Text 25
evaṁ vidhāneka-guṇaḥ sa rājā
parātmani brahmaṇi vāsudeve
kriyā-kalāpaiḥ samuvāha bhaktiṁ
yayāviriñcyān nirayāṁś cakāra
evam — in this way; vidhā-aneka-guṇaḥ — endowed with varieties of good qualities; saḥ — he, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa; rājā — the King; para-ātmani — unto the Supersoul; brahmaṇi — unto Brahman; vāsudeve — unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva; kriyā-kalāpaiḥ — by practical activities; samuvāha — executed; bhaktim — devotional service; yayā — by such activities; āviriñcyān — beginning from the topmost planet; nirayān — down to the hellish planets; cakāra — he experienced that there is danger everywhere.
In this way, because of devotional service, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, who was endowed with varieties of transcendental qualities, was completely aware of Brahman, Paramātmā and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus he executed devotional service perfectly. Because of his devotion, he thought even the topmost planet of this material world no better than the hellish planets.
An exalted and pure devotee like Mahārāja Ambarīṣa is in full awareness of Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān; in other words, a devotee of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is in full knowledge of the other features of the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is realized in three features — Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān (brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate). A devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, knows everything (vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti) because Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, includes both Paramātmā and Brahman. One does not have to realize Paramātmā by the yoga system, for the devotee always thinking of Vāsudeva is the topmost yogī (yoginām api sarveṣām). And as far as jñāna is concerned, if one is a perfect devotee of Vāsudeva, he is the greatest mahātmā (vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ). A mahātmā is one who has full knowledge of the Absolute Truth. Thus Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, being a devotee of the Personality of Godhead, was in full awareness of Paramātmā, Brahman, māyā, the material world, the spiritual world, and how things are going on everywhere. Everything was known to him. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. Because the devotee knows Vāsudeva, he knows everything within the creation of Vāsudeva (vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ). Such a devotee does not give much value to the highest standard of happiness within this material world.
nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve
na kutaścana bibhyati
svargāpavarga-narakeṣv
api tulyārtha-darśinaḥ
(Bhāg. 6.17.28)
Because he is fixed in devotional service, a devotee does not regard any position in the material world as important. Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī has therefore written (Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5):
kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tridaśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate
durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate
viśvaṁ pūrṇa-sukhāyate vidhi-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate
yat-kāruṇya-katākṣa-vaibhavavatāṁ taṁ gauram eva stumaḥ
For one who becomes a pure devotee through devotional service to great personalities like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, kaivalya, or merging into Brahman, appears no better than hell. As far as the heavenly planets are concerned, to a devotee they are like a phantasmagoria or will-o’-the-wisp, and as far as yogic perfection is concerned, a devotee does not care a fig for such perfection, since the purpose of yogic perfection is achieved automatically by the devotee. This is all possible when one becomes a devotee of the Lord through the medium of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s instructions.