402 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 1, Ch. 8
unavoidable misfortunes, one should make progress in spiritual realization,
because that is the mission of human life. The spirit soul is transcendental
to all material calamities: therefore, the so-called calamities are called false.
\ man may see a liger swallowing him ina dream, and he may ery for this
calamity. Actually there is no tiger and there is no suffering, but it is
simply a case of dreams. In the same way, all calamities of life are said to
be dreams. If someone is lucky enough to get in contact with the Lord by
devotional service, it is all gain. Contact with the Lord by any one of the
nine devotional services is always a forward step on the path of going back
to Godhead.
TEXT 26
saz: == JAR I
A x
aetna Fara REI
Janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhir
edhamaéna-madah puman
naivarhaty abhidhatum vai
tvam akificana-gocaram

Janma—birth; aisvarva—opulence; sruta—education: sribhih—by the pos-
session of beauty: edhamdana—progressively increasing; madah—intoxi-
cation; puman—the human being; na—never: eva—ever; arhati— deserves;
abhidhatum—address in feeling: vai—certainly; tvam—You: akificana-
gocaram—one who is approached easily by the materially exhausted man.

TRANSLATION
My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by
those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [ material }
progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great
opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with
sincere feeling.
PURPORT

Being materially advanced means taking birth in an aristocratic family,
possessing great wealth, an education and attractive personal beauty. All
materialistic men are mad after possessing all these material opulences, and
this is known as advancement of material civilization. But the result is that
by possessing all these material assets one becomes artificially puffed up,
