View source for Maharaj Pariksit inquires from Sukadeva Gosvami, "I am astonished that Vrtrasura has become such a devotee"

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{{terms|"I am astonished that Vṛtrāsura has become such a devotee"}}
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[[Category:Pariksit]]
[[Category:Inquire]]
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[[Category:Sukadeva Gosvami]]
[[Category:I Am]]
[[Category:Astonished]]
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[[Category:Vrtrasura]]
[[Category:Has]]
[[Category:Become]]
[[Category:Such A]]
[[Category:Devotee]]
[[Category:The Nectar of Devotion Chapter 04 - Devotional Service Surpasses All Liberation]]
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<h2>Other Books by Srila Prabhupada</h2>
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<h3>Nectar of Devotion</h3>
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I have heard that even great persons who have undergone severe austerities and who are liberated with full knowledge must strive to become devotees of the Lord. It is understood that such persons are very rare and almost never to be seen, so I am astonished that Vṛtrāsura has become such a devotee!
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[[Vanisource:NOD 4 (1970)|Nectar of Devotion, 4]]
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In the same Hayaśīrṣa Purāṇa, after Nṛsiṁhadeva wanted to give benediction to Prahlāda Mahārāj, Prahlāda did not accept any material benediction and simply asked the favor of the Lord to remain His eternal devotee. In this connection, Prahlāda Mahārāj cited the example of Hanumān, the eternal servitor of Lord Rāmacandra, who also set an example by never asking any material favor from the Lord. He always remained engaged in His service. That is the ideal character of Hanumān, for which he is still worshiped by all devotees. Prahlāda Mahārāj also offered his respectful obeisances unto Hanumān. There is a well-known verse spoken by Hanumān in which he says, "My dear Lord, if You like You can give me salvation from this material existence, or the privilege of merging into Your existence, but I do not wish any of these things. I do not want anything which diminishes my relationship with You as master and servant, even after liberation."

In a similar passage in Nārada-pañcarātra it is stated, "My dear Lord, I do not wish any perfectional stage by performing the ritualistic religious ceremonies or by economic development or by sense gratification or liberation. I simply pray that You grant me the favor of keeping me under Your lotus feet. I do not wish any kind of liberation such as sālokya, to reside on Your planet, or sārūpya, to have the same bodily features as You. I simply pray for Your favor that I may be always engaged in Your loving service."

Similarly, in the [[Vanisource:SB 6.14.5|Sixth Canto, 14th Chapter, 4th verse]] of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Mahārāj Parīkṣit inquires from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "My dear brāhmaṇa, I understand that the demon Vṛtrāsura was a great sinful person and that his mentality was completely absorbed in the modes of passion and ignorance. How did he develop to such a perfectional stage of devotional service to Nārāyaṇa? I have heard that even great persons who have undergone severe austerities and who are liberated with full knowledge must strive to become devotees of the Lord. It is understood that such persons are very rare and almost never to be seen, so I am astonished that Vṛtrāsura has become such a devotee!"

In the above verse, the most important thing to be noted is that there may be many liberated persons who might have merged into the existence of the impersonal Brahman, but a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, is very, very rare. Even out of millions of liberated persons, only one is fortunate enough to become a devotee.

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, [[Vanisource:SB 1.8.20|First Canto, 7th Chapter]], Queen Kuntī is praying to Lord Kṛṣṇa at the time of His departure: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are so great that You are inconceivable even to great stalwart scholars and paramahaṁsas (fully liberated souls). So if such great sages, who are transcendental to all the reactions of material existence, are unable to know You, then as far as we are concerned, belonging to the less intelligent woman class, how is it possible for us to know Your glories? How can we understand You?" In this verse, the particular thing to be noted is that the Personality of Godhead is not understood by great liberated persons, but only by devotees such as Queen Kuntī in her humbleness. Although she was a woman and considered less intelligent than a man, still she realized the glories of Kṛṣṇa. That is the purport of this verse.
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