344
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 7]
both of them were present. Therefore, Arjuna's version of Lord Kṛṣṇa is authoritative. Kṛṣṇa is almighty and is especially the cause of fearlessness for the devotees. A devotee of the Lord is always fearless because of the protection given by the Lord. Material existence is something like a blazing fire in the forest, which can be extinguished by the mercy of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The spiritual master is the mercy representative of the Lord. A person, therefore, burning in the flames of material existence, may receive the rains of mercy of the Lord through the transparent medium of the self-realized spiritual master. The spiritual master by his words can penetrate into the heart of the suffering person and inject knowledge transcendental, which alone can extinguish the fire of material existence.
TEXT 23
त्वमाद्यः पुरुषः साक्षादीश्वरः प्रकृतेः परः । मायां व्युदस्य चिन्छक्त्या कैवल्ये स्थित आत्मनि २३
tvam ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣād īśvaraḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ māyām vyudasya cicchaktyā kaivalye sthita ātmani
tvam ādyaḥ—  You are the original;  puruṣaḥ—  the enjoying personality;  sākṣāt—  directly;  iśvaraḥ—  the controller;  prakṛteḥ—  of material nature;  paraḥ—  transcendental;  māyām—  the material energy;  vyudasya—  one who has thrown aside;  cicchaktyā—  by dint of internal potency;  kaivalye—  in pure eternal knowledge and bliss;  sthitaḥ—  placed;  ātmani—  own self.
TRANSLATION
You are the original Personality of Godhead who expands Himself all over the creations and is transcendental to material energy. You have cast away the effects of the material energy by dint of Your spiritual potency. You are always situated in eternal bliss and transcendental knowledge.
PURPORT
The Lord states in the  Bhagavad-gītā  that one who surrenders unto the lotus feet of the Lord can get release from the clutches of nescience. Kṛṣṇa