280
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 6, Ch. 5]
Supreme Person, who is behind everything. One must try to understand that the material elements are the separated, inferior energy of the Lord and that the living entity is the Lord's spiritual energy. Whatever we experience, including matter and the spirit soul, the living force, is but a combination of two energies of Lord Viṣṇu—the inferior energy and the superior energy. One should seriously study the facts concerning creation, maintenance and devastation, as well as the permanent place from which one never need return ( yad gatvā na nivartante ). Human society should study this, but instead of culturing such knowledge, people are attracted to temporary happiness and sense gratification, culminating in bottomless, topless passion. There is no profit in such activities; one must engage himself in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
TEXT 18
ऐश्वरं शास्त्रमुत्सृज्य बन्धमोक्षानुदर्शनम् । विविक्तपदमज्ञाय किमसत्कर्मभिर्भवेत् ॥१८॥
aiśvaram śāstram utsṛjya bandha-mokṣānudarśanam vivikta-padam ajñāya kim asat-karmabhir bhavet
aiśvaram —bringing understanding of God, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness;  śāstram —the Vedic literature;  utsṛjya —giving up;  bandha —of bondage;  mokṣa —and of liberation;  anudarśanam —informing about the ways;  vivikta-padam —distinguishing spirit from matter;  ajñāya —not knowing;  kim asat-karmabhir bhavet —what can be the use of temporary fruitive activities.
TRANSLATION
[Nārada Muni had spoken of a swan. That swan is explained in this verse.] The Vedic literatures [śāstras] vividly describe how to understand the Supreme Lord, the source of all material and spiritual energy. Indeed, they elaborately explain these two energies. The swan [haṁsa] is one who discriminates between matter and spirit, who accepts the essence of everything, and who