Text 92] Ripa Gosvami’s Meeting with the Lord 45

TEXT 92
aftasti-czaydtfara tate
ata-yitat gyal SATA |
SARHATS SAAS
ata famtathe eatagics u” 32 4

svargapaga-hema-mrnalininam
nand-mrndalagra-bhujo bhajamah

annanurdpam tanu-rdpa-rddhim
karyam nidanad dhi gundan adhite

SYNONYMS

svarga-4paga—of the Ganges water flowing in the heavenly planets; hema—
golden; mrnalininam—of the lotus flowers; nénd—various; mrnala-agra-bhujah—
those who eat the tops of the stems; bhajamah—we get; anna-anurdpam—ac-
cording to the food; tanu-rdpa-rddhin—an abundance of bodily beauty;
karyam—the effect; nidanat—from the cause; hi—certainly; gunan—qualities;
adhite—one obtains.

TRANSLATION

“The River Ganges flowing from the heavenly planets is full of golden
lotus flowers, and we, the residents of those planets, eat the stems of the
flowers. Thus we are very beautiful, more so than the inhabitants of any other
planet. This is due to the law of cause and effect, for if one eats food in the
mode of goodness, the mode of goodness increases the beauty of his body. ”

PURPORT

One's bodily luster and beauty, one’s constitution, one’s activities and one’s
qualities all depend on the law of cause and effect. There are three qualities in ma-
terial nature, and as stated in Bhagavad-gita (13.22), karanarh guna-sango ‘sya sad-
asad-yoni-janmasu: one takes birth in a good or bad family according to his pre-
vious association with the qualities of material nature. Therefore one seriously
eager to achieve transcendental perfection, Krsna consciousness, must eat Krsna
prasada. Such food is sattvika, or in the material quality of goodness, but when
offered to Krsna it becomes transcendental. Our Krsna consciousness movement
distributes Krsna prasada, and those who eat such transcendental food are sure to
become devotees of the Lord. This is a very scientific method, as stated in this
verse from Nala-naisadha (3.17): karyarh nidanad dhi gunan adhite. If in all one’s
activities he strictly adheres to the mode of goodness, he will certainly develop
