kāmaṁ bhavaḥ sva-vṛjinair nirayeṣu naḥ stāc
kāmaṁ bhavaḥ sva-vṛjinair nirayeṣu naḥ stāc
ceto ’livad yadi nu te padayo rameta
vācaś ca nas tulasivad yadi te ’ṅghri-śobhāḥ
pūryeta te guṇa-gaṇair yadi karṇa-randhraḥ
Let us remain in hellish existence because of sinful actions, if our minds can achieve prema at your lotus feet like bees which are not injured by the thorns as they taste the honey, if our words can remain glorious at your lotus feet like tulasī leaves, and if our ear holes can remain filled with hearing your qualities.
“It is true. My devotees do not give regard to liberation. But are you now fixed in pure bhakti or in liberation? Clearly tell me. Let us finish with hints!” Let our condition remain as it is, in low birth because of our sinful acts. We do not want liberation. What do we attain in hell by sinful acts? What do we attain by liberation (indicated by the word ca)? Just as bees enjoy the flowers without being pierced by thorns, we do no consider obstacles if we enjoy the bliss of prema at your lotus feet. If it were possible to be born in hell with bhakti, then certainly hell with bhakti would be preferable to liberation. Just as tulasī does not reside elsewhere because of lack being beautiful elsewhere, and thus remains beautiful at your feet, our words also should be beautiful in describing the qualities of your lotus feet and should not stray elsewhere. Our ears should be filled with that, so they cannot enter into other topics. Or they pray that their ears be filled a just little with the Lord’s qualities. But there is a deep meaning here. Because the ear holes are made of space (which has no limit), and because the qualities of the Lord are without substantial form, one can never completely fill up the ear holes. Thus one will eternally hear those qualities.
The bliss of hearing, chanting and remembering the qualities of the Lord are not available at all in liberation. Thus, if we happen to be born in the material world even in a low birth, that is preferable to liberation. Thus it is the nature of the devotee to pray for thousands of births in the material world even as an insect, birth or animal, as long as there is bhakti. But it is the nature of the Lord to destroy material existence, which is not sought by the devotee, and to bestow the bliss of worship which is sought by the devotee.
|| 3.15.50||
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