Most Confidential Devotees of God
The relationship between the Supreme Lord and His devotees is graded according to intimacy. While all devotees are dear to Kṛṣṇa, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that there exists a class of "most confidential devotees" who understand the Lord's heart and execute His will with perfect selflessness. He teaches that such a devotee never acts for personal gain but lives solely for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This confidential position is the foundation of the guru-disciple relationship and is exemplified by the great souls who assist the Lord in His mission.
Position of Spiritual Master
Śrīla Prabhupāda identifies the spiritual master as the primary example of a confidential devotee. He clarifies that the guru is respected as sākṣād-dharitvena—directly the Supreme Lord—not because he has become God, but because he is the kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya, the most dear and confidential servant of the Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda states that the guru's confidentiality lies in his mission: he spreads Kṛṣṇa consciousness, acting as the transparent medium between the conditioned souls and God.
- A spiritual master is supposed to act not as God but as the most confidential servant of God by spreading God consciousness, Krsna consciousness.
- Spiritual master is described as good as God in all scriptures, and all advanced spiritualists accept this. But he is the most confidential servant of God.
Selfless Service
According to Śrīla Prabhupāda, the hallmark of a confidential devotee is the complete absence of personal desire. He emphasizes that such devotees do not maintain a "personal account" of karma or enjoyment. Their life is an open book of service to the Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that this purity allows them to understand the inconceivable potency of the Lord, which remains hidden to those who are not situated in unalloyed service.
- A devotee who is a most confidential servant of the Lord never does anything for his personal account, but does everything for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.
- Actually, no one could see the inconceivable potency of the Lord. Only the most confidential devotees, those in pure, unalloyed devotional service, could understand.
Intimacy in Relationships
In the specific context of Lord Caitanya's pastimes, Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that intimacy is often defined by the rasa or mellow of relationship. He explains that devotees situated in conjugal love (mādhurya-rasa) are considered the most confidential because they assist the Lord in His most private internal moods. Personalities like Rāmānanda Rāya, Svarūpa Dāmodara, and Gadādhara Paṇḍita are highlighted by Śrīla Prabhupāda as the only ones privy to the Lord's ecstatic symptoms of separation from Kṛṣṇa.
- Devotees who are in a relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in conjugal love are considered to be the most confidential devotees of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
- Ramananda Raya is the most confidential devotee of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, although he's a grhastha, because he is akincana, as akincana as Rupa Gosvami. So we have to become akincana.
Great Examples
Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently cites historical examples to illustrate this confidential status. He describes Uddhava as Kṛṣṇa's cousin and most confidential counselor in Dvārakā. Similarly, he honors Nārada Muni as bhagavān due to his confidential intimacy with the Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda also mentions King Pṛthu and King Pratāparudra; regarding the latter, he explains that although Lord Caitanya externally kept the King at a distance for social protocol, He internally accepted him as a most confidential devotee due to his humble service.
- Krsna was advising His most confidential servant, Uddhava, about sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana. These concern one’s relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the activities of that relationship, as well as the perfection of life.
- Although for reasons of external formality Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu refused to see King Prataparudra because he was a king, King Prataparudra became one of the Lord’s most confidential devotees by the Lord’s special mercy upon him.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that to be a most confidential devotee is the highest aspiration of spiritual life. He warns that this is not achieved by cheap imitation but by following in the footsteps of the mahājanas. By accepting the bona fide spiritual master as the Lord's confidential representative and serving him with sincerity, Śrīla Prabhupāda assures us that one can gradually enter into the circle of the Lord's intimate associates.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Most Confidential Devotees of God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.