SB 4.11.14
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 14
- samprasanne bhagavati
- puruṣaḥ prākṛtair guṇaiḥ
- vimukto jīva-nirmukto
- brahma nirvāṇam ṛcchati
SYNONYMS
samprasanne — upon satisfaction; bhagavati — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; puruṣaḥ — a person; prākṛtaiḥ — from the material; guṇaiḥ — modes of nature; vimuktaḥ — being liberated; jīva-nirmuktaḥ — freed from the subtle body also; brahma — unlimited; nirvāṇam — spiritual bliss; ṛcchati — achieves.
TRANSLATION
One who actually satisfies the Supreme Personality of Godhead during one's lifetime becomes liberated from the gross and subtle material conditions. Thus being freed from all material modes of nature, he achieves unlimited spiritual bliss.
PURPORT
In the previous verse it has been explained that one should treat all living entities with tolerance, mercy, friendship and equality. By such behavior one satisfies the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and upon His satisfaction the devotee immediately becomes free from all material conditions. The Lord also confirms this in the Bhagavad-gītā: "Anyone who sincerely and seriously engages in My service immediately becomes situated in the transcendental stage wherein he can enjoy unlimited spiritual bliss." Everyone in this material world is struggling hard in order to achieve blissful life. Unfortunately, people do not know how to achieve it. Atheists do not believe in God, and certainly they do not please Him. Here it is clearly said that upon pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead one immediately attains to the spiritual platform and enjoys unlimited blissful life. To become free from material existence means to become free from the influence of material nature.
The word samprasanne, which is used in this verse, means "being satisfied." A person should act in such a way that the Lord is satisfied by the activity; it is not that he himself is to be satisfied. Of course, when the Lord is satisfied, the devotee automatically becomes satisfied. This is the secret of the process of bhakti-yoga. Outside of bhakti-yoga, everyone is trying to satisfy himself. No one is trying to satisfy the Lord. Karmīs grossly try to satisfy their senses, but even those who are elevated to the platform of knowledge also try to satisfy themselves, in a subtle form. Karmīs try to satisfy themselves by sense gratification, and jñānīs try to satisfy themselves by subtle activities or mental speculation and thinking themselves to be God. Yogīs also try to satisfy themselves, by thinking that they can achieve different mystic perfections. But only devotees try to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The devotees' process of self-realization is completely different from the processes of the karmīs, jñānīs and yogīs. Everyone else is trying to satisfy himself, whereas the devotee tries only to satisfy the Lord. The devotional process is completely different from the others; by working to please the Lord by engaging his senses in the Lord's loving service, the devotee is immediately situated on the transcendental platform, and he enjoys unlimited blissful life.