Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
| Canto 7: The Science of God | Chapter 5: Prahlāda Mahārāja, the Saintly Son of Hiranyakaśipu |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.5.14
cakra-pāner yadricchayā
SYNONYMS
yathā — just as; bhrāmyati — moves; ayah — iron; brahman — O brāhmanas; svayam — itself; ākarsha — of a magnet; sannidhau — in the proximity; tathā — similarly; me — my; bhidyate — is changed; cetah — consciousness; cakra-pāneh — of Lord Vishnu, who has a disc in His hand; yadricchayā — simply by the will.
TRANSLATION
O brāhmanas [teachers], as iron attracted by a magnetic stone moves automatically toward the magnet, my consciousness, having been changed by His will, is attracted by Lord Vishnu, who carries a disc in His hand. Thus I have no independence.
PURPORT
For iron to be attracted by a magnet is natural. Similarly, for all living entities to be attracted toward Krishna is natural, and therefore the Lord's real name is Krishna, meaning He who attracts everyone and everything. The typical examples of such attraction are found in Vrindāvana, where everything and everyone is attracted by Krishna. The elderly persons like Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodādevī, the friends like Śrīdāmā, Sudāmā and the other cowherd boys, the gopīs like Śrīmatī Rādhārānī and Her associates, and even the birds, beasts, cows and calves are attracted. The flowers and fruits in the gardens are attracted, the waves of the Yamunā are attracted, and the land, sky, trees, plants, animals and all other living beings are attracted by Krishna. This is the natural situation of everything in Vrindāvana.
Just contrary to the affairs of Vrindāvana is the material world, where no one is attracted by Krishna and everyone is attracted by māyā. This is the difference between the spiritual and material worlds. Hiranyakaśipu, who was in the material world, was attracted by women and money, whereas Prahlāda Mahārāja, being in his natural position, was attracted by Krishna. In replying to Hiranyakaśipu's question about why Prahlāda Mahārāja had a deviant view, Prahlāda said that his view was not deviant, for the natural position of everyone is to be attracted by Krishna. Hiranyakaśipu found this view deviant, Prahlāda said, because of being unnaturally unattracted by Krishna. Hiranyakaśipu therefore needed purification.
As soon as one is purified of material contamination, he is again attracted by Krishna (sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]). In the material world, everyone is contaminated by the dirt of sense gratification and is acting according to different designations, sometimes as a human being, sometimes a beast, sometimes a demigod or tree, and so on. One must be cleansed of all these designations. Then one will be naturally attracted to Krishna. The bhakti process purifies the living entity of all unnatural attractions. When one is purified he is attracted by Krishna and begins to serve Krishna instead of serving māyā. This is his natural position. A devotee is attracted by Krishna, whereas a nondevotee, being contaminated by the dirt of material enjoyment, is not. This is confirmed by the Lord in Bhagavad-gītā (7.28):
"Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination." One must be freed from all the sinful dirt of material existence. Everyone in this material world is contaminated by material desire. Unless one is free from all material desire (anyābhilāshitā-śūnyam [Bhakti-rasāmrita-sindhu 1.1.11]), one cannot be attracted by Krishna.
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness