Page 15 - Powerful Feminine Qualities

The example of Maharaja Ambarisa is very instructive to understand the importance of patience for a devotee. He was
the emperor of the world with many duties, obligations, and dangers at every step. However, a devotee like Maharaja
Ambarisa was able to tolerate the onslaught of disturbances made by Durvasa Muni because of his complete
dependence on the good will and mercy of the Lord, and his ability to remain patient and tolerant.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura says avasya rakhibe Krishna visvasa palana – one should have complete faith that Krishna will
protect his devotee. Krishna tells Arjuna to declare boldly, “My devotee never perishes.” (Bg 9.31) Srila Prabhupada
writes, “Generally, a devotee who is engaged in the nine kinds of devotional activities is engaged in the process of
cleansing all material contamination from the heart. He puts the Supreme Personality of Godhead within his heart,
and all sinful contaminations are naturally washed away. Continuous thinking of the Supreme Lord makes him pure by
nature. According to the Vedas, there is a certain regulation that if one falls down from his exalted position he has to
undergo certain ritualistic processes to purify himself. However, here there is no such condition, because the purifying
process is already there in the heart of the devotee, due to his remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead
constantly. Therefore, the chanting of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare
Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare should be continued without stoppage. This will protect a devotee from all accidental
fall downs. He will thus remain perpetually free from all material contaminations.” (Bg 9.31 – purport)
Maharaja Ambarisa observed the vow of Ekadasi for one year by fasting without food and water. When it was time to
break the fast with a few grains of holy prasadam, the great sage Durvasa Muni appeared. The king invited the sage to
join him for prasadam. Durvasa excused himself to take a bath in the holy waters of the Yamuna and then return. The
sage’s return was delayed. The auspicious moment to break the fast was about to end. Ambarisa consulted his
brahmin counsellors who advised him to take a drop of water to end the fast symbolically.
On his return, Durvasa realized the king broke his fast in his absence. He became enraged, pulled a hair from his
matted hair, and transformed it into a fiery demoness named Kritya. She menaced Ambarisa with death. The king
stood his ground fearlessly while praying intensely to Lord Narayana who sent His lethal disc, Sudarshan chakra, which
immediately burnt the she-demon to ashes. The disc leapt toward Durvasa who quickly ran away. The powerful sage
went to Brahmaloka, then Sivaloka and finally Vaikuntha where he met Lord Narayana. No one - not Brahma, Siva, or
Narayana, was able to stop the chakra. Lord Narayana advised the sage to return to Ambarisa and beg for mercy. For
one year, the great king patiently prayed for the welfare of Durvasa without any rancor toward him. The heart of
Ambarisa was full of compassion for the angry sage. When the sage fell at the feet of Ambarisa and begged for mercy,
the king pacified Sudarshan Chakra with appropriate prayers so that the personified weapon returned to Lord
Narayana. Then the king satisfied Durvasa by presenting him with delicious prasadam.
Durvasa realized the glorious spiritual qualities of Ambarisa Maharaja, a pure devotee of the Lord, whose only thought
was to serve the Lord with love and devotion, and to care for the welfare of others, even those who treated him with
enmity.
Srila Prabhupada elaborates more on patience. “These activities must be executed with patience. One should be
patient in Krishna consciousness. Indeed, this Krishna consciousness movement was started single-handedly, and in
the beginning, there was no response, but because we continued to execute our devotional activities with patience,
people gradually began to understand the importance of this movement, and now they are eagerly participating. One
should not be impatient in discharging devotional service but should take instructions from the spiritual master and
execute them with patience, depending on the mercy of guru and Krishna. The successful execution of Krishna
conscious activities requires both patience and confidence.” (NOI – in the purport to verse 3)
In the Valmiki Ramayan, Sage Visvamitra tells Lord Rama the story of his paternal grandfather, the illustrious King
Kusanabha, who had one hundred daughters. Once Vayu wanted the maidens to become his wives, and elevate them
to the status of celestials. The maidens refused him. They told him that they would never do anything that would
dishonor their father. “Our father is indeed our Lord and the ultimate God. Only if our father offers our hand in
marriage to a person would we accept that person as our husband.” (VR 1.32.22) Vayu was angry at the rejection, and
disfigured the maidens’ limbs. Tearfully, the once beautiful daughters of King Kusanabha entered their father’s palace,

15