Text 2]
Lord Rṣabhadeva's Teachings
167
mahāntas te sama-cittāḥ praśāntā vimanyavaḥ suhṛdaḥ sādhavo ye
mahat-sevām —service to the spiritually advanced persons called  mahātmās ;  dvāram —the way;  āhuḥ —they say;  vimukteḥ —of liberation;  tamaḥ-dvāram —the way to the dungeon of a dark, hellish condition of life;  yoṣitām —of women;  saṅgi —of associates;  saṅgam —association;  mahāntaḥ —highly advanced in spiritual understanding;  te —they;  sama-cittāḥ —persons who see everyone in a spiritual identity;  praśāntāḥ —very peaceful, situated in Brahman or Bhagavān;  vimanyavaḥ —without anger (one must distribute Kṛṣṇa consciousness to persons who are hostile without becoming angry at them);  suhṛdaḥ —well-wishers of everyone;  sādhavaḥ —qualified devotees. without abominable behavior;  ye —they who.
TRANSLATION
One can attain the path of liberation from material bondage only by rendering service to highly advanced spiritual personalities. These personalities are impersonalists and devotees. Whether one wants to merge into the Lord's existence or wants to associate with the Personality of Godhead, one should render service to the mahātmās. For those who are not interested in such activities, who associate with people fond of women and sex, the path to hell is wide open. The mahātmās are equipoised. They do not see any difference between one living entity and another. They are very peaceful and are fully engaged in devotional service. They are devoid of anger, and they work for the benefit of everyone. They do not behave in any abominable way. Such people are known as mahātmās.
PURPORT
The human body is like a junction. One may either take the path of liberation or the path leading to a hellish condition. How one can take these paths is described herein. On the path of liberation, one associates with  mahātmās , and on the path of bondage one associates with those attached to sense gratification and women. There are two types of  mahātmās —the impersonalist and the devotee. Although their ultimate goal is