Q 216. HOW CAN A DEVOTEE EASILY CROSS OVER MAYA ?
A. BY SRILA PRABHUPADA.
iti bhāgavatān dharmānśikṣan bhaktyā tad-utthayānārāyaṇa-paro māyāmañjas tarati dustarāmSYNONYMSiti — thus; bhāgavatān dharmān — the science of devotional service; śikṣan — studying; bhaktyā — by devotion; tat-utthayā — generated by it; nārāyaṇa-paraḥ— completely devoted to the Supreme Lord, Nārāyaṇa; māyām — the illusory energy; añjaḥ — easily; tarati — crosses beyond; dustarām — impossible tocross.TRANSLATIONThus learning the science of devotional service and practically engaging in the devotional service of the Lord, the devotee comes to the stage of love of Godhead. And by complete devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, the devotee easily crosses over the illusory energy, māyā, which is extremely difficult to cross. (Srimad Bhagavatam).PURPORTŚrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has pointed out that mukti, or liberation, which is described in this verse by the words māyām añjas tarati dustarām, is actually a by-product or secondary result of pure love of Godhead.In the second verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is pointed out:-dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāḿ satāḿvedyaḿ vāstavam atra vastu śivadaḿ tāpa-trayonmūlanamśrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte kiḿ vā parair īśvaraḥsadyo hṛdy avarudhyate 'tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇātSYNONYMSdharmaḥ — religiosity; projjhita — completely rejected; kaitavaḥ — covered by fruitive intention; atra — herein; paramaḥ — the highest; nirmatsarāṇām — of the one-hundred-percent pure in heart; satām — devotees; vedyam — understandable; vāstavam — factual; atra — herein; vastu — substance; śivadam — well-being; tāpa-traya — threefold miseries; unmūlanam — causing uprooting of; śrīmat — beautiful; bhāgavate — the Bhāgavata Purāṇa; mahā-muni — the great sage (Vyāsadeva); kṛte — having compiled; kim — what is; vā — the need; paraiḥ — others; īśvaraḥ — the Supreme Lord; sadyaḥ — at once; hṛdi — within the heart; avarudhyate — become compact; atra — herein; kṛtibhiḥ — by the pious men; śuśrūṣubhiḥ — by culture; tat-kṣaṇāt — without delay.TRANSLATIONCompletely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṇa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam teaches the science of devotional service, in which the ultimate goal is pure love of Godhead. According to the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, mukti, or liberation, is a by-product of love of Godhead. Śivadaḿ tāpa-trayonmūlanam. One should not approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead for liberation, since one is automatically liberated by obeying the order of the Lord.Kṛṣṇa's order is given at the end of Bhagavad-gītā:-sarva-dharmān parityajyamām ekaḿ śaraṇaḿ vrajaahaḿ tvāḿ sarva-pāpebhyomokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥSYNONYMSsarva-dharmān — all varieties of religion; parityajya — abandoning; mām — unto Me; ekam — only; śaraṇam — for surrender; vraja — go; aham — I; tvām — you; sarva — all; pāpebhyaḥ — from sinful reactions; mokṣayiṣyāmi — will deliver; mā — do not; śucaḥ — worry.TRANSLATIONAbandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.Every living being should give up his mundane conceptions of life and take full shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. If one carries out this order the Lord automatically provides liberation (mukti). Actual happiness comes from loving God without any tinge of mental speculation or fruitive desire.So crossing over the insurmountable ocean of illusion, as described here, is not actually the principal result of bhāgavata-dharma, or devotional service to the Lord, but is a by-product of pure love of Godhead.anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaḿjñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtamānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanaḿ bhaktir uttamāSYNONYMSanya-abhilāṣitā-śūnyam — without desires other than those for the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa, or without material desires (such as those for meat-eating, illicit sex, gambling and addiction to intoxicants); jñāna — by the knowledge of the philosophy of the monist Māyāvādīs; karma — by fruitive activities; ādi — by artificially practicing detachment, by the mechanical practice of yoga, by studying the Sāńkhya philosophy, and so on; anāvṛtam — not covered; ānukūlyena — favorable;kṛṣṇa-anuśīlanam — cultivation of service in relationship to Kṛṣṇa; bhaktiḥ uttamā — first-class devotional service.TRANSLATION"'When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Kṛṣṇa favourably, as Kṛṣṇa desires.' ( CC-Madhya-Lila).
Replies