|
dhatar yad asmin bhava isa jivas
tapa-trayenabhihata na sarma
atman labhante bhagavams tavanghri-
cchayam sa-vidyam ata asrayema
SYNONYMS
dhatahO father; yatbecause; asminin this; bhavematerial world; isaO Lord; jivahthe living entities; tapamiseries; trayenaby the three; abhihatahalways embarrassed; nanever; sarmain happiness; atmanself; labhantedo gain; bhagavanO Personality of Godhead; tavaYour; anghri-chayamshade of Your feet; sa-vidyamfull of knowledge; atahobtain; asrayemashelter.
TRANSLATION
O Father, O Lord, O Personality of Godhead, the living entities in the material world can never have any happiness because they are overwhelmed by the three kinds of miseries. Therefore they take shelter of the shade of Your lotus feet, which are full of knowledge, and we also thus take shelter of them.
PURPORT
The way of devotional service is neither sentimental nor mundane. It is the path of reality by which the living entity can attain the transcendental happiness of being freed from the three kinds of material miseriesmiseries arising from the body and mind, from other living entities and from natural disturbances. Everyone who is conditioned by material existencewhether he be a man or beast or demigod or birdmust suffer from adhyatmika (bodily or mental) pains, adhibhautika pains (those offered by living creatures), and adhidaivika pains (those due to supernatural disturbances). His happiness is nothing but a hard struggle to get free from the miseries of conditional life. But there is only one way he can be rescued, and that is by accepting the shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The argument that unless one has proper knowledge one cannot be freed from material miseries is undoubtedly true. But because the lotus feet of the Lord are full of transcendental knowledge, acceptance of His lotus feet completes that necessity. We have already discussed this point in the First Canto (1.2.7):
There is no want of knowledge in the devotional service of Vasudeva, the Personality of Godhead. He, the Lord, personally takes charge of dissipating the darkness of ignorance from the heart of a devotee. He confirms this in Bhagavad-gita (10.10):
Empiric philosophical speculation cannot give one relief from the threefold miseries of material existence. Simply to endeavor for knowledge without devoting oneself to the Lord is a waste of valuable time.
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/3/5/40 
|