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If one is devotee, he cannot sit down silently. He wants to preach God's glories to others, even at the risk of life, like Lord Jesus Christ did it. Even at the risk of life, he preached God consciousness. That is the duty of a devotee

Expressions researched:
"if one is devotee, he cannot sit down silently. He wants to preach God's glories to others, even at the risk of life, like Lord Jesus Christ did it. Even at the risk of life, he preached God consciousness. That is the duty of a devotee"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

If one is devotee, he cannot sit down silently. He wants to preach God's glories to others, even at the risk of life, like Lord Jesus Christ did it. Even at the risk of life, he preached God consciousness. That is the duty of a devotee. Lord Nityānanda did it, Haridāsa Ṭhākura did it. There are many instances; a devotee risked even life for preaching glories of God.


Hiraṇyakaśipu did not like that his son was becoming a devotee. So he chastised the teachers, because he was king, emperor, very powerful. He conquered all the universal planets, he was so powerful. So the teachers become very much threatened. So when they were asked, "What nonsense you have taught my boy, spoiled? He has become a devotee," so they said:

na mat praṇītaṁ na para-praṇītaṁ
suto vadaty eṣa tavendra-śatro
naisargikīyaṁ matir asya rājan
niyaccha manyuṁ kad adāḥ sma mā naḥ
(SB 7.5.28)

So the teacher said: "Sir, we have not taught this. I do not know how your son has learned all this devotional service. By nature he is so like that." Prahlāda Mahārāja was doing that. Because the teachers were very much cautious that, "This Prahlāda has got tendency to become a devotee," so they were very careful. But Prahlāda Mahārāja, what he did do, as soon as there is tiffin hour, all the teachers gone, he would immediately call all the class friend and stand up on the bench and speak on bhagavad-bhakti. Perhaps you have seen that picture. That teaching is there. If there is time we shall . . . how he was teaching his class friend to become devotee.

Just like our boys going on the street try to teach all others how to learn devotional service. This is our business. Prahlāda Mahārāja is our ācārya, former ācārya. So following his footsteps, we have to do that. Everyone did that, preaching. Preaching is required. People are in ignorance. They do not know what is God, what is his relationship with God. Therefore preaching is necessary. So Prahlāda Mahārāja was doing that. Therefore the teacher said that naisargikīyaṁ matir asya rājan niyaccha manyum: "Don't be unnecessarily angry upon us. We did not teach him. By nature he is like that."

So this is also another feature, that why one becomes devotee, why the other does not become? That means in his former life he was a devotee. It could not be finished in one life, but in this life automatically he is trying to become devotee. Therefore devotional service is so nice that even if you cannot finish the whole course in one life, next life you are guaranteed to get a very nice birth so that you can develop further.

That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭoḥ sañjāyate (BG 6.41). When Kṛṣṇa . . . er, Arjuna inquired from Kṛṣṇa that, "A yogī, he cannot finish his duty, or yogic process, in one life. Then what happens? He becomes neither this way or that way?" Kṛṣṇa said: "No. Whatever he has finished, that is his permanent assets.

Next life he begins from that point and he gets the opportunity of take birth"—śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe—"he is given birth in very nice family, either in very nice brahmin family or very rich family." In these two places one gets the opportunity to increase his Kṛṣṇa consciousness very easily. If he gets his birth in a nice brahmin family, automatically he is trained in that way. And if he gets his birth in a rich family, he has no economic demand. He hasn't got to earn. He can save the time for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So those who are born in rich family, they should know that, "By the grace of Kṛṣṇa, by the grace of Lord, we are born with silver spoon. But we should utilize this opportunity." Not only rich man; every human being should be conscious to utilize this human form of life to understand God. That is the highest perfection of life. Otherwise it is animal life. The animal life means the animals are also eating, sleeping, mating and defending. So if we are simply engaged with four principles of bodily demand and do not inquire about the Brahma—athāto brahma jijñāsā, that is the Vedānta-sūtra—then we are no better than animals.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja was in his . . . before his birth he was taught by Nārada Muni. Therefore naturally he was in devotional service. So he was executing, the boy. Devotional service . . . if one is devotee, he cannot sit down silently. He wants to preach God's glories to others, even at the risk of life, like Lord Jesus Christ did it. Even at the risk of life, he preached God consciousness. That is the duty of a devotee. Lord Nityānanda did it, Haridāsa Ṭhākura did it. There are many instances, a devotee risked life for preaching glories of God.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja also doing that. He knew that, "My father is nothing but a ferocious animal, Hiraṇyakaśipu." Even big, big demigods would be threatened by his red eyes, he was so powerful. Still, he was executing devotional service at the risk of life. And he was put to so many dangerous condition of life. Still, he did not give up.

Then if we try to understand Prahlāda Mahārāja's character . . . now, at the present moment the teacher said that naisargikīyaṁ matir asya rājan: "My dear king, your boy, this tendency of God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is by nature. We never taught him. Please don't be angry with us unnecessarily." Niyaccha manyum. "Please give up your anger."

Niyaccha manyuṁ kad adāḥ sma mā naḥ: "Don't degrade us in that way."

Page Title:If one is devotee, he cannot sit down silently. He wants to preach God's glories to others, even at the risk of life, like Lord Jesus Christ did it. Even at the risk of life, he preached God consciousness. That is the duty of a devotee
Compiler:Ionelia
Created:2015-12-10, 16:40:24
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1