ya idaá¹ nÄrada-proktaá¹ Å›ivÄnuÅ›Äsanaá¹ viÅ›vasiti Å›raddhate sa bhaktimÄn bhavati sa preṣṭhaá¹ labhate sa preṣṭhaá¹ labhata iti

 yaḥ - one who; idam - this; nÄrada-proktam - spoken by NÄrada; Å›iva - auspicious; anuÅ›Äsanam - instruction; viÅ›vasiti - trusts; Å›raddhate - is convinced by; saḥ - he; bhakti-mÄn - endowed with devotion; bhavati - becomes; saḥ - he; preṣṭham - the most dear (Supreme Lord); labhate - attains; saḥ - he; preṣṭham - the most dear; labhate - attains; iti - thus.


Text

Anyone who trusts these instructions spoken by NÄrada and is convinced by them will be blessed with devotion and attain the most dear Lord. Yes, he will attain the most dear Lord.

Purport

NÄrada ends the Bhakti-sÅ«tras by stating that one has to hear them with faith. Inquiries and even doubts may be placed before the guru, just as Arjuna expressed his doubts before Lord Kṛṣṇa. But an attitude of disbelief will prevent us from understanding. As Lord Kṛṣṇa states,

aÅ›raddadhÄnÄḥ puruá¹£Ä dharmasyÄsya parantapa
aprÄpya mÄá¹ nivartante má¹›tyu-saá¹sÄra-vartmani

"Those who are not faithful in this devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of enemies. Therefore they return to the path of birth and death in this material world" (Bg. 9.3). And as stated in the ÅšvetÄÅ›vatara Upaniá¹£ad (6.23),

yasya deve parÄ bhaktir yathÄ deve tathÄ gurau
tasyaite kathitÄ hy arthÄḥ prakÄÅ›ante mahÄtmanaḥ
[ÅšU

"Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of the Vedas are automatically revealed."

This final sÅ«tra declares that if a person hears the NÄrada-bhakti-sÅ«tra with faith, then NÄrada blesses him with devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This means that NÄrada Muni is present and acting through the teachings of the sÅ«tras. The same potent blessing NÄrada has given to many persons enabling them to become staunch bhaktas are available even now through his vÄṇī, or teachings. As the Skanda PurÄṇa states, "My dear NÄrada, of all the saintly persons, you are so great and glorious that simply by your good wishes a lowborn hunter also has become a great, elevated devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa" (The Nectar of Devotion, p. 137).

Let us gratefully receive this benediction and repeatedly hear the NÄrada-bhakti-sÅ«tra for our transcendental pleasure and benefit. NÄrada wishes to bless us that we shall attain the parÄá¹ gatim, the ultimate goal of life, the most cherished desire. But we must ask ourselves, "What do I desire?" If we desire to attain kṛṣṇa-bhakti and if we lead our life in accordance with the teachings of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then NÄrada promises we will attain the ultimate in this life and the next: we will render devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme beloved. As RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ« states in his Bhakti-rasÄmá¹›ta-sindhu, the goal of bhakti is very rarely attained. The Supreme Lord doesn't grant devotion as easily as He grants liberation, because when He gives devotion one gets an opportunity to serve Him directly. Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« tells MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it, "Those engaged in getting the Lord's favor attain liberation from the Lord very easily, but He does not very easily give the opportunity to render direct service unto Him" (SB 5.6.18).

NÄrada assures us twice, so there should be no doubt about it: although bhakti is very rare and hard to attain, with the blessings of NÄrada and his representatives we will attain the supreme beloved, we will attain the supreme beloved.

—Completed on UnmÄ«lanÄ« MahÄ-dvÄdaśī, November 24, 1989, in JagannÄtha PurÄ«, as desired by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupÄda