TEXTS 2829
kitah pesaskrta ruddhah
kudyayam tam anusmaran
samrambha-bhaya-yogena
vindate tat-svarupatam
evam krsne bhagavati
maya-manuja isvare
vairena puta-papmanas
tam apur anucintaya
SYNONYMS
kitahthe grassworm; pesaskrtaby a bee; ruddhahconfined; kudyayamin a hole in a wall; tamthat (bee); anusmaranthinking of; samrambha-bhaya-yogenathrough intense fear and enmity; vindateattains; tatof that bee; sva-rupatamthe same form; evamthus; krsnein Krsna; bhagavatithe Personality of Godhead; maya-manujewho appeared by His own energy in His eternal humanlike form; isvarethe Supreme; vairenaby enmity; puta-papmanahthose purified of sins; tamHim; apuhattained; anucintayaby thinking of.
TRANSLATION
A grassworm confined in a hole of a wall by a bee always thinks of the bee in fear and enmity and later becomes a bee simply because of such remembrance. Similarly, if the conditioned souls somehow or other think of Krsna, who is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], they will become free from their sins. Whether thinking of Him as their worshipable Lord or an enemy, because of constantly thinking of Him they will regain their spiritual bodies.
PURPORT
In Bhagavad-gita (4.10) the Lord says:
Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Meand thus they all attained transcendental love for Me. There are two ways of constantly thinking of Krsnaas a devotee and as an enemy. A devotee, of course, by his knowledge and tapasya, becomes free from fear and anger and becomes a pure devotee. Similarly, an enemy, although thinking of Krsna inimically, thinks of Him constantly and also becomes purified. This is confirmed elsewhere in Bhagavad-gita (9.30), where the Lord says:
api cet su-duracaro
bhajate mam ananya-bhak
sadhur eva sa mantavyah
samyag vyavasito hi sah
Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he engages in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated. A devotee undoubtedly worships the Lord with rapt attention. Similarly, if an enemy (suduracarah) always thinks of Krsna, he also becomes a purified devotee. The example given here concerns the grassworm that becomes beelike because of constantly thinking of the bee that forces it to enter a hole. By always thinking of the bee in fear, the grassworm starts to become a bee. This is a practical example. Lord Krsna appears within this material world for two purposesparitranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam: [Bg. 4.8] to protect the devotees and annihilate the demons. The sadhus and devotees certainly think of the Lord always, but duskrtis, the demons like Kamsa and Sisupala, also think of Krsna in terms of killing Him. By thinking of Krsna, both the demons and devotees attain liberation from the clutches of material maya.
This verse uses the word maya-manuje. When Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appears in His original spiritual potency (sambhavamy atma-mayaya [Bg. 4.6]), He is not forced to accept a form made by material nature. Therefore the Lord is addressed as isvara, the controller of maya. He is not controlled by maya. When a demon continuously thinks of Krsna because of enmity toward Him, he is certainly freed from the sinful reactions of his life. To think of Krsna in any way, in terms of His name, form, qualities, paraphernalia or anything pertaining to Him, is beneficial for everyone. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah [SB 1.2.17]. Thinking of Krsna, hearing the holy name of Krsna or hearing the pastimes of Krsna will make one pure, and then he will become a devotee. Our Krsna consciousness movement is therefore trying to introduce the system of somehow or other letting everyone hear the holy name of Krsna and take Krsnas prasada. Thus one will gradually become a devotee, and his life will be successful.

Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/7/1/28-29

Previous: SB 7.1.27     Next: SB 7.1.30

If you Love Me Distribute My Books -- Srila Prabhupada