Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.10.13

vaiśāradī sāti-viśuddha-buddhir

dhunoti māyāḿ guṇa-samprasūtām

gunāḿś ca sandahya yad-ātmam etat

svayaḿ ca śāḿyaty asamid yathāgniḥ

SYNONYMS

vaiśāradī — available from the expert; sā — this; ati-viśuddha — most pure; buddhiḥ — intelligence or knowledge; dhunoti — repels; māyām — illusion; guṇa — from the modes of material nature; samprasūtām — produced; guṇān — the modes of nature themselves; ca — also; sandahya — completely burning up; yat — from which modes; ātmam — constituted; etat — this (material existence); svayam — itself; ca — also; śāḿyati — is pacified; asamit — without fuel; yathā — just as; agniḥ — fire.

TRANSLATION

By submissively hearing from an expert spiritual master, the expert disciple develops pure knowledge, which repels the onslaught of material illusion arising from the three modes of material nature. Finally this pure knowledge itself ceases, just as fire ceases when the stock of fuel has been consumed.

PURPORT

The Sanskrit word vaiśāradī means "that which is derived from the expert [viśārada]." Perfect transcendental knowledge comes from the expert spiritual master, and when such knowledge is heard by the expert disciple, it curbs the waves of material illusion. Since the Lord's illusory energy acts eternally within the material world, there is no possibility of destroying illusion. One may, however, destroy the presence of illusion within one's own heart. To accomplish this the disciple must become expert in pleasing the expert spiritual master. As one advances to the perfectional stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, experiencing the presence of the Lord everywhere, one's attention shifts to the transcendental platform. At that time, pure knowledge itself, one's constant technical awareness of illusion, diminishes, just as fire diminishes and is extinguished after consuming its stock of fuel.

Śrīla Madhvācārya has quoted from several Vedic scriptures to show that māyā, or material illusion, is just like a witch who always haunts the conditioned souls. Māyā offers the conditioned souls whatever they like within the three modes of nature, but such offerings are all just like fire that burns the heart to ashes. Therefore, one must understand that the material world is a hellish place, offering a permanent situation to no one. Externally we experience many things, and internally we contemplate our experience, formulating plans for future action. Thus internally and externally we are victims of ignorance. Real knowledge comes from the Vedas, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His form of perfect wisdom. If we become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, taking complete shelter of the Lord, there will be no scarcity of pleasure, because the Lord is the reservoir of all pleasure, and His devotees freely move within that reservoir.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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