वासुदेवे भगवति यस्य नैसर्गिकी रतिः ॥३६॥
guṇair alam asaṅkhyeyair
mÄhÄtmyaá¹ tasya sÅ«cyate
vÄsudeve bhagavati
yasya naisargikī ratiḥ
guṇaiḥ - with spiritual qualities; alam - what need; asaá¹…khyeyaiḥ - which are innumerable; mÄhÄtmyam - the greatness; tasya - of him (PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja); sÅ«cyate - is indicated; vÄsudeve - to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva; bhagavati - the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yasya - of whom; naisargikÄ« - natural; ratiḥ - attachment.
Who could list the innumerable transcendental qualities of PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja? He had unflinching faith in VÄsudeva, Lord Kṛṣṇa [the son of Vasudeva], and unalloyed devotion to Him. His attachment to Lord Kṛṣṇa was natural because of his previous devotional service. Although his good qualities cannot be enumerated, they prove that he was a great soul [mahÄtmÄ].
In his prayers to the ten incarnations, Jayadeva GosvÄmÄ« says, keÅ›ava dhá¹›ta-narahari-rÅ«pa jaya jagad-Ä«Å›a hare. PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja was a devotee of Lord Ná¹›siá¹ha, who is KeÅ›ava, Kṛṣṇa Himself. Therefore when this verse says vÄsudeve bhagavati, one should understand that PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja’s attachment for Ná¹›siá¹hadeva was attachment for Kṛṣṇa, VÄsudeva, the son of Vasudeva. PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja, therefore, is described as a great mahÄtmÄ. As the Lord Himself confirms in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (7.19):
bahÅ«nÄá¹ janmanÄm ante
jñÄnavÄn mÄá¹ prapadyate
vÄsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahÄtmÄ sudurlabhaḥ
“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.†A great devotee of Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva, is a great soul very rarely to be found. PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja’s attachment for Kṛṣṇa will be explained in the next verse. Kṛṣṇa-graha-gá¹›hÄ«tÄtmÄ. PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja’s heart was always filled with thoughts of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja is the ideal devotee in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
