vhObo
fUt yƒo
Meaning of paradharm
TEXT 6
Sa vE Pau&Saa& Parae DaMaaeR YaTaae >ai¢-rDaae+aJae
)
AhETauKYaPa[iTahTaa YaYaaTMaa SauPa[SaqdiTa )) 6 ))
sa vai puàsäà paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokñaje
ahaituky apratihatä
yayätmä suprasédati
SYNONYMS
saù—that; vai—certainly; puàsäm—for
mankind; paraù—sublime; dharmaù—occupation; yataù—by which;
bhaktiù—devotional service; adhokñaje—unto the Transcendence;
ahaituké—causeless; apratihatä—unbroken; yayä—by which; ätmä—the
self; suprasédati—completely satisfied.
TRANSLATION
The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by
which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the
transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated
and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.
PURPORT
In this statement, Çré Süta Gosvämé answers the first question
of the sages of Naimiñäraëya. The sages asked him to summarize
the whole range of revealed scriptures and present the most
essential part so that fallen people or the people in general
might easily take it up. The Vedas prescribe two different types
of occupation for the human being. One is called the
pravåtti-märga, or the path of sense enjoyment, and the other is
called the nivåtti-märga, or the path of renunciation. The path
of enjoyment is inferior, and the path of sacrifice for the
supreme cause is superior. The material existence of the living
being is a diseased condition of actual life. Actual life is
spiritual existence, or brahma-bhüta existence, where life is
eternal, blissful and full of knowledge. Material existence is
temporary, illusory and full of miseries. There is no happiness
at all. There is just the futile attempt to get rid of the
miseries, and temporary cessation of misery is falsely called
happiness. Therefore, the path of progressive material
enjoyment, which is temporary, miserable and illusory, is
inferior. But devotional service to the Supreme Lord, which
leads one to eternal, blissful and all-cognizant life, is called
the superior quality of occupation. This is sometimes polluted
when mixed with the inferior quality. For example, adoption of
devotional service for material gain is certainly an obstruction
to the progressive path of renunciation. Renunciation or
abnegation for ultimate good is certainly a better occupation
than enjoyment in the diseased condition of life. Such enjoyment
only aggravates the symptoms of disease and increases its
duration. Therefore devotional service to the Lord must be pure
in quality, i.e., without the least desire for material
enjoyment. One should, therefore, accept the superior quality of
occupation in the form of the devotional service of the Lord
without any tinge of unnecessary desire, fruitive action and
philosophical speculation. This alone can lead one to perpetual
solace in His service.
We have purposely denoted dharma as occupation because the root
meaning of the word dharma is “that which sustains one’s
existence.” A living being’s sustenance of existence is to
coordinate his activities with his eternal relation with the
Supreme Lord Kåñëa. Kåñëa is the central pivot of living beings,
and He is the all-attractive living entity or eternal form
amongst all other living beings or eternal forms. Each and every
living being has his eternal form in the spiritual existence,
and Kåñëa is the eternal attraction for all of them. Kåñëa is
the complete whole, and everything else is His part and parcel.
The relation is one of the servant and the served. It is
transcendental and is completely distinct from our experience in
material existence. This relation of servant and the served is
the most congenial form of intimacy. One can realize it as
devotional service progresses. Everyone should engage himself in
that transcendental loving service of the Lord, even in the
present conditional state of material existence. That will
gradually give one the clue to actual life and please him to
complete satisfaction.
SB 1.2.7
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