Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.88.5

harir hi nirgunah saksat

purusah prakrteh parah

sa sarva-drg upadrasta

tam bhajan nirguno bhavet

SYNONYMS

harih -- the Supreme Lord Hari; hi -- indeed; nirgunah -- untouched by the material modes; saksat -- absolutely; purusah -- the Personality of Godhead; prakrteh -- to material nature; parah -- transcendental; sah -- He; sarva -- everything; drk -- seeing; upadrasta -- the witness; tam -- Him; bhajan -- by worshiping; nirgunah -- free from the material modes; bhavet -- one becomes.

TRANSLATION

Lord Hari, however, has no connection with the material modes. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the all-seeing eternal witness, who is transcendental to material nature. One who worships Him becomes similarly free from the material modes.

PURPORT

Lord Visnu is situated in His own transcendental position, beyond the material energy. Why, therefore, should His worship bear the fruit of material opulence? The real fruit of worshiping Lord Visnu is transcendental knowledge. Thus Lord Visnu's worshiper gains the eye of transcendental knowledge instead of being blinded by mundane assets. The Lord being the detached witness of the material creation, His devotee also becomes aloof from the interaction of the Lord's inferior energies.

Srila Sridhara Svami cites the following passage from the Vedic literature:

vastuno guna-sambandhe

rupa-dvayam ihesyate

tad-dharmayoga-yogabhyam

bimba-vat pratibimba-vat

"When the absolute reality associates with the modes of nature, He assumes two different kinds of form in this world, according to whether His spiritual qualities are manifest or not. Thus He acts just like a reflection and its further, secondary reflection."

gunah sattvadayah santa-

ghora-mudhah svabhavatah

visnu-brahma-sivanam ca

guna-yantr-svarupinam

"The modes of goodness, passion and ignorance, whose individual natures are peaceful, violent and foolish, are personally regulated by Lord Visnu, Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, respectively."

nati-bhedo bhaved bhedo

guna-dharmair ihamsatah

sattvasya santya no jatu

visnor viksepa-mudhate

"Lord Visnu's peaceful mode of goodness does not differ substantially from His original, spiritual qualities, although it is only a partial manifestation of them within this world. Thus Lord Visnu's mode of goodness is never tainted by agitation [in passion] or delusion [in ignorance]."

rajas-tamo-gunabhyam tu

bhavetam brahma-rudrayoh

gunopamardato bhuyas

tad-amsanam ca bhinnata

"By the modes of passion and ignorance, on the other hand, the original, spiritual qualities of Lord Brahma and Lord Rudra are obscured. Thus these spiritual qualities appear only partially, as separated, material qualities."

atah samagra-sattvasya

visnor moksa-kari matih

amsato bhuti-hetus ca

tathananda-mayi svatah

"Therefore focusing one's consciousness upon Lord Visnu, the embodiment of all goodness, leads one to liberation. Such God consciousness also generates material success as a by-product, but its proper nature is pure spiritual ecstasy."

amsatas taratamyena

brahma-rudradi-sevinam

vibhutayo bhavanty eva

sanair mokso py anamsatah

"According to their mode of worship, devotees of Brahma, Rudra and other demigods obtain the limited success of material opulences. Eventually they may possibly become qualified for full liberation."

This same idea is echoed in the following statement of Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.23): sreyamsi tatra khalu sattva-tanor nrnam syuh. "Of these three [Brahma, Visnu and Siva], all human beings can derive ultimate benefit from Visnu, the form of the quality of goodness."

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari