SB 4.22.21

TEXT 21

TEXT

शास्त्रेष्वियानेव सुनिश्चितो नृणां क्षेमस्य सध्र्यग्विमृशेषु हेतुः ।
असङ्ग आत्मव्यतिरिक्त आत्मनि दृढा रतिर्ब्रह्मणि निर्गुणे च या ॥ २१ ॥

sastresv iyan eva suniscito nrnam

ksemasya sadhryag-vimrsesu hetuḥ

asahga atma-vyatirikta atmani

drḍha ratir brahmani nirgune ca ya

sastresu-in the scriptures; iyan eva-this is only; suniscitaḥ-positively concluded; nrnam-of human society; ksemasya-of the ultimate welfare; sadhryak-perfectly; vimrsesu-by full consideration; hetuḥ-cause; asahgaḥ-detachment; atma-vyatirikte-bodily concept of life; atmani-unto the Supreme Soul; drḍha-strong; ratiḥ-attachment; brahmani-transcendence; nirgune-in the Supreme, who is beyond the material modes; ca-and; ya-which.

TRANSLATION

It has been conclusively decided in the scriptures, after due consideration, that the ultimate goal for the welfare of human society is detachment from the bodily concept of life and increased and steadfast attachment for the Supreme Lord, who is transcendental and beyond the modes of material nature.

PURPORT

Everyone in human society is engaged for the ultimate benefit of life, but persons who are in the bodily conception cannot achieve the ultimate goal, nor can they understand what it is. The ultimate goal of life is described in Bhagavad-gita. Param drstva nivartate (Bg. 2.59). When one finds out the supreme goal of life, he naturally becomes detached from the bodily concept. Here in this verse the indication is that one has to steadfastly increase attachment for the Transcendence (brahmani). As it is confirmed in the Vedanta-sūtra, athato brahma-jijnasa (Vs. ): without inquiry about the Supreme or the Transcendence, one cannot give up attachment for this material world. By the evolutionary process in 8,400,000 species of life, one cannot understand the ultimate goal of life because in all those species of life, the bodily conception is very prominent. Athato brahma jijnasa means that in order to get out of the bodily conception, one has to increase attachment or inquiry about Brahman. Then he can be situated in the transcendental devotional service-sravanam kirtanam visnoḥ. To increase attachment for Brahman means to engage in devotional service. Those who are attached to the impersonal form of Brahman cannot remain attached for very long. Impersonalists, after rejecting this world as mithya or false (jagan-mithya), come down again to this jagan-mithya, although they take sannyasa to increase their attachment for Brahman. Similarly, many yogis who are attached to the localized aspect of Brahman as Paramatma-great sages like Visvamitra-also fall down as victims of women. Therefore increased attachment for the Supreme Personality of Godhead is advised in all sastras. That is the only way of detachment from material existence and is explained in Bhagavad-gita as param drstva nivartate (Bg. 2.59). One can cease material activities when he actually has the taste for devotional service. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also recommended love of Godhead as the ultimate goal of life (prema pumartho mahan). Without increasing love of Godhead, one cannot achieve the perfectional stage or the transcendental position.

Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/4/22/21