Introduction a Introduction

creates this universe from His own self, utilizes it for some time, and then He eventually

withdraws it within His own self.
COMMENTARY

The word ürëanäbhi indicates a spider. A spider releases threads from her heart

through her mouth, creates a web, and plays on it. Then again, it swallows the entire

web. In the same way, the Supreme Lord creates the entire universe from His own self

and then, after enjoying His pastimes, again withdraws it within His own self .

PURPORT

The spirit souls wander about in this temporary world, which was created by

the Supersoul. Just as a spider manifests thread from its body and then again winds

it up within itself, the Supreme Lord creates this temporary material world, which is

a manifestation of His inferior energy, and then again winds it up. This temporary

material world is under the control of time, it is limited, and it is full of miseries.

TEXT 22

Ya}aYa}aMaNaaedehqDaarYaeTSak-l&/iDaYaa )

ňehad(ÜezaŮYaaÜaiPaYaaiTaTataTSvćPaTaaMa( ))22))

yatra yatra mano dehé dhärayet sakalaŕ dhiyä

snehäd dveńäd bhayäd väpi yäti tat-tat-svarüpatäm
Whatever a living entity concentrates his mind upon, whether out of affection, hatred,

or fear, he will certainly attain in his next life.
COMMENTARY

The avadhüta brähmaëa says, “The devotees of the Supreme Lord, who are attached

to meditating upon His transcendental form, easily attain the same bodily features as

the Lord. This is not at all wonderful. I have learned this lesson from the wasp.”

The next two verses describe the lesson to be learned from the wasp. When one’s

mind meditates upon a particular form without deviation, he will certainly attain that

form in the future.

Detachment from all that is Material


PURPORT

109

The living entity, who is embodied by gross and subtle matter, experiences affection,

hatred, or fearfulness for the object of his attachment as dictated by his intelligence,

which is under the control of the spirit of material enjoyment. Ultimately. one attains

the form of the object upon which he meditates. If one can renounce the desire for

material enjoyment and thus attract the attention of the unlimitedly affectionate Lord,

while displaying anger towards those who are envious of the Lord, and fear of the

consequences of absorption in sense gratification, he can attain an eternal spiritual

form as a servant of the Supreme Lord in His transcendental abode.

TEXT 23

k-I$=>PaeXaSk*-Ta&DYaaYaNa(ku-@ya&TaeNaPa[veiXaTa> )

YaaiTaTaTSaaTMaTaa&raJaNa(PaUvRćPaMaSaNTYaJaNa( ))23))

kéöaů peçaskĺtaŕ dhyäyan kuňyäŕ tena praveçitaů

yäti tat-sätmatäŕ räjan pürva-rüpam asantyajan
O King, once a tiny insect was captured and kept captive in a hive of a wasp. Out of

great fear, that tiny insect constantly meditated upon his captor so that, without giving up

its present body, it gradually assumed the form of a wasp. There is no doubt that whatever

one thinks of at the time of death, he will attain that state of existence in his next life.
COMMENTARY

The insect attained the same bodily features as the wasp, even without giving up

its present body. This indicates that when one meditates on a particular form, he will

gradually come to resemble the object of his meditation. A good example of this is Dhruva

Mahäräja. Generally, a devotee who meditates upon the Lord gives up his material body

at the time of death and then attains a spiritual form, so that materialistic persons are

unable to perceive the transformation. This is enacted by the internal energy of the

Supreme Lord. Sometimes, it appears that the spiritual body has been given up but such

pastimes are illusory. Närada Muné has explained that when he received the spiritual

body of an associate of the Lord, his material body was instantaneously relinquished,

just like a flash of lightning and its illumination occur simultaneously.

PURPORT

When a cockroach sees a bright green insect, it becomes so afraid that it begins

to meditate on it and thus becomes fully absorbed in its mood. Similarly, conditioned

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UDDHAVA-GÉTÄ

souls can become self-realized in this very lifetime by practicing Kĺńëa consciousness. By

being established in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord, they attain liberation

even in the present life. Steady intelligence is the main criteria for achieving complete

absorption in the object of one’s meditation. Being bewildered by his knowledge of

the external world, a person may see the body of a liberated person as meant for his

enjoyment, failing to understand his own position as a servant of the Lord. Internal

perfection is distinct from external appearances. Foolish people cannot understand this

and so they are unable to understand the intentions of perfected souls. If an ordinary

person tries to understand the position of a paramahaŕsa mahäbhägavata with the

help of his mundane perception, there is no doubt that he will pave his way to hell. In

this regard, one should carefully consider the verse that begins arcaye vińëau çilädhé. A

person’s assessment of a self-realized Vaińëava’s external behavior becomes the cause of

his inauspiciousness. That is why the 2api cet suduräcäraů verse has been presented in

the Bhagavad-Gita 9.30.

TEXT 24

Wv&Gauĺ>Ya WTae>Ya WzaMaeiXai+aTaaMaiTa> )

SvaTMaaePaiXai+aTaa&buiÖ&Xa*Pa[>aae ))24))

evaŕ gurubhya etebhya eńä me çikńitä matiů

svätmopaçikńitäŕ buddhiŕ çĺëu me vadataů prabho
O King, from these spiritual masters I have acquired great wisdom. Now, please listen

to what I have learned from my own body.
COMMENTARY

Now, the brähmaëa will speak about what he learned from his own body.

2 api cet suduräcäro bhajate mäm ananya-bhäk

sädhur eva sa mantavyaů samyag vyavasito hi saů
Even if a devotee sometimes seems to engage in abominable activities, he should be

considered a sädhu, a saintly person, because his actual identity is that of one engaged

in the loving service of the Lord. In other words, he is not to be considered an ordinary

human being.

Detachment from all that is Material


PURPORT

111

The avadhüta brähmaëa says, “I have provided my intelligence with many valuable

lessons after seeing the activities of various spiritual masters. Now, I will tell you what I

have learned from my own self.”
TEXT 25

dehaeGauĺMaRMaivri˘-ivvek-heTauibR>a]TSMaSatviNaDaNa&SaTaTaaTYauRdkRMa( )

TatvaNYaNaeNaivMa*XaaiMaYaQaaTaQaaiPaPaarKYaiMaTYaviSaTaaeivcraMYaSa®> ))25))

deho gurur mama virakti-viveka-hetur

bibhrat sma sattva-nidhanaŕ satatärty-udarkam

tattväny anena vimĺçämi yathä tathäpi

pärakyam ity avasito vicarämy asaěgaů

The material body is also my spiritual master because it teaches me detachment.

Being a product of the material nature, it always comes to a painful end. Thus, although I

use my body to acquire knowledge, I always remember that it will ultimately be consumed

by others. Thus, in a mood of detachment, I wander about in this world.
COMMENTARY

The avadhüta brähmaëa says, “By the use of my power of discrimination, I have

learned the lesson of detachment from my body, and so I also consider it to be a spiritual

master. This body is born at a particular time and ultimately perishes. In this way, it

has taught me detachment. The stomach is a part of the body, and it can remain like

a mendicant without food for two or three days. This is another lesson I have learned

from my body. With the help of the senses of the body, I will cultivate devotional service

to the Lord by hearing and chanting. A pure devotee, despite contact with all varieties

of material tastes, does not become attached to them, although he is attached to tasting

the mellows of his relationship with Lord Hari. When one chews betel nuts, his tongue

remains red long after the betel nuts are spit out. By this example, one should know that

engagement in sense gratification will undoubtedly produce a lasting effect within the

mind. Actually, the material body does not belong to us—it will ultimately be enjoyed by

someone else. If it is discarded in a lonely place, dogs and jackals will eat it. If it is buried

after death, it will become the food of worms and germs. After considering all this, I

have given up all attachment to my body and I simply wander about freely.”

112

UDDHAVA-GÉTÄ

PURPORT

The avadhüta brähmaëa says, “My present diseased material condition is due to my

attachment for the objects of the senses. By utilizing both my gross and subtle bodies for

engagement in sense gratification, I have come under the control of time. This would

not be the case if my intelligence were fixed on attaining the Absolute Truth. Now, I

will give up all attempts to enjoy the objects of the senses, so that I will no longer be

materially absorbed, despite living in a material body.” The proper utilization of one’s

intelligence is to extract the essence from life in this material world, instead of becoming

overwhelmed by material attachment. This is the secret of serving the Supreme Lord,

which is distinct from a life of material enjoyment.

TEXT 26

JaaYaaTMaJaaQaRPaXau>a*TYaGa*haávGaaRNPauZNaaiTaYaiTPa[Yaick-IzRYaaivTaNvNa( )

SvaNTaeSak*-C^\MavĺÖDaNa>Sadeh>Sa*îaSYabqJaMavSaqdiTav*+aDaMaR> ))26))

jäyätmajärtha-paçu-bhĺtya-gĺhäpta-vargän

puńnäti yat-priya-cikérńayä vitanvan

svänte sa-kĺcchram avaruddha-dhanaů sa dehaů

sĺńöväsya béjam avasédati vĺkńa-dharmaů

A man who is attached to his material body accumulates money with great struggle

to maintain his wife, children, property, domestic animals, servants, homes, relatives,

friends, and so on. Actually, one does all this for the gratification of his own body. As

a tree before dying produces the seed of a future tree, the dying body manifests the

seed of one’s next material body in the form of accumulated karma. Thus assuring the

continuation of one’s material existence, the material body sinks down and dies.

COMMENTARY

One may question, “The material body is the best of all spiritual masters because

it teaches one detachment, leading to engagement in devotional service. Although it is

temporary, one should take great care to preserve the material body, which enlightens

one with knowledge. If one does not properly adore his material body, he must certainly

incur the sin of ungratefulness. How can one remain detached from such a body?”

The answer is that the material body does not instruct one like a benevolent

teacher, it teaches detachment by placing us in so much misery. A person remains busy

expanding his family empire because he wants to experience pleasure from it. It is only

due to attachment for his body that a person carefully maintains his family members. In

Detachment from all that is Material

113

due course of time, the body will lose all capacity for material enjoyment, and then lay

down and die. A person’s karma creates the seed of his future life, and thus forces him

to continue suffering in material existence. When the seed of a tree is ripe, it falls. The

same principle applies to the material body.

PURPORT

A tree creates a seed that produces another tree before dying. Similarly, a conditioned

soul nourishes his wife, children, pet animals, wealth, and relatives with his hard-earned

money, just to give pleasure to his own gross and subtle bodies, and these acts create

the seed of his future existence. After working hard in this way, a materially attached

person gives up his body at death. To see the gross and subtle material bodies as identical

with the soul is ignorance. Those who cannot discriminate between matter and spirit

are not on the level of intelligent people who very well understand the existence of the

eternal soul beyond the temporary material body.

TEXT 27

iJaűEk-Taae_MauMaPak-zRiTak-ihRTazaRiXaénae_NYaTaSTvGaudr&é[v

ga]aSaPaŇy wvGaehPaiTa&lu/NaiNTa ))27))

jihvaikato ‘mum apakarńati karhi tarńä

çiçno ‘nyatas tvag udaraŕ çravaëaŕ kutaçcit

ghräëo ‘nyataç capala-dĺk kva ca karma-çaktir

bahvyaů sapatnya iva geha-patiŕ lunanti

As each wife of a householder who has many wives tries to attract her husband for

her own purpose—the tongue, genitals, sense of touch, belly, ears, nose, restless eyes, and

working senses, attract the embodied soul towards their respective objects of enjoyment.

COMMENTARY

One should feed his body only as much as is necessary to maintain it, without

attachment. This is the way to serve the body as one’s spiritual master. When one, due

to great attachment, provides the senses with whatever they ask for, the tongue demands

palatable food and engagement in gossip, thirst demands water, and the genitals demand

the association of women.

PURPORT

As a landlord is attracted by his many wives to fulfill their respective self-interests,

the objects of this world attract the working senses and knowledge-acquiring senses.

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UDDHAVA-GÉTÄ

TEXT 28

Sa*îaPaurai

TaESTaErTauíôdYa>Pauĺz&ivDaaYab]řavl/aek-iDaz ))28))

sĺńövä puräëi vividhäny ajayätma-çaktyä

vĺkńän sarésĺpa-paçün khaga-dandaçükän

tais tair atuńöa-hĺdayaů puruńaŕ vidhäya

brahmävaloka-dhińaëaŕ mudam äpa devaů

The Supreme Lord first created, with the help of His energy, mäyä-çakti, trees,

insects, animals, birds, reptiles, and so on and yet, He was not satisfied. Finally, the

Lord created the human body, which offers the conditioned soul sufficient intelligence to

realize Him, and thus He became pleased.

COMMENTARY

This human form of body, which can award one liberation, was created by the

supreme controller. Therefore, one should not misuse this body and go to hell. It is

described in this verse, after creating various types of bodies, the supreme controller

was not satisfied and so He finally created the human body, considering it suitable for

awarding the conditioned soul the opportunity to regain His association. It is stated

in the Vedas that after creating the human form of body, the Supreme Lord achieved

immense happiness.

The Vedas state:

täbhyo gäm änayat tä abruvan na vai no ‘yam alam iti

täbhyo ‘çvam änayat tä abruvan na vai no ‘yam alam iti

täbhyaů puruńam änayat tä abruvan su-kĺtaŕ bata

After creating various types of bodies, the Lord called for a cow and asked,

“Do you know the Supreme Lord?” She replied, “No. I cannot understand who is

the Supreme Lord.” Then, the Lord called a horse and asked it the same question.

The horse gave a similar reply. Then, the Lord called for human beings and asked

them the same question. They replied, “We will know You by Your mercy.”

(Aitareya Upanisad 1.2.2-3)

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord, with the help of His energy, creates the enjoyers and objects of

enjoyment, imbuing them with their respective propensities. However, the enjoyers, the

Detachment from all that is Material

115

minute conditioned spirit souls, cannot be satisfied by enjoying limited and temporary

inert objects. Until the conditioned soul, who is a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord,

realizes that the attempt to enjoy material form, taste, sound, smell, and touch, without

self-realization, is most abominable, he will continue to suffer material miseries. However,

when he realizes his spiritual identity as the eternal servant of the Lord, he crosses over

the influence of Maya and accepts himself as being maintained and protected by the

Lord. Such a pure devotee, being freed from false pride, never thinks of himself as the

maintainer or enjoyer.
TEXT 29

l/BßaSaudul/R>aiMad&bhuSaM>avaNTaeMaaNauZYaMaQaRdMaiNaTYaMaPaqhDaqr> )

TaUé[eYaSaaYaivzYa>%lu/SavRTa>SYaaTa( ))29))

labdhvä su-durlabham idaŕ bahu-sambhavänte

mänuńyam artha-dam anityam apéha dhéraů

türëaŕ yateta na pated anu-mĺtyu yävan

niůçreyasäya vińayaů khalu sarvataů syät

After many lifetimes in lower species, one achieves the rare human form of life.

Although temporary, the human body gives one the opportunity to attain the perfection

of life. One who is actually intelligent should try to attain this perfection of life as long as

the body remains healthy. After all, sense gratification is available in all the other species

of life, whereas Kĺńëa consciousness can only be cultivated by a human being.

COMMENTARY

Although this body is temporary, it awards eternal benefit. Therefore, one should try

to attain supreme auspiciousness as long as the body is functioning properly. One should

know for certain that the body is born, then dies, and then again one accepts another

birth, which are all temporary. Sense enjoyment, which is available in the human form

of life is also available for hogs, dogs, and horses.

PURPORT

The conditioned souls are subjected to the cycle of repeated birth and death.

Sometimes one becomes a demigod, sometimes a human being, sometimes an animal,

and sometimes a tree, or even a stone. In this way, the eternal soul identifies himself

in various ways, according to the body that he receives. According to his particular

type of body, a living entity is destined to enjoy a particular set of sense objects. This

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UDDHAVA-GÉTÄ

is also true for a human being, but the human form of life affords one the opportunity

to cultivate knowledge of the Absolute Truth. Therefore, the human form of life is

extremely desirable. Still, one cannot remain permanently in the human body.

Only the human form affords one the opportunity of attaining life’s ultimate goal.

Therefore, while situated in a human body, one should carefully consider how to attain

life’s perfection and not waste his valuable time gratifying his senses to no avail. Even

activities meant for the temporary welfare of human society should be avoided. One

should only cultivate the devotional service of the Lord because only this will afford

him eternal benefit. One’s supreme benefit is obtained when one follows in the footsteps

of those who do not endeavor for material gain because they are always engaged in the

service of the Supreme Lord. Duties to family, society, and one’s occupation only seem

prominent as long as one does not strive for his ultimate benefit by surrendering to the

Lord. By the association of devotees, one awakens his eternal propensity for devotional

service. Without taking shelter of the association of devotees, one must continue to

suffer the threefold material miseries. Even when such non-devotees strive for liberation

from material miseries, they generally become impersonalists.

TEXT 30

Wv&SaĹaTavEraGYaaeivjaNaal/aek- AaTMaiNa )

ivcraiMaMahqMaeTaa&Mau˘-Sa®ae_NahŞ*Ta> ))30))

evaŕ saďjäta-vairägyo vijďänäloka ätmani

vicarämi mahém etäŕ mukta-saěgo ‘nahaěkĺtaů
Having learned these lessons from my spiritual masters, I remain fixed in realization

of the Supreme Lord and, fully renounced and enlightened by realized spiritual knowledge,

I wander over the earth without mundane association or false ego.
COMMENTARY

In reply to King Yadu’s question, the brähmaëa said: “I have acquired knowledge in

this way. I have become detached from sense gratification, I have realized the presence

of the Supersoul by practical application of my acquired knowledge, I have become freed

from false ego, and I wander about this world, free from unnecessary association.”

Detachment from all that is Material


TEXT 31

Naůek-SMaaÓuraejaRNa&SauiSQar&SYaaTSauPauZk-l/Ma( )

b]řETadiÜTaqYa&vEGaqYaTaebhuDaizRi>a> ))31)

na hy ekasmäd guror jďänaŕ su-sthiraŕ syät su-puńkalam

brahmaitad advitéyaŕ vai géyate bahudharńibhiů