धर्मं पारमहंस्यं वै मुनेः श्रुत्वासुरेश्वरः ।
पूजयित्वा ततः प्रीत आमन्त्र्य प्रययौ गृहम् ॥४६॥
Å›rÄ«-nÄrada uvÄca
dharmaá¹ pÄramahaá¹syaá¹ vai
muneḥ Å›rutvÄsureÅ›varaḥ
pÅ«jayitvÄ tataḥ prÄ«ta
Ämantrya prayayau gá¹›ham
Å›rÄ«-nÄradaḥ uvÄca - ÅšrÄ« NÄrada Muni said; dharmam - the occupational duty; pÄramahaá¹syam - of the paramahaá¹sas, the most perfect human beings; vai - indeed; muneḥ - from the saintly person; Å›rutvÄ - thus hearing; asura-Ä«Å›varaḥ - the King of the asuras, PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja; pÅ«jayitvÄ - by worshiping the saintly person; tataḥ - thereafter; prÄ«taḥ - being very pleased; Ämantrya - taking permission; prayayau - left that place; gá¹›ham - for his home.
NÄrada Muni continued: After PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja, the King of the demons, heard these instructions from the saint, he understood the occupational duties of a perfect person [paramahaá¹sa]. Thus he duly worshiped the saint, took his permission and then left for his own home.
As quoted in Caitanya-caritÄmá¹›ta (Madhya 8.128), ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu said:
kibÄ vipra, kibÄ nyÄsÄ«, śūdra kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettÄ sei ‘guru’ haya
A guru, or spiritual master, can be anyone who is well conversant with the science of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore although PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja was a gá¹›hastha ruling over the demons, he was a paramahaá¹sa, the best of human beings, and thus he is our guru. In the list of gurus, or authorities, PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja’s name is therefore mentioned:
svayambhÅ«r nÄradaḥ Å›ambhuḥ
kumÄraḥ kapilo manuḥ
prahlÄdo janako bhÄ«á¹£mo
balir vaiyÄsakir vayam
(BhÄg. 6.3.20)
The conclusion is that a paramahaá¹sa is an exalted devotee (bhagavat-priya). Such a paramahaá¹sa may be in any stage of life — brahmacÄrÄ«, gá¹›hastha, vÄnaprastha or sannyÄsa — and be equally liberated and exalted.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Seventh Canto, Thirteenth Chapter, of the ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, entitled “The Behavior of a Perfect Person.â€
