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SB 1.12.6 (1964)

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada



TEXT No. 6

Kim te kamah surasparha mukundamanasa dwija. Adhijahrur mudam rajhah kshudhitasya yathetare.


ENGLISH SYNONYMS

Kim—what for, Te—all those, Kamah—objects of sense enjoyment, Suras—of the denizens of heaven, Spriha—aspirations, Mukundamanaso—of one who is already Godminded, Dwija—on the Brahmins, Adhijhahrur—could satisfy, Mudam—pleasure, Rajnah—of the king, Kshudhitasya—of the hungry, Yatha-as is, Itare—in other things.


TRANSLATION

Oh the Brahmins! the opulence of the king was so much enchanting that the denizens of the heaven did aspire after them. But because he was absorbed in the service of the Lord nothing could satisfy him except the Lord's service.


PURPORT

There are two things in the world which can satisfy the living beings. When one is materially engrossed he is satisfied only by sense-gratification but when one is liberated from the conditions of material modes he is satisfied only by rendering loving service for the satisfaction of the Lord. This means that the living being is constitutionally a Servitor and not one who is Served. Being illusioned by the conditions of the external energy, one falsely thinks himself as the Served one by the material opulence but actually he is not served; he is servant of the senses like lust, desire, anger, avarice, pride, madness and intolerance. When one is in his proper senses by attainment of spiritual knowledge that he is not the master of the material world but he is only a servant of the senses, at that time he begs for the service of the Lord and thus becomes happy without being illusioned by socalled material happiness. Maharaj Yudhisthir was one of the liberated souls and therefore, for him there was no pleasure in the vast kingdom, good wife, obedient brothers, happy subjects and prosperous world. These things do automatically follow the footprints of a pure devotee even such devotee does not aspire after them. The example set herein is exactly suitable. It is said that one who is hungry is never satisfied by any other thing.

The whole material world is full of hungry living beings. The hunger is not for good food, shelter, defence or sense gratification. The hunger is for spiritual atmosphere. Due to ignorance only they think that the world is not satisfied because there is not sufficient food, good shelter, good defence and good objects of sense gratification. This is called illusion. While the living being is hungry for spiritual satisfaction they are misrepresented by material hunger. But the foolish leaders cannot see it that even the people who are most sumptuously materially satisfied, are still hungry; and what is that poverty? This hunger is actually for spiritual food, spiritual shelter, spiritual defence and spiritual sense gratification. Such things can be obtained in the association of the Supreme Spirit Lord Sri Krishna and therefore, one who has got it cannot be any more attracted by the so called food, shelter, defence and sense gratification of the material world even they are aspired by the denizens of the heavenly planets. Therefore, in the Bhagwat Geeta it is said by the Lord (B.G. 8/16) that even in the topmost planet of the universe namely the Brahmaloka where the duration of life is multiplied by millions of years of our calculation one cannot satisfy the hunger of a living being. Such hunger of the living being can only be satisfied when the living being is situated in immortality which is attained in the spiritual sky far far above the Brahmloka and in the association of the Lord Mukunda or the Lord Who awards upon His devotees the transcendental pleasure of liberation.