Hare Krsna,

I am going to start with an audacious statement which many of the readers may not agree with. The prayers of Nagapatnis is a classic case of ‘missed opportunity’. I am going to explain this a bit later.

First, I want to highlight some of the similarities of the Nagapatnis’ prayers with other prayers in Srimad Bhagavatam. See one such similarity in the Sanskrit and English translation.

SB 10.16.37

na nāka-pṛṣṭhaṁ na ca sārva-bhaumaṁ

na pārameṣṭhyaṁ na rasādhipatyam

na yoga-siddhīr apunar-bhavaṁ vā

vāñchanti yat-pāda-rajaḥ-prapannāḥ

Those who have attained the dust of Your lotus feet never hanker for the kingship of heaven, limitless sovereignty, the position of Brahmā or rulership over the earth. They are not interested even in the perfections of yoga or in liberation itself.

SB 6.11.25 (Prayers of Vrtasura)

na nāka-pṛṣṭhaṁ na ca pārameṣṭhyaṁ
na sārva-bhaumaṁ na rasādhipatyam
na yoga-siddhīr apunar-bhavaṁ vā
samañjasa tvā virahayya kāṅkṣe

O my Lord, source of all opportunities, I do not desire to enjoy in Dhruvaloka, the heavenly planets or the planet where Lord Brahmā resides, nor do I want to be the supreme ruler of all the earthly planets or the lower planetary systems. I do not desire to be master of the powers of mystic yoga, nor do I want liberation if I have to give up Your lotus feet.

Above is one instance. There are also some similarities between the Nagapatnis’ prayers and the prayers of Gajendra (SB 8.3). Both these prayers reveal the knowledge of the Absolute Truth.

Now back to my comment about the prayers being ‘missed opportunity’. The Nagapatnis’ prayers are not first-class prayers. The golden standard of what a first-class prayer should be is established by none other than Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In His Sri Siksastakam, He prays

na dhanam na janam na sundarim
kavitam va jagad-isha kamaye
mama janmani janmanishvare
bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki twayi

O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service birth after birth.

This is what a quality prayer should be. We should only pray for pure devotional service unto the Supreme Lord. The Nagapatnis prayed just for the opposite. Instead of praying for pure devotional service, they prayed to have their husband Kaliya back. They could have prayed for servitude to Sri Krsna, to Sri Radha, and to the Vaisnavas. They could have prayed to be always able to hear Krsna-katha from the mouth of pure devotees. They could have prayed to be a tree or animal or even a grass in Vrindavan, just as what Lord Brahma prayed at the end of the pastime of stealing Krsna’s friends and calves. Unfortunately, the Nagapatnis prayed, “Give us our husband back!”

SB 10.16.52: “O Supreme Lord, please be merciful. It is proper for the saintly to feel compassion for women like us. This serpent is about to give up his life. Please give us back our husband, who is our life and soul.”

Srila Prabhupada highlights this in one of the purports of the Vrtasura chapters (SB 6.9). He writes:

“When the demigods finished offering their prayers, they anxiously waited for their enemy Vṛtrāsura to be killed. This means that the demigods are not pure devotees. Although without difficulty one can get anything he desires if the Lord is pleased, the demigods aspire for material profit by pleasing the Lord. The Lord wanted the demigods to pray for unalloyed devotional service, but instead they prayed for an opportunity to kill their enemy. This is the difference between a pure devotee and a devotee on the material platform. Indirectly, the Lord regretted that the demigods did not ask for pure devotional service.”

Thus, I say this is a case of ‘missed opportunity’. As we will see in the next few verses, Lord Krsna orders Kaliya and his family to leave Vṛndāvana and go to the ocean. How unfortunate! And here we are… praying and chanting to be bestowed the mercy to be eternal residents of Vṛndāvana.

Therefore, I relish studying Srimad Bhagavatam so much. There are so many lessons to learn and not to learn.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!