When on account of love and devotional service for the Lord there is special valorous enthusiasm, the resultant activities are called chivalrous. These chivalrous activities can be manifested in the acts of mock-fighting, giving in charity, showing mercy and executing religious principles. By performing chivalrous activities in fighting, one is called yuddha-vira. By charitable activities one is called dana-vira. By showing extraordinary mercy one is called daya-vira. And when one is munificent in executing religious rites, he is called dharma-vira. In all such different chivalrous activities, Krsna is the object.

When a friend wants to satisfy Krsna by performing some chivalrous activities, the friend becomes the challenger, and Krsna Himself becomes the opponent; or else Krsna may give audience to the fighting, and by His desire another friend becomes the opponent. A friend once challenged Krsna thus: "My dear Madhava, You are very restless because You think that no one can defeat You. But if You do not flee from here, then I shall show You how I can defeat You. And my friends will be very satisfied to see this!"

Krsna and Sridama were very intimate friends, yet Sridama, out of anger with Krsna, challenged Him. When both of them began to fight, all the friends on the bank of the Yamuna enjoyed the wonderful fighting of the two friends. They prepared some arrows for mock-fighting, and Krsna began to throw his arrows at Sridama. Sridama began to block these arrows by whirling his pole, and by Sridama's chivalrous activities, Krsna became very satisfied. Such mock-fighting generally takes place amongst chivalrous persons and creates wonderful excitement for all viewers.

There is a statement in the Hari-vamsa that sometimes Arjuna and Krsna fought in the presence of Kunti, and Arjuna would be defeated by Krsna.

In such chivalrous fighting between friends, there is sometimes bragging, self-complacence, pride, power, taking to weapons, challenging and standing as opponent. All of these symptoms become impetuses to chivalrous devotional service.

One friend challenged Krsna thus: "My dear friend Damodara, You are an expert only in eating. You have defeated Subala only because he is weak and You adopted cheating means. Don't advertise Yourself to be a great fighter by such action. You have advertised Yourself as a serpent, and I am the peacock who will now defeat You." The peacock is the ablest enemy of the serpent.

In such fighting between friends, when the self-advertisement becomes personal, learned scholars say it is sub-ecstasy. When there is a roaring challenge, certain kinds of movement for fighting, enthusiasm, no weapons and assurance given to frightened witnesses-all these chivalrous activities are called sub-ecstasy.

One friend addressed Krsna in this manner: "My dear Madhusudana, You know my strength, yet You are encouraging Bhadrasena, and not me, to challenge mighty Baladeva. By this action You are simply insulting me because my arms are as strong as the bolts of the gate!"

A devotee once said, "My dear Lord Krsna, may Your challenger, Sridama, become glorious for his chivalrous activities, such as vibrating like a thunder cloud and roaring like a lion. May all glories go to Sridama's chivalrous activities!" Chivalrous activities in the matter of fighting, charity, mercy and execution of religious rituals are called constitutional; whereas expression of pride, emotions, endurance, kindness, determination, jubilation, enthusiasm, jealousy and remembrance are called unconstitutional. When Stokakrsna, one of the many friends of Krsna, was fighting with Him, his father chastised him for fighting with Krsna, who was the life and soul of all residents of Vrndavana. Upon hearing these chastisements, Stokakrsna stopped his fighting. But Krsna continued to challenge him, and thus, in order to meet the challenge, Stokakrsna took his pole and began to display his dexterity by whirling it.

Once Sridama challenged Bhadrasena and said to him, "My dear friend, you needn't be afraid of me yet. I shall first of all defeat our brother Balarama, then I shall beat Krsna, and then I shall come to you." Bhadrasena therefore left the party of Balarama and joined Krsna, and he agitated his friends as much as the Mandara Hill had agitated the whole ocean. By his roaring sounds he deafened all his friends, and he enthused Krsna with his chivalrous activities.

Once Krsna challenged all His friends and said, "My dear friends, just see-I am jumping with great chivalrous prowess. Please do not flee away." Upon hearing these challenging words, a friend named Varuthapa counter-challenged the Lord and struggled against Him.

One of the friends once remarked, "Sudama is trying his best to see Damodara defeated, and I think that if our powerful Subala joins him, they will be a very beautiful combination, like a valuable jewel bedecked with gold."

In these chivalrous activities, only Krsna's friends can be the opponents. Krsna's enemies can never actually be His opponents. Therefore, this challenging by Krsna's friends is called devotional service in chivalrous activities.

Dana-vira, or chivalry in giving charity, may be divided into two parts: munificence and renunciation. A person who can sacrifice everything for the satisfaction of Krsna is called munificent. When a person desires to make a sacrifice because of his seeing Krsna, Krsna is called the impetus of the munificent activity. When Krsna appeared as the son of Nanda Maharaj, in clear consciousness Nanda Maharaj desired all auspiciousness for his son and thus began to give in charity valuable cows to all the brahmanas. The brahmanas were so satisfied by this charitable action that they were obliged to say that the charity of Nanda Maharaj had excelled the charity of such past kings as Maharaj Prthu and Nrga.

When a person knows the glories of the Lord completely and is prepared to sacrifice everything for the Lord, he is called sampradanaka, or one who gives everything in charity for the sake of Krsna.

When Maharaj Yudhisthira went with Krsna in the arena of the raja-suya sacrifice, in his imagination he began to anoint the body of Krsna with pulp of sandalwood, he decorated Him with a garland hanging down to His knees, he began to give Him garments all embroidered with gold, he gave Him ornaments all bedecked with valuable jewels, and he gave Him many fully decorated elephants, chariots and horses. He further wished to give Krsna in charity his kingdom, his family and his personal self also. After so desiring, when there was nothing to actually give in charity, Maharaj Yudhisthira became very perturbed and anxious.

Similarly, Maharaj Bali once told his priest, Sukracarya: "My dear sage, you are fully expert in knowledge of the Vedas, and as such you worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, by Vedic rituals. As far as this brahmana dwarf [the incarnation Vamanadeva] is concerned, if He is Lord Visnu, a simple brahmana, or even my enemy, I have decided to give to Him in charity all the land He has asked for." Maharaj Bali was so fortunate that the Lord extended before Him His hand, which was reddish from touching the breast of the goddess of fortune, who is always smeared with red kunkum powder. In other words, although the Personality of Godhead is so great that the goddess of fortune is always under His command for enjoyment, He still extended His hands to take charity from Maharaj Bali.

A person who wants to give everything in charity to Krsna but does not want anything in return is considered the real renouncer. Thus, a devotee will refuse to accept any kind of liberation, even if it is offered by the Lord. Real love of Krsna becomes manifested when Krsna becomes the recipient of charity and the devotee becomes the giver.

In the Hari-bhakti-sudhadaya there is another example, forwarded by Maharaj Dhruva. He says there, "My dear Lord, I have practiced austerities and penances because I was desiring to receive something from You, but in exchange You have allowed me to see You, who are never visible even to the great sages and saintly persons. I had been searching out some pieces of broken glass, but instead I have found the most valuable jewel. I am therefore fully satisfied, my Lord. I do not wish to ask anything more from Your Lordship."

A similar statement is to be found in the Third Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, 15th Chapter, 48th verse. The four sages headed by Sanaka Muni addressed the Lord as follows: "Dear Supreme Personality of Godhead, Your reputation is very attractive and free from all material contamination. Therefore You are worthy of being glorified and are actually the reservoir of all pilgrimages. Auspicious persons who are fortunate enough to be engaged in glorifying Your attributes and who actually know what Your transcendental position is, do not even care to accept liberation offered by You. Because they are so transcendentally enriched, they do not care to accept even the post of Indra, the heavenly King. They know that the post of the King of heaven is also fearful, whereas for those who are engaged in glorifying Your transcendental qualities there is only joyfulness and freedom from all danger. As such, why should persons with this knowledge be attracted by a post in the heavenly kingdom?"

One devotee has described his feelings about the charity exhibited by King Mayuradhvaja: "I am faltering even to speak about the activities of Maharaj Mayuradhvaja, to whom I offer my respectful obeisances." Mayuradhvaja was very intelligent, and he could understand why Krsna came to him once, in the garb of a brahmana. Krsna demanded from him half of his body, to be sawed off by his wife and son, and King Mayuradhvaja agreed to this proposal. On account of his intense feeling of devotional service, King Mayuradhvaja was always thinking of Krsna, and when he understood that Krsna had come in the garb of a brahmana, he did not hesitate to part with half of his body. This sacrifice of Maharaj Mayuradhvaja for Krsna's sake is unique in the world, and we should offer our all-respectful obeisances to him. He had full knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the garb of a brahmana, and he is known as the perfect dana-vira, or renouncer.

Any person who is always ready to satisfy Krsna and who is always dexterous in executing devotional service is called dharma-vira, or chivalrous in executing religious rituals. Only advanced devotees performing religious ritualistic performances can come to this stage of dharma-vira. Dharma-viras are produced after going through the authoritative scriptures, following moral principles, being faithful and tolerant and controlling the senses. Persons who execute religious rituals for the satisfaction of Krsna are steady in devotional service, whereas persons who execute religious rituals without intending to please Krsna are only called pious.

The best example of a dharma-vira is Maharaj Yudhisthira. A devotee once told Krsna: "My dear Krsna, O killer of all demons, Maharaj Yudhisthira, the eldest son of Maharaj Pandu, has performed all kinds of sacrifices just to please You. He has always invited the heavenly King, Indra, to take part in the yajnas [sacrifices]. Because King Indra was thus absent so often from Sacidevi, she had to pass much of her time pining over Indra's absence, with her cheeks upon her hands."

The performance of different yajnas for the demigods is considered to be worship of the limbs of the Supreme Lord. The demigods are considered to be different parts of the universal body of the Lord, and therefore the ultimate purpose in worshiping them is to please the Lord by partially worshiping His different limbs. Maharaj Yudhisthira had no such material desire; he executed all sacrifices under the direction of Krsna, and not to take any personal advantage from them. He only desired to please Krsna and was therefore called the best of the devotees. He was always merged in the ocean of loving service.