Deliverance of Mucukunda 345

that your mind is now fixed in Me, and it is not disturbed by any material
fault.

“The material qualities are three, namely goodness, passion and igno-
rance. When one is placed in the mixed material qualities of passion and
ignorance, he is impelled by various kinds of dirtiness and lusty desires to
try to find comfort in this material world. When he is situated in the
material quality of goodness, he tries to purify himself by performing
various kinds of penances and austerities. When one reaches the platform
of a real bradhmana, he aspires to merge into the existence of the Lord,
but when one desires simply to render service unto the lotus feet of the
Lord, that is transcendental to all these three qualities. The pure Krsna
conscious person is therefore always free from all material qualities. My
dear King, I offered to give you any kind of benediction, just to test how
much you have advanced in devotional service. Now I can see that you are
on the platform of the pure devotees because your mind is not disturbed
by any kind of greedy or lusty desires of this material world. The yogis
who are trying to elevate themselves by controlling the senses and who
meditate upon Me by practicing the breathing exercise of pranayama are
not so thoroughly freed from material desires. It has been seen in several
cases that as soon as there is allurement, such yogis again come down to
the material platform.”

The vivid example verifying this statement is Vigsvamitra Muni. Visva-
mitra Muni was a great yogi who practiced pranayama, a breathing
exercise, but still when he was visited by Menaka, a society woman of the
heavenly planet, he lost all control and begot in her a daughter named
Sakuntala. But the pure devotee Haridaésa Thakur was never disturbed,
even when all such allurements were offered by the prostitutes.

“My dear King,” Lord Krsna continued, “I therefore give you the
special benediction that you will always think of Me. Thus you will be
able to traverse this material world freely, without being contaminated by
the qualities.” This statement of the Lord confirms that a person in true
Krsna consciousness, engaged in the transcendental loving service of the
Lord under the direction of the spiritual master, is never subjected to the
contamination of material qualities. e

“My dear King,” the Lord said, “because you are a ksatriya, you have
committed the offense of slaughtering animals, both in hunting and in
political engagements. To become purified, just engage yourself in bhakti-
yoga practice and always keep your mind absorbed in Me. Very soon you
will be freed from all reactions to such sordid activities.” In this statement
it appears that although the ksatriyas are allowed to kill animals in the
