puṁsāṁ bhavitum arhati
na nūnaṁ mukta-saṅgānāṁ
tādṛśānāṁ dvijarṣabha
gṛheṣv abhiniveśo 'yaṁ
puṁsāṁ bhavitum arhati
O best of the brāhmaṇas! Persons such as him, free from material attachments, should certainly not become absorbed in family life.
Being a great devotee, such attachment is not possible.
|| 5.1.3 ||
mahatāṁ khalu viprarṣe
uttamaśloka-pādayoḥ
chāyā-nirvṛta-cittānāṁ
na kuṭumbe spṛhā-matiḥ
O best of brāhmaṇas! Great souls whose minds are blissfully engaged in meditation on the lotus feet of the Lord, which extinguish saṁsāra, are not so foolish to desire household life.
The reason s is that they are attached to the Lord. Those whose minds, constantly engaged in meditation on the Lord, are blissful because of the shade of the Lord’s lotus feet, which extinguish saṁsāra, do not have the ignorance (amatiḥ) of desires for family.
|| 5.1.4 ||
saṁśayo 'yaṁ mahān brahman
dārāgāra-sutādiṣu
saktasya yat siddhir abhūt
kṛṣṇe ca matir acyutā
Great brāhmaṇa! My doubt is that though he was attached to wife, house and children, he still attained perfection and always thought of Kṛṣṇa.
How is it that though, because of some aparādha, he became attached to household life, he still attained perfection and his attention did not waver from Kṛṣṇa.
|| 5.1.5 ||
śrī-śuka uvāca
bāḍham uktaṁ bhagavata uttamaślokasya śrīmac-caraṇāravinda-makaranda-rasa āveśita-cetaso bhāgavata-paramahaṁsa-dayita-kathāṁ kiñcid antarāya-vihatāṁ svāṁ śivatamāṁ padavīṁ na prāyeṇa hinvanti.
Śukadeva said: What you have said is true, but those whose minds are absorbed in the sweet taste of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord do not generally give up the auspicious path of topics of the Lord, who is dear to the greatest devotees, though there may be some obstacle.
Śukadeva accepts the question but refutes it. It is true that it is not possible for the ātmārāma to become attached to household life and for the person attached to household life to be attached to Kṛṣṇa. But you should not think that the great devotees of inconceivable character would ever, even temporarily, become attached to material things. That is expressed in this verse. Those whose minds are absorbed in the Lord do not reject the topics of the Lord which are most dear to the paramahaṁsas, persons related to the Lord (bhāgavata), though the topics are somewhat interrupted. Those topics are the path (padavīm) giving happiness to the devotees, since by that path the devotee attains the Lord. But does the following verse not show there is an obstacle?
tathā na te mādhava tāvakāḥ kvacid
bhraśyanti mārgāt tvayi baddha-sauhṛdāḥ
tvayābhiguptā vicaranti nirbhayā
vināyakānīkapa-mūrdhasu prabho
O Mādhava, Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord of the goddess of fortune, if devotees completely in love with you sometimes fall from the path of devotion, they do not fall like nondevotees, for you still protect them. Thus they fearlessly traverse the heads of their opponents and continue to progress in devotional service. SB 10.2.33
True, the devotee does not have any obstacle arising from time and karma. However there are two types of obstacle for the devotees: that caused by great offense and that caused by the Lord’s desire. Great offense is pacified over a long time after undergoing appropriate difficulties, or is quickly removed by the mercy of great devotees. Examples are Dvividha and Rahūgaṇa. “The Lord’s desire” means to teach proper conduct to the devotee, and the obstacle arising from the Lord’s desire only increases prema in the devotee. An example is Bharata. Since Priyavrata did not commit offense, his obstacle arose by the desire of the Lord. The Lord taught his devotees by showing through adoration for a deer that the devotees should not have attachment, though they may think such attachment is a good quality. It should be understood in the case of Priyavrata that the Lord taught that the devotees should follow the order of superiors though it is not suitable for bhakti, by showing how Priyavrata followed the order of Brahmā.
|| 5.1.6 ||
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