यथा वैरानुबन्धेन मर्त्यस्तन्मयतामियात् ।
न तथा भक्तियोगेन इति मे निश्चिता मतिः ॥२७॥

yathÄ vairÄnubandhena
martyas tan-mayatÄm iyÄt
na tathÄ bhakti-yogena
iti me niÅ›citÄ matiḥ

 yathÄ - as; vaira-anubandhena - by constant enmity; martyaḥ - a person; tat-mayatÄm - absorption in Him; iyÄt - may attain; na - not; tathÄ - in a like manner; bhakti-yogena - by devotional service; iti - thus; me - my; niÅ›citÄ - definite; matiḥ - opinion.


Text

NÄrada Muni continued: By devotional service one cannot achieve such intense absorption in thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as one can through enmity toward Him. That is my opinion.

Purport

ÅšrÄ«mÄn NÄrada Muni, the topmost pure devotee, praises Kṛṣṇa’s enemies like ÅšiÅ›upÄla because their minds are always completely absorbed in Kṛṣṇa. Indeed, he thinks himself deficient in the inspiration of being feelingly absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This does not mean, however, that the enemies of Kṛṣṇa are more elevated than Kṛṣṇa’s pure devotees. In the Caitanya-caritÄmá¹›ta (Ä€di 5.205) KṛṣṇadÄsa KavirÄja GosvÄmÄ« also thinks of himself in such a humble way:

jagÄi mÄdhÄi haite muñi se pÄpiṣṭha
 purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi se laghiṣṭha

“I am a worse sinner than JagÄi and MÄdhÄi and am even lower than the worms in the stool.†A pure devotee always thinks himself more deficient than everyone else. If a devotee approaches ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī to offer some service to Kṛṣṇa, even ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī thinks that the devotee is greater than She. Thus NÄrada Muni says that according to his opinion the enemies of Kṛṣṇa are better situated because they are fully absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa in terms of killing Him, just as a very lusty man always thinks of women and their association.

The essential point in this connection is that one should be fully absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa, twenty-four hours a day. There are many devotees in rÄga-mÄrga, which is exhibited in Vá¹›ndÄvana. Whether in dÄsya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vÄtsalya-rasa or mÄdhurya-rasa, all the devotees of Kṛṣṇa are always overwhelmed by thoughts of Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa is away from Vá¹›ndÄvana tending the cows in the forest, the gopÄ«s, in the mÄdhurya-rasa, are always absorbed in thoughts of how Kṛṣṇa walks in the forest. The soles of His feet are so soft that the gopÄ«s would not dare keep His lotus feet on their soft breasts. Indeed, they consider their breasts a very hard place for the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, yet those lotus feet wander in the forest, which is full of thorny plants. The gopÄ«s are absorbed in such thoughts at home, although Kṛṣṇa is away from them. Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa plays with His young friends, mother YaÅ›odÄ is very much disturbed by thoughts that Kṛṣṇa, because of always playing and not taking His food properly, must be getting weak. These are examples of the exalted ecstasy felt in Kṛṣṇa’s service as manifested in Vá¹›ndÄvana. This service is indirectly praised by NÄrada Muni in this verse. Especially for the conditioned soul, NÄrada Muni recommends that one somehow or other be absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa, for that will save one from all the dangers of material existence. Full absorption in thought of Kṛṣṇa is the highest platform of bhakti-yoga.