Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Narada Bhakti Sutra 65

tad arpitakhilacarah san kama-krodhabhimanadikam tasminn eva karaniyam

SYNONYMS

tat -- to Him; arpita -- having offered; akhila -- all; acarah -- actions; san -- being; kama -- desire; krodha -- anger; abhimana -- pride; adikam -- and so on; tasmin -- toward Him; eva -- only; karaniyam -- should be done.

TRANSLATION

Offering all one's activities to the Lord, one should feel desire, anger, and pride only with regard to Him.

PURPORT

Narada now advises that traits normally considered vices may be dovetailed into favorable devotional service. This does not contradict Narada's previous statement that pride, anger, and lust should be renounced. A pure devotee is always free of vices, and the practicing bhakta tries to be free of them by controlling his senses and mind as far as possible. Therefore Narada here refers to a transcendental application of anger, pride, and lust in relation to the Supreme Lord.

Liberated devotees often apply so-called vices in devotional service, and we can learn the art from them. Hanuman vented his anger upon Ravana, the enemy of Lord Rama. Lord Krsna instigated Arjuna to become angry so he would fight the Battle of Kuruksetra. Even Lord Caitanya became angry with the drunken brothers Jagai and Madhai. These are examples of properly directed anger. We cannot stop anger completely. As Srila Prabhupada writes, "To try to create a vacuum in the mind is artificial. The vacuum will not remain. However, if one always thinks of Krsna and how to serve Krsna best, one's mind will naturally be controlled" (The Nectar of Instruction, Text 1, purport).

Even anger directed at Krsna can be part of devotional service. The gopis, for instance, often became angry at Him during lovers' quarrels. Once Srimati Radharani was displeased with Krsna and ordered Her assistants to stop Him from seeing Her at all costs. The cowherd boys would fight with Krsna in the forest, and in the heat of play they would sometimes become angry with Him and tell Him they wouldn't play with Him anymore. Lord Krsna very much liked these chidings of love, and He asked forgiveness from His friends.

Kamsa's hatred of the Lord, however, was not bhakti. Kamsa was afraid that Krsna would kill him, and so his mind became absorbed in animosity toward the Lord. Prabhupada writes, "The state of mind of a great devotee is also to be absorbed in Krsna, but a devotee thinks of Him favorably, not unfavorably" (Krsna, p. 26).

We should not imitate the transcendental feelings of the pure devotees, but we may become inspired by hearing of them. We should patiently wait for the day when these feelings will naturally manifest within us. At that time we will not be able to stop them even if we want to. Meanwhile we may practice becoming greedy for chances to spread the word of Krsna, proud that Krsna is our Lord and that we have such an exalted spiritual master in Srila Prabhupada, and angry at the mayic obstacles that prevent us from attaining bhakti. If we learn to dovetail everything for Lord Krsna in this way, we will have learned the essential lesson Narada is imparting in this sutra.

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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