Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7: “The Science of God”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Seven

SB7.7.28

TEXT 28

tasmad bhavadbhih kartavyam

karmanam tri-gunatmanam

bija-nirharanam yogah

pravahoparamo dhiyah

SYNONYMS

tasmat—therefore; bhavadbhih—by your good selves; kartavyam—to be done; karmanam—of all material activities; tri-guna-atmanam—conditioned by the three modes of material nature; bija-nirharanam—burning of the seed; yogah—the process by which one can be linked with the Supreme; pravaha—of the continuous current in the form of wakefulness, dreaming and deep sleep; uparamah—the cessation; dhiyah—of the intelligence.

TRANSLATION

Therefore, my dear friends, O sons of the demons, your duty is to take to Krsna consciousness, which can burn the seed of fruitive activities artificially created by the modes of material nature and stop the flow of the intelligence in wakefulness, dreaming and deep sleep. In other words, when one takes to Krsna consciousness, his ignorance is immediately dissipated.

PURPORT

This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (14.26):

mam ca yo ’vyabhicarena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate

“One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.” By the practice of bhakti-yoga, one immediately comes to the spiritual platform, transcendental to the actions and reactions of the three modes of material nature. The root of ignorance is material consciousness, which must be killed by spiritual consciousness, or Krsna consciousness. The word bija-nirharanam refers to burning the root cause of material life to ashes. In the Medini dictionary, yoga is explained by its result: yoge ’purvartha-sampraptau sangati-dhyana-yuktisu. When one is put into an awkward position because of ignorance, the process by which one can be freed from this entanglement is called yoga. This is also called liberation. Muktir hitvanyatha-rupam svarupena vyavasthitih. Mukti means giving up one’s position in ignorance or illusion, by which one thinks in a way contrary to his constitutional position. Returning to one’s constitutional position is called mukti, and the process by which one does this is called yoga. Thus yoga is above karma, jnana and sankhya. Indeed, yoga is the ultimate goal of life. Krsna therefore advised Arjuna to become a yogi (tasmad yogi bhavarjuna). Lord Krsna further advised in Bhagavad-gita that the first-class yogi is he who has come to the platform of devotional service.

yoginam api sarvesam
mad-gatenantaratmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo mam
sa me yuktatamo matah

“Of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.” (Bg. 6.47) Thus one who always thinks of Krsna within the core of his heart is the best yogi. By practicing this best of all yoga systems, one is liberated from the material condition.

SB7.7.29

TEXT 29

tatropaya-sahasranam

ayam bhagavatoditah

yad isvare bhagavati

yatha yair anjasa ratih

SYNONYMS

tatra—in that connection (getting out of the entanglement of material conditioning); upaya—of processes; sahasranam—of many thousands; ayam—this; bhagavata uditah—given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yat—which; isvare—to the Lord; bhagavati—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yatha—as much as; yaih—by which; anjasa—quickly; ratih—attachment with love and affection.

TRANSLATION

Of the different processes recommended for disentanglement from material life, the one personally explained and accepted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead should be considered all-perfect. That process is the performance of duties by which love for the Supreme Lord develops.

PURPORT

Among the linking processes that elevate one from bondage to material contamination, the one recommended by the Supreme Personality of Godhead should be accepted as the best. That process is clearly explained in Bhagavad-gita, where the Lord says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.” This process is the best because the Lord assures, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah: “I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” There is no need to be worried, for the Lord Himself assures that He will care for His devotee and save him from the reactions of sinful activities. Material bondage is a result of sinful activity. Therefore, since the Lord assures that He will dissipate the results of fruitive material activities, there is no need to be worried. This process of understanding one’s position as a spirit soul and then engaging oneself in devotional service is therefore the best. The entire Vedic program is based on this principle, and one can understand it as recommended in the Vedas:

yasya deve para bhaktir
yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah
prakasante mahatmanah

[SU 6.23]

“Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed.” (Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.23) One must accept the pure devotee, the representative of God, as one’s guru and then offer him all the respects one would offer the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the secret of success. For one who adopts this method, the perfect process is revealed. In this verse, the words yair anjasa ratih indicate that by offering service and surrendering to the spiritual master, one is elevated to devotional service, and by performing devotional service one gradually becomes attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because of this attachment to the Lord, one can understand the Lord. In other words, one can understand what the Lord’s position is, what our position is and what our relationship is. All this can be understood very easily by the simple method of bhakti-yoga. As soon as one is situated on the platform of bhakti-yoga, the root cause of one’s suffering and material bondage is destroyed. This is clearly explained in the next verse, which gives the secret of success.

SB7.7.30-31

TEXTS 30–31

guru-susrusaya bhaktya

sarva-labdharpanena ca

sangena sadhu-bhaktanam

isvararadhanena ca

sraddhaya tat-kathayam ca

kirtanair guna-karmanam

tat-padamburuha-dhyanat

tal-lingeksarhanadibhih

SYNONYMS

guru-susrusaya—by rendering service to the bona fide spiritual master; bhaktya—with faith and devotion; sarva—all; labdha—of material gains; arpanena—by offering (to the guru, or to Krsna through the spiritual master); ca—and; sangena—by the association; sadhu-bhaktanam—of devotees and saintly persons; isvara—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; aradhanena—by the worship; ca—and; sraddhaya—with great faith; tat-kathayam—in discourses about the Lord; ca—and; kirtanaih—by glorifications; guna-karmanam—of the transcendental qualities and activities of the Lord; tat—His; pada-amburuha—on the lotus feet; dhyanat—by meditation; tat—His; linga—forms (Deities); iksa—observing; arhana-adibhih—and by worshiping.

TRANSLATION

One must accept the bona fide spiritual master and render service unto him with great devotion and faith. Whatever one has in one’s possession should be offered to the spiritual master, and in the association of saintly persons and devotees one should worship the Lord, hear the glories of the Lord with faith, glorify the transcendental qualities and activities of the Lord, always meditate on the Lord’s lotus feet, and worship the Deity of the Lord strictly according to the injunctions of the sastra and guru.

PURPORT

In the previous verse it has been said that the process which immediately increases one’s love and affection for the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the best of the many thousands of ways to become free from the entanglement of material existence. It is also said, dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam: actually the truth of religious principles is extremely confidential. Nonetheless, it can be understood very easily if one actually adopts the principles of religion. As it is said, dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam: [SB 6.3.19] the process of religion is enunciated by the Supreme Lord because He is the supreme authority. This is also indicated in the previous verse by the word bhagavatoditah. The injunctions or directions of the Lord are infallible, and their benefits are fully assured. According to His directions, which are explained in this verse, the perfect form of religion is bhakti-yoga.

To practice bhakti-yoga, one must first accept a bona fide spiritual master. Srila Rupa Gosvami, in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.74–75), advises:

guru-padasrayas tasmat
krsna-diksadi-siksanam
visrambhena guroh seva
sadhu-vartmanuvartanam

sad-dharma-prccha bhogadi-
tyagah krsnasya hetave

One’s first duty is to accept a bona fide spiritual master. The student or disciple should be very inquisitive; he should be eager to know the complete truth about eternal religion (sanatana-dharma). The words guru-susrusaya mean that one should personally serve the spiritual master by giving him bodily comforts, helping him in bathing, dressing, sleeping, eating and so on. This is called guru-susrusanam. A disciple should serve the spiritual master as a menial servant, and whatever he has in his possession should be dedicated to the spiritual master. pranair arthair dhiya vaca. Everyone has his life, his wealth, his intelligence and his words, and all of them should be offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the via medium of the spiritual master. Everything should be offered to the spiritual master as a matter of duty, but the offering should be made to the spiritual master with heart and soul, not artificially to gain material prestige. This offering is called arpana. Moreover, one should live among devotees, saintly persons, to learn the etiquette and proper behavior of devotional service. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura remarks in this connection that whatever is offered to the spiritual master should be offered with love and affection, not for material adoration. Similarly, it is recommended that one associate with devotees, but there must be some discrimination. Actually, a sadhu, a saintly person, must be saintly in his behavior (sadhavah sad-acarah). Unless one adheres to the standard behavior, one’s position as a sadhu, a saintly person, is not complete. Therefore a Vaisnava, a sadhu, must completely adhere to the standard of behavior. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that a Vaisnava, a person initiated into the Vaisnava cult, should be offered the respect befitting a Vaisnava, which means that he should be offered service and prayers. However, one should not associate with him if he is not a fit person with whom to associate.

SB7.7.32

TEXT 32

harih sarvesu bhutesu

bhagavan asta isvarah

iti bhutani manasa

kamais taih sadhu manayet

SYNONYMS

harih—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sarvesu—in all; bhutesu—living entities; bhagavan—the supreme personality; aste—is situated; isvarah—the supreme controller; iti—thus; bhutani—all living entities; manasa—by such understanding; kamaih—by desires; taih—those; sadhu manayet—one should highly esteem.

TRANSLATION

One should always remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His localized representation as the Paramatma, who is situated in the core of every living entity’s heart. Thus one should offer respect to every living entity according to that living entity’s position or manifestation.

PURPORT

Harih sarvesu bhutesu. This statement is sometimes misunderstood by unscrupulous persons who wrongly conclude that because Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is situated in every living entity, every living entity is therefore Hari. Such foolish persons do not distinguish between the atma and the Paramatma, who are situated in every body. The atma is the living entity, and the Paramatma is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The individual living entity, however, is different from the Paramatma, the Supreme Lord. Therefore harih sarvesu bhutesu means that Hari is situated as Paramatma, not as atma, although atma is a part of Paramatma. Offering respect to every living entity means offering respect to the Paramatma situated in every living entity. One should not misunderstand every living entity to be the Paramatma. Sometimes unscrupulous persons designate a living entity as daridra-narayana, svami-narayana, this Narayana or that Narayana. One should clearly understand that although Narayana is situated in the core of the heart of every living entity, the living entity never becomes Narayana.

SB7.7.33

TEXT 33

evam nirjita-sad-vargaih

kriyate bhaktir isvare

vasudeve bhagavati

yaya samlabhyate ratih

SYNONYMS

evam—thus; nirjita—subdued; sat-vargaih—by the six symptoms of the senses (lusty desires, anger, greed, illusion, madness and jealousy); kriyate—is rendered; bhaktih—devotional service; isvare—unto the supreme controller; vasudeve—to Lord Vasudeva; bhagavati—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yaya—by which; samlabhyate—is obtained; ratih—attachment.

TRANSLATION

By these activities [as mentioned above] one is able to cut down the influence of the enemies, namely lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness and jealousy, and when thus situated, one can render service to the Lord. In this way one surely attains the platform of loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

As mentioned in verses thirty and thirty-one, one’s first duty is to approach the spiritual master, the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to begin rendering service to him. Prahlada Maharaja proposed that from the very beginning of life (kaumara acaret prajnah) a small child should be trained to serve the spiritual master while living at the guru-kula. Brahmacari guru-kule vasan danto guror hitam (Bhag. 7.12.1). This is the beginning of spiritual life. Guru-padasrayah, sadhu-vartmanuvartanam, sad-dharma-prccha. By following the instructions of the guru and the sastras, the disciple attains the stage of devotional service and becomes unattached to possessions. Whatever he possesses he offers to the spiritual master, the guru, who engages him in sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23]. The disciple follows strictly and in this way learns how to control his senses. Then, by using his pure intelligence, he gradually becomes a lover of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as confirmed by Srila Rupa Gosvami (adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah). In this way one’s life becomes perfect, and his attachment for Krsna becomes positively manifested. In that stage, he is situated in ecstasy, experiencing bhava and anubhava, as explained in the following verse.

SB7.7.34

TEXT 34

nisamya karmani gunan atulyan

viryani lila-tanubhih krtani

yadatiharsotpulakasru-gadgadam

protkantha udgayati rauti nrtyati

SYNONYMS

nisamya—hearing; karmani—transcendental activities; gunan—spiritual qualities; atulyan—uncommon (not generally visible in an ordinary person); viryani—very powerful; lila-tanubhih—by different pastime forms; krtani—performed; yada—when; atiharsa—because of great jubilation; utpulaka—horripilation; asru—tears in the eyes; gadgadam—faltering voice; protkanthah—with an open voice; udgayati—chants very loudly; rauti—cries; nrtyati—dances.

TRANSLATION

One who is situated in devotional service is certainly the controller of his senses, and thus he is a liberated person. When such a liberated person, the pure devotee, hears of the transcendental qualities and activities of the Lord’s incarnations for the performance of various pastimes, his hair stands on end on his body, tears fall from his eyes, and in his spiritual realization his voice falters. Sometimes he very openly dances, sometimes he sings loudly, and sometimes he cries. Thus he expresses his transcendental jubilation.

PURPORT

The Lord’s activities are uncommon. For example, when He appeared as Lord Ramacandra, He performed uncommon activities like bridging the ocean. Similarly, when Lord Krsna appeared He raised the Govardhana Hill when He was only seven years of age. These are uncommon activities. Fools and rascals, who are not in the transcendental position, consider these uncommon activities of the Lord to be mythological, but when the pure devotee, the liberated person, hears about these uncommon activities of the Lord, he immediately becomes ecstatic and exhibits the symptoms of chanting, dancing, and crying very loudly and jubilantly. This is the difference between a devotee and a nondevotee.

SB7.7.35

TEXT 35

yada graha-grasta iva kvacid dhasaty

akrandate dhyayati vandate janam

muhuh svasan vakti hare jagat-pate

narayanety atma-matir gata-trapah

SYNONYMS

yada—when; graha-grastah—haunted by a ghost; iva—like; kvacit—sometimes; hasati—laughs; akrandate—cries loudly (remembering the transcendental qualities of the Lord); dhyayati—meditates; vandate—offers respects; janam—to all living entities (thinking all of them to be engaged in the service of the Lord); muhuh—constantly; svasan—breathing heavily; vakti—he speaks; hare—O my Lord; jagat-pate—O master of the whole world; narayana—O Lord Narayana; iti—thus; atma-matih—fully absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Lord; gata-trapah—without shame.

TRANSLATION

When a devotee becomes like a person haunted by a ghost, he laughs and very loudly chants about the qualities of the Lord. Sometimes he sits to perform meditation, and he offers respects to every living entity, considering him a devotee of the Lord. Constantly breathing very heavily, he becomes careless of social etiquette and loudly chants like a madman, “Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna! O my Lord, O master of the universe!”

PURPORT

When one chants the holy name of the Lord in ecstasy, not caring for outward social conventions, it is to be understood that he is atma-mati. In other words, his consciousness is turned toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB7.7.36

TEXT 36

tada puman mukta-samasta-bandhanas

tad-bhava-bhavanukrtasayakrtih

nirdagdha-bijanusayo mahiyasa

bhakti-prayogena samety adhoksajam

SYNONYMS

tada—at that time; puman—the living entity; mukta—liberated; samasta-bandhanah—from all material obstacles on the path of devotional service; tat-bhava—of the situation of the Supreme Lord’s activities; bhava—by thinking; anukrta—made similar; asaya-akrtih—whose mind and body; nirdagdha—completely burned up; bija—the seed or original cause of material existence; anusayah—desire; mahiyasa—very powerful; bhakti—of devotional service; prayogena—by the application; sameti—achieves; adhoksajam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond the reach of the material mind and knowledge.

TRANSLATION

The devotee is then freed from all material contamination because he constantly thinks of the Lord’s pastimes and because his mind and body have been converted to spiritual qualities. Because of his intense devotional service, his ignorance, material consciousness and all kinds of material desires are completely burnt to ashes. This is the stage at which one can achieve the shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet.

PURPORT

When a devotee is completely purified, he becomes anyabhilasita-sunya. In other words, all of his material desires become zero, being burnt to ashes, and he exists either as the Lord’s servant, friend, father, mother or conjugal lover. Because one thinks constantly in this way, one’s present material body and mind are fully spiritualized, and the needs of one’s material body completely vanish from one’s existence. An iron rod put into a fire becomes warmer and warmer, and when it is red hot it is no longer an iron rod but fire. Similarly, when a devotee constantly engages in devotional service and thinks of the Lord in his original Krsna consciousness, he no longer has any material activities, for his body is spiritualized. Advancement in Krsna consciousness is very powerful, and therefore even during this life such a devotee has achieved the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. This transcendental ecstatic existence of a devotee was completely exhibited by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In this regard, Srila Madhvacarya writes as follows:

tad-bhava-bhavah tad yatha svarupam bhaktih
kecid bhakta vinrtyanti gayanti ca yathepsitam
kecit tusnim japanty eva kecit sobhaya-karinah

The ecstatic condition of devotional service was completely exhibited by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who sometimes danced, sometimes cried, sometimes sang, sometimes remained silent, and sometimes chanted the holy name of the Lord. That is perfect spiritual existence.

SB7.7.37

TEXT 37

adhoksajalambham ihasubhatmanah

saririnah samsrti-cakra-satanam

tad brahma-nirvana-sukham vidur budhas

tato bhajadhvam hrdaye hrd-isvaram

SYNONYMS

adhoksaja—with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond the reach of the materialistic mind or experimental knowledge; alambham—being constantly in contact; iha—in this material world; asubha-atmanah—whose mind is materially contaminated; saririnah—of a living entity who has accepted a material body; samsrti—of material existence; cakra—the cycle; satanam—completely stopping; tat—that; brahma-nirvana—connected with the Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Truth; sukham—transcendental happiness; viduh—understand; budhah—those who are spiritually advanced; tatah—therefore; bhajadhvam—engage in devotional service; hrdaye—within the core of the heart; hrt-isvaram—to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul within the heart.

TRANSLATION

The real problem of life is the repetition of birth and death, which is like a wheel rolling repeatedly up and down. This wheel, however, completely stops when one is in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, by the transcendental bliss realized from constant engagement in devotional service, one is completely liberated from material existence. All learned men know this. Therefore, my dear friends, O sons of the asuras, immediately begin meditating upon and worshiping the Supersoul within everyone’s heart.

PURPORT

Generally it is understood that by merging into the existence of Brahman, the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth, one becomes completely happy. The words brahma-nirvana refer to connecting with the Absolute Truth, who is realized in three features: brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. One feels brahma-sukha, spiritual happiness, by merging into the impersonal Brahman because the brahmajyoti is the effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti [Bs. 5.40]. Yasya prabha, the impersonal Brahman, consists of the rays of Krsna’s transcendental body. Therefore whatever transcendental bliss one feels from merging in Brahman is due to contact with Krsna. Contact with Krsna is perfect brahma-sukha. When the mind is in touch with the impersonal Brahman one becomes satisfied, but one must advance further to render service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for one’s remaining merged in the Brahman effulgence is not always assured. As it is said, aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah patanty adho ’nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah: [SB 10.2.32] one may merge in the Brahman feature of the Absolute Truth, but there is a chance that one may fall because of not being acquainted with Adhoksaja, or Vasudeva. Of course, such brahma-sukha undoubtedly eliminates material happiness, but when one advances through impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead in relationship with Him as a servant, friend, parent or conjugal lover, one’s happiness becomes all-pervading. Then one automatically feels transcendental bliss, just as one becomes happy seeing the shining of the moon. One acquires natural happiness upon seeing the moon, but when one can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one’s transcendental happiness increases hundreds and thousands of times. As soon as one is very intimately connected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one surely becomes free from all material contamination. Ya nirvrtis tanu-bhrtam. This cessation of all material happiness is called nirvrti or nirvana. Srila Rupa Gosvami says in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.1.38):

brahmanando bhaved esa
cet parardha-guni-krtah
naiti bhakti-sukhambhodheh
paramanu-tulam api

“If brahmananda, the bliss of merging in the Brahman effulgence, were multiplied one hundred trillion times, it would still not equal even an atomic fragment of the ocean of transcendental bliss felt in devotional service.”

brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param

“One who is transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed toward all living entities. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto the Lord.” (Bg. 18.54) If one advances further from the brahma-nirvana platform, one enters the stage of devotional service (mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54]). The word adhoksajalambham refers to keeping the mind always engaged in the Absolute Truth, who is beyond the mind and material speculation. Sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh. This is the result of Deity worship. By constantly engaging in the service of the Lord and thinking of His lotus feet, one is automatically freed from all material contamination. Thus the word brahma-nirvana-sukham indicates that when one is in touch with the Absolute Truth, material sense gratification is completely nullified.

SB7.7.38

TEXT 38

ko ’ti-prayaso ’sura-balaka harer

upasane sve hrdi chidravat satah

svasyatmanah sakhyur asesa-dehinam

samanyatah kim visayopapadanaih

SYNONYMS

kah—what; ati-prayasah—difficult endeavor; asura-balakah—O sons of demons; hareh—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; upasane—in discharging the devotional service; sve—in one’s own; hrdi—core of the heart; chidra-vat—just like the space; satah—who always exists; svasya—of one’s self or of the living entity; atmanah—of the Supersoul; sakhyuh—of the well-wishing friend; asesa—unlimited; dehinam—of the embodied souls; samanyatah—generally; kim—what is the need; visaya-upapadanaih—with activities delivering the objects of the senses for sense enjoyment.

TRANSLATION

O my friends, sons of the asuras, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His Supersoul feature always exists within the cores of the hearts of all living entities. Indeed, He is the well-wisher and friend of all living entities, and there is no difficulty in worshiping the Lord. Why, then, should people not engage in His devotional service? Why are they so addicted to unnecessarily producing artificial paraphernalia for sense gratification?

PURPORT

Because the Personality of Godhead is supreme, no one is equal to Him, and no one is greater than Him. Nonetheless, if one is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord is easily obtainable. The Lord is compared to the sky because the sky is vast yet within the reach of all, not only of human beings but even of the animals. The Supreme Lord, in His Paramatma feature, exists as the best well-wisher and friend. As confirmed in the Vedas, sayujau sakhayau. The Lord, in His Supersoul feature, always stays in the heart along with the living entity. The Lord is so friendly to the living entity that He remains within the heart so that one can always contact Him without difficulty. One can do this simply by devotional service (sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam. pada-sevanam [SB 7.5.23]). As soon as one hears of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (krsna-kirtana), one immediately comes in touch with the Lord. A devotee immediately comes in touch with the Lord by any or all of the items of devotional service:

sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam atma-nivedanam

[SB 7.5.23]

Therefore there is no difficulty in coming in contact with the Supreme Lord (ko ’ti-prayasah). On the other hand, going to hell requires great endeavor. If one wants to go to hell by illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling and intoxication, he must acquire so many things. For illicit sex he must arrange for money for brothels, for meat-eating he must arrange for many slaughterhouses, for gambling he must arrange for casinos and hotels, and for intoxication he must open many breweries. Clearly, therefore, if one wants to go to hell he must endeavor very much, but if he wants to return home, back to Godhead, there is no difficult endeavor. To go back to Godhead, one may live alone anywhere, in any condition, and simply sit down, meditate upon the Supersoul and chant and hear about the Lord. Thus there is no difficulty in approaching the Lord. Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram. Because of inability to control the senses, one must go through great endeavor to go to hell, but if one is sensible he can very easily obtain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead because the Lord is always with him. By the simple method of sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23], the Lord is satisfied. Indeed, the Lord says:

patram puspam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnami prayatatmanah

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” (Bg. 9.26) One can meditate upon the Lord anywhere and everywhere. Thus Prahlada Maharaja advised his friends, the sons of the demons, to take this path back home, back to Godhead, without difficulty.

Next verse (SB7.7.39)