parvati: One who is conducted by false ego and thus always distressed, both mentally and sensually, cannot tolerate the opulence of self-realized persons. Being unable to rise to the standard of self-realization, he envies such persons as much as demons envy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 3 Verse 21

Srimad Bhagavatam Analogy - 23

If one is hurt by the arrows of an enemy, one is not aggrieved as when cut by the unkind words of a relative or friend, for such grief continues to rend one's heart day and night.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 3 Verse 19

Pearls of Wisdom - 77

Lord Shiva to Mother Parvati: One should not go to anyone's house, even on the consideration of his being a relative or friend, when the man is disturbed in his mind and looks upon the guest with raised eyebrows and angry eyes.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 4 Chapter 3 Verse 18