Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Narada Bhakti Sutra 79

sarvada sarva-bhavena niscintair bhagavan eva bhajaniyah

SYNONYMS

sarvada -- always; sarva-bhavena -- with all one's feeling; niscintaih -- by those who are free from doubt; bhagavan -- the Supreme Lord; eva -- indeed; bhajaniyah -- should be worshiped.

TRANSLATION

Those who are free of doubts should constantly worship the Supreme Lord with all their hearts.

PURPORT

In his purport to Sutra 12, Srila Prabhupada writes, "The Narada-bhakti-sutra is a summary of the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam." Here again we see the truth of that statement, since this sutra is very similar to Lord Krsna's confidential statements in the Bhagavad-gita. For example, at the end of Chapter Fifteen He says,

yo mam evam asammudho janati purusottamam

sa sarva-vid bhajati mam sarva-bhavena bharata

iti guhyatamam sastram idam uktam mayanagha

etad buddhva buddhiman syat krta-krtyas ca bharata

"Whoever knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is the knower of everything. He therefore engages himself in full devotional service to Me, O scion of Bharata. This is the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures, O sinless one, and it is disclosed now by Me. Whoever understands this will become wise, and his endeavors will know perfection" (Bg. 15.19-20). And again in the Eighteenth Chapter:

sarva-guhyatamam bhuyah srnu me paramam vacah

isto 'si me drdham iti tato vaksyami te hitam

man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru

mam evaisyasi satyam te pratijane priyo 'si me

"Because you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you My supreme instruction, the most confidential knowledge of all. Hear this from Me, for it is for your benefit. Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me, and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend" (Bg. 18.64-65).

There is no difference between Lord Krsna's instruction to "think of Me always" and Narada's instruction to "always think of Bhagavan Krsna." And indeed, any follower of Narada's in disciplic succession can repeat his words: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead alone should always be worshiped wholeheartedly." But our words must be uttered with the conviction born from a life dedicated to the practices Narada has given in the Bhakti-sutras.

Our words and acts in devotional service cannot be mechanical. To qualify as bhakti, they must be done with loving feelings. As Lord Krsna says, "If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water, I will accept it" (Bg. 9.26). And again, "To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me" (Bg. 10.10).

The wholehearted, exclusive devotion to Krsna Narada recommends is echoed in Bhisma's definition of love: "Love means reposing one's affection completely upon one person, withdrawing all affinities for any other person" (The Nectar of Devotion, p. 147). This stage was attained by all great devotees, such as Prahlada, Uddhava, Narada, and the residents of Vrndavana.

We must remember that constant, ecstatic absorption in Lord Krsna is the goal of bhakti, and that bhakti includes the approach to that goal. In the Twelfth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna recommends the topmost stage, spontaneous love, but He also encourages us by saying that undertaking the practices of bhakti-yoga will bring one to the ultimate stage:

mayy eva mana adhatsva mayi buddhim nivesaya

nivasisyasi mayy eva ata urdhvam na samsayah

atha cittam samadhatum na saknosi mayi sthiram

abhyasa-yogena tato mam icchaptum dhananjaya

"Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt. My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without deviation, then follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga. In this way develop a desire to attain Me" (Bg. 12.8-9).

Hearing from maha-janas who are in the spontaneous stage of bhakti is itself one of the most important services of the practicing devotee. Even Laksmana, one of Lord Krsna's wives, confided that her attraction to the Lord had been evoked by hearing the words of Narada: "My dear queen, many times I heard the great sage Narada glorifying the pastimes of Lord Krsna. I became attracted to the lotus feet of Krsna when I heard Narada say that the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, was also attracted to His lotus feet" (Krsna, p. 708).

Let us always keep Narada and his representatives as our worshipable preceptors. They will lead us to Lord Krsna.

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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