TEXT 104
sadhu-sanga, krsna-krpa, bhaktira svabhava
e tine saba chadaya, kare krsne 'bhava'
SYNONYMS
sadhu-sangathe association of devotees; krsna-krpathe mercy of Lord Krsna; bhaktiraof devotional service; sva-bhavanature; e tinethese three; saba chadayacause one to give up everything else; karedo; krsneunto Lord Krsna; bhavathe loving affairs.
TRANSLATION
"Association with a devotee, the mercy of Krsna, and the nature of devotional service help one to give up all undesirable association and gradually attain elevation to the platform of love of Godhead.
PURPORT
This verse refers to the association of pure devotees, the mercy of Krsna and the rendering of devotional service. All these help one give up the association of nondevotees and the material opulence awarded by the external energy, maya. A pure devotee is never attracted by material opulence, for he understands that wasting time to acquire material opulence is a misuse of the gift of human life. In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said: srama eva hi kevalam. In the eyes of a devotee, politicians, social workers, philanthropists, philosophers and humanitarians are simply wasting their time, for human society is not freed from the cycle of birth and death by their activity and propaganda. These so-called philanthropists, politicians and philosophers have no knowledge because they do not know that there is life after death. Understanding that there is life after death is the beginning of spiritual knowledge. A person can understand himself and what he is simply by understanding the first lessons of Bhagavad-gita.
dehino 'smin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptir
dhiras tatra na muhyati
"As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change." (Bg. 2.13)
Not knowing the real science of life one engages in the temporary activities of this life and thus becomes further entangled in the cycle of birth and death. Thus one always desires material opulence, which can be attained by karma, jnana and yoga. However, when one is actually elevated to the devotional platform, he gives up all these desires. This is called anyabhilasita-sunya. Then one becomes a pure devotee.

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