Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Narada Bhakti Sutra 83

ity evam vadanti jana-jalpa-nirbhaya eka-matah kumara-vyasa-suka-sandilya-garga-visnu-kaundilya-sesoddhavaruni-bali-hanumad-vibhisanadayo bhakty-acaryah

SYNONYMS

iti -- thus; evam -- in this way; vadanti -- they speak; jana -- of ordinary people; jalpa -- of the gossip; nirbhayah -- unafraid; eka -- of one; matah -- opinion; kumara-vyasa-suka-sandilya-garga-visnu-kaundilya-sesa-uddhava-aruni-bali-hanumat-vibhisana-adayah -- the Kumaras, Vyasa, Suka, Sandilya, Garga, Visnu, Kaundilya, Sesa, Uddhava, Aruni, Bali, Hanuman, Vibhisana, and others; bhakti -- of devotional service; acaryah -- the founding authorities.

TRANSLATION

Thus say the founding authorities of devotional service: the Kumaras, Vyasa, Suka, Sandilya, Garga, Visnu, Kaundilya, Sesa, Uddhava, Aruni, Bali, Hanuman, Vibhisana, and others -- speaking without fear of worldly gossip and sharing among themselves one and the same opinion.

PURPORT

Narada previously gave definitions of bhakti according to sages like Vyasa and Garga, and now he gives a longer list. He also adds that there are many other authorities who could also be cited. In this way, although Narada's word is sufficient, he increases the authority of his conclusion that bhakti is the best of all paths.

While praising Lord Krsna as the Supreme Brahman and the God of gods, Arjuna also referred to great sages in order to support his statement:

param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan

purusam sasvatam divyam adi-devam ajam vibhum

ahus tvam rsayah sarve devarsir naradas tatha

asito devalo vyasah svayam caiva bravisi me

"You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. All the great sages such as Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa confirm this truth about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me" (Bg. 10.12-13).

Srila Prabhupada writes, "It is not that because Krsna is Arjuna's intimate friend Arjuna is flattering Him by calling Him the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth. Whatever Arjuna says in these two verses is confirmed by Vedic truth" (Bg. 10.12-13, purport). When Yamaraja wanted to impress upon his messengers, the Yamadutas, that Lord Visnu is the supreme authority and that bhakti is the supreme path, he also quoted an impressive list of names. These teachers are known as the twelve maha-janas, or authorities in Krsna consciousness:

svayambhur naradah sambhuh kaumarah kapilo manuh

prahlado janako bhismo balir vaiyasakir vayam

dvadasaite vijanimo dharmam bhagavatam bhatah

guhyam visuddham durbodham yam jnatvamrtam asnute

[SB 6.3.20]

"Lord Brahma, Bhagavan Narada, Lord Siva, the four Kumaras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahuti], Svayambhuva Manu, Prahlada Maharaja, Janaka Maharaja, Grandfather Bhisma, Bali Maharaja, Sukadeva Gosvami, and I myself know the real religious principle. My dear servants, this transcendental religious principle, which is known as bhagavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord and love for Him, is un-contaminated by the material modes of nature. It is very confidential and difficult for ordinary human beings to understand, but if by chance a person fortunately understands it, he is immediately liberated, and thus he returns home, back to Godhead" (Bhag. 6.3.20-21).

In his purport, Srila Prabhupada stresses not only the importance of the individual sages but the fact that they are representatives of Vaisnava sampradayas:

There are four lines of disciplic succession: one from Lord Brahma, one from Lord Siva, one from Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, and one from the Kumaras. The disciplic succession from Lord Brahma is called the Brahma-sampradaya, the succession from Lord Siva (Sambhu) is called the Rudra-sampradaya, the one from the goddess of fortune, Laksmiji, is called the Sri-sampradaya, and the one from the Kumaras is called the Kumara-sampradaya. One must take shelter of one of these four sampradayas in order to understand the most confidential religious system. In the Padma Purana it is said, sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te nisphala matah: "If a person does not follow the four recognized disciplic successions, his mantra or initiation is useless." [Bhag. 6.3.20-21, purport]

Narada states that the acaryas of the Absolute Truth were not afraid of criticism. In bygone ages fools criticized pure devotees and even the Supreme Lord Himself. Once the powerful progenitor Daksa cursed Narada because he had convinced Daksa's sons to reject marriage and remain celibate. Daksa called Narada a sinful rascal posing as a devotee. Narada tolerated Daksa's curse without retaliation, but he continued his preaching.

In his purports, Srila Prabhupada compares the criticism Narada received to the criticism he himself received from his disciples' parents. Their accusation was the same as Daksa's -- that the spiritual master has unreasonably caused young boys (and girls) to give up the normal life of sense gratification and take to extreme forms of renunciation and devotion to God. The criticism of the Krsna consciousness movement has taken organized shape as part of the "anticult movement," but Srila Prabhupada assured his followers not to be afraid of attacks:

We have no business creating enemies, but the process is such that nondevotees will always be inimical toward us. Nevertheless, as stated in the sastras, a devotee should be both tolerant and merciful. Devotees engaged in preaching should be prepared to be accused by ignorant persons, and yet they must be very merciful to the fallen, conditioned souls. If one can execute his duty in the disciplic succession of Narada Muni, his service will surely be recognized.... Preaching can be a difficult, thankless task, but a preacher must follow the orders of the Supreme Lord and be unafraid of materialistic persons. [Bhag. 6.5.39, purport]

Critics deride the Hare Krsna movement as a concocted new cult. But just as the Narada-bhakti-sutra is supported by venerable authorities and maha-janas, so the Krsna consciousness movement, created by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is also authoritative. In fact, the same authorities Narada has cited also back up the Krsna consciousness movement. Srila Prabhupada comes in the disciplic line of the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya, a line that includes Brahma, Narada, Vyasadeva, Madhva, and Lord Caitanya. In the pranama-mantra Srila Prabhupada's followers chant, the phrase gaura-vani-pracarine means that Srila Prabhupada teaches the message of Lord Caitanya. The sankirtana movement, the congregational chanting of Hare Krsna, was begun by Lord Caitanya Himself, and so the Krsna consciousness movement now spreading around the world is not a new religion but a continuation of the original sampradaya. As Srila Prabhupada says, "Actually the original father of this movement is Lord Krsna Himself, since it was started a very long time ago but is coming down to human society by disciplic succession" (Bhagavad-gita As It Is, preface).

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Copyright (c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari