1024 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 1, Ch. 19

TEXT 34

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sannidhyat te maha-yogin
patakani mahanty api

sadyo nasyanti vai purmsam
visnor iva suretarah

sannidhyat—on account of the presence; te—your; maha-yogin—O great
mystic; patakani—sins; mahanti—invulnerable; api—in spite of; sadyah—
immediately; nasyanti— vanquished; vai—certainly; pumsam—of a person;
visnoh—like the presence of the Personality of Godhead; iva—like; sura-
itarah—other than the demigods.

TRANSLATION

Just as the atheist cannot remain in the presence of the Personality of
Godhead, so also the invulnerable sins of a man are immediately vanquished
in your presence, O saint! O great mystic!

PURPORT

There are two classes of human beings, namely the atheist and the
devotee of the Lord. The devotee of the Lord, because of manifesting
godly qualities, is called a demigod, whereas the atheist is called a demon.
The demon cannot stand the presence of Visnu the Personality of Godhead.
The demons are always busy in trying to vanquish the Personality of
Godhead, but factually as soon as the Personality of Godhead appears,
either by His transcendental name, form, attributes, pastimes, paraphernalia
or variegatedness, the demon is at once vanquished. It is said that a ghost
cannot remain as soon as the holy name of the Lord is chanted. The great
saints and devotees of the Lord are in the list of His paraphernalia, and
thus as soon as a saintly devotee is present, the ghostly sins are at once
vanquished. That is the verdict of all Vedic literatures. One is recommended,
therefore, to associate only with saintly devotees so that worldly demons
and ghosts cannot exert their sinister influence.
