Text 27] Dhrtarastra Quits Home 693

TRANSLATION

He is called undisturbed who goes to an unknown, remote place and,
freed from all obligations, quits his material body when it has become

useless.

PURPORT

Narottama Dasa Thakur, a great devotee and dcdrya of the Gaudiya
Vaisnava sect, has sung: “My Lord, I have simply wasted my life. Having
obtained the human body, I have neglected to worship Your Lordship, and
therefore willingly I have drunk poison.” In other words, the human body
is especially meant for cultivating knowledge of devotional service of the
Lord, without which life becomes full of anxieties and miserable condi-
tions. Therefore, one who has spoiled his life without such cultural activi-
ties is advised to leave home without knowledge of friends and relatives
and, being thus freed from all obligations of family, society, country, etc.,
give up the body at some unknown destination so that others may not
know where and how he has met his death. Dhira means one who is not
disturbed, even when there is sufficient provocation. One cannot give up a
comfortable family life due to his affectionate relation with wife and
children. Self-realization is obstructed by such undue affection for family,
and if anyone is at all able to forget such a relation, he is called the un-
disturbed, or dhira. This is, however, the path of renunciation based on
frustrated life, but stabilization of such renunciation is possible only by
association with bona fide saints and self-realized souls by which one van
be engaged in the loving devotional service of the Lord. Sincere surrender
unto the lotus feet of the Lord is possible by awakening the transcendental
sense of service, made possible by association of pure devotees of the Lord.
Dhrtarastra was lucky enough to have a brother whose very association was
a source of liberation for his frustrated life.

TEXT 27

T ASA Fe Aaade ATH |
Ge Sea aft News aA: Il

yah svakat parato veha
jata-nirveda atmavan

hrdi krtva harim gehat
pravrajet sa narottamah
