Text 51]
Matsya, the Lord's Fish Incarnation
265
jano janasyādiśate 'satīṁ gatiṁ 
    yayā prapadyeta duratyayaṁ tamaḥ 
    tvaṁ tv avyayaṁ jñānam amogham añjasā 
    prapadyate yena jano nijaṁ padam
janaḥ —a person who is not a bona fide  guru  (an ordinary person);  janasya —of an ordinary person who does not know the goal of life;  ādiśate —instructs;  asatīm —impermanent, material;  gatim —the goal of life;  yayā —by such knowledge;  prapadyeta —he surrenders;  duratyayam —insurmountable;  tamaḥ —to ignorance;  tvam —Your Lordship;  tu —but;  avyayam —indestructible;  jñānam —knowledge;  amogham —without material contamination;  añjasā —very soon;  prapadyate —achieves;  yena —by such knowledge;  janaḥ —a person;  nijam —his own;  padam —original position.
TRANSLATION
A materialistic so-called  guru  instructs his materialistic disciples about economic development and sense gratification, and because of such instructions the foolish disciples continue in the materialistic existence of ignorance. But Your Lordship gives knowledge that is eternal, and the intelligent person receiving such knowledge is quickly situated in his original constitutional position.
PURPORT
So-called  gurus  instruct their disciples for the sake of material profit. Some  guru  advises that one meditate in such a way that his intelligence will increase in regard to keeping his body fit for sense gratification. Another  guru  advises that sex is the ultimate goal of life and that one should therefore engage in sex to the best of his ability. These are the instructions of foolish  gurus . In other words, because of the instructions of a foolish  guru  one remains perpetually in material existence and suffers its tribulations. But if one is intelligent enough to take instructions from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as enunciated in  Bhagavad-gītā  or the Sāṅkhya philosophy of Kapiladeva, one can very soon attain liberation and be situated in his original position of spiritual life. The words  nijaṁ padam  are significant. The living entity, being part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has the birthright to a position in