Uddhava-Gita
TEXT 16.28|| SB 11.22.28 ||
tvatto jnanam hi jivanam pramosas te ‘tra saktitah tvam eva hy atma-mayaya gatim vettha na caparah
It is by Your mercy that the living entities obtain knowledge, and it is by Your illusory energy that they fall from knowledge. I believe that no one but You can actually understand how Your illusory energy works.
COMMENTARY
Uddhava said: You are the source of all knowledge and so it is by Your mercy that a living entity can obtain knowledge. Your energy, vidya, awards one knowledge and Your energy, avidya, takes away that knowledge.
PURPORT
Uddhava further inquired: By accepting subordination to the Supreme Lord, the living entities obtain knowledge. The bewildering potency of the Lord creates illusion in the minds of the rebellious living entities. Maya-devI exists under the shelter of the Supreme Lord and she manifests her potency in two ways—the covering potency and the throwing potency. Those who are under the influence of the Lord’s illusory energy cannot understand how they are being conditioned.
Uddhava-Gita
TEXT 16.58-59|| SB 11.22.58-59 ||
ksipto ‘vamanito ‘sadbhih pralabdho ‘suyito ‘tha vataditah sanniruddho va vrttya va parihapitah nisthyuto mutrito vajnair bahudhaivam prakampitah sreyas-kamah krcchra-gata atmanatmanam uddharet
A devotee who actually desires to attain perfection in this very life should tolerate all kinds of difficulties. Even when insulted, ridiculed, or even beaten or confined by miscreants, or when spat upon or urinated upon by ignorant fools, with intelligence fixed in devotional service, he should remain undisturbed.
COMMENTARY
How can one live without indulging in sense gratification? These two verses provide the answer. If one is driven out, taunted, insulted, deprived of his livelihood, or spat upon, he should simply tolerate these inconveniences and protect himself with his good intelligence by remaining fixed in self-realization.
PURPORT
If one realizes the misery suffered in the field of material activities and thus become busy in trying to find a solution, either by increasing his material enjoyment or by renunciation of sense gratification, he will not be able to attain the ultimate goal of life. In this regard, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructs us:
“One can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than the tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and ready to offer all respects to others. ln such a state of mind, one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”
If one seriously follows this advice, then the temptation for increasing material enjoyment and the simple renunciation of the fruits of karma will not capture one. The best means for achieving auspiciousness is to become sober, tolerant, and free from false ego.
Uddhava-Gita
TEXT 16.60|| SB 11.22.60 ||
sri-uddhava uvacayathaivam anubudhyeyam vada no vadatam vara
Sri Uddhava said: O most eloquent speaker, kindly explain these statements so that I may properly understand them.
COMMENTARY
Uddhava said: Please tell me how I can tolerate the above-mentioned disturbances and thus become advanced in spiritual life.
Uddhava-Gita
TEXT 16.61|| SB 11.22.61 ||
su-duhsaham imam manya atmany asad-atikramamvidusam api visvatman prakrtir hi baliyasirte tvad-dharma-niratan santams te caranalayan
O soul of the universe, one’s acquired nature in material life is very strong. Because of this, it is very difficult for even learned men to tolerate the offenses committed against them by ignorant people. I think that only Your devotees, who are fixed in Your loving service, are able to tolerate such offenses.
COMMENTARY
Even learned people who know that they should tolerate abuse are unable to do so because theoretical learning alone cannot make one saintly. On the other hand, the devotees, because they possess a similar nature to that of the Supreme Lord, remain peaceful in all conditions of life because they always reside under the shade of the Lord’s lotus feet.
PURPORT
As long as one has a propensity for material enjoyment and thus is absorbed in matter, he cannot attain peace. By taking shelter of a so-called spiritual master who desires material enjoyment, liberation, or mystic perfections, one’s restlessriess in the form of material desires will not decrease. Only by the good influence of the devotees’ association, and following their instructions, can one make tangible advancement in spiritual life.
