TEXT 27
tasmims tada labdha-rucer maha-mate
priyasravasyaskhalita matir mama
yayaham etat sad-asat sva-mayaya
pasye mayi brahmani kalpitam pare
SYNONYMS
tasminit being so; tadaat that time; labdhaachieved; rucehtaste; maha-mateO great sage; priyasravasiupon the Lord; askhalita matihuninterrupted attention; mamamine; yayaby which; ahamI; etatall these; sat-asatgross and subtle; sva-mayayaone's own ignorance; pasyesee; mayiin me; brahmanithe Supreme; kalpitamis accepted; parein the Transcendence.
TRANSLATION
O great sage, as soon as I got a taste for the Personality of Godhead, my attention to hear of the Lord was unflinching. And as my taste developed, I could realize that it was only in my ignorance that I had accepted gross and subtle coverings, for both the Lord and I are transcendental.
PURPORT
Ignorance in material existence is compared to darkness, and in all Vedic literatures the Personality of Godhead is compared to the sun. Wherever there is light there cannot be darkness. Hearing of the Lord's pastimes is itself transcendental association with the Lord because there is no difference between the Lord and His transcendental pastimes. To become associated with the supreme light is to dissipate all ignorance. By ignorance only, the conditioned soul wrongly thinks that both he and the Lord are products of material nature. But in fact the Personality of Godhead and the living beings are transcendental, and they have nothing to do with the material nature. When ignorance is removed and it is perfectly realized that there is nothing existing without the Personality of Godhead, then nescience is removed. Since the gross and subtle bodies are emanations from the Personality of Godhead, the knowledge of light permits one to engage both of them in the service of the Lord. The gross body should be engaged in acts of rendering service to the Lord (as in bringing water, cleansing the temple or making obeisances, etc.). The path of arcana, or worshiping the Lord in the temple, involves engaging one's gross body in the service of the Lord. Similarly, the subtle mind should be engaged in hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, thinking about them, chanting His name, etc. All such activities are transcendental. None of the gross or subtle senses should otherwise be engaged. Such realization of transcendental activities is made possible by many, many years of apprenticeship in the devotional service, but simply attraction of love for the Personality of Godhead, as it was developed in Narada Muni, by hearing, is highly effective.

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