SB 04 22 60-62 - Bhakti Brhat Bhagavat Swami - ISKCON Mayapur 2012-01-14.mp3	31.3 MB
SB 04 22 62 - Govind Bhakta Prabhu - ISKCON Juhu 2010-03-13.mp3	11.0 MB

brhaspatir brahma-vade

atmavattve svayam harih

bhaktya go-guru-vipresu

visvaksenanuvartisu

hriya prasraya-silabhyam

atma-tulyah parodyame

 

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:

 

In his personal behavior, Prthu Maharaja exhibited all good qualities, and in spiritual knowledge he was exactly like Brhaspati. In self-control he was like the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. As far as his devotional service was concerned, he was a great follower of devotees who were attached to cow protection and the rendering of all service to the spiritual master and the brahmanas. He was perfect in his shyness and in his gentle behavior, and when he engaged in some philanthropic activity, he worked as if he were working for his own personal self.

 

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:

 

When Lord Caitanya talked to Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, the Lord honored him as the incarnation of Brhaspati. Brhaspati is the chief priest of the heavenly kingdom, and he is a follower of the philosophy known as brahma-vada, or Mayavada. Brhaspati is also a great logician. It appears from this statement that Maharaja Prthu, although a great devotee constantly engaged in the loving service of the Lord, could defeat all kinds of impersonalists and Mayavadis by his profound knowledge of Vedic scriptures. We should learn from Maharaja Prthu that a Vaisnava, or devotee, must not only be fixed in the service of the Lord, but, if required, must be prepared to argue with the impersonalist Mayavadis with all logic and philosophy and defeat their contention that the Absolute Truth is impersonal.

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ideal self-controller or brahmacari. When Krsna was elected to be president of the Rajasuya yajña performed by Maharaja Yudhisthira, Grandfather Bhismadeva praised Lord Krsna as the greatest brahmacari. Because Grandfather Bhismadeva was a brahmacari, he was quite fit to distinguish a brahmacari from a vyabhicari. Although Prthu Maharaja was a householder and father of five children, he was still considered to be most controlled. One who begets Krsna conscious children for the benefit of humanity is actually a brahmacari. One who simply begets children like cats and dogs is not a proper father. The word brahmacari also refers to one who acts on the platform of Brahman, or devotional service. In the impersonal Brahman conception, there is no activity, yet when one performs activities in connection with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is to be known as brahmacari. Thus Prthu Maharaja was an ideal brahmacari and grhastha simultaneously. Visvaksenanuvartisu refers to those devotees who are constantly engaged in the service of the Lord. Other devotees must follow in their footsteps. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura said, ei chaya gosañi yanra, muñi tanra dasa: “I am prepared to become the disciple of anyone who follows in the footsteps of the Six Gosvamis.”

 

Also, like all Vaisnavas, Maharaja Prthu was devoted to cow protection, spiritual masters and qualified brahmanas. Prthu Maharaja was also very humble, meek and gentle, and whenever he performed any philanthropic work or welfare activity for the general public, he would labor exactly as if he were tending to his own personal necessities. In other words, his philanthropic activities were not for the sake of show but were performed out of personal feeling and commitment. All philanthropic activities should be thus performed.