Prabhupada 0216 - Krsna is First
Lecture on SB 1.7.47-48 -- Vrndavana, October 6, 1976
This is the attitude of the Vaiṣṇava. Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. Vaiṣṇava is para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. That is Vaiṣṇava's qualification. He doesn't care for his own personal distresses. But he, a Vaiṣṇava becomes aggrieved, distressed, when other is suffering. That is Vaiṣṇava. Prahlāda Mahārāja said,
- naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraṇyās
- tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ
- śoce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyārtha-
- māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān
- (SB 7.9.43)
Prahlāda Mahārāja was so much harassed by his father, and his father was killed. And still, when he was offered benediction by the Lord, Nṛsiṁha-deva, he did not accept it. He said, sa vai vaṇik. My Lord, we are born in the family of rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Asuras, they are influenced by the two lower qualities, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. And those who are devatās, they are influenced by the sattva-guṇa.
There are three guṇas, qualities, in the material world. Sattva-guṇa. Tri-guṇamayī. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī (BG 7.14). Guṇamayī. Triguṇamayī in this material world, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So those who are influenced by the sattva-guṇa, they are first . First- means first- in this material world. Not in the spiritual world. Spiritual world is different. That is nirguṇa, no material qualities. There is no first-, -, -. Everyone is first-. That is absolute. Kṛṣṇa is first-, - are first-, are first-, are first-, the calves are first-, -, -, -. No. Everything is first-. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37). Everything is composition of ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. There is no ification. Either one is situated in dāsya-rasa, one is situated in sākhya-rasa, or in vātsalya-rasa or mādhurya-rasa, they are all one. There is no such distinction. But there is variety. You like this rasa, I like this rasa, that is allowed.
So here, in this material world, they are being influenced by the three rasas, and Prahlāda Mahārāja, being the son of Hiraṇyakaśipu, he considered himself that "I am influenced by the rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa." He's a Vaiṣṇava, he's above all guṇas, but a Vaiṣṇava is never proud of his guṇa. Actually, he does not feel like that, that he is very advanced, he is very enlightened. He always thinks, "I am the lowest."
- tṛṇād api sunīcena
- taror api sahiṣṇunā
- amāninā mānadena
- kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
- (CC Adi 17.31)
This is Vaiṣṇava.