Two Kinds Of Highly Elevated Devotees

Two Kinds Of Highly Elevated Devotees
His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bali Maharaja had already been blessed by his grandfather Prahlada Maharaja. Therefore, he was a pure devotee, although born in a family of demons. There are two kinds of highly elevated devotees, called sādhana-siddha and kṛpā-siddha. Sādhana-siddha refers to one who has become a devotee by regular execution of the regulative principles mentioned in the śāstras, as ordered and directed by the spiritual master. If one reg¬ularly executes such devotional service, he will certainly attain perfection in due course of time. But there are other devotees, who may not have undergone all the required details of devotional service but who, by the special mercy of guru and Krishna—the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead—have immediately at¬tained the perfection of pure devotional service. Examples of such devotees are the yajṣa-patnīs, Maharaja Bali and Sukadeva Goswami. The ya¬jṣa-patnīs were the wives of ordinary brāhmaṇas engaged in fruitive activities. Although the brāh¬maṇas were very learned and advanced in Vedic knowledge, they could not achieve the mercy of Krishna-Balarama, whereas their wives achieved complete perfection in devotional service, despite their being women. Similarly, Vairocani, Bali Ma¬haraja, received the mercy of Prahlada Maharaja, and by Prahlada Maharaja’s mercy he also received the mercy of Lord Visnu, who appeared before him as a brahmacārī beggar. Thus Bali Maharaja became a kṛpā-siddha because of the special mercy of both guru and Krishna. Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms this favor: guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (Cc. Madhya 19.151). Bali Maharaja, by the grace of Prahlada Maharaja, got the seed of devotional service, and when that seed developed, he achieved the ultimate fruit of that service, namely love of Godhead (premā pum-artho mahān), immediately upon the appearance of Lord Vamanadeva. Bali Maharaja regularly maintained devotion for the Lord, and because he was purified, the Lord ap-peared before him. Because of unalloyed love for the Lord, he then immediately decided, “I shall give this little dwarf brāhmaṇa whatever He asks from me.” This is a sign of love. Thus Bali Maharaja is understood to be one who received the highest perfection of devotional service by special mercy.
– Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) > Canto 8: Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creation > Chapter 20: Bali Maharaja surrenders the Universe, Verses 3, Purport