|
bhavan bhaktimata labhyo
durlabhah sarva-dehinam
svarajyasyapy abhimata
ekantenatma-vid-gatih
SYNONYMS
bhavanYour Grace; bhakti-mataby the devotee; labhyahobtainable; durlabhahvery difficult to be obtained; sarva-dehinamof all other living entities; svarajyasyaof the King of heaven; apieven; abhimatahthe ultimate goal; ekantenaby oneness; atma-vitof the self-realized; gatihthe ultimate destination.
TRANSLATION
My dear Lord, the king in charge of the heavenly kingdom is also desirous of obtaining the ultimate goal of lifedevotional service. Similarly, You are the ultimate destination of those who identify themselves with You []. However, it is very difficult for them to attain You, whereas a devotee can very easily attain Your Lordship.
PURPORT
As stated in Brahma-samhita: vedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktauvedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau [Bs. 5.33]. This indicates that it is very difficult for one to attain the ultimate goal of life and reach the supreme destination, Vaikunthaloka or Goloka Vrndavana, simply by studying Vedanta philosophy or Vedic literature. However, this highest perfectional stage can be attained by the devotees very easily. That is the meaning of vedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau [Bs. 5.33]. The same point is confirmed by Lord Siva in this verse. The Lord is very difficult for the karma-yogis, jnana-yogis and dhyana-yogis to attain. Those who are bhakti-yogis, however, have no difficulty at all. In the word svarajyasya, svar refers to Svargaloka, the heavenly planet, and svarajya refers to the ruler of the heavenly planet, Indra. Generally, karmis desire elevation to heavenly planets, but King Indra desires to become perfect in bhakti-yoga. Those who identify themselves as (I am the Supreme Brahman, one with the Absolute Truth) also ultimately desire to attain perfect liberation in the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka Vrndavana. In Bhagavad-gita (18.55) it is said:
One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.
Thus if one desires to enter into the spiritual world, he must try to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by practicing bhakti-yoga. Simply by practicing bhakti-yoga one can understand the Supreme Lord in truth, but without such understanding, one cannot enter the spiritual kingdom. One may be elevated to the heavenly planets or may realize himself as Brahman (), but that is not the end of realization. One must realize the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by bhakti-yoga; then real perfection of life is attained.
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/4/24/54 Previous: SB 4.24.53 Next: SB 4.24.55
|