344 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 1, Ch. 7

both of them were present. Therefore, Arjuna’s version of Lord Krsna is
authoritative. Krsna is almighty and is especially the cause of fearlessness
for the devotees. A devotee of the Lord is always fearless because of the
protection given by the Lord. Material existence is something like a
blazing fire in the forest, which can be extinguished by the mercy
of the Lord Sri Krsna. The spiritual master is the mercy representative
of the Lord. A person, therefore, burning in the flames of material exist-
ence, may receive the rains of mercy of the Lord through the transparent
medium of the self-realized spiritual master. The spiritual master by his
words can penetrate into the heart of the suffering person and inject
knowledge transcendental, which alone can extinguish the fire of material
existence.

TEXT 23

TAMA: FRI ATARI THA WT |
AUT Ice PewaT HATA (Tg AKAMA V2

tvam a@dyah purusah saksad
iSvarah prakrteh parah

mayam vyudasya cicchaktya
kaivalye sthita atmani

tvam ddyah—You are the original; purusah—the enjoying personality;
saksat—directly; isvarah—the controller; prakrteh—of material nature;
parah—transcendental; ma@yam—the material energy; vyudasya—one who
has thrown aside; cicchaktya—by dint of internal potency; kaivalye—in
pure eternal knowledge and bliss; sthitah— placed; atmani—own self.

TRANSLATION

You are the original Personality of Godhead who expands Himself
all over the creations and is transcendental to material energy. You have
cast away the effects of the material energy by dint of Your spiritual
potency. You are always situated in eternal bliss and transcendental
knowledge.

PURPORT

The Lord states in the Bhagavad-gita that one who surrenders unto the
lotus feet of the Lord can get release from the clutches of nescience. Krsna
