The supreme devotee of the Lord
Once our Guru Maharaj, Om Vispupada Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, was preaching in South India and he was invited to speak at an assembly of pandits. When Srila Guru Maharaj was seated the pandits asked him some questions, They were all expert in Sanskrit and vastly learned in all respects, They asked him who, in his opinion, was the supreme devotee of the Lord? They said they considered the chatuhsan--the four Kumar sages, Sanak, Sanatan, Sanandan, and Sanat Kumar---to be the supreme devotees of the Lord. At first Srila Guru Mahārāj did not say anything, so the head pandit directly asked him, "Can you tell us, Sir, who you think the best devotee of the Lord is?” Srila Guru Mahārāj said, “I can tell you but can you accept what I say?"
The head pandit replied, “Yes, if it is reasonable we can accept It. Then Guru Mahārāj said, “In our conception the chatuhsan are primary grade devotees. The pandits were shocked to hear this. They asked Guru Mahārāj who, in his opinion, was a higher-class devotee. Guru Mahārāj answered, "There is a sloka in the Srimad-Bhāgavatam that differs from your claim and since you have all read Srimad Bhagavatam why do you say the four Kumāras are the supreme devotees?"
Then Guru Mahārāj quoted that śloka:
na tathā me priyatama, ātma-yonir na sankaraḥ
na cha sankarşaņo na śrīr, na eva ātmā cha yathā bhavān
(Srimad-Bhāgavatam, 11.14.15)
Here Lord Krşņa says to Uddhava, "The chatuhsan's father, Lord Brahmä, is their Guru; but he is not as dear to Me as you are. Even Sankar, Lord Siva, who is the greatest Vaisnava and who is always chanting My Holy Name, is not as dear to Me as you. Laksmidevi, the Goddess of Fortune who resides on My chest, is also not as dear to Me as you. Even My own Self, naivātmā, is also not as dear as you are.You are My most dear devotee." Krsna told Uddhava he is His most dear devotee and when Srila Guru Mahārāj gave this answer the pandits were stunned. But after Uddhava went to Vrndāvan and saw the Vraja-gopīs and the Vraja-vāsīs mood of devotion, dedication and whole - hearted service, he said:
āsām aho charaņa-reņu-jușām ahaṁ syām
vịndāvane kim api gulma-lataușadhīnām
ya dustyajam sva-janam ārya-patham cha hitvā
bhejur mukunda-padavīm śrutibhir vimrgyām
(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.47.61)
"If I can take my birth as a piece of grass on the footpaths of Vrndāvan where the Vraja-gopis walk so the dust of their feet will bless me, I will feel my life is successful.”
There is no doubt Krsņa is more satisfied by the devotion of the gopīs than He is satisfied with His dearest disciple Brahmā, or with His dear brother Sankarşan, or with Śrī Lakşmidevī, who always resides on His chest, or even with His dearmost devotee,
Lord Siva. The Vraja-vāsīs, especially the Vraja-gopis, have this type of dedication, devotion and wholehearted service attitude; and Uddhava, the dearest devotee and disciple of Lord Krsna, declares this. This is real Krsna consciousness, and real Krsņa consciousness is proceeding in this line.
