TEXT 33
tatha na te madhava tavakah kvacid
bhrasyanti margat tvayi baddha-sauhrdah
tvayabhigupta vicaranti nirbhaya
vinayakanikapa-murdhasu prabho
SYNONYMS
tathalike them (the nondevotees); nanot; tethey (the devotees); madhavaO Lord, husband of the goddess of fortune; tavakahthe followers of the devotional path, the devotees; kvacitin any circumstances; bhrasyantifall down; margatfrom the path of devotional service; tvayiunto You; baddha-sauhrdahbecause of being fully attached to Your lotus feet; tvayaby You; abhiguptahalways protected from all dangers; vicarantithey move; nirbhayahwithout fear; vinayaka-anikapathe enemies who maintain paraphernalia to oppose the bhakti cult; murdhasuon their heads; prabhoO Lord.
TRANSLATION
O Madhava, Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord of the goddess of fortune, if devotees completely in love with You sometimes fall from the path of devotion, they do not fall like nondevotees, for You still protect them. Thus they fearlessly traverse the heads of their opponents and continue to progress in devotional service.
PURPORT
Devotees generally do not fall down, but if circumstantially they do, the Lord, because of their strong attachment to Him, gives them protection in all circumstances. Thus even if devotees fall down, they are still strong enough to traverse the heads of their enemies. We have actually seen that our Krsna consciousness movement has many opponents, such as the deprogrammers, who instituted a strong legal case against the devotees. We thought that this case would take a long time to settle, but because the devotees were protected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we unexpectedly won the case in one day. Thus a case that was expected to continue for years was settled in a day because of the protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has promised in Bhagavad-gita (9.31), kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati: O son of Kunti, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes. In history there are many instances of devotees like Citraketu, Indradyumna and Maharaja Bharata who circumstantially fell down but were still protected. Maharaja Bharata, for example, because of his attachment to a deer, thought of the deer at the time of death, and therefore in his next life he became a deer (yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]). Because of protection by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, the deer remembered his relationship with the Lord and next took birth in a good brahminical family and performed devotional service (sucinam srimatam gehe yoga-bhrasto bhijayate). Similarly, Citraketu fell down and became a demon, Vrtrasura, but he too was protected. Thus even if one falls down from the path of bhakti-yoga, one is ultimately saved. If a devotee is strongly situated in devotional service, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has promised to protect him (kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati). But even if a devotee circumstantially falls down, he is protected by Madhava.
The word Madhava is significant. Ma, mother Laksmi, the mother of all opulences, is always with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and if a devotee is in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all the opulences of the Lord are ready to help him.
yatra yogesvarah krsno
yatra partho dhanur-dharah
tatra srir vijayo bhutir
dhruva nitir matir mama
(Bg. 18.78)
Wherever there is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, and His devotee Arjuna, Partha, there is victory, opulence, extraordinary power and morality. The opulences of a devotee are not a result of karma-kanda-vicara. A devotee is always protected by all of the Supreme Lords opulences, of which no one can deprive him (tesam nityabhiyuktanam yoga-ksemam vahamy aham [Bg. 9.22]). Thus a devotee cannot be defeated by any opponents. A devotee, therefore, should not deviate knowingly from the path of devotion. The adherent devotee is assured all protection from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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