The Mahé-manatra lll

which decries seeking the results of fruitive activities, economic de-
velopment and liberation. I think now it is certain that gradually the
verses of the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, describing the
pastimes of the Lord, will enter your ears and go into your heart.”

In the beginning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that unless
one has the capacity to throw out, just like garbage, the fruitive
results of ritualistic ceremonies, economic development and becoming
one with the supreme (or salvation), one cannot understand Srimad-
Bhagavatam. The Bhagavatam deals exclusively with devotional ser-
vice. Only one who studies Srimad-Bhagavatam in the spirit of
renunciation can understand the pastimes of the Lord which are de-
scribed in the Tenth Canto. In other words, one should not try to
understand the topics of the Tenth Canto, such as the rasa-lila (love
dance), unless he has spontaneous attraction for Srimad-Bhagavatam.
One must be situated in pure devotional service before he can relish
Srimad-Bhagavatam as it is.

In the above two verses of Ripa Gosvami there are some meta-
phorical analogies, which indirectly condemn the association of ma-
terialistic society, friendship and love. People are generally attracted
to society, friendship and love, and make elaborate arrangements and
strong endeavors to develop these material contaminations; but to
see the Sri Martis of Radha and Krsna is to forget such endeavors for
material association. Ripa Gosvami composed his verse in such a way
that he was seemingly praising the material association of friend-
ship, love, etc., and was condemning the audience of Sri Marti or
Govinda. This metaphorical analogy is constructed in such a way that
things which seem to be eulogized are condemned, and things which
are to be condemned are eulogized. The actual import of the verse is
that one must see the form of Govinda if one at all wants to forget
the nonsense of material friendship, love and society.

Srila Ripa Gosvami has similarly described the transcendental na-
ture of relishing topics which concern Krsna. A devotee once said,
“It is very astonishing that since I have seen this Personality of God-
head who is washed by the tears of my eyes, there is shivering of my
body, and He has made me a failure in executing my material duties.
Since seeing Him I cannot remain silently at home. I wish to go out
