996
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 3, Ch. 24]
or devotional service. This indicates that he fixed his mind on the personal feature of the Lord because  bhakti  cannot be executed unless one has realization of the personal feature of the Absolute Truth.  Guṇāvabhāse : He is beyond the three modes of material nature, but it is due to Him that the three modes of material nature are manifested. In other words, although the material energy is an emanation of the Supreme Lord, He is not affected, as we are, by the modes of material nature. We are conditioned souls, but He is not affected, although the material nature has emanated from Him. He is the supreme living entity and is never affected by  māyā , but we are subordinate, minute living entities, prone to be affected by the limitations of  māyā . If he is in constant contact with the Supreme Lord by devotional service, the conditioned living entity also becomes freed from the infection of  māyā . This is confirmed in  Bhagavad-gītā :  sa guṇān samatītyaitān . A person engaged in  Kṛṣṇa  consciousness is at once liberated from the influence of the three modes of material nature. In other words, once the conditioned soul engages himself in devotional service, he also becomes liberated like the Lord.
TEXT 44
निरहंकृतिर्निर्ममश्च निर्द्वन्द्वः समदृक् स्वदृक् । प्रत्यक्प्रशान्तयोर्धीरः प्रशान्तोर्मिरिवोदधिः ॥४४॥
nirahaṅkṛtir nirmamaś ca nirdvandvaḥ sama-dṛk sva-dṛk pratyak-praśānta-dhīr dhīraḥ praśāntormir ivodadhiḥ
nirahaṅkṛtiḥ—without false ego; nirmamaḥ—without material affection; ca—and; nirdvandvaḥ—without duality; sama-dṛk—seeing equality; sva-dṛk—seeing himself; pratyak—turned inward; praśānta—perfectly composed; dhīḥ—mind; dhīraḥ—sober, not disturbed; praśānta—calmed; ūrmiḥ—whose waves; iva—like; udadhiḥ—the ocean.
TRANSLATION
Thus he gradually became unaffected by the false ego of material identity and became free from material affection. Undisturbed, equal to everyone, and without duality, he could indeed see himself also. His mind was turned inward and was perfectly calm, like an ocean unagitated by waves.