272
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 3, Ch. 7]
by those who sincerely engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.” The demigods admitted that although the Lord is apart from the material influence or creation, He nevertheless creates, maintains and annihilates the complete cosmic manifestation by the agency of the demigods.
TEXT 10
यदर्थेन विनामुष्य पुंस आत्मविपर्ययः । प्रतीयत उपद्रष्टुः स्वशिरश्छेदनादिकः ॥१०॥
yad arthena vināmuṣya puṁsa ātma-viparyayaḥ pratīyata upadraṣṭuḥ sva-śiraś chedanādikaḥ
yat —thus;  arthena —by purpose or meaning;  vinā —without;  amuṣya —of such a one;  puṁsaḥ —of the living entity;  ātma-viparyayaḥ —upset about self-identification;  pratīyate —so appear;  upadraṣṭuḥ —of the superficial onlooker;  sva-śiraḥ —own head;  chedana-ādikaḥ —cutting off.
TRANSLATION
The living entity is in distress regarding his self-identity. He has no factual background, like a man who dreams that he sees his head cut off.
PURPORT
A teacher in school once threatened his pupil that he would cut off his head and hang it on the wall so that the child could see how his head had been cut off. The child became frightened and stopped his mischief. Similarly, the miseries of the pure soul and the disruption of his self-identification are managed by the external energy of the Lord, which controls those mischievous living entities who want to go against the will of the Lord. Actually there is no bondage or misery for the living entity, nor does he ever lose his pure knowledge. In his pure consciousness, when he thinks a little seriously about his position he can understand that he is eternally subordinate to the mercy of the Supreme and that his attempt to become one with the Supreme Lord is a false illusion. Life after life the living entity falsely tries to lord it over material nature and to become the lord of the material world, but there is no tangible result. At last, when frustrated, he gives up his material activities and tries to become one with the Lord and speculate with much jugglery of words but without success.