Service to devotees is so powerful that even brief, humble service elevates one to the highest spiritual perfection.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.23 — August 4, 1974, Vṛndāvana 740804SB-VRNDAVAN [38:26 Minutes] SB-01.05.23_740804SB-VRNDAVAN Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.] ahaṁ purātīta-bhave 'bhavaṁ mune dāsyās tu kasyāścana veda-vādinām nirūpito bālaka eva yogināṁ śuśrūṣaṇe prāvṛṣi nirvivikṣatām [SB 1.5.23] [break] [02:45] "In the last millennium I was born as the son of a certain maidservant engaged in the service of brāhmaṇas, who were following the principles of Vedānta. When they were living together during the four months of the rainy season, I was engaged in their personal service." Prabhupāda: ahaṁ purātīta-bhave 'bhavaṁ mune dāsyās tu kasyāścana veda-vādinām nirūpito bālaka eva yogināṁ śuśrūṣaṇe prāvṛṣi nirvivikṣatām [SB 1.5.23] So this is the previous life history of Nārada Muni.
Nārada Muni is explaining about his previous life to Vyāsadeva. What was the previous life? The son of a maidservant. Maidservant means śūdrāṇī, not born of a brāhmaṇa family.
Low class, maidservant. So from this position, Nārada Muni became the greatest muni. He is describing his own life. This is most important point, that even... First of all, he was a boy, three-, fouror five-years-old boy, no knowledge.
And second point is that he was not born in a very high-grade family, aristocratic family, rich family. No. Maidservant's son. He did not give any information of his father also.
Dāsyāḥ. Dāsyāḥ means there is no certainty who is father. Dāsī. Dāsī-putra.
The... Formerly, big, big men, especially kṣatriyas... Just like when Vasudeva was married with Devakī, so with Devakī many hundreds maidservants were given, with Vasudeva. That is the system, especially among the kṣatriyas.
When a kṣatriya king is married, then along with the queen, many girlfriends of the queen, they are also taken away. This is also nice solution of social problem. Yes. Because female population is always greater than the male population.