CC Madhya 20.127 (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 127
- ihāte dṛṣṭānta—yaiche daridrera ghare
- ‘sarvajña’ āsi’ duḥkha dekhi’ puchaye tāhāre
SYNONYMS
ihāte—in this connection; dṛṣṭānta—the parable; yaiche—just as; daridrera ghare—in the house of a poor man; sarva-jña—an astrologer; āsi’—coming; duḥkha—distressed condition; dekhi’—seeing; puchaye tāhāre—inquires from him.
TRANSLATION
“The following parable may be given. Once a learned astrologer came to the house of a poor man and, seeing his distressed condition, questioned him.
PURPORT
Sometimes we go to an astrologer or palmist when we are in a distressed condition or when we want to know the future. The living entity in conditioned life is always distressed by the threefold miseries of material existence. Under the circumstances, he is inquisitive about his position. For instance, Sanātana Gosvāmī approached the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, to ask Him why he was in a distressed condition. This is the position of all conditioned souls. We are always in a distressed condition, and an intelligent man naturally becomes inquisitive. This position is called brahma-jijñāsā. Athāto brahma jijñāsā (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.1). Brahma here refers to the Vedic literature. One should consult the Vedic literature to know why the conditioned soul is always in a distressed condition. The Vedic literatures are meant to free the conditioned soul from the miserable conditions of material existence. In this chapter, the story of the astrologer Sarvajña and the poor man is very instructive.