Prahlāda continued, “Mahatmas describe the Supreme Lord as ‘bliss called liberation’. Please worship the Supreme Lord who is the Lord of your heart and who resides there.
O children belonging to the demon clan! Like space, Srihari pervades the heart of every living being and causes its auspiciousness. Can there be any difficulty in worshipping Srihari, who resides in such close proximity to the living entity, and who seeks its well-being?
Can there be any benefit in acquiring material comforts? Material prosperity is not permanent. Wife, children, house, cattle, horses, lands, elephants, granaries and other objects of sensory enjoyment have a fleeting existence. Such temporary objects can never bestow happiness. Likewise, heaven and other celestial planes that are acquired through performance of Yagnas and other fruitive activities are impermanent in nature. Furthermore, it is incorrect to declare that these planes are free from defects. As one plane surpasses another in comforts, differences and inequalities exist within them.
As such, worship the Supreme Lord with the aim of understanding the Self. He is absolutely faultless. In this world, the ignorant living entity presumes that he is all-knowing”. Swamiji explains: Everyone is filled with pride. “I have written 24 books, I know a lot’. ‘My children have settled in America. I have a huge bungalow here. I am filthy rich’. In this way people often boast.
“Seeking material comforts, the ignorant human being is eternally engaged in fruitive activities. The truth is that the end results are always negative. In other words, he ends up ultimately grieving. The human being performs actions seeking happiness but ends up grieving.
The human being will be blissful when he is devoid of any desires. He slowly develops taste for comforts, and to fulfil these desires he engages in Yagnas and other meritorious activities. He is willing to cheat and lie for obtaining material success. Unhesitatingly he is willing to torture, injure others and kill them for monetary gains. Although he believes that material prosperity will bestow him with happiness, actually he will end up grieving. In reality this body, for which he struggles all his life, perishes one day and becomes food for insects and worms”.
The person struggles for the sustenance of this body. He worries for its looks, comforts, health, beauty, longevity etc. Ultimately this body becomes food for insects and worms. It is inevitable.
“If this is the impermanent state experienced by the living entity, what more needs to be said about the impermanency of wife, children, assets, cattle, elephants, horses, house and other material objects, servants, attendants etc.? All of them are fleeting and temporary. Although they appear to be dear, in reality they create obstacles. **The truth is that the Self is nothing but an ocean of endless bliss. Such blissful Self has no need for insignificant material comforts. **
O children belonging to demon clan! Please think for yourself. As a result of his past fruitive deeds, a living entity suffers differently at different time periods in life, right from the time he enters the mother’s womb”.
The moment the soul enters the mother’s womb, problems begin. Taking a gross body is the beginning for all troubles.
**“karmāṇy ārabhate dehī dehenātmānuvartinā karmabhis tanute deham ubhayaṁ tv avivekataḥ
The living entity, who gets a gross body as a result of past actions, performs fruitive activities using this gross body. As a result of the present fruitive activities he obtains another gross body in future”.
What should be done by the living entity who is thus trapped in fruitive activities? **He should begin to understand the Supreme Essence which is beyond the body and senses. Only then he will exit from dualities called happiness and sorrows. **Others who continue with fruitive rituals are preparing themselves for taking on another gross body. They love this sequence of difficulties and seek to continue them!
“The ignorant human being fails to distinguish between his body and his original Self. He expands his fruitive activities and re-births in gross bodies. Therefore, O children, without any desires worship the Supreme Lord Srihari. He is the Lord of this creation. He is complete in every respect. Dharma, artha and kama seek refuge in Him alone!
The Self situates itself within these 5 basic elements that have been created from it and becomes known as the ‘conditioned soul’ existing in different bodies. The conditioned soul is nothing but Supreme Lord Srihari. He exists as the inner witness within the living entity”.
Narayanaya namah