TEXT 61
sri-narada uvaca
iti daitya-pater vakyam
ditir akarnya sasnusa
putra-sokam ksanat tyaktva
tattve cittam adharayat
SYNONYMS
sri-naradah uvacaSri Narada Muni said; itithus; daitya-patehof the King of the demons; vakyamthe speech; ditihDiti, the mother of Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksa; akarnyahearing; sa-snusawith the wife of Hiranyaksa; putra-sokamthe great bereavement for her son, Hiranyaksa; ksanatimmediately; tyaktvagiving up; tattvein the real philosophy of life; cittamheart; adharayatengaged.
TRANSLATION
Sri Narada Muni continued: Diti, the mother of Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksa, heard the instructions of Hiranyakasipu along with her daughter-in-law, Rusabhanu, Hiranyaksas wife. She then forgot her grief over her sons death and thus engaged her mind and attention in understanding the real philosophy of life.
PURPORT
When a relative dies one certainly becomes very much interested in philosophy, but when the funeral ceremony is over one again becomes attentive to materialism. Even Daityas, who are materialistic persons, sometimes think of philosophy when some relative meets death. The technical term for this attitude of the materialistic person is smasana-vairagya, or detachment in a cemetery or place of cremation. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, four classes of men receive an understanding of spiritual life and Godarta (the distressed), jijnasu (the inquisitive), artharthi (one who desires material gains) and jnani (one who is searching for knowledge). Especially when one is very much distressed by material conditions, one becomes interested in God. Therefore Kuntidevi said in her prayers to Krsna that she preferred distress to a happy mood of life. In the material world, one who is happy forgets Krsna, or God, but sometimes, if one is actually pious but in distress, he remembers Krsna. Queen Kuntidevi therefore preferred distress because it is an opportunity for remembering Krsna. When Krsna was leaving Kuntidevi for His own country, Kuntidevi regretfully said that she was better off in distress because Krsna was always present, whereas now that the Pandavas were situated in their kingdom, Krsna was going away. For a devotee, distress is an opportunity to remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Seventh Canto, Second Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled Hiranyakasipu, King of the Demons.

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