1|Madhya 22-1975: The Process of Devotional Service
2|Chapter 22
3|The Process of Devotional Service
4|In this Twenty-second Chapter, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
>|describes the process of devotional service. In the
>|beginning He describes the truth about the living entity
>|and the superexcellence of devotional service. He then
>|describes the uselessness of mental speculation and mystic
>|yoga. In all circumstances the living entity is recommended
>|to accept the path of devotional service as personally
>|explained by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The speculative
>|method of the so-called jnanis is considered a waste of
>|time, and that is proved in this chapter. An intelligent
>|person should abandon the processes of karma-kanda, jnana-
>|kanda and mystic yoga. One should give up all these useless
>|processes and take seriously to the path of Krsna
>|consciousness. In this way one's life will be successful.
>|If one takes to Krsna consciousness fully, even though he
>|may sometimes be agitated due to having previously
>|practiced mental speculation and yogic mysticism, he will
>|be saved by Lord Krsna Himself. The fact is that devotional
>|service is bestowed by the blessings of a pure devotee (sa
>|mahatma sudurlabhah ). A pure devotee is the
>|supreme transcendentalist, and one has to receive his mercy
>|for one's dormant Krsna consciousness to be awakened. One
>|has to associate with pure devotees. If one has firm faith
>|in the words of a great soul, pure devotional service will
>|awaken.
5|In this chapter Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has
>|differentiated between a pure devotee and others. He also
>|describes the characteristics of a pure devotee. A devotee'
>|s most formidable enemy is association with women in an
>|enjoying spirit. Association with nondevotees is also
>|condemned because it is also a formidable enemy on the path
>|of devotional service. One has to fully surrender unto the
>|lotus feet of Krsna and give up attraction for women and
>|nondevotees.
6|The six symptoms of fully surrendered souls are also
>|described in this chapter. Devotional service has been
>|divided into two categories-regulative devotional service
>|and spontaneous love. There are sixty-four items listed in
>|regulative devotional service, and out of these sixty-four
>|the last five are considered very important. By practicing
>|even one of the nine processes of devotional service, one
>|can become successful. Speculative knowledge and mystic
>|yoga can never help one in devotional service. Pious
>|activity, nonviolence, sense control and regulation are not
>|separate from devotional service in its pure form. If one
>|engages in devotional service, all good qualities follow.
>|One does not have to cultivate them separately. Spontaneous
>|devotional service arises when one follows a pure devotee
>|who is awakened to spontaneous love of God. Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu has described the symptoms of devotees
>|who are already situated in spontaneous love of God. He has
>|also described the devotees who are trying to follow in the
>|footsteps of the pure devotees
7|Madhya 22.1
8|TEXT 1
9|TEXT
10|vande sri-krsna-caitanya-
11|devam tam karunarnavam
12|kalav apy ati-gudheyam
13|bhaktir yena prakasita
14|SYNONYMS
15|vande-I offer my respectful obeisances; sri-krsna-caitanya-
>|devam-unto Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tam-unto Him;
>|karuna-arnavam-who is an ocean of mercy; kalau-in this Age
>|of Kali; api-even; ati-very; gudha-confidential; iyam-this;
>|bhaktih-devotional service; yena-by whom; prakasita-
>|manifested.
16|TRANSLATION
17|I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu. He is an ocean of transcendental mercy, and
>|although the subject matter of bhakti-yoga is very
>|confidential, He has nonetheless manifested it so niceIy,
>|even in this Age of Kali, the age of quarrel.
18|Madhya 22.2
19|TEXT 2
20|TEXT
21|jaya jaya sri-krsna-caitanya nityananda
22|jayadvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda
23|SYNONYMS
24|jaya jaya-all glories; sri-krsna-caitanya nityananda-to Sri
>|Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu; jaya-all
>|glories; advaita-candra-to Advaita Prabhu; jaya-all glories;
>| gaura-bhakta-vrnda-to the devotees of Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu.
25|TRANSLATION
26|All glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to
>|Nityananda Prabhu! All glories to Advaitacandra! all
>|glories to all the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!
27|Madhya 22.3
28|TEXT 3
29|TEXT
30|eita kahilun sambandha-tattvera vicara
31|veda-sastre upadese, krsna-eka sara
32|SYNONYMS
33|eita-thus; kahilun-I have described; sambandha-tattvera
>|vicara-consideration of one's relationship with Krsna; veda-
>|sastre-all Vedic literature; upadese-instructs; krsna-Lord
>|Krsna; eka sara-the only essential point.
34|TRANSLATION
35|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "I have described one's
>|relation with Krsna in various ways. This is the
>|subject matter of all the Vedas. Krsna is the center of all
>|activities.
36|Madhya 22.4
37|TEXT 4
38|TEXT
39|ebe kahi, suna, abhidheya-laksana
40|yaha haite pai-krsna, krsna-prema-dhana
41|SYNONYMS
42|ebe-now; kahi-I shall explain; suna-please hear; abhidheya-
>|laksana-one's prime business (devotional service); yaha
>|haite-from which; pai-one can get; krsna-Lord Krsna; krsna-
>|prema-dhana-and the wealth of transcendental love for Him.
43|TRANSLATION
44|"Now I shall speak about the characteristics of devotional
>|service, by which one can attain the shelter of Krsna and
>|His loving transcendental service.
45|Madhya 22.5
46|TEXT 5
47|TEXT
48|krsna-bhakti-abhidheya, sarva-sastre kaya
49|ataeva muni-gana kariyache niscaya
50|SYNONYMS
51|krsna-bhakti-devotional service to Lord Krsna; abhidheya-
>|the real activity of life; sarva-sastre-all Vedic
>|literatures; kaya-say; ataeva-therefore; muni-gana-all
>|saintly persons; kariyache-have made; niscaya-ascertainment
>|.
52|TRANSLATION
53|"A human being's activities should be centered only about
>|devotional service to Lord Krsna. That is the verdict of
>|all Vedic literatures, and all saintly people have
>|ascertained this.
54|Madhya 22.6
55|TEXT 6
56|TEXT
57|srutir mata prsta disati bhavad-aradhana-vidhim
58|yatha matur vani smrtir api tatha vakti bhagini
59|puranadya ye va sahaja-nivahas te tad-anuga
60|atah satyam jnatam murahara bhavan eva saranam
61|SYNONYMS
62|srutih-Vedic knowledge; mata-like a mother who is
>|affectionate to her children; prsta-when questioned; disati-
>|she directs; bhavat-of You; aradhana-worship; vidhim-the
>|process; yatha-just as; matuh vani-the instructions of the
>|mother; smrtih-smrti-sastras, which explain the Vedic
>|literatures; api-also; tatha-similarly; vakti-express;
>|bhagini-like a sister; purana-adyah-headed by the Puranas;
>|ye-which; va-or; sahaja-nivahah-like brothers; te-all of
>|them; tat-of the mother; anugah-followers; atah-therefore;
>|satyam-the truth; jnatam-known; mura-hara-O killer of the
>|demon Mura; bhavan-Your Lordship; eva-only; saranam-the
>|shelter.
63|TRANSLATION
64|" 'When the mother Vedas [sruti] is questioned as to whom
>|to worship, she says that You are the only Lord and
>|worshipable object. Similarly, the corollaries of the sruti-
>|sastras, the smrti-sastras, give the same instructions,
>|just like sisters. The Puranas, which are like brothers,
>|follow in the footsteps of their mother. O enemy of the
>|demon Mura, the conclusion is that You are the only shelter.
>| Now I have understood this in truth.'
65|PURPORT
66|This quotation from the Vedic literature was spoken
>|by great sages.
67|Madhya 22.7
68|TEXT 7
69|TEXT
70|advaya-jnana-tattva krsna-svayam bhagavan
71|'svarupa-sakti' rupe tanra haya avasthana
72|SYNONYMS
73|advaya-jnana-of nondual knowledge; tattva-the principle;
>|krsna-Lord Krsna; svayam bhagavan-Himself the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead; svarupa-personal expansions; sakti-
>|of potencies; rupe-in the form; tanra-His; haya-there is;
>|avasthana-existence.
74|TRANSLATION
75|"Krsna is the nondual Absolute Truth, the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead. Although He is one, He maintains
>|different personal expansions and energies for His pastimes.
76|PURPORT
77|The Lord has many potencies, and He is nondifferent from
>|all these potencies. Because the potencies and the potent
>|cannot be separated, they are identical. Krsna is described
>|as the source of all potencies, and He is also identified
>|with the external potency, the material energy. Krsna also
>|has internal potencies, or spiritual potencies, which are
>|always engaged in His personal service. His internal
>|potency is different from His external potency. Krsna's
>|internal potency and Krsna Himself, who is the potent, are
>|always identical.
78|Madhya 22.8
79|TEXT 8
80|TEXT
81|svamsa-vibhinnamsa-rupe hana vistara
82|ananta vaikuntha-brahmande karena vihara
83|SYNONYMS
84|sva-amsa-of personal expansions; vibhinna-amsa-of separated
>|expansions; rupe-in the forms; hana-becoming; vistara-
>|expanded; ananta-unlimited; vaikuntha-in the spiritual
>|planets known as Vaikunthas; brahmande-in the material
>|universes; karena vihara-performs His pastimes.
85|TRANSLATION
86|"Krsna expands Himself in many forms. Some of them are
>|personal expansions, and some are separate expansions. Thus
>|He performs pastimes in both the spiritual and material
>|worlds. The spiritual worlds are the Vaikuntha planets, and
>|the material universes are brahmandas, gigantic globes
>|governed by Lord Brahma.
87|Madhya 22.9
88|TEXT 9
89|TEXT
90|svamsa-vistara-catur-vyuha, avatara-gana
91|vibhinnamsa jiva-tanra saktite ganana
92|SYNONYMS
93|sva-amsa-vistara-the expansion of His personal forms; catuh-
>|vyuha-His quadruple form; avatara-gana-the incarnations;
>|vibhinna-amsa-His separated forms; jiva-the living entities;
>| tanra-His; saktite-in the category of potency; ganana-
>|calculating.
94|TRANSLATION
95|"Expansions of His personal self-like the quadruple
>|manifestations of Sankarsana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha and
>|Vasudeva-descend as incarnations from Vaikuntha to this
>|material world. The separated expansions are living
>|entities. Although they are expansions of Krsna, they are
>|counted among His different potencies.
96|PURPORT
97|The personal expansions are known as visnu-tattva, and the
>|separated expansions are known as jiva-tattva. Although the
>|jivas (living entities) are part and parcel of the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead, they are still counted among His
>|multi-potencies. This is fully described
>|in Bhagavad-gita :
98|apareyam itas tv anyam
99|prakrtim viddhi me param
100|jiva -bhutam maha -
>|baho
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101|yayedam dharyate jagat
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102|"Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there
>|is a superior energy of Mine, which consists of all living
>|entities who are struggling with material nature and are
>|sustaining the universe." (Bg. 7.5)
103|Although the living entities are Krsna's parts and parcels,
>|they are prakrti, not purusa. Sometimes prakrti (a living
>|entity) attempts to imitate the activities of the purusa.
>|Due to a poor fund of knowledge, living entities
>|conditioned in this material world claim to be God. They
>|are thus illusioned. A living entity cannot be on the level
>|of a visnu-tattva, or the Personality of Godhead, at any
>|stage; therefore it is ludicrous for a living entity to
>|claim to be God. Advanced spiritualists would never accept
>|such a thing. Such claims are made to cheat ordinary,
>|foolish people. The Krsna consciousness movement declares
>|war against such bogus incarnations. The bogus propaganda
>|put out by people claiming to be God has killed God
>|consciousness all over the world. Members of the Krsna
>|consciousness movement must be very alert to defy these
>|rascals who are presently misleading the whole world. One
>|such rascal, known as Paundraka, appeared before Lord Krsna,
>| and the Lord immediately killed him. Of course, those who
>|are Krsna's servants cannot kill such imitation gods, but
>|they should try their best to defeat them through the
>|evidence of sastra, authentic knowledge received through
>|the disciplic succession.
104|Madhya 22.10
105|TEXT 10
106|TEXT
107|sei vibhinnamsa jiva-dui ta' prakara
108|eka-'nitya-mukta', eka-'nitya-samsara'
109|SYNONYMS
110|sei vibhinna-amsa-that separated part and parcel of Krsna;
>|jiva-the living entity; dui ta' prakara-two categories; eka-
>|one; nitya-mukta-eternally liberated; eka-one; nitya-
>|samsara-perpetually conditioned.
111|TRANSLATION
112|"The living entities [jivas] are divided into two
>|categories. Some are eternally liberated, and others are
>|eternally conditioned.
113|Madhya 22.11
114|TEXT 11
115|TEXT
116|'nitya-mukta'-nitya krsna-carane unmukha
117|'krsna-parisada' nama, bhunje seva-sukha
118|SYNONYMS
119|nitya-mukta-eternally liberated; nitya-always; krsna-carane-
>|the lotus feet of Lord Krsna; unmukha-turned toward; krsna-
>|parisada-associates of Lord Krsna; nama-known as; bhunje-
>|enjoy; seva-sukha-the happiness of service.
120|TRANSLATION
121|"Those who are eternally liberated are always awake to
>|Krsna consciousness, and they render transcendental loving
>|service at the feet of Lord Krsna. They are to be
>|considered eternal associates of Krsna, and they are
>|eternally enjoying the transcendental bliss of serving
>|Krsna.
122|Madhya 22.12
123|TEXT 12
124|TEXT
125|'nitya-bandha'-krsna haite nitya-bahirmukha
126|'nitya-samsara', bhunje narakadi duhkha
127|SYNONYMS
128|nitya-bandha-perpetually conditioned; krsna haite-from
>|Krsna; nitya-eternally; bahih-mukha-averse; nitya-samsara-
>|perpetually conditioned in the material world; bhunje-
>|enjoy; naraka-adi duhkha-the tribulations of hellish
>|conditions of life.
129|TRANSLATION
130|"Apart from the ever-liberated devotees, there are the
>|conditioned souls who always turn away from the service of
>|the Lord. They are perpetually conditioned in this material
>|world and are subjected to the material tribulations
>|brought about by different bodily forms in hellish
>|conditions.
131|Madhya 22.13
132|TEXT 13
133|TEXT
134|sei dose maya-pisaci danda kare tare
135|adhyatmikadi tapa-traya tare jari, mare
136|SYNONYMS
137|sei dose-because of this fault; maya-pisaci-the witch known
>|as the external energy; danda kare-gives punishment; tare-
>|unto him; adhyatmika-adi-beginning with those pertaining to
>|the body and mind; tapa-traya-the threefold miseries; tare-
>|him; jari'-burning; mare-gives pain.
138|TRANSLATION
139|"Due to his being opposed to Krsna consciousness, the
>|conditioned soul is punished by the witch of the external
>|energy, maya. He is thus ready to suffer the threefold
>|miseries-miseries brought about by the body and mind, the
>|inimical behavior of other living entities and natural
>|disturbances caused by the demigods.
140|Madhya 22.14-15
141|TEXTS 14-15
142|TEXT
143|kama-krodhera dasa hana tara lathi khaya
144|bhramite bhramite yadi sadhu-vaidya paya
145|tanra upadesa-mantre pisaci palaya
146|krsna-bhakti paya, tabe krsna-nikata yaya
147|SYNONYMS
148|kama-of lusty desires; krodhera-and of anger; dasa-the
>|servant; hana-becoming; tara-by them; lathi khaya-is kicked;
>| bhramite bhramite-wandering and wandering; yadi-if; sadhu-
>|a devotee; vaidya-physician; paya-he gets; tanra-his;
>|upadesa-mantre-by instruction and hymns; pisaci-the witch (
>|the external energy); palaya-flees; krsna-bhakti-devotional
>|service to Krsna; paya-obtains; tabe-in this way; krsna-
>|nikata yaya-he goes to Krsna.
149|TRANSLATION
150|"In this way the conditioned soul becomes the servant of
>|lusty desires, and when these are not fulfilled, he becomes
>|a servant of anger and continues to be kicked by the
>|external energy, maya. Wandering and wandering throughout
>|the universe, he may by chance get the association of a
>|devotee physician, whose instructions and hymns make the
>|witch of external energy flee. The conditioned soul
>|thus gets into touch with the devotional service of Lord
>|Krsna, and in this way he can approach nearer and nearer to
>|the Lord.
151|PURPORT
152|An explanation of verses 8 through 15 is given by Srila
>|Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya. The Lord
>|is spread throughout the creation in His quadruple
>|expansions and incarnations. Krsna is fully represented
>|with all potencies in each and every personal extension,
>|but the living entities, although separated expansions, are
>|also considered one of the Lord's energies. The living
>|entities are divided into two categories-the eternally
>|liberated and eternally conditioned. Those who are ever
>|-liberated never come in contact with maya, the external
>|energy. The ever-conditioned are always under the
>|clutches of the external energy. This is described
>|in Bhagavad-gita :
153|daivi hy esa guna-mayi
154|mama maya duratyaya
155|"This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes
>|of material nature, is difficult to overcome." (Bg. 7.14)
156|The nitya-baddhas are always conditioned by the external
>|energy, and the nitya-muktas never come in contact with the
>|external energy. Sometimes an ever-liberated personal
>|associate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends
>|into this universe just as the Lord descends. Although
>|working for the liberation of conditioned souls, the
>|messenger of the Supreme Lord remains untouched by the
>|material energy. Generally ever-liberated personalities
>|live in the spiritual world as associates of Lord Krsna,
>|and they are known as krsna-parisada, associates of the
>|Lord. Their only business is enjoying Lord Krsna's company,
>|and even though such eternally liberated persons come
>|within this material world to serve the Lord's purpose,
>|they enjoy Lord Krsna's company without stoppage. The ever-
>|liberated person who works on Krsna's behalf enjoys Lord
>|Krsna's company through his engagement. The ever-
>|conditioned soul, provoked by lusty desires to enjoy the
>|material world, is subjected to transmigrate from one body
>|to another. Sometimes he is elevated to higher planetary
>|systems, and sometimes he is degraded to hellish planets
>|and subjected to the tribulations of the external energy.
157|Due to being conditioned by the external energy, the
>|conditioned soul within this material world gets two kinds
>|of bodies-a gross material body and a subtle body
>|composed of mind, intelligence and ego. Due to the gross
>|and subtle bodies, he is subjected to the threefold
>|miseries (adhyatmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika),
>|miseries arising from the body and mind, other living
>|entities , and natural disturbances caused by demigods from
>|higher planetary systems. The conditioned soul subjected to
>|the threefold material miseries is ceaselessly kicked by
>|maya, and this is his disease. If by chance he meets a
>|saintly person who works on Krsna's behalf to deliver
>|conditioned souls, and if he agrees to abide by his order,
>|he can gradually approach the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead, Krsna.
158|Madhya 22.16
159|TEXT 16
160|TEXT
161|kamadinam kati na katidha palita durnidesas
162|tesam jata mayi na karuna na trapa nopasantih
163|utsrjyaitan atha yadu-pate sampratam labdha-buddhis
164|tvam ayatah saranam abhayam mam niyunksvatma-dasye
165|SYNONYMS
166|kama-adinam-of my masters such as lust, anger, greed,
>|illusion and envy; kati-how many; na-not; katidha-in how
>|many ways; palitah-obeyed; durnidesah -undesirable
>|orders; tesam-of them; jata-generated; mayi-unto me; na-not;
>| karuna-mercy; na-not; trapa-shame; na-not; upasantih-
>|desire to cease; utsrjya-giving up; etan-all these; atha-
>|herewith; yadu-pate-O best of the Yadu dynasty; sampratam-
>|now; labdha-buddhih-having awakened intelligence; tvam-You;
>|ayatah-approached; saranam-who are the shelter; abhayam-
>|fearless; mam-me; niyunksva-please engage; atma-dasye-in
>|Your personal service.
167|TRANSLATION
168|" 'O my Lord, there is no limit to the unwanted orders of
>|lusty desires. Although I have rendered them so
>|much service, they have not shown any mercy to me. I have
>|not been ashamed to serve them, nor have I even desired to
>|give them up. O my Lord, O head of the Yadu dynasty,
>|recently, however, my intelligence has been awakened, and
>|now I am giving them up. Due to transcendental intelligence,
>| I now refuse to obey the unwanted orders of these desires,
>|and I now come to You to surrender myself at Your fearless
>|lotus feet. Kindly engage me in Your personal service and
>|save me.'
169|PURPORT
170|This verse is also quoted in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (3.
>|2.35). When we chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra we are
>|saying, "Hare! O energy of the Lord! O my Lord Krsna!" In
>|this way we are simply addressing the Lord and His
>|spiritual potency represented as Radha-Krsna, Sita-Rama ,
>|or Laksmi-Narayana. The devotee always prays to the Lord
>|and His internal energy (consort) so that he may engage in
>|Their transcendental loving service. When the conditioned
>|soul attains his real spiritual energy and fully surrenders
>|unto the Lord's lotus feet, he tries to engage in the Lord'
>|s service. This is the real constitutional position of the
>|living entity.
171|Madhya 22.17
172|TEXT 17
173|TEXT
174|krsna-bhakti haya abhidheya-pradhana
175|bhakti-mukha-niriksaka karma-yoga-jnana
176|SYNONYMS
177|krsna-bhakti-devotional service to Lord Krsna; haya-is;
>|abhidheya-pradhana-the chief function of the living entity;
>|bhakti-mukha-of the face of devotional service; niriksaka-
>|observers; karma-yoga-jnana-fruitive activities, mystic
>|yoga and speculative knowledge.
178|TRANSLATION
179|"Devotional service to Krsna is the chief function of the
>|living entity. There are different methods for the
>|liberation of the conditioned soul-karma, jnana, yoga and
>|bhakti-but all are dependent on bhakti.
180|Madhya 22.18
181|TEXT 18
182|TEXT
183|ei saba sadhanera ati tuccha bala
184|krsna-bhakti vina taha dite nare phala
185|SYNONYMS
186|ei saba-all these; sadhanera-of methods of spiritual
>|activities; ati-very; tuccha-insignificant; bala-strength;
>|krsna-bhakti-devotional service to Lord Krsna; vina-without;
>| taha-all these; dite-to deliver; nare-are not able; phala-
>|the desired result.
187|TRANSLATION
188|"But for devotional service, all other methods for
>|spiritual self-realization are weak and insignificant.
>|Unless one comes to the devotional service of Lord Krsna,
>|jnana and yoga cannot give the desired results.
189|PURPORT
190|In Vedic scriptures, stress is sometimes given to
>|fruitive activity, speculative knowledge and the mystic
>|yoga system. Although people are inclined to practice these
>|processes, they cannot attain the desired results without
>|being touched by krsna-bhakti, devotional service. In other
>|words, the real desired result is to invoke dormant love
>|for Krsna. Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.6) states:
191|sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
192|yato bhaktir adhoksaje
193|ahaituky apratihata
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194|yayatma suprasidati
195|Karma, jnana and yoga cannot actually awaken love of
>|Godhead. One has to take to the Lord's devotional service,
>|and the more one is inclined to devotional service, the
>|more he loses interest in other so-called achievements.
>|Dhruva Maharaja went to practice mystic yoga to see the
>|Lord personally face to face, but when he developed an
>|interest in devotional service, he saw that he was not
>|being benefited by karma, jnana and yoga.
196|Madhya 22.19
197|TEXT 19
198|TEXT
199|naiskarmyam apy acyuta-bhava-varjitam
200|na sobhate jnanam alam niranjanam
201|kutah punah sasvad abhadram isvare
202|na carpitam karma yad apy akaranam
203|SYNONYMS
204|naiskarmyam-which does not produce enjoyment of the
>|resultant action; api-although; acyuta-bhava-of devotional
>|service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; varjitam-
>|devoid; na-not; sobhate-looks beautiful; jnanam-speculative
>|knowledge; alam-exceedingly; niranjanam-which is without
>|material contamination; kutah-how much less; punah-again;
>|sasvat-always (at the time of practicing and at the time of
>|achieving the goal); abhadram-inauspicious; isvare-to the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead; na-not; ca-also; arpitam-
>|dedicated; karma-activities; yat-which; api-although;
>|akaranam-causeless.
205|TRANSLATION
206|" 'When pure knowledge is beyond all material affinity but
>|is not dedicated to the Supreme PersonaIity of Godhead [
>|Krsna], it does not appear very beautiful, although it is
>|knowledge without a material tinge. What, then, is the use
>|of fruitive activities-which are naturally painful from the
>|beginning and transient by nature-if they are not utilized
>|for the devotional service of the Lord? How can they be
>|very attractive?'
207|PURPORT
208|This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.5.12). Even
>|after writing many Vedic literatures, Vyasadeva felt very
>|morose. Therefore his spiritual master, Naradadeva, told
>|him that he could be happy by writing about the activities
>|of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Up to that time,
>|Srila Vyasadeva had written the karma-kanda and jnana-kanda
>|sections of the Vedas, but he had not written about upasana-
>|kanda, or bhakti. Thus his spiritual master, Narada,
>|chastised him and advised him to write about the activities
>|of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Vyasadeva
>|began writing Srimad-Bhagavatam.
209|Madhya 22.20
210|TEXT 20
211|TEXT
212|tapasvino dana-para yasasvino
213|manasvino mantra-vidah sumangalah
214|ksemam na vindanti vina yad-arpanam
215|tasmai subhadra-sravase namo namah
216|SYNONYMS
217|tapasvinah-those engaged in severe austerities and penances;
>| dana-parah-those engaged in giving his possessions as
>|charity; yasasvinah-those famous in society; manasvinah-
>|experts in mental speculation or meditation; mantra-vidah-
>|experts in reciting the Vedic hymns; su-mangalah-very
>|auspicious; ksemam-real, eternal auspiciousness; na-never;
>|vindanti-obtain; vina-without; yat-arpanam-dedicating unto
>|whom (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); tasmai-unto that
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead; su-bhadra sravase-whose
>|glory is very auspicious; namah namah-I offer my repeated
>|respectful obeisances.
218|TRANSLATION
219|" 'Those who perform severe austerities and penances, those
>|who give away all their possessions out of charity, those
>|who are very famous for their auspicious activity, those
>|who are engaged in meditation and mental speculation, and
>|even those who are very expert in reciting the Vedic
>|mantras , are not able to obtain any auspicious results,
>|although they are engaged in auspicious activities, if they
>|do not dedicate their activities to the service of the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead. I therefore repeatedly
>|offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality
>|of Godhead, whose glories are always auspicious.'
220|PURPORT
221|This is also a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.4.17).
222|Madhya 22.21
223|TEXT 21
224|TEXT
225|kevala jnana'mukti' dite nare bhakti vine
226|krsnonmukhe sei mukti haya vina jnane
227|SYNONYMS
228|kevala-only; jnana-speculative knowledge; mukti-liberation;
>|dite-to deliver; nare-is not able; bhakti vine-without
>|devotional service; krsna-unmukhe-if one is attached to the
>|service of Lord Krsna; sei mukti-that liberation; haya-
>|appears; vina-without; jnane-knowledge.
229|TRANSLATION
230|"Speculative knowledge alone, without devotional service,
>|is not able to give liberation. On the other hand, even
>|without knowledge one can obtain liberation if one engages
>|in the Lord's devotional service.
231|PURPORT
232|One cannot attain liberation simply by speculative
>|knowledge. Even though one may be able to distinguish
>|between Brahman and matter, one'