Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Twenty-nine
Explanation of Devotional Service by Lord Kapila
SB3.29.1-2
TEXTS 1–2
devahūtir uvāca
lakṣaṇaṁ mahad-ādīnāṁ
prakṛteḥ puruṣasya ca
svarūpaṁ lakṣyate ’mīṣāṁ
yena tat-pāramārthikam
yathā sāṅkhyeṣu kathitaṁ
yan-mūlaṁ tat pracakṣate
bhakti-yogasya me mārgaṁ
brūhi vistaraśaḥ prabho
SYNONYMS
devahūtiḥ uvāca—Devahūti said; lakṣaṇam—symptoms; mahat-ādīnām—of the mahat-tattva and so on; prakṛteḥ—of material nature; puruṣasya—of the spirit; ca—and; svarūpam—the nature; lakṣyate—is described; amīṣām—of those; yena—by which; tat-pārama-arthikam—the true nature of them; yathā—as; sāṅkhyeṣu—in Sāṅkhya philosophy; kathitam—is explained; yat—of which; mūlam—ultimate end; tat—that; pracakṣate—they call; bhakti-yogasya—of devotional service; me—to me; mārgam—the path; brūhi—please explain; vistaraśaḥ—at length; prabho—my dear Lord Kapila.
TRANSLATION
Devahūti inquired: My dear Lord, You have already very scientifically described the symptoms of the total material nature and the characteristics of the spirit according to the Sāṅkhya system of philosophy. Now I shall request You to explain the path of devotional service, which is the ultimate end of all philosophical systems.
PURPORT
In this Twenty-ninth Chapter, the glories of devotional service are elaborately explained, and the influence of time on the conditioned soul is also described. The purpose of elaborately describing the influence of time is to detach the conditioned soul from his material activities, which are considered to be simply a waste of time. In the previous chapter, material nature, the spirit and the Supreme Lord, or Supersoul, are analytically studied, and in this chapter the principles of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service—the execution of activities in the eternal relationship between the living entities and the Personality of Godhead—are explained.
Bhakti-yoga, devotional service, is the basic principle of all systems of philosophy; all philosophy which does not aim for devotional service to the Lord is considered merely mental speculation. But of course bhakti-yoga with no philosophical basis is more or less sentiment. There are two classes of men. Some consider themselves intellectually advanced and simply speculate and meditate, and others are sentimental and have no philosophical basis for their propositions. Neither of these can achieve the highest goal of life—or, if they do, it will take them many, many years. Vedic literature therefore suggests that there are three elements—namely the Supreme Lord, the living entity and their eternal relationship—and the goal of life is to follow the principles of bhakti, or devotional service, and ultimately attain to the planet of the Supreme Lord in full devotion and love as an eternal servitor of the Lord.
Sāṅkhya philosophy is the analytical study of all existence. One has to understand everything by examining its nature and characteristics. This is called acquirement of knowledge. But one should not simply acquire knowledge without reaching the goal of life or the basic principle for acquiring knowledge—bhakti-yoga. If we give up bhakti-yoga and simply busy ourselves in the analytical study of the nature of things as they are, then the result will be practically nil. It is stated in the Bhāgavatam that such engagement is something like husking a paddy. There is no use beating the husk if the grain has already been removed. By the scientific study of material nature, the living entity and the Supersoul, one has to understand the basic principle of devotional service to the Lord.
SB3.29.3 TEXT 3 virāgo yena puruṣo bhagavan sarvato bhavet ācakṣva jīva-lokasya vividhā mama saṁsṛtīḥ SYNONYMS virāgaḥ—detached; yena—by which; puruṣaḥ—a person; bhagavan—my dear Lord; sarvataḥ—completely; bhavet—may become; ācakṣva—please describe; jīva-lokasya—for the people in general; vividhāḥ—manifold; mama—for myself; saṁsṛtīḥ—repetition of birth and death.
TRANSLATION Devahūti continued: My dear Lord, please also describe in detail, both for me and for people in general, the continual process of birth and death, for by hearing of such calamities we may become detached from the activities of this material world. PURPORT In this verse the word saṁsṛtīḥ is very important. Śreyaḥ-sṛti means the prosperous path of advancement towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and saṁsṛti means the continued journey on the path of birth and death towards the darkest region of material existence. People who have no knowledge of this material world, God and their actual intimate relationship with Him are actually going to the darkest region of material existence in the name of progress in the material advancement of civilization. To enter the darkest region of material existence means to enter into a species of life other than the human species. Ignorant men do not know that after this life they are completely under the grip of material nature and will be offered a life which may not be very congenial. How a living entity gets different kinds of bodies will be explained in the next chapter. This continual change of bodies in birth and death is called saṁsāra. Devahūti requests her glorious son, Kapila Muni, to explain about this continued journey to impress upon the conditioned souls that they are undergoing a path of degradation by not understanding the path of bhakti-yoga, devotional service.
SB3.29.4 TEXT 4 kālasyeśvara-rūpasya pareṣāṁ ca parasya te svarūpaṁ bata kurvanti yad-dhetoḥ kuśalaṁ janāḥ SYNONYMS kālasya—of time; īśvara-rūpasya—a representation of the Lord; pareṣām—of all others; ca—and; parasya—the chief; te—of You; svarūpam—the nature; bata—oh; kurvanti—perform; yat-hetoḥ—by whose influence; kuśalam—pious activities; janāḥ—people in general.
TRANSLATION Please also describe eternal time, which is a representation of Your form and by whose influence people in general engage in the performance of pious activities. PURPORT However ignorant one may be regarding the path of good fortune and the path down to the darkest region of ignorance, everyone is aware of the influence of eternal time, which devours all the effects of our material activities. The body is born at a certain time, and immediately the influence of time acts upon it. From the date of the birth of the body, the influence of death is also acting; the advancement of age entails the influence of time on the body. If a man is thirty or fifty years old, then the influence of time has already devoured thirty or fifty years of the duration of his life.
Everyone is conscious of the last stage of life, when he will meet the cruel hands of death, but some consider their age and circumstances, concern themselves with the influence of time and thus engage in pious activities so that in the future they will not be put into a low family or an animal species. Generally, people are attached to sense enjoyment and so aspire for life on the heavenly planets. Therefore, they engage themselves in charitable or other pious activities, but actually, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā, one cannot get relief from the chain of birth and death even if he goes to the highest planet, Brahmaloka, because the influence of time is present everywhere within this material world. In the spiritual world, however, the time factor has no influence.
SB3.29.5 TEXT 5 lokasya mithyābhimater acakṣuṣaś ciraṁ prasuptasya tamasy anāśraye śrāntasya karmasv anuviddhayā dhiyā tvam āvirāsīḥ kila yoga-bhāskaraḥ SYNONYMS lokasya—of the living entities; mithyā-abhimateḥ—deluded by false ego; acakṣuṣaḥ—blind; ciram—for a very long time; prasuptasya—sleeping; tamasi—in darkness; anāśraye—without shelter; śrāntasya—fatigued; karmasu—to material activities; anuviddhayā—attached; dhiyā—with the intelligence; tvam—You; āvirāsīḥ—have appeared; kila—indeed; yoga—of the yoga system; bhāskaraḥ—the sun.
TRANSLATION My dear Lord, You are just like the sun, for You illuminate the darkness of the conditional life of the living entities. Because their eyes of knowledge are not open, they are sleeping eternally in that darkness without Your shelter, and therefore they are falsely engaged by the actions and reactions of their material activities, and they appear to be very fatigued. PURPORT It appears that Śrīmatī Devahūti, the glorious mother of Lord Kapiladeva, is very compassionate for the regrettable condition of people in general, who, not knowing the goal of life, are sleeping in the darkness of illusion. It is the general feeling of the Vaiṣṇava, or devotee of the Lord, that he should awaken them. Similarly, Devahūti is requesting her glorious son to illuminate the lives of the conditioned souls so that their most regrettable conditional life may be ended. The Lord is described herein as yoga-bhāskara, the sun of the system of all yoga. Devahūti has already requested her glorious son to describe bhakti-yoga, and the Lord has described bhakti-yoga as the ultimate yoga system.
Bhakti-yoga is the sunlike illumination for delivering the conditioned souls, whose general condition is described here. They have no eyes to see their own interests. They do not know that the goal of life is not to increase the material necessities of existence, because the body will not exist more than a few years. The living beings are eternal, and they have their eternal need. If one engages only in caring for the necessities of the body, not caring for the eternal necessities of life, then he is part of a civilization whose advancement puts the living entities in the darkest region of ignorance. Sleeping in that darkest region, one does not get any refreshment, but, rather, gradually becomes fatigued. He invents many processes to adjust this fatigued condition, but he fails and thus remains confused. The only path for mitigating his fatigue in the struggle for existence is the path of devotional service, or the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
SB3.29.6 TEXT 6 maitreya uvāca iti mātur vacaḥ ślakṣṇaṁ pratinandya mahā-muniḥ ābabhāṣe kuru-śreṣṭha prītas tāṁ karuṇārditaḥ SYNONYMS maitreyaḥ uvāca—Maitreya said; iti—thus; mātuḥ—of His mother; vacaḥ—the words; ślakṣṇam—gentle; pratinandya—welcoming; mahā-muniḥ—the great sage Kapila; ābabhāṣe—spoke; kuru-śreṣṭha—O best among the Kurus, Vidura; prītaḥ—pleased; tām—to her; karuṇā—with compassion; arditaḥ—moved.
TRANSLATION Śrī Maitreya said: O best amongst the Kurus, the great sage Kapila, moved by great compassion and pleased by the words of His glorious mother, spoke as follows. PURPORT Lord Kapila was very satisfied by the request of His glorious mother because she was thinking not only in terms of her personal salvation but in terms of all the fallen conditioned souls. The Lord is always compassionate towards the fallen souls of this material world, and therefore He comes Himself or sends His confidential servants to deliver them. Since He is perpetually compassionate towards them, if some of His devotees also become compassionate towards them, He is very pleased with the devotees. In Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly stated that persons who are trying to elevate the condition of the fallen souls by preaching the conclusion of Bhagavad-gītā—namely, full surrender unto the Personality of Godhead—are very dear to Him. Thus when the Lord saw that His beloved mother was very compassionate towards the fallen souls, He was pleased, and He also became compassionate towards her.
SB3.29.7 TEXT 7 śrī-bhagavān uvāca bhakti-yogo bahu-vidho mārgair bhāmini bhāvyate svabhāva-guṇa-mārgeṇa puṁsāṁ bhāvo vibhidyate SYNONYMS śrī-bhagavān uvāca—the Personality of Godhead replied; bhakti-yogaḥ—devotional service; bahu-vidhaḥ—multifarious; mārgaiḥ—with paths; bhāmini—O noble lady; bhāvyate—is manifest; svabhāva—nature; guṇa—qualities; mārgeṇa—in terms of behavior; puṁsām—of the executors; bhāvaḥ—the appearance; vibhidyate—is divided.
TRANSLATION Lord Kapila, the Personality of Godhead, replied: O noble lady, there are multifarious paths of devotional service in terms of the different qualities of the executor. PURPORT Pure devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is one because in pure devotional service there is no demand from the devotee to be fulfilled by the Lord. But generally people take to devotional service with a purpose. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, people who are not purified take to devotional service with four purposes. A person who is distressed because of material conditions becomes a devotee of the Lord and approaches the Lord for mitigation of his distress. A person in need of money approaches the Lord to ask for some improvement in his monetary condition. Others, who are not in distress or in need of monetary assistance but are seeking knowledge in order to understand the Absolute Truth, also take to devotional service, and they inquire into the nature of the Supreme Lord. This is very nicely described in Bhagavad-gītā (7.16). Actually the path of devotional service is one without a second, but according to the devotees’ condition, devotional service appears in multifarious varieties, as will be nicely explained in the following verses.
SB3.29.8 TEXT 8 abhisandhāya yo hiṁsāṁ dambhaṁ mātsaryam eva vā saṁrambhī bhinna-dṛg bhāvaṁ mayi kuryāt sa tāmasaḥ SYNONYMS abhisandhāya—having in view; yaḥ—he who; hiṁsām—violence; dambham—pride; mātsaryam—envy; eva—indeed; vā—or; saṁrambhī—angry; bhinna—separate; dṛk—whose vision; bhāvam—devotional service; mayi—to Me; kuryāt—may do; saḥ—he; tāmasaḥ—in the mode of ignorance.
TRANSLATION Devotional service executed by a person who is envious, proud, violent and angry, and who is a separatist, is considered to be in the mode of darkness. PURPORT It has already been stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, Second Chapter, that the highest, most glorious religion is the attainment of causeless, unmotivated devotional service. In pure devotional service, the only motive should be to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is not actually a motive; that is the pure condition of the living entity. In the conditioned stage, when one engages in devotional service, he should follow the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master in full surrender. The spiritual master is the manifested representation of the Supreme Lord because he receives and presents the instructions of the Lord, as they are, by disciplic succession. It is described in Bhagavad-gītā that the teachings therein should be received by disciplic succession, otherwise there is adulteration. To act under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master with a motive to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead is pure devotional service. But if one has a motive for personal sense gratification, his devotional service is manifested differently. Such a man may be violent, proud, envious and angry, and his interests are separate from the Lord’s.
One who approaches the Supreme Lord to render devotional service, but who is proud of his personality, envious of others or vengeful, is in the mode of anger. He thinks that he is the best devotee. Devotional service executed in this way is not pure; it is mixed and is of the lowest grade, tāmasaḥ. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura advises that a Vaiṣṇava who is not of good character should be avoided. A Vaiṣṇava is one who has taken the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the ultimate goal of life, but if one is not pure and still has motives, then he is not a Vaiṣṇava of the first order of good character. One may offer his respects to such a Vaiṣṇava because he has accepted the Supreme Lord as the ultimate goal of life, but one should not keep company with a Vaiṣṇava who is in the mode of ignorance.
SB3.29.9 TEXT 9 viṣayān abhisandhāya yaśa aiśvaryam eva vā arcādāv arcayed yo māṁ pṛthag-bhāvaḥ sa rājasaḥ SYNONYMS viṣayān—sense objects; abhisandhāya—aiming at; yaśaḥ—fame; aiśvaryam—opulence; eva—indeed; vā—or; arcā-ādau—in worship of the Deity and so on; arcayet—may worship; yaḥ—he who; mām—Me; pṛthak-bhāvaḥ—a separatist; saḥ—he; rājasaḥ—in the mode of passion.
TRANSLATION The worship of Deities in the temple by a separatist, with a motive for material enjoyment, fame and opulence, is devotion in the mode of passion. PURPORT The word “separatist” must be understood carefully. The Sanskrit words in this connection are bhinna-dṛk and pṛthag-bhāvaḥ. A separatist is one who sees his interest as separate from that of the Supreme Lord. Mixed devotees, or devotees in the modes of passion and ignorance, think that the interest of the Supreme Lord is supplying the orders of the devotee; the interest of such devotees is to draw from the Lord as much as possible for their sense gratification. This is the separatist mentality. Actually, pure devotion is explained in the previous chapter: the mind of the Supreme Lord and the mind of the devotee should be dovetailed. A devotee should not wish anything but to execute the desire of the Supreme. That is oneness. When the devotee has an interest or will different from the interest of the Supreme Lord, his mentality is that of a separatist. When the so-called devotee desires material enjoyment, without reference to the interest of the Supreme Lord, or he wants to become famous or opulent by utilizing the mercy or grace of the Supreme Lord, he is in the mode of passion.
Māyāvādīs, however, interpret this word “separatist” in a different way. They say that while worshiping the Lord, one should think himself one with the Supreme Lord. This is another adulterated form of devotion within the modes of material nature. The conception that the living entity is one with the Supreme is in the mode of ignorance. Oneness is actually based on oneness of interest. A pure devotee has no interest but to act on behalf of the Supreme Lord. When one has even a tinge of personal interest, his devotion is mixed with the three modes of material nature.
SB3.29.10 TEXT 10 karma-nirhāram uddiśya parasmin vā tad-arpaṇam yajed yaṣṭavyam iti vā pṛthag-bhāvaḥ sa sāttvikaḥ SYNONYMS karma—fruitive activities; nirhāram—freeing himself from; uddiśya—with the purpose of; parasmin—to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vā—or; tat-arpaṇam—offering the result of activities; yajet—may worship; yaṣṭavyam—to be worshiped; iti—thus; vā—or; pṛthak-bhāvaḥ—separatist; saḥ—he; sāttvikaḥ—in the mode of goodness.
TRANSLATION When a devotee worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead and offers the results of his activities in order to free himself from the inebrieties of fruitive activities, his devotion is in the mode of goodness. PURPORT The brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras, along with the brahmacārīs, gṛhasthas, vānaprasthas and sannyāsīs, are the members of the eight divisions of varṇas and āśramas, and they have their respective duties to perform for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When such activities are performed and the results are offered to the Supreme Lord, they are called karmārpaṇam, duties performed for the satisfaction of the Lord. If there is any inebriety or fault, it is atoned for by this offering process. But if this offering process is in the mode of goodness rather than in pure devotion, then the interest is different. The four āśramas and the four varṇas act for some benefit in accordance with their personal interests. Therefore such activities are in the mode of goodness; they cannot be counted in the category of pure devotion. Pure devotional service as described by Rūpa Gosvāmī is free from all material desires. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Madhya 19.167]. There can be no excuse for personal or material interest. Devotional activities should be transcendental to fruitive activities and empiric philosophical speculation. Pure devotional service is transcendental to all material qualities.
Devotional service in the modes of ignorance, passion and goodness can be divided into eighty-one categories. There are different devotional activities, such as hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping, offering prayer, rendering service and surrendering everything, and each of them can be divided into three qualitative categories. There is hearing in the mode of passion, in the mode of ignorance and in the mode of goodness. Similarly, there is chanting in the mode of ignorance, passion and goodness, etc. Three multiplied by nine equals twenty-seven, and when again multiplied by three it becomes eighty-one. One has to transcend all such mixed materialistic devotional service in order to reach the standard of pure devotional service, as explained in the next verses.
SB3.29.11-12 TEXTS 11–12 mad-guṇa-śruti-mātreṇa mayi sarva-guhāśaye mano-gatir avicchinnā yathā gaṅgāmbhaso ’mbudhau lakṣaṇaṁ bhakti-yogasya nirguṇasya hy udāhṛtam ahaituky avyavahitā yā bhaktiḥ puruṣottame SYNONYMS mat—of Me; guṇa—qualities; śruti—by hearing; mātreṇa—just; mayi—towards Me; sarva-guhā-āśaye—residing in everyone’s heart; manaḥ-gatiḥ—the heart’s course; avicchinnā—continuous; yathā—as; gaṅgā—of the Ganges; ambhasaḥ—of the water; ambudhau—towards the ocean; lakṣaṇam—the manifestation; bhakti-yogasya—of devotional service; nirguṇasya—unadulterated; hi—indeed; udāhṛtam—exhibited; ahaitukī—causeless; avyavahitā—not separated; yā—which; bhaktiḥ—devotional service; puruṣa-uttame—towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION The manifestation of unadulterated devotional service is exhibited when one’s mind is at once attracted to hearing the transcendental name and qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is residing in everyone’s heart. Just as the water of the Ganges flows naturally down towards the ocean, such devotional ecstasy, uninterrupted by any material condition, flows towards the Supreme Lord. PURPORT The basic principle of this unadulterated, pure devotional service is love of Godhead. Mad-guṇa-śruti-mātreṇa means “just after hearing about the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” These qualities are called nirguṇa. The Supreme Lord is uncontaminated by the modes of material nature; therefore He is attractive to the pure devotee. There is no need to practice meditation to attain such attraction; the pure devotee is already in the transcendental stage, and the affinity between him and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is natural and is compared to the Ganges water flowing towards the sea. The flow of the Ganges water cannot be stopped by any condition; similarly, a pure devotee’s attraction for the transcendental name, form and pastimes of the Supreme Godhead cannot be stopped by any material condition. The word avicchinnā, “without interruptions,” is very important in this connection. No material condition can stop the flow of the devotional service of a pure devotee.
The word ahaitukī means “without reason.” A pure devotee does not render loving service to the Personality of Godhead for any cause or for any benefit, material or spiritual. This is the first symptom of unalloyed devotion. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam: [Madhya 19.167] he has no desire to fulfill by rendering devotional service. Such devotional service is meant for the puruṣottama, the Supreme Personality, and not for anyone else. Sometimes pseudodevotees show devotion to many demigods, thinking the forms of the demigods to be the same as the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s form. It is specifically mentioned herein, however, that bhakti, devotional service, is meant only for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, not for anyone else.
Avyavahitā means “without cessation.” A pure devotee must engage in the service of the Lord twenty-four hours a day, without cessation; his life is so molded that at every minute and every second he engages in some sort of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Another meaning of the word avyavahitā is that the interest of the devotee and the interest of the Supreme Lord are on the same level. The devotee has no interest but to fulfill the transcendental desire of the Supreme Lord. Such spontaneous service unto the Supreme Lord is transcendental and is never contaminated by the material modes of nature. These are the symptoms of pure devotional service, which is free from all contamination of material nature.
SB3.29.13 TEXT 13 sālokya-sārṣṭi-sāmīpya- sārūpyaikatvam apy uta dīyamānaṁ na gṛhṇanti vinā mat-sevanaṁ janāḥ SYNONYMS sālokya—living on the same planet; sārṣṭi—having the same opulence; sāmīpya—to be a personal associate; sārūpya—having the same bodily features; ekatvam—oneness; api—also; uta—even; dīyamānam—being offered; na—not; gṛhṇanti—do accept; vinā—without; mat—My; sevanam—devotional service; janāḥ—pure devotees.
TRANSLATION A pure devotee does not accept any kind of liberation—sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya, sārūpya or ekatva—even though they are offered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. PURPORT Lord Caitanya teaches us how to execute pure devotional service out of spontaneous love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Śikṣāṣṭaka, He prays to the Lord: “O Lord, I do not wish to gain from You any wealth, nor do I wish to have a beautiful wife, nor do I wish to have many followers. All I want from You is that in life after life I may remain a pure devotee at Your lotus feet.” There is a similarity between the prayers of Lord Caitanya and the statements of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Lord Caitanya prays, “in life after life,” indicating that a devotee does not even desire the cessation of birth and death. The yogīs and empiric philosophers desire cessation of the process of birth and death, but a devotee is satisfied to remain even in this material world and execute devotional service.
It is clearly stated herein that a pure devotee does not desire ekatva, oneness with the Supreme Lord, as desired by the impersonalists, the mental speculators and the meditators. To become one with the Supreme Lord is beyond the dream of a pure devotee. Sometimes he may accept promotion to the Vaikuṇṭha planets to serve the Lord there, but he will never accept merging into the Brahman effulgence, which he considers worse than hellish. Such ekatva, or merging into the effulgence of the Supreme Lord, is called kaivalya, but the happiness derived from kaivalya is considered by the pure devotee to be hellish. The devotee is so fond of rendering service to the Supreme Lord that the five kinds of liberation are not important to him. If one is engaged in pure transcendental loving service to the Lord, it is understood that he has already achieved the five kinds of liberation.
When a devotee is promoted to the spiritual world, Vaikuṇṭha, he receives four kinds of facilities. One of these is sālokya, living on the same planet as the Supreme Personality. The Supreme Person, in His different plenary expansions, lives on innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets, and the chief planet is Kṛṣṇaloka. Just as within the material universe the chief planet is the sun, in the spiritual world the chief planet is Kṛṣṇaloka. From Kṛṣṇaloka, the bodily effulgence of Lord Kṛṣṇa is distributed not only to the spiritual world but to the material world as well; it is covered by matter, however, in the material world. In the spiritual world there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets, and on each one the Lord is the predominating Deity. A devotee can be promoted to one such Vaikuṇṭha planet to live with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In sārṣṭi liberation the opulence of the devotee is equal to the opulence of the Supreme Lord. Sāmīpya means to be a personal associate of the Supreme Lord. In sārūpya liberation the bodily features of the devotee are exactly like those of the Supreme Person but for two or three symptoms found exclusively on the transcendental body of the Lord. Śrīvatsa, for example, the hair on the chest of the Lord, particularly distinguishes Him from His devotees.
A pure devotee does not accept these five kinds of spiritual existence, even if they are offered, and he certainly does not hanker after material benefits, which are all insignificant in comparison with spiritual benefits. When Prahlāda Mahārāja was offered some material benefit, he stated: “My Lord, I have seen that my father achieved all kinds of material benefits, and even the demigods were afraid of his opulence, but still, in a second, You have finished his life and all his material prosperity.” For a devotee there is no question of desiring any material or spiritual prosperity. He simply aspires to serve the Lord. That is his highest happiness.
SB3.29.14 TEXT 14 sa eva bhakti-yogākhya ātyantika udāhṛtaḥ yenātivrajya tri-guṇaṁ mad-bhāvāyopapadyate SYNONYMS saḥ—this; eva—indeed; bhakti-yoga—devotional service; ākhyaḥ—called; ātyantikaḥ—the highest platform; udāhṛtaḥ—explained; yena—by which; ativrajya—overcoming; tri-guṇam—the three modes of material nature; mat-bhāvāya—to My transcendental stage; upapadyate—one attains.
TRANSLATION By attaining the highest platform of devotional service, as I have explained, one can overcome the influence of the three modes of material nature and be situated in the transcendental stage, as is the Lord. PURPORT Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya, who is supposed to be the leader of the impersonalist school of philosophers, has admitted in the beginning of his comments on Bhagavad-gītā that Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is beyond the material creation; except for Him, everything is within the material creation. It is also confirmed in the Vedic literature that before the creation there was only Nārāyaṇa; neither Lord Brahmā nor Lord Śiva existed. Only Nārāyaṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, is always in the transcendental position, beyond the influence of material creation.
The material qualities of goodness, passion and ignorance cannot affect the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore He is called nirguṇa (free from all tinges of material qualities). Here the same fact is confirmed by Lord Kapila: one who is situated in pure devotional service is transcendentally situated, as is the Lord. Just as the Lord is unaffected by the influence of the material modes, so too are His pure devotees. One who is not affected by the three modes of material nature is called a liberated soul, or brahma-bhūta soul. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā [Bg. 18.54] is the stage of liberation. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: “I am not this body.” This is applicable only to the person who constantly engages in the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa and is thus in the transcendental stage; he is above the influence of the three modes of material nature.
It is the misconception of the impersonalists that one can worship any imaginary form of the Lord, or Brahman, and at the end merge in the Brahman effulgence. Of course, to merge into the bodily effulgence (Brahman) of the Supreme Lord is also liberation, as explained in the previous verse. Ekatva is also liberation, but that sort of liberation is never accepted by any devotee, for qualitative oneness is immediately attained as soon as one is situated in devotional service. For a devotee, that qualitative equality, which is the result of impersonal liberation, is already attained; he does not have to try for it separately. It is clearly stated here that simply by pure devotional service one becomes qualitatively as good as the Lord Himself.
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