CC Madhya 22.45 (1975)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Below is the 1996 edition text, ready to be substituted with the 1975 one using the compile form.
TEXT 45
- kona bhāgye kāro saṁsāra kṣayonmukha haya
- sādhu-saṅge tabe kṛṣṇe rati upajaya
SYNONYMS
kona bhāgye—by fortune; kāro—of someone; saṁsāra—conditioned life; kṣaya-unmukha—on the point of destruction; haya—is; sādhu-saṅge—by association with devotees; tabe—then; kṛṣṇe—to Lord Kṛṣṇa; rati—attraction; upajaya—awakens.
TRANSLATION
“By good fortune one becomes eligible to cross the ocean of nescience, and when one’s term of material existence decreases, one may get an opportunity to associate with pure devotees. By such association, one’s attraction to Kṛṣṇa is awakened.
PURPORT
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains this point. Is this bhāgya (fortune) the result of an accident or something else? In the scriptures, devotional service and pious activity are considered fortunate. Pious activities can be divided into three categories: pious activities that awaken one’s dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness are called bhakty-unmukhī sukṛti, pious activities that bestow material opulence are called bhogonmukhī sukṛti, and pious activities that enable the living entity to merge into the existence of the Supreme are called mokṣonmukhī sukṛti. These last two awards of pious activity are not actually fortunate. Pious activities are fortunate when they help one become Kṛṣṇa conscious. The good fortune of bhakty-unmukhī is attainable only when one comes in contact with a devotee. By associating with a devotee willingly or unwillingly, one advances in devotional service, and thus one’s dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness is awakened.