Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Thirty-two

Entanglement in Fruitive Activities

SB3.32.1

TEXT 1

kapila uvaca

atha yo grha-medhiyan

dharman evavasan grhe

kamam artham ca dharman svan

dogdhi bhuyah piparti tan

SYNONYMS

kapilah uvaca—Lord Kapila said; atha—now; yah—the person who; grha-medhiyan—of the householders; dharman—duties; eva—certainly; avasan—living; grhe—at home; kamam—sense gratification; artham—economic development; ca—and; dharman—religious rituals; svan—his; dogdhi—enjoys; bhuyah—again and again; piparti—performs; tan—them.

TRANSLATION

The Personality of Godhead said: The person who lives in the center of household life derives material benefits by performing religious rituals, and thereby he fulfills his desire for economic development and sense gratification. Again and again he acts the same way.

PURPORT

There are two kinds of householders. One is called the grhamedhi, and the other is called the grhastha. The objective of the grhamedhi is sense gratification, and the objective of the grhastha is self-realization. Here the Lord is speaking about the grhamedhi, or the person who wants to remain in this material world. His activity is to enjoy material benefits by performing religious rituals for economic development and thereby ultimately satisfy the senses. He does not want anything more. Such a person works very hard throughout his life to become very rich and eat very nicely and drink. By giving some charity for pious activity he can go to a higher planetary atmosphere in the heavenly planets in his next life, but he does not want to stop the repetition of birth and death and finish with the concomitant miserable factors of material existence. Such a person is called a grhamedhi.

A grhastha is a person who lives with family, wife, children and relatives but has no attachment for them. He prefers to live in family life rather than as a mendicant or sannyasi, but his chief aim is to achieve self-realization, or to come to the standard of Krsna consciousness. Here, however, Lord Kapiladeva is speaking about the grhamedhis, who have made their aim the materialistically prosperous life, which they achieve by sacrificial ceremonies, by charities and by good work. They are posted in good positions, and since they know that they are using up their assets of pious activities, they again and again perform activities of sense gratification. It is said by Prahlada Maharaja, punah punas carvita-carvananam: [SB 7.5.30] they prefer to chew the already chewed. Again and again they experience the material pangs, even if they are rich and prosperous, but they do not want to give up this kind of life.

SB3.32.2

TEXT 2

sa capi bhagavad-dharmat

kama-mudhah paran-mukhah

yajate kratubhir devan

pitrms ca sraddhayanvitah

SYNONYMS

sah—he; ca api—moreover; bhagavat-dharmat—from devotional service; kama-mudhah—infatuated by lust; parak-mukhah—having the face turned away; yajate—worships; kratubhih—with sacrificial ceremonies; devan—the demigods; pitrn—the forefathers; ca—and; sraddhaya—with faith; anvitah—endowed.

TRANSLATION

Such persons are ever bereft of devotional service due to being too attached to sense gratification, and therefore, although they perform various kinds of sacrifices and take great vows to satisfy the demigods and forefathers, they are not interested in Krsna consciousness, devotional service.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gita (7.20) it is said that persons who worship demigods have lost their intelligence: kamais tais tair hrta jnanah. They are much attracted to sense gratification, and therefore they worship the demigods. It is, of course, recommended in the Vedic scriptures that if one wants money, health or education, then he should worship the various demigods. A materialistic person has manifold demands, and thus there are manifold demigods to satisfy his senses. The grhamedhis, who want to continue a prosperous materialistic way of life, generally worship the demigods or the forefathers by offering pinda, or respectful oblations. Such persons are bereft of Krsna consciousness and are not interested in devotional service to the Lord. This kind of so-called pious and religious man is the result of impersonalism. The impersonalists maintain that the Supreme Absolute Truth has no form and that one can imagine any form he likes for his benefit and worship in that way. Therefore the grhamedhis or materialistic men say that they can worship any form of a demigod as worship of the Supreme Lord. Especially amongst the Hindus, those who are meat-eaters prefer to worship goddess Kali because it is prescribed that one can sacrifice a goat before that goddess. They maintain that whether one worships the goddess Kali or the Supreme Personality of Godhead Visnu or any demigod, the destination is the same. This is first-class rascaldom, and such people are misled. But they prefer this philosophy. Bhagavad-gita does not accept such rascaldom, and it is clearly stated that such methods are meant for persons who have lost their intelligence. The same judgment is confirmed here, and the word kama-mudha, meaning one who has lost his sense or is infatuated by the lust of attraction for sense gratification, is used. Kama-mudhas are bereft of Krsna consciousness and devotional service and are infatuated by a strong desire for sense gratification. The worshipers of demigods are condemned both in Bhagavad-gita and in Srimad-Bhagavatam.

SB3.32.3

TEXT 3

tac-chraddhayakranta-matih

pitr-deva-vratah puman

gatva candramasam lokam

soma-pah punar esyati

SYNONYMS

tat—to the demigods and forefathers; sraddhaya—with reverence; akranta—overcome; matih—his mind; pitr—to the forefathers; deva—to the demigods; vratah—his vow; puman—the person; gatva—having gone; candramasam—to the moon; lokam—planet; soma-pah—drinking soma juice; punah—again; esyati—will return.

TRANSLATION

Such materialistic persons, attracted by sense gratification and devoted to the forefathers and demigods, can be elevated to the moon, where they drink an extract of the soma plant. They again return to this planet.

PURPORT

The moon is considered one of the planets of the heavenly kingdom. One can be promoted to this planet by executing different sacrifices recommended in the Vedic literature, such as pious activities in worshiping the demigods and forefathers with rigidity and vows. But one cannot remain there for a very long time. Life on the moon is said to last ten thousand years according to the calculation of the demigods. The demigods’ time is calculated in such a way that one day (twelve hours) is equal to six months on this planet. It is not possible to reach the moon by any material vehicle like a sputnik, but persons who are attracted by material enjoyment can go to the moon by pious activities. In spite of being promoted to the moon, however, one has to come back to this earth again when the merits of his works in sacrifice are finished. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (9.21): te tam bhuktva svarga-lokam visalam ksine punye martya-lokam visanti.

SB3.32.4

TEXT 4

yada cahindra-sayyayam

sete ’nantasano harih

tada loka layam yanti

ta ete grha-medhinam

SYNONYMS

yada—when; ca—and; ahi-indra—of the king of snakes; sayyayam—on the bed; sete—lies; ananta-asanah—He whose seat is Ananta Sesa; harih—Lord Hari; tada—then; lokah—the planets; layam—unto dissolution; yanti—go; te ete—those very; grha-medhinam—of the materialistic householders.

TRANSLATION

All the planets of the materialistic persons, including all the heavenly planets, such as the moon, are vanquished when the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, goes to His bed of serpents, which is known as Ananta Sesa.

PURPORT

The materially attached are very eager to promote themselves to the heavenly planets such as the moon. There are many heavenly planets to which they aspire just to achieve more and more material happiness by getting a long duration of life and the paraphernalia for sense enjoyment. But the attached persons do not know that even if one goes to the highest planet, Brahmaloka, destruction exists there also. In Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that one can even go to the Brahmaloka, but still he will find the pangs of birth, death, disease and old age. Only by approaching the Lord’s abode, the Vaikunthaloka, does one not take birth again in this material world. The grhamedhis, or materialistic persons, however, do not like to use this advantage. They would prefer to transmigrate perpetually from one body to another, or from one planet to another. They do not want the eternal, blissful life in knowledge in the kingdom of God.

There are two kinds of dissolutions. One dissolution takes place at the end of the life of Brahma. At that time all the planetary systems, including the heavenly systems, are dissolved in water and enter into the body of Garbhodakasayi Visnu, who lies on the Garbhodaka Ocean on the bed of serpents, called Sesa. In the other dissolution, which occurs at the end of Brahma’s day, all the lower planetary systems are destroyed. When Lord Brahma rises after his night, these lower planetary systems are again created. The statement in Bhagavad-gita that persons who worship the demigods have lost their intelligence is confirmed in this verse. These less intelligent persons do not know that even if they are promoted to the heavenly planets, at the time of dissolution they themselves, the demigods and all their planets will be annihilated. They have no information that eternal, blissful life can be attained.

SB3.32.5

TEXT 5

ye sva-dharman na duhyanti

dhirah kamartha-hetave

nihsanga nyasta-karmanah

prasantah suddha-cetasah

SYNONYMS

ye—those who; sva-dharman—their own occupational duties; na—do not; duhyanti—take advantage of; dhirah—intelligent; kama—sense gratification; artha—economic development; hetave—for the sake of; nihsangah—free from material attachment; nyasta—given up; karmanah—fruitive activities; prasantah—satisfied; suddha-cetasah—of purified consciousness.

TRANSLATION

Those who are intelligent and are of purified consciousness are completely satisfied in Krsna consciousness. Freed from the modes of material nature, they do not act for sense gratification; rather, since they are situated in their own occupational duties, they act as one is expected to act.

PURPORT

The first-class example of this type of man is Arjuna. Arjuna was a ksatriya, and his occupational duty was to fight. Generally, kings fight to extend their kingdoms, which they rule for sense gratification. But as far as Arjuna is concerned, he declined to fight for his own sense gratification. He said that although he could get a kingdom by fighting with his relatives, he did not want to fight with them. But when he was ordered by Krsna and convinced by the teachings of Bhagavad-gita that his duty was to satisfy Krsna, then he fought. Thus he fought not for his sense gratification but for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Persons who work at their prescribed duties, not for sense gratification but for gratification of the Supreme Lord, are called nihsanga, freed from the influence of the modes of material nature. Nyasta-karmanah indicates that the results of their activities are given to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such persons appear to be acting on the platform of their respective duties, but such activities are not performed for personal sense gratification; rather, they are performed for the Supreme Person. Such devotees are called prasantah, which means “completely satisfied.” Suddha-cetasah means Krsna conscious; their consciousness has become purified. In unpurified consciousness one thinks of himself as the Lord of the universe, but in purified consciousness one thinks himself the eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Putting oneself in that position of eternal servitorship to the Supreme Lord and working for Him perpetually, one actually becomes completely satisfied. As long as one works for his personal sense gratification, he will always be full of anxiety. That is the difference between ordinary consciousness and Krsna consciousness.

SB3.32.6

TEXT 6

nivrtti-dharma-nirata

nirmama nirahankrtah

sva-dharmaptena sattvena

parisuddhena cetasa

SYNONYMS

nivrtti-dharma—in religious activities for detachment; niratah—constantly engaged; nirmamah—without a sense of proprietorship; nirahankrtah—without false egoism; sva-dharma—by one’s own occupational duties; aptena—executed; sattvena—by goodness; parisuddhena—completely purified; cetasa—by consciousness.

TRANSLATION

By executing one’s occupational duties, acting with detachment and without a sense of proprietorship or false egoism, one is posted in one’s constitutional position by dint of complete purification of consciousness, and by thus executing so-called material duties he can easily enter into the kingdom of God.

PURPORT

Here the word nivrtti-dharma-niratah means “constantly engaging in executing religious activities for detachment.” There are two kinds of religious performances. One is called pravrtti-dharma, which means the religious activities performed by the grhamedhis for elevation to higher planets or for economic prosperity, the final aim of which is sense gratification. Every one of us who has come to this material world has the sense of overlordship. This is called pravrtti. But the opposite type of religious performance, which is called nivrtti, is to act for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Engaged in devotional service in Krsna consciousness, one has no proprietorship claim, nor is one situated in the false egoism of thinking that he is God or the master. He always thinks himself the servant. That is the process of purifying consciousness. With pure consciousness only can one enter into the kingdom of God. Materialistic persons, in their elevated condition, can enter any one of the planets within this material world, but all are subjected to dissolution over and over again.

SB3.32.7

TEXT 7

surya-dvarena te yanti

purusam visvato-mukham

paravaresam prakrtim

asyotpatty-anta-bhavanam

SYNONYMS

surya-dvarena—through the path of illumination; te—they; yanti—approach; purusam—the Personality of Godhead; visvatah-mukham—whose face is turned everywhere; para-avara-isam—the proprietor of the spiritual and material worlds; prakrtim—the material cause; asya—of the world; utpatti—of manifestation; anta—of dissolution; bhavanam—the cause.

TRANSLATION

Through the path of illumination, such liberated persons approach the complete Personality of Godhead, who is the proprietor of the material and spiritual worlds and is the supreme cause of their manifestation and dissolution.

PURPORT

The word surya-dvarena means “by the illuminated path,” or through the sun planet. The illuminated path is devotional service. It is advised in the Vedas not to pass through the darkness, but to pass through the sun planet. It is also recommended here that by traversing the illuminated path one can be freed from the contamination of the material modes of nature; by that path one can enter into the kingdom where the completely perfect Personality of Godhead resides. The words purusam visvato-mukham mean the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is all-perfect. All living entities other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead are very small, although they may be big by our calculation. Everyone is infinitesimal, and therefore in the Vedas the Supreme Lord is called the supreme eternal amongst all eternals. He is the proprietor of the material and spiritual worlds and the supreme cause of manifestation. Material nature is only the ingredient because actually the manifestation is caused by His energy. The material energy is also His energy; just as the combination of father and mother is the cause of childbirth, so the combination of the material energy and the glance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of the manifestation of the material world. The efficient cause, therefore, is not matter, but the Lord Himself.

SB3.32.8

TEXT 8

dvi-parardhavasane yah

pralayo brahmanas tu te

tavad adhyasate lokam

parasya para-cintakah

SYNONYMS

dvi-parardha—two parardhas; avasane—at the end of; yah—which; pralayah—death; brahmanah—of Lord Brahma; tu—indeed; te—they; tavat—so long; adhyasate—dwell; lokam—on the planet; parasya—of the Supreme; para-cintakah—thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

Worshipers of the Hiranyagarbha expansion of the Personality of Godhead remain within this material world until the end of two parardhas, when Lord Brahma also dies.

PURPORT

One dissolution is at the end of Brahma’s day, and one is at the end of Brahma’s life. Brahma dies at the end of two parardhas, at which time the entire material universe is dissolved. Persons who are worshipers of Hiranyagarbha, the plenary expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Garbhodakasayi Visnu, do not directly approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead in Vaikuntha. They remain within this universe on Satyaloka or other higher planets until the end of the life of Brahma. Then, with Brahma, they are elevated to the spiritual kingdom.

The words parasya para-cintakah mean “always thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,” or being always Krsna conscious. When we speak of Krsna, this refers to the complete category of visnu-tattva. Krsna includes the three purusa incarnations, namely Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu and Ksirodakasayi Visnu, as well as all the incarnations taken together. This is confirmed in the Brahma-samhita. Ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan: [Bs. 5.39] Lord Krsna is perpetually situated with His many expansions, such as Rama, Nrsimha, Vamana, Madhusudana, Visnu and Narayana. He exists with all His plenary portions and the portions of His plenary portions, and each of them is as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The words parasya para-cintakah mean those who are fully Krsna conscious. Such persons enter directly into the kingdom of God, the Vaikuntha planets, or, if they are worshipers of the plenary portion Garbhodakasayi Visnu, they remain within this universe until its dissolution, and after that they enter.

SB3.32.9

TEXT 9

ksmambho-’nalanila-viyan-mana-indriyartha-

bhutadibhih parivrtam pratisanjihirsuh

avyakrtam visati yarhi guna-trayatma

kalam parakhyam anubhuya parah svayambhuh

SYNONYMS

ksma—earth; ambhah—water; anala—fire; anila—air; viyat—ether; manah—mind; indriya—the senses; artha—the objects of the senses; bhuta—ego; adibhih—and so on; parivrtam—covered by; pratisanjihirsuh—desiring to dissolve; avyakrtam—the changeless spiritual sky; visati—he enters; yarhi—at which time; guna-traya-atma—consisting of the three modes; kalam—the time; para-akhyam—two parardhas; anubhuya—after experiencing; parah—the chief; svayambhuh—Lord Brahma.

TRANSLATION

After experiencing the inhabitable time of the three modes of material nature, known as two parardhas, Lord Brahma closes the material universe, which is covered by layers of earth, water, air, fire, ether, mind, ego, etc., and goes back to Godhead.

PURPORT

The word avyakrtam is very significant in this verse. The same meaning is stated in Bhagavad-gita, in the word sanatana. This material world is vyakrta, or subject to changes, and it finally dissolves. But after the dissolution of this material world, the manifestation of the spiritual world, the sanatana-dhama, remains. That spiritual sky is called avyakrta, that which does not change, and there the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides. When, after ruling over the material universe under the influence of the time element, Lord Brahma desires to dissolve it and enter into the kingdom of God, others then enter with him.

SB3.32.10

TEXT 10

evam paretya bhagavantam anupravista

ye yogino jita-marun-manaso viragah

tenaiva sakam amrtam purusam puranam

brahma pradhanam upayanty agatabhimanah

SYNONYMS

evam—thus; paretya—having gone a long distance; bhagavantam—Lord Brahma; anupravistah—entered; ye—those who; yoginahyogis; jita—controlled; marut—the breathing; manasah—the mind; viragah—detached; tena—with Lord Brahma; eva—indeed; sakam—together; amrtam—the embodiment of bliss; purusam—unto the personality of Godhead; puranam—the oldest; brahma pradhanam—the Supreme Brahman; upayanti—they go; agata—not gone; abhimanah—whose false ego.

TRANSLATION

The yogis who become detached from the material world by practice of breathing exercises and control of the mind reach the planet of Brahma, which is far, far away. After giving up their bodies, they enter into the body of Lord Brahma, and therefore when Brahma is liberated and goes to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the Supreme Brahman, such yogis can also enter into the kingdom of God.

PURPORT

By perfecting their yogic practice, yogis can reach the highest planet, Brahmaloka, or Satyaloka, and after giving up their material bodies, they can enter into the body of Lord Brahma. Because they are not directly devotees of the Lord, they cannot get liberation directly. They have to wait until Brahma is liberated, and only then, along with Brahma, are they also liberated. It is clear that as long as a living entity is a worshiper of a particular demigod, his consciousness is absorbed in thoughts of that demigod, and therefore he cannot get direct liberation, or entrance into the kingdom of God, nor can he merge into the impersonal effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such yogis or demigod worshipers are subjected to the chance of taking birth again when there is again creation.

SB3.32.11

TEXT 11

atha tam sarva-bhutanam

hrt-padmesu krtalayam

srutanubhavam saranam

vraja bhavena bhamini

SYNONYMS

atha—therefore; tam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sarva-bhutanam—of all living entities; hrt-padmesu—in the lotus hearts; krta-alayam—residing; sruta-anubhavam—whose glories you have heard; saranam—unto the shelter; vraja—go; bhavena—by devotional service; bhamini—My dear mother.

TRANSLATION

Therefore, My dear mother, by devotional service take direct shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is seated in everyone’s heart.

PURPORT

One can attain direct contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in full Krsna consciousness and revive one’s eternal relationship with Him as lover, as Supreme Soul, as son, as friend or as master. One can reestablish the transcendental loving relationship with the Supreme Lord in so many ways, and that feeling is true oneness. The oneness of the Mayavadi philosophers and the oneness of Vaisnava philosophers are different. The Mayavadi and Vaisnava philosophers both want to merge into the Supreme, but the Vaisnavas do not lose their identities. They want to keep the identity of lover, parent, friend or servant.

In the transcendental world, the servant and master are one. That is the absolute platform. Although the relationship is servant and master, both the servant and the served stand on the same platform. That is oneness. Lord Kapila advised His mother that she did not need any indirect process. She was already situated in that direct process because the Supreme Lord had taken birth as her son. Actually, she did not need any further instruction because she was already in the perfectional stage. Kapiladeva advised her to continue in the same way. He therefore addressed His mother as bhamini to indicate that she was already thinking of the Lord as her son. Devahuti is advised by Lord Kapila to take directly to devotional service, Krsna consciousness, because without that consciousness one cannot become liberated from the clutches of maya.

SB3.32.12-15

TEXTS 12–15

adyah sthira-caranam yo

veda-garbhah saharsibhih

yogesvaraih kumaradyaih

siddhair yoga-pravartakaih

bheda-drstyabhimanena

nihsangenapi karmana

kartrtvat sagunam brahma

purusam purusarsabham

sa samsrtya punah kale

kalenesvara-murtina

jate guna-vyatikare

yatha-purvam prajayate

aisvaryam paramesthyam ca

te ’pi dharma-vinirmitam

nisevya punar ayanti

guna-vyatikare sati

SYNONYMS

adyah—the creator, Lord Brahma; sthira-caranam—of the immobile and mobile manifestations; yah—he who; veda-garbhah—the repository of the Vedas; saha—along with; rsibhih—the sages; yoga-isvaraih—with great mystic yogis; kumara-adyaih—the Kumaras and others; siddhaih—with the perfected living beings; yoga-pravartakaih—the authors of the yoga system; bheda-drstya—because of independent vision; abhimanena—by misconception; nihsangena—nonfruitive; api—although; karmana—by their activities; kartrtvat—from the sense of being a doer; sa-gunam—possessing spiritual qualities; brahma—Brahman; purusam—the Personality of Godhead; purusa-rsabham—the first purusa incarnation; sah—he; samsrtya—having attained; punah—again; kale—at the time; kalena—by time; isvara-murtina—the manifestation of the Lord; jate guna-vyatikare—when the interaction of the modes arises; yatha—as; purvam—previously; prajayate—is born; aisvaryam—opulence; paramesthyam—royal; ca—and; te—the sages; api—also; dharma—by their pious activities; vinirmitam—produced; nisevya—having enjoyed; punah—again; ayanti—they return; guna-vyatikare sati—when the interaction of the modes takes place.

TRANSLATION

My dear mother, someone may worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead with a special self-interest, but even demigods such as Lord Brahma, great sages such as Sanat-kumara and great munis such as Marici have to come back to the material world again at the time of creation. When the interaction of the three modes of material nature begins, Brahma, who is the creator of this cosmic manifestation and who is full of Vedic knowledge, and the great sages, who are the authors of the spiritual path and the yoga system, come back under the influence of the time factor. They are liberated by their nonfruitive activities and they attain the first incarnation of the purusa, but at the time of creation they come back in exactly the same forms and positions as they had previously.

PURPORT

That Brahma becomes liberated is known to everyone, but he cannot liberate his devotees. Demigods like Brahma and Lord Siva cannot give liberation to any living entity. As it is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, only one who surrenders unto Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can be liberated from the clutches of maya. Brahma is called here adyah sthira-caranam. He is the original, first-created living entity, and after his own birth he creates the entire cosmic manifestation. He was fully instructed in the matter of creation by the Supreme Lord. Here he is called veda-garbha, which means that he knows the complete purpose of the Vedas. He is always accompanied by such great personalities as Marici, Kasyapa and the seven sages, as well as by great mystic yogis, the Kumaras and many other spiritually advanced living entities, but he has his own interest, separate from the Lord’s. Bheda-drstya means that Brahma sometimes thinks that he is independent of the Supreme Lord, or he thinks of himself as one of the three equally independent incarnations. Brahma is entrusted with creation, Visnu maintains and Rudra, Lord Siva, destroys. The three of them are understood to be incarnations of the Supreme Lord in charge of the three different material modes of nature, but none of them is independent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here the word bheda-drstya occurs because Brahma has a slight inclination to think that he is as independent as Rudra. Sometimes Brahma thinks that he is independent of the Supreme Lord, and the worshiper also thinks that Brahma is independent. For this reason, after the destruction of this material world, when there is again creation by the interaction of the material modes of nature, Brahma comes back. Although Brahma reaches the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the first purusa incarnation, Maha-Visnu, who is full with transcendental qualities, he cannot stay in the spiritual world.

The specific significance of his coming back may be noted. Brahma and the great rsis and the great master of yoga (Siva) are not ordinary living entities; they are very powerful and have all the perfections of mystic yoga. But still they have an inclination to try to become one with the Supreme, and therefore they have to come back. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is accepted that as long as one thinks that he is equal with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is not completely purified or knowledgeable. In spite of going up to the first purusa-avatara, Maha-Visnu, after the dissolution of this material creation, such personalities again fall down or come back to the material creation.

It is a great falldown on the part of the impersonalists to think that the Supreme Lord appears within a material body and that one should therefore not meditate upon the form of the Supreme but should meditate instead on the formless. For this particular mistake, even the great mystic yogis or great stalwart transcendentalists also come back again when there is creation. All living entities other than the impersonalists and monists can directly take to devotional service in full Krsna consciousness and become liberated by developing transcendental loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such devotional service develops in the degrees of thinking of the Supreme Lord as master, as friend, as son and, at last, as lover. These distinctions in transcendental variegatedness must always be present.

Next verse (SB3.32.16)