Q. 186. HOW CAN ONE ACHIEVE THE SHELTER OF THE LORD`S LOTUS FEET ?
A. BY SRILA PRABHUPADA.
tadā pumān mukta-samasta-bandhanastad-bhāva-bhāvānukṛtāśayākṛtiḥnirdagdha-bījānuśayo mahīyasābhakti-prayogeṇa samety adhokṣajamSYNONYMStadā — at that time; pumān — the living entity; mukta — liberated; samasta-bandhanaḥ — from all material obstacles on the path of devotional service;tat-bhāva — of the situation of the Supreme Lord's activities; bhāva — by thinking; anukṛta — made similar; āśaya-ākṛtiḥ — whose mind and body; nirdagdha— completely burned up; bīja — the seed or original cause of material existence; anuśayaḥ — desire; mahīyasā — very powerful; bhakti — of devotional service; prayogeṇa — by the application; sameti — achieves; adhokṣajam — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond the reach of the material mind and knowledge.TRANSLATIONThe devotee is then freed from all material contamination because he constantly thinks of the Lord's pastimes and because his mind and body have been converted to spiritual qualities. Because of his intense devotional service, his ignorance, material consciousness and all kinds of material desires are completely burnt to ashes. This is the stage at which one can achieve the shelter of the Lord's lotus feet. (Srimad Bhagavatam).PURPORTWhen a devotee is completely purified, he becomes anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya. In other words, all of his material desires become zero, being burnt to ashes, and he exists either as the Lord's servant, friend, father, mother or conjugal lover. Because one thinks constantly in this way, one's present material body and mind are fully spiritualized, and the needs of one's material body completely vanish from one's existence.An iron rod put into a fire becomes warmer and warmer, and when it is red hot it is no longer an iron rod but fire. Similarly, when a devotee constantly engages in devotional service and thinks of the Lord in his original Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he no longer has any material activities, for his body is spiritualized.Advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very powerful, and therefore even during this life such a devotee has achieved the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. This transcendental ecstatic existence of a devotee was completely exhibited by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In this regard, Śrīla Madhvācārya writes as follows:tad-bhāva-bhāvaḥ tad yathā svarūpaḿ bhaktiḥkecid bhaktā vinṛtyanti gāyanti ca yathepsitamkecit tuṣṇīḿ japanty eva kecit śobhaya-kāriṇaḥThe ecstatic condition of devotional service was completely exhibited by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who sometimes danced, sometimes cried, sometimes sang, sometimes remained silent, and sometimes chanted the holy name of the Lord. That is perfect spiritual existence.
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