Wives of Devotees of God and Their Exalted Service
Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently highlights the glorious position of the wives of pure devotees. Far from being ordinary women, personalities such as mother Yaśodā, Devakī, and Draupadī are eternal associates of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Through their unalloyed service, deep attachment to Kṛṣṇa, and immense tolerance, they achieve the highest perfection of life, sharing the exact same transcendental destination as their exalted husbands.
Exalted Associates of the Lord
The parents of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana and Mathurā are not ordinary living entities. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Nanda Mahārāja and his wife, mother Yaśodā, as well as Vasudeva and Devakī, are highly elevated personalities who appeared specifically to serve the Lord's pastimes and execute the orders of Lord Brahmā.
- When Brahma said, "Yes, let it be so," the most fortune Drona, who was equal to Bhagavan, appeared in Vrajapura, Vrndavana, as the most famous Nanda Maharaja, and his wife, Dhara, appeared as mother Yasoda.
- Sukadeva Gosvami said: To follow the orders of Lord Brahma, Drona, the best of the Vasus, along with his wife, Dhara, spoke to Lord Brahma.
- Nanda Maharaja and Vasudeva were intimate friends, and so were their wives, Yasoda and Devaki. Although their names were different, they were practically nondifferent personalities.
- One may argue that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who creates the whole cosmic manifestation simply by His glance, cannot come within the womb of Devaki, the wife of Vasudeva.
The Ecstasy of Vraja
The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, particularly the wives of the cowherd men, are fully absorbed in spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how they joyfully rushed to see the newborn Lord, offering Him blessings, prayers, and gifts with hearts full of unalloyed devotion.
- Their lotuslike faces extraordinarily beautiful, being decorated with saffron and newly grown kunkuma, the wives of the cowherd men hurried to the house of mother Yasoda with presentations in their hands.
- Because of natural beauty, the wives had full hips and full breasts, which moved as they hurried along.
- Offering blessings to the newborn child, Krsna, the wives and daughters of the cowherd men said, "May You become the King of Vraja and long maintain all its inhabitants."
- They sprinkled a mixture of turmeric powder, oil and water upon the birthless Supreme Lord and offered their prayers.
Tolerance in Devotional Life
The path of pure devotion is not without severe tests. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that great devotees and their wives, such as Arjuna and Draupadī, tolerated immense hardship and humiliation, depending entirely on Kṛṣṇa's protection and grace in the face of political animosity.
- Bhismadeva and Dronacarya did not even speak a word when Arjuna's wife Draupadi, in her helpless condition, had appealed to them for justice while she was being forced to strip naked in the presence of all the great generals in the assembly.
- Duryodhana, a great diplomat, wanted to point out the defects of Dronacarya, the great brahmana commander-in-chief. Dronacarya had some political quarrel with King Drupada, the father of Draupadi, who was Arjuna's wife.
- Gambling is also an art. Ksatriyas are allowed to exhibit talent in this art of gambling. By Krsna's grace, the Pandavas lost everything by gambling and were deprived of their kingdom, wife, family and home because they were not expert in the gambling art.
- Since pure devotees give up their homes, wives, children, relatives, riches and even their lives simply to serve Me, without any desire for material improvement in this life or in the next, how can I give up such devotees at any time.
Equal Destination of Perfection
In Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the spiritual reward is the same for anyone who fully surrenders. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that the wives of great devotees, by assisting in the service of the Lord and raising devotees, attain the very same spiritual perfection and Vaikuṇṭha destination as their husbands.
- My son Baladeva, being raised by you and your wife, Yasodadevi, considers you His father and mother. Is He living very peacefully in your home with His real mother, Rohini?
- To offer Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu various types of food, all the wives of the great devotees brought from home various dishes that pleased Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
- These millions and trillions of goddesses of fortune who reside in the Vaikuntha planets are not exactly consorts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but are the wives of the devotees of the Lord.
- The wives also got the same result as their husbands, in the same manner; that is to say, without changing their bodies they reached the destination of Godhead.
Conclusion
The wives of the Lord's pure devotees play an indispensable and glorious role in the execution of devotional service. Whether they are the eternal associates of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana, eagerly rushing to offer Him blessings, or the faithful wives of the Pāṇḍavas, enduring the heaviest material distress with unshakeable faith, their spiritual stature is absolute. Śrīla Prabhupāda confirms that devotional service is not restricted by material designations; by rendering pure, unmotivated service, the wives of the devotees achieve the exact same spiritual perfection as their husbands. Ultimately, they return back home, back to Godhead, where they eternally reside in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead with pure love.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Wives of Devotees of God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.