Why a Pure Devotee is So Revered?

People who learn of the greatness and supremacy of Lord Krsna like the idea of becoming His devotee, but because new comers are often too addicted to material life and sinful activities they are unable to quickly change their mentality from material to spiritual. And after finding out that they must abandon pride and ego and learn to live as a servant of the Lord, many become overwhelmed and are soon lead away by their mind. Even many people who profess to be convinced that Vedic philosophy is the absolute truth, after awhile they can’t see themselves able to transform into servants of God, because they just can’t stop thinking about, and engaging in, sinful activities. And therein lies the problem for many new comers. Personally I have found only one way to subdue material thinking, and that is personal cordial association with a pure devotee. This type of relationship impels a pure hearted devotee to bestow blessings in the form of encouraging the person to follow spiritual standards, and after becoming accustomed to spiritual life you just can’t give it up. Such association will even cause a person with an ironclad heart to begin to melt, thus allowing transcendental bliss to enter and develop in the heart. This is the key to salvation.

Lord Krsna’s pastimes are very wonderful to relish, but they are also windows for materially conditioned souls to look through to learn how to overcome sinful desire so they can become, and remain, the Lord’s devotee. I find a particular pastime of Lord Krsna very enlightening for fallen souls like myself, whose mind always tries to find a reason to shy away from meditating on the Lord and His pastimes. The pastime that helped me determine how to transform my sinful nature to devotional thinking is, “The Deliverance of the Twin Sons of Kubera.”

This pastime, in summary, begins where the great saint, Narada Muni, comes upon Kubera’s twin sons named Nalakubara and Manigriva, who were intoxicated on Varuni (type of wine) and frolicking naked in the sacred Ganges with heavenly maidens. Upon Narada’s approach the maidens covered themselves out of embarrassment, but Nalakubara and Manigriva were so intoxicated they didn’t bother to. So Narada Muni cursed them to become twin Arjuna trees in the courtyard of Lord Krsna’s residence in Gokul, Vrindaban, with the boon to retain the memory of their lives as Nalakubara and Manigriva. Hence, Narada Muni’s curse was actually a benediction, because as trees rooted in the Lord’s courtyard they weren’t able to move and therefore were forced to witness the purifying events of the Lord’s childhood pastimes and were thus liberated.

Narada Muni isn’t here to benefit us in that way, but if you want something bad enough you’ll do anything to get it. The question is, are we willing to do what it takes to go back to godhead? Or will we fall away if defeat at the first sign of trouble because surrendering the mind to the Lord can be like putting antiseptic on an open wound. That’s why the history of the demigods Nalakubara and Manigriva is so enlightening, because it teaches us if we want to overcome the minds desire for wine and women we simply have to root ourselves to a pure devotee and not run away in any circumstance. To connect to a pure devotee the scriptures recommend a person should help him spread the Lord’s glories using all of their possessions. In that way the person will have no money to run away and thus forced to witness how a pure devotee lives day in and day out; see how deep his love is for the Lord; and by doing so in time their heart will also melt in the bliss that is love of Godhead. This is why a pure devotee is so revered, because he shows us the way.

Nalakubara and Manigriva had the benediction of Narada Muni’s curse, but we have what they pray for, the association of a pure devotee. After becoming purified and liberated Nalakubara and Manigriva said to Lord Krsna (SB 10.10.38), “O Lord, let our mouth engage in chanting Your glories; let our ears engage in listening to Your transcendental pastimes; let our hands engage in performing activities for You; let our mind engage in remembering Your lotus feet; let our head bow down to You, and the place where You live; and let our eyes engage in seeing Your physical body, which exists in this world in the form of a saintly person.”

Our leader and Guru, Mahamandaleshwar Mahant Sri Krsna Balaram Swamiji, is such a saintly person. One need only root themselves to Swamiji long enough to see that he is indeed the living Veda and learn to be like him. To have him with us is a greater fortune than Narada Muni bestowed upon Nalakubara and Manigriva, because they had to live for 100 celestial years (12,960,000 earthly years) as trees before becoming liberated, whereas simply by rooting ourselves to Swamiji we can receive liberation in this very short lifetime.

Nanda Kumar