as parents / friends / pusti-marga

"How can I protect these poor boys from the invasion of Kaṁsa's servants?" This is an instance of a superior attitude in a devotee.

When Mother Yasoda heard that Krsna's cows were being forcibly moved by the strong servants of Kamsa and that the tender cowherd boys were trying to protect their cows, she began to think, "How can I protect these poor boys from the invasion of Kamsa's servants?" This is an instance of a superior attitude in a devotee. (More...)

As soon as Mother Yasoda found her son Krsna returning from the pasturing ground, she immediately began to pat Him, touching her fingers to the cheeks of the Lord. (More...)

As far as friendship is concerned, those high-grade devotees who are almost like Kṛṣṇa are considered to be great authorities in the modes of friendly relations with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

As far as friendship is concerned, those high-grade devotees who are almost like Krsna are considered to be great authorities in the modes of friendly relations with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. On that friendly platform there are different kinds of laughing and joking conversations. An example of such a friendly relationship with Krsna is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam when Krsna was once thinking, "Today, while I was engaged in tending the cows in the pasturing ground of Vrndavana, I went to collect some flowers in a beautiful garden. At that time My friends, the cowherd boys, were unhappy even to tolerate a two-minute separation from Me. And, when they found Me, there was competition between us as to who would touch the other first with the flowers we had in hand." (More...)

One friend criticized Krsna thus: "My dear Damodara, although You have been defeated by Sridama and have become sufficiently minimized in strength, by a false expression of strength You have somehow covered Your shameful condition of defeat." (More...)

Devotees who are attracted to Kṛṣṇa as parents or as friends should follow in the footsteps of Nanda Mahārāj or Subala, respectively.

Devotees who are attracted to Krsna as parents or as friends should follow in the footsteps of Nanda Maharaj or Subala, respectively. Nanda Maharaj is the foster father of Krsna, and out of all of the friends of Krsna, Subala is the most intimate in Brajabhūmi. (More...)

In the development of becoming either the father or friend of the Lord, there are two varieties. One method is that one may try to become the father of the Lord directly, and the other is that one may follow Nanda Maharaj and cherish the ideal of being Krsna's father. Out of these two, the attempt to directly become the father of Krsna is not recommended. Such a development can become polluted with mayavada (impersonal) philosophy. The mayavadis or monists think that they themselves are Krsna, and if one thinks that he himself has become Nanda Maharaj, then his parental love will become contaminated with the mayavada philosophy. The mayavada philosophical way of thinking is offensive, and no offender can enter into the kingdom of God to associate with Krsna. (More...)

In the Skanda Purana there is a story of an old man residing in Hastinapur, capital of the kingdom of the Panḍus, who desired Krsna as his beloved son. This old man was instructed by Narada to follow in the footsteps of Nanda Maharaj, and thus success was achieved by him. (More...)

There is a statement in the Narayana-vyūha-stava prayers that persons who are always engaged in thinking of the Lord as their husband, friend, father or well-wisher are always worshipable by everyone. This spontaneous love for Krsna can only be developed by the special mercy of Krsna or His pure devotee. This process of devotional service is sometimes called pusti-marga. Pusti means nourishing and marga means path. Such development of sentiment nourishes devotional service to the highest standard. Thus it is called the path of nourishment, or pusti-marga. The Vallabha-sampradaya, which belongs to the Visnu-svami sect of Vaisnava religion, worships Krsna in this pusti-marga. Generally devotees in Gujerat worship Bala-Krsna, under this heading of pusti-marga. (More...)

In the attitude of the denizens of Vṛndāvana, such as Nanda Mahārāj and Mother Yaśodā, is to be found the ideal transcendental concept of being the father and mother of Kṛṣṇa, the original Personality of Go

In the attitude of the denizens of Vrndavana, such as Nanda Maharaj and Mother Yasoda, is to be found the ideal transcendental concept of becoming the father and mother of Krsna, the original Personality of Godhead. Factually, no one can become the father or mother of Krsna; but a devotee's possession of such transcendental feelings is called love of Krsna in parental relationship. The Vrsnis (Krsna's relatives at Dvaraka) also felt like that. So spontaneous love of Krsna in the parental relationship is found both amongst those denizens of Dvaraka who belonged to the dynasty of Vrsni, as well as amongst the inhabitants of Vrndavana. (More...)

Spontaneous love of Krsna as exhibited by the Vrsnis and the denizens of Vrndavana is eternally existing in them. In the stage of devotional service where regulative principles are followed, there is no necessity of discussing this love, for it must develop of itself at a more advanced stage. (More...)

Prahlāda Mahārāja sometimes felt that the Lord was far away from him and therefore called Him loudly. When he saw that the Lord was before him, he was fully jubilant. Sometimes, thinking himself one with the Supreme, he imitated the Lord's

Sometimes, upon seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Prahlada Maharaja would loudly call in full anxiety. He sometimes lost his shyness in jubilation and began dancing in ecstasy, and sometimes, being fully absorbed in thoughts of Krsna, he felt oneness and imitated the pastimes of the Lord. (More...)

Prahlada Maharaja sometimes felt that the Lord was far away from him and therefore called Him loudly. When he saw that the Lord was before him, he was fully jubilant. Sometimes, thinking himself one with the Supreme, he imitated the Lord's pastimes, and in separation from the Lord he would sometimes show symptoms of madness. These feelings of a devotee would not be appreciated by impersonalists. One must go further and further into spiritual understanding. The first realization is impersonal Brahman, but one must go still further to realize Paramatma and eventually the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is worshiped by the transcendental feelings of a devotee in a relationship of santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya or madhurya. Here the feelings of Prahlada Maharaja were in the mellow of vatsalya, filial love and affection. As a child cries when left by his mother, when Prahlada Maharaja felt that the Lord was away from him he began to cry (nadati). Again, a devotee like Prahlada sometimes sees that the Lord is coming from a long distance to pacify him, like a mother responding to a child, saying, "My dear child, do not cry. I am coming." Then the devotee, without being ashamed due to his surroundings and circumstances, begins to dance, thinking, "Here is my Lord! My Lord is coming!" Thus the devotee, in full ecstasy, sometimes imitates the pastimes of the Lord, just as the cowherd boys used to imitate the behavior of the jungle animals. However, he does not actually become the Lord. Prahlada Maharaja achieved the spiritual ecstasies described herein by his advancement in spiritual understanding. (More...)

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