Relishing the Sweetness of God's Nectar
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the ultimate satisfaction for the soul is found only in the transcendental nectar of the Supreme Lord. By studying his instructions, we learn how the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa act as a liquid nectar for the ears, why this sweetness remains endless, and how the Lord personally distributed nectar during the churning of the milk ocean.
The Flow of Transcendental Messages
The narrations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are not ordinary historical accounts; they are liquid absolute truth. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that hearing and chanting these divine pastimes is exactly like drinking a constant flow of nectar, which is the prime method for advancing in spiritual life.
- The narration of the activities of the Personality of Godhead is like a constant flow of nectar. No one can refuse to drink such nectar except one who is not a human being.
- One must drink the nectar of the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and this means that one must be always engaged in hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord. It is the prime method for advancing in spiritual life.
- Sri Brahmaji is attempting to narrate the principal incarnations of the Lord so that they may be drunk by Narada as transcendental nectar.
- I offer my respectful obeisances unto Srila Vyasadeva, the incarnation of Vasudeva who compiled the Vedic scriptures. The pure devotees drink up the nectarean transcendental knowledge dropping from the lotuslike mouth of the Lord.
The Satisfaction of the Pure Devotee
Once a soul experiences the higher taste of spiritual life, all material desires naturally fall away. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that when a pure devotee drinks the nectar of the Lord's sweetness through their ears and eyes, their transcendental thirst is never quenched, but rather increases eternally.
- A devotee who has once tasted the nectar from the Lord's lotus feet can realize what transcendental pleasure there is in the Lord's devotional service.
- Pariksit was not interested in the dry speculation of the flickering mind, but he was interested in the topics of the Lord because factually he felt that by hearing such a nectarean message from the mouth of Sukadeva he was not feeling any exhaustion.
- The thirst of one who always drinks the nectar of that sweetness is never satisfied. Rather, that thirst increases constantly.
- They enjoyed celestial happiness, with open hearts full of love and affection for the Lord, and when they saw the face of the Lord, it seemed to them that they were drinking nectar through their eyes.
The Cure for Material Jaundice
Conditioned souls suffering from material illusion often reject spiritual topics, finding them distasteful. Śrīla Prabhupāda uses the analogy of jaundice to explain that while the message of Godhead tastes bitter to the materially diseased, it is actually the supreme medicine that ultimately cures them and reveals its true sweetness.
- The message of Godhead is always like nectar to the devotees, but it is just the opposite to the nondevotees. Sugar candy is always sweet to a healthy man, but it tastes very bitter to persons suffering from jaundice.
- Here the word snigdhapangavalokanat means that he was fortunate enough to see the Supreme Lord face to face. He looked healthy because he had directly received the nectarean sound vibrations from the lotus lips of the Personality of Godhead.
- Although we (Pariksit) are the lowest of ksatriyas, we are glorified and benefited because we have the opportunity of always hearing from you (Sukadeva Gosvami) the nectar of the pious activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead - SB 10.12.43.
Distributing the Churned Nectar
The Vedic histories document a cosmic event where the ocean of milk was churned to produce physical nectar (amṛta). Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how the Supreme Lord purposefully assumed the forms of Dhanvantari and Mohinī-mūrti to ensure this vital nectar was distributed to the demigods while cleverly tricking the asuras (demons).
- He (Lord Siva) wanted to see the recent incarnation of Mohini-murti, which Lord Visnu had assumed to distribute the nectar generated from the churning of the ocean of milk.
- Srila Madhvacarya remarks: Dhanvantari, who was carrying the jug containing nectar, was a plenary incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but although he was very strong, the asuras were able to take the jug of nectar from his hands.
- The words vancayann upasancaraih indicate that the Lord's whole policy was to cheat the demons simply by speaking sweet words. The Lord's intention was to distribute the nectar only to the demigods.
- Considering this logic (One can bring a snake under control with mantras, herbs and drugs, but an envious and crooked person cannot be brought under control by any means), the SP of Godhead thought it unwise to distribute nectar to the demons.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes that the true nectar of the Supreme Personality of Godhead goes far beyond the physical elixir churned from the milk ocean. While the Lord rightfully protected the universal administration by cheating the demons and distributing the physical nectar to the demigods via Mohinī-mūrti, He freely offers the supreme, spiritual nectar to everyone in the form of kṛṣṇa-kathā. The narrations of the Lord's pastimes, qualities, and instructions flow like a constant, life-giving river from the lips of pure devotees. Although the materially conditioned soul, blinded by the jaundice of ignorance, may initially find this message bitter, continuous aural reception acts as the perfect cure. Once a devotee is purified and begins to taste the authentic sweetness of this transcendental nectar, their spiritual thirst becomes eternally insatiable, culminating in the highest ecstasies of pure love of Godhead.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category God's Nectar. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.