Text 15

Respect for devotees is described in the Yāmuna-stotra (52):

तव दास्य-सुखैक-सङ्गिनां भवनेष्व् अस्त्व् अपि कीट-जन्म मे
इतरावसथेषु मा स्म भूद् अपि जन्म चतुर्-मुखात्मना

tava dāsya-sukhaika-saṅgināṃ bhavaneṣv astv api kīṭa-janma me
itarāvasatheṣu mā sma bhūd api janma catur-mukhātmanā

O Bhagavān, if I take birth again due to my past activities or by Your desire, please let it be in the home of a devotee, even if that birth is in the body of an insect. I have no desire to take birth in a household devoid of devotion to You, even if it has the opulence of Brahmā. O Puruṣottama, this is my earnest prayer unto You.

वेद-विधि-अनुसारे, कर्म करि’ ए संसारे,
जीव पुनः पुनः जन्म पाय
पूर्व-कृत कर्म-फले, तोमार वा इच्छा-बले,
जन्म यदि लभि पुनराय

veda-vidhi-anusāre, karma kari’ e saṃsāre,
jīva punaḥ punaḥ janma pāya
pūrva-kṛta karma-phale, tomāra vā icchā-bale,
janma yadi labhi punarāya

तबे एक कथा मम, शुन हे पुरुषोत्तम,
तव दास सङ्गि-जन-घरे
कीट-जन्म यदि हय, ताहाते ओ दयामय,
रहिब हे सन्तुष्ट अन्तरे

tabe eka kathā mama, śuna he puruṣottama,
tava dāsa saṅgi-jana-ghare
kīṭa-janma yadi haya, tāhāte o dayāmaya,
rahiba he santuṣṭa antare

tava dāsa-saṅga-hīna, ye gṛhastha arvācīna,
tā’ra gṛhe caturmukha-bhūti
nā cāi kakhana hari, kara-dvaya yoḍa kari’,
kare tava kiṅkara minati

Commentary: Bhajana-rahasya-vṛtti:

“O Lord, I have heard from guru and Vaiṣṇavas that the living entity is wandering in the cycle of birth and death according to his past activities. Prabhu, even if according to my auspicious and inauspicious karma I take birth in this material world, there is no cause for grief. However, my earnest petition at Your lotus feet is that even if I have to take the low birth of an insect or dog as a result of my karma, please let it be in the home of a devotee so that I will have the association of saintly Vaiṣṇavas. I have no desire to take birth in a very rich family that is opposed to You, even though it may be as wealthy as Brahmā.

I have heard from the scriptures that bhakti is born of sādhu-saṅga:

कृष्ण-भक्ति-जन्म-मूल हय ‘साधु-सङ्ग’
कृष्ण-प्रेम जन्मे, तेङ्हो पुनः मुख्य अङ्ग

kṛṣṇa-bhakti-janma-mūla haya ‘sādhu-saṅga’
kṛṣṇa-prema janme, teṅho punaḥ mukhya aṅga

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 22.83)

The root cause of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa is association with advanced devotees. Even when one’s dormant love for Kṛṣṇa awakens, association with devotees is still most essential. *

“O Merciful One, whether I live in heaven, hell or anywhere else, I will hear about Your lotus feet, sing their glories and meditate upon them.”