Dearest devotees

Expressions researched:
"dearest devotee" |"dearest devotees"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.8.32, Translation:

Some say that the Unborn is born for the glorification of pious kings, and others say that He is born to please King Yadu, one of Your dearest devotees. You appear in his family as sandalwood appears in the Malaya hills.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 6.25-29 -- Los Angeles, February 18, 1969:

Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he was God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious but he was not satisfied in himself. If he would have continued his God consciousness alone, he would not have met crucification. But, no. He wanted to take care of others also, the others should be God conscious. Others should be Kṛṣṇa conscious. He was forbidden by the king not to do that. So at the risk of his life he did it. That is the nature of devotee. Therefore the preacher devotee is the most dearest devotee of Lord. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. They are going outside, they are preaching, they are meeting opposing elements. Sometimes they are defeated, sometimes disappointed, sometimes able to convince, there are different kinds of people. So, not that every devotee is very well equipped. There are three classes of devotees also. But that endeavor, that "I shall go and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness," is the best service to the Lord. Because they are trying in opposition to elevate people to the highest standard of self-realization.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Los Angeles, April 24, 1973:

Devotee:

kecid āhur ajaṁ jātaṁ

puṇya-ślokasya kīrtaye

yadoḥ priyasyānvavāye

malayasyeva candanam

(SB 1.8.32)

"Some say that the Unborn is born for the glorification of pious kings, and others say that He is born to please King Yadu, one of Your dearest devotees. You appear in his family as sandalwood appears in the Malaya hills."

Prabhupāda: So there are two Malayas. One Malaya hill and one, this Malaya... Malaysia, now it is known as. Formerly, in this part of the world, Malaysia, they were growing sandalwood in great, large scale. Because 5,000 years ago, there was good demand for sandalwood. Every person should use the sandal pulp. Because in India, it is tropical country. So this is a good cosmetic. Still, those who can afford during very warm day of summer season, if you apply pulp of sandalwood on your body, you feel no warm. It is cool. Yes.

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Mayapura, October 12, 1974:

Nitāi: "Some say that the Unborn is born for the glorification of pious kings, and others say that He is born to please King Yadu, one of Your dearest devotees. You appear in his family as sandalwood appears in the Malaya Hills."

Prabhupāda:

kecid āhur ajaṁ jātaṁ

puṇya-ślokasya kīrtaye

yadoḥ priyasyānvavāye

malayasyeva candanam

(SB 1.8.32)

So Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do. He is the Supreme. Why He shall have some thing to do? Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇam... This is the definition in the Vedas: "God has nothing to do. He is self-sufficient. Neither He has got any aspiration." Just like we are thinking of purchasing this land, that land. Why Kṛṣṇa will think like that? Because every land is belonging to Him. So He has nothing to purchase. Everything is there. So why He comes? That is the same way, as Kṛṣṇa says personally. He comes for paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). He wants to give protection to the devotees, to glorify the devotees. That is His business. Otherwise He has no business. He has nothing to do. Just like a devotee has nothing to do except serving Kṛṣṇa, except to see Kṛṣṇa is pleased, similarly, Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do, but He wants to glorify His devotee. This is reciprocation. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). If you... If you dedicate your life for glorifying the Supreme Lord, the Lord is also ready. His business is to glorify you. Otherwise, He has no business.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Madhukara -- Bombay 4 January, 1973:

Now I do not know the situation in your particular case, I am simply giving you the general policy or background understanding. We should never think of our so-called advancement as being conditioned by or dependent upon some set of material circumstances such as marriage, vanaprastha, or this or that. Mature understanding of Krsna consciousness means that whatever condition of life I am in at present, that is Krsna's special mercy upon me, therefore let me take advantage in the best way possible to spread this Krsna consciousness movement and conduct my spiritual master's mission. If I consider my own personal progress or happiness or any other thing personal, that is material consideration. If there was unhappy adjustment for becoming married, why you got married at all? Whatever is done, is done, that is a fact, but I am only pointing out that once before you did something without proper study of your real responsibility, now you are contemplating again some drastic action in a similar manner. Therefore consider it carefully in this light. There is one verse from Bhagavad-gita: yasman nodvijate loko lokan nodvijate ca yah/harsamarsa-bhayodvegair mukto yah sa ca me priyah, "He for whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anxiety, who is steady in happiness and distress, is very dear to Me." (12.15) One mistake of judgment often made by the neophyte devotees is that any time there is some disturbance or some difficulty they are considering that the conditions or the external circumstances under which the difficulty took place are the cause of the difficulty itself. That is not the fact. In this material world there is always some difficulty, no matter in this situation or that situation. Therefore simply by changing my status of occupation or my status of life, that will not help anything. Because the real fact is that if there is any difficulty with others, that is my lack of Krsna consciousness, not theirs. Is this clear? Krsna says that His dearest devotee is one who does not put others into difficulty, in fact, who puts no one other into difficulty. So try to judge the matter on these points, whether or not you are putting either your wife or yourself into some difficulty. The right understanding of Bhagavad-gita is Arjuna's understanding. In other words, Arjuna came to the conclusion that he must perform his occupational duty, not as a material obligation, for reasons of wife, family, friends, reputation, professional integrity, like that—no. Rather he must conduct the functions of his station of life only as a devotional service performed for Krsna. That means that devotional service is what is important, not my occupational duty. But it does not mean that because occupation duty is not the real consideration, that I should give it up and do something else, thinking that devotional service may be carried on under whatever circumstances which I may whimsically decide. Krsna recommended Arjuna to remain as he was, not to disrupt the order of society and go against his own nature just for convenience sake. Our occupational duty is not arbitrary, that means once we have taken up some field of action, if we are advanced in our understanding, then we shall not change it for another. Rather our devotion is the important factor, so what does it matter what I am doing so long my work and energy are completely devoted to Krsna?