- Srimad Bhagavatam Class: SB 11.3.29
- Chapter Name: Liberation from the Illusory Energy
- Venue: Iskcon Newtown, Kolkata
- Date: 22nd May 2025
- Speaker: HG Nimai Anand Prabhu
In today’s Srimad Bhagavatam, class HG Nimai Anand Prabhu talked about the importance of cultivating friendship with devotees of Krishna.
Prabhuji was speaking on SB 11.3.29.
SB 11.3.29
evaṁ kṛṣṇātma-nātheṣu
manuṣyeṣu ca sauhṛdam
paricaryāṁ cobhayatra
mahatsu nṛṣu sādhuṣu
Translation
“One who desires his ultimate self-interest should cultivate friendship with those persons who have accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Lord of their life. One should further develop an attitude of service toward all living beings. One should especially try to help those in the human form of life and, among them, especially those who accept the principles of religious behavior. Among religious persons, one should especially render service to the pure devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
Below article is based on the class given by HG Nimai Anand Prabhu.
Friendship affects our devotion to Krishna
It is said that “Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are.” Man is known by the company he keeps. Today’s purport is very important.
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says here “the highest duty for devotees of the Supreme Lord is to establish friendship with those who have completely surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and who have thus achieved śaraṇāgati, shelter at the Lord’s lotus feet.”
It is the highest duty to establish friendship with devotees. It is very important.
Why is man known by company he keeps? It is because of two reasons
(1) The kind of aspiration one has, one chooses such association so that they can inspire each other for same goal.
(2) Even if one does not have such aspiration but it is just a matter of time that one’s aspiration is transformed in the association.
We see that the entire social media is based on helping people get friends. So, there is option of adding friend. Since, this is the need, so social media is exploiting people.
We need friendship, so choose right kind of friendship.
In one of the classes in Iskcon Minto Park Temple one devotee said a very important thing –
“After Srila Prabhupada left this world, many disciples could not continue practicing devotion in same spirit. So, Iskcon leadership wanted to know the reason so that they can rectify it and the same mistake is not committed again. When research was conducted, it was found that since the devotees did not have a friend whom they could fully open up and reveal their heart, so they faced difficulties in continuing their spiritual life. Since they did not get devotee friends, so they began looking for friends in the outside world.”
Krishna should be the only goal
HG Acharya Ratan Prabhu in his Srimad Bhagavatam class, gave summary of this chapter very nicely. Prabhuji explained that how Nimi Maharaj began asking questions – How jiva is caught in maya? How to come out of maya? And this becomes possible by the grace of guru. So, now we are reading how to surrender to guru and how to serve guru.
Devotees put all their efforts and talent in Krishna’s service. They do everything which pleases Krishna and spiritual master.
Here in this verse, it is said that “we should have association of those whose only goal is Krishna.” And what to do in that association will come in next verse.
Catuh Shloki Bhagavad Gita
In the catuh sloki Bhagavad Gita Krishna first says, “I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” Bhagavad Gita 10.8
It means “One who understands Krishna that he is the supreme Lord does bhajan.”
In the next verse, Krishna says,
mac-cittā mad-gata-prāṇā
bodhayantaḥ parasparam
kathayantaś ca māṁ nityaṁ
tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca
“The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me.” Bhagavad Gita 10.9
It talks about that how devotees come together and discuss Krishna katha. And while doing so they are satisfied, and they relish Krishna katha.
But there is qualification required for this which is mentioned in the first line of the verse – mac-cittā mad-gata-prāṇā. mad citta i.e one whose mind and life is devoted to Krishna. Second line of the verse says, such devotees only goal is Krishna and life is Krishna.
We should have exclusive devotion to Krishna. There should not be any secondary goal. Spiritual master’s goal is Krishna and only Krishna, no other goal.
One question may come? To develop friendship with exalted devotees is difficult because we may not easily get their association.
Who is a pure devotee?
In one of the lectures, HH Radhanath Swami Maharaja was talking about who is exalted devotee. While making this point Maharaja said that whatever I am going to say please hear carefully. Then Maharaja said, there are two types of pure devotees.
1. One who is completely free from all material desires and have developed love for Krishna
2. And the second type are those whose only goal is to become a pure devotee; he has no second aspiration. He is clear about his goal. Although he may have conditioning but still, he is trying to become a pure devotee.
There may be devotee around us having conditioning but if their goal is Krishna then we should associate with them.
Bhakti lata bija
We should now discuss about the impurities which should be given up while practicing exclusive devotion – ananya bhakti – to Krishna.
Even one who has received bhakti lata bija can get distracted. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu discusses this with Srila Rupa Goswami at Dasamedh ghat.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu first talks about rarity of devotion to Krishna.
He says “There are 8.4 million species in this world, and among them the human form of life is very rare. And those who get human life do not accept scriptures. Those who accept scriptures are mostly practitioners of karma kanda, they do not understand the real purpose of scriptures. Those who understand the real purpose are jnanis but they are only interested in liberation. And amongst crores of such jnanis, to find a real devotee of Krishna is very difficult.”
Then Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says,
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
“According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.” CC Madhya 19.151
Some rare soul may achieve such bhakti lata bija.
By Srila Prabhupada’s mercy we have achieved bhakti lata bija. The process which we are following is bhakti lata bija. We have to just water it by sravanam and kirtanam.
Obstacles on the path of bhakti
But as one grows bhakti lata bija, one has to take care of offenses which are compared to mad elephant. Offenses uproot bhakti lata bija. Offenses occur when we become familiar with the devotee. Material familiarity breeds contempt. Remedy is to see devotees’ connection with Krishna. We should never find faults with devotees. Offenses are the first obstacle.
Second Obstacle on the path of bhakti lata bija is explained by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Rupa Goswami. It is in CC Madhya 19.158, 19.159, 19.160.
“Sometimes unwanted creepers, such as the creepers of desires for material enjoyment and liberation from the material world, grow along with the creeper of devotional service. The varieties of such unwanted creepers are unlimited.”
By becoming frustrated with material life one’s goal becomes to get free from miseries. But that is not pure devotion. Goal of pure devotion is to only please Krishna, nothing else matters.
“Some unnecessary creepers growing with the bhakti creeper are the creepers of behavior unacceptable for those trying to attain perfection, diplomatic behavior, animal-killing, mundane profiteering, mundane adoration and mundane importance. All these are unwanted creepers.”
“If one does not distinguish between the bhakti creeper and the other creepers, the sprinkling of water is misused because the other creepers are nourished while the bhakti creeper is curtailed.”
Friendship with devotees will sustain our devotion
Offensive chanting is the water for the unwanted creeper. And sincere chanting is the water to the bhakti lata bija.
Distractions take us away from pure devotional service.
Srila Bhati Vinod Thakura says that “selfishness is the root cause of deviation from pure devotional service.” We should give up this mentality and serve Krishna. Devotees work hard with this mentality because they know that this will pleases Krishna.
Also, devotees are not motivated by material things but by only spiritual thing. So, in order to motivate devotee, we say Srila Prabhupada wanted this and then devotee gets motivated to do things.
Devotees only want to see Krishna happy and does not care for his own happiness. Even if Krishna gives distress, devotees are not bothered.
We should cultivate friendship with such devotees. If we see devotees are serious, sincere then we should seek their association. Such friendship will sustain our devotion.
