Page 19 - Powerful Feminine Qualities

Madhava is indicated in the Bhagavad-gita chapter 1, verse 36, “What should we gain, Madhava (O Krishna, husband
of the goddess of fortune), and how could we be happy by killing our own kinsmen.” (Bg 1.36)
Lord Krishna is the reservoir and possessor of all opulence. He says, “Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious
creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.” (Bg 10.41) The devotee who associates with the Lord is protected
by the opulence of the Supreme Lord, which always accompanies the Lord as Lakshmi devi. Sanjaya tells Dhritarastra,
“Wherever there is Krishna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will
also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.” (Bg 18.78)
If a pure devotee is blessed with material opulence, one should understand that it is not due to having performed
ritualistic Vedic rites for material benefit (karma kanda). The Lord guarantees his devotee, “But those who always
worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack, and I
preserve what they have.” (Bg 9.22) A surrendered soul who fully depends upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead
does not want material opulence for sense gratification. Therefore, when a pure devotee is seen to possess exalted
material opulence, it is not due to his karma. Rather, it is due to his bhakti. In other words, he is in that position
because the Supreme Lord wants him to execute service to Him very easily and opulently. Thus the devotee is
benefitted and protected by the opulence of the Lord to spread the message of Bhagavad–gita (pure devotion and
love for Krishna), and approach Him without difficulty both in the material world and later in the spiritual world.
The pure devotee will eventually overcome all obstacles and opponents by remaining steadfast in devotional service
and keeping a humble and meek attitude while depending completely on the goodwill of the Lord. Simply by chanting
the holy Mahamantra Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare
Hare – a devotee of the Lord can approach the supreme destination easily and happily. While still in the material
world, the devotee continues unfailingly to serve the Lord and the Lord reciprocates by helping the devotee with His
unlimited opulence to achieve the goals of his preaching work. For Bali Maharaja, the Lord gave him the opulence to
continue his service without any influence of maya (illusion). Lord Brahma makes an expression of ecstatic love in
pride, “My dear Madhusudana (Krishna), persons who are pure devotees of your Lordship actually feel Your ecstatic
friendship, and as such they are never vanquished by enemies. They know they are always protected by You, and so
they can matter-of-factly pass over the heads of their enemies without any care.” (SB 10.2.33)
If the material opulence of a devotee is an obstacle to advancement in Krishna consciousness, then the Lord may give
His special mercy to the devotee by taking away all his opulence so that he remains completely determined to follow
the path of bhakti. The demigods often forget the Lord because their tremendous material opulence blinds them.
Manigriva and Nalakuvera, the sons of Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigods, were falsely proud of the opulence of
their father. Once Narada Muni witnessed them in a drunken state while bathing with some naked damsels of the
heavenly planets. On seeing Narada Muni, the naked damsels covered their bodies, but the two drunkards remained
naked due to their lack of respect and decency. Narada cursed them to fall down from their prominent position as
sons of Kuvera to become trees. The young men immediately realized their grave mistake and begged Narada Muni to
forgive their indiscretions. Narada softened his curse and turned it into benediction by saying, “You shall become trees
in the courtyard of Nanda Maharaja, the father of Krishna. The Lord will liberate both of you from my curse.” Later,
after the two young men became trees in Vrindavan, Krishna fulfilled the curse/blessing by dragging the grinding
mortar to which He was tied and toppled the two trees. Krishna mercifully knocked down of the two trees, which
liberated Manigriva and Nalakuvera, who became great devotees of the Lord.
In the Srimad Bhagavatam (10.88.8), the Lord explains to Maharaja Yudhistira how he manifests His special mercy to
his devotees. He says, “yasyaham anugrhnami harishye tad-dhanam shanaih. The first installment of My mercy
toward a devotee is that I take away all his possessions, especially his material opulence, his money.” If a sincere
devotee wants Krishna above everything but at the same time is attached to material possessions, which hinder his
advancement in Krishna consciousness, by tactics the Lord takes away all his possessions. (SB 7.10.5 Purport)
Srila Prabhupada tells an interesting story about a Brahmana who doubted part of a Bhagavad-gita verse while he was
attempting to write a commentary on it. He was reading the verse in the ninth chapter, “But those who always

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