What is the best benediction we can ask for and How to get that?

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught us how to approach the Supreme Lord and ask Him for the ultimate benediction. He said: na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye. He did not want to ask the Supreme Lord for anything material. Material opulence means riches, a nice family, a good wife, and many followers, but an intelligent devotee doesn’t ask the Supreme Lord for anything material.

His only prayer is mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi. He wants to be engaged perpetually in the loving service of the Lord. He does not want the promotion to the heavenly planets or mukti, liberation from material bondage. If this were the case, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would not have said, mama janmani janmani. It doesn’t matter to a devotee whether or not he takes birth life afterlife, as long as he remains a devotee. Actually eternal liberty means returning home, back to Godhead. A devotee is never concerned about anything material. A pure devotee wants only to engage in the Lord’s loving service.

A devotee does not at all desire anything for sense gratification. Devotion is therefore explained as devoid of material desires (anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya). Everyone is subjected to the influence of māyā and entangled in all kinds of material desires. Freedom from māyā’s influence is possible when one engages in the service of the great devotees (mahac-caraṇa-sevā). Without worshiping the lotus feet of a great devotee, one cannot be freed from māyā’s influence. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, therefore, says, chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā: “Who has been freed from māyā’s clutches without serving the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava?” Māyā is aparājita, and her influence is also aparājita. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (7.14):

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī

mama māyā duratyayā

“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome.”

Only a devotee can surpass māyā’s great influence. By the association of the Lord’s devotee, one no longer desires material opulence. This is confirmed in Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 22.54):

‘sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’ sarva-śāstre kaya
lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya

and:

mahat-kṛpā vinā kona karme ‘bhakti’ naya
kṛṣṇa-bhakti dūre rahu, saṁsāra nahe kṣaya

If one is serious about escaping māyā’s influence and returning home, back to Godhead, one must associate with a sādhu (devotee). That is the verdict of all scriptures. By the slight association of a devotee, one can be freed from the clutches of māyā. Without the mercy of the pure devotee, one cannot get freedom by any means. Certainly, a pure devotee’s association is necessary in order to obtain the loving service of the Lord. One cannot be freed from māyā’s clutches without sādhu-saṅga, the benediction of a great devotee.

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.32) Prahlāda Mahārāja says:

naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ
spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad arthaḥ
mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṁ
niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat
One cannot become the Lord’s pure devotee without taking the dust of a great devotee on his head (pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekam). A pure devotee is niṣkiñcana; he has no material desire to enjoy the material world. One has to take shelter of such a pure devotee in order to attain his qualities. The pure devotee is always free from the clutches of māyā and her influence.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 5.3.13-14 Purport
Share:

Follow us

Padmanayana Krsna Dasa

Recent Posts

An Opportunity for a Life Time Contribution to Bhaktivinoda Asan

Please consider helping the Iskcon Kolkata Ulta Danga center, where Srila Prabhupada met Srila Saraswati…

1 week ago

Rethinking the 9th July Letter: Exposing the Flaws of the “Final Order” Theory

New Release on Guru Pūrṇimā On this auspicious Guru Pūrṇimā, we’re pleased to release our…

2 weeks ago

A Grim Warning | Devotees—BEWARE! | (No Clickbait)

Support this channel: https://donate.bvksmedia.net/ Recorded on April 22, 2025 in Atlanta, GA, USA For thousands…

2 weeks ago

Opposing Feminism Within Vaishnava Society

Support this channel: https://donate.bvksmedia.net/ Recorded on June 30, 2025 in Manchester, UK. For thousands of…

2 weeks ago

Trivikrama Prabhu, or Maharaja?

Join us today for a critical examination in light of shastra and previous acharyas the…

1 month ago