Text 32] | Deliverance of the Yamala-arjuna Trees 205
agitated by the mind; prakrtaih gunaih—by the material modes of
nature (sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna); kah—who is there;
nu—after that; iha—in this material world; arhati—who deserves;
vijidtum—to know; prak siddham—that which existed before the cre-
ation; guna-sarnurtah—because of being covered by the material
qualities.
TRANSLATION

O Lord, You exist before the creation. Therefore, who, trapped
by a body of material qualities in this material world, can
understand You?

PURPORT
As it is said:
atah Sri-krsna-nadmddi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
svayam eva sphuraty adah
(Bhakti-rasémrta-sindhu 1.2.234)

Krsna’s name, attributes and form are Absolute Truth, existing before
the creation. Therefore, how can those who are created—that is, those
entrapped in bodies created of material elements—understand Krsna
perfectly? This is not possible. But, sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva
sphuraty adah: Krsna reveals Himself to those engaged in devotional
service. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (18.15) by the Lord
Himself: bhaktya mam abhijanati. Even the descriptions of Krsna in
Srimad-Bhagavatam are sometimes misunderstood by less intelligent
men with a poor fund of knowledge. Therefore, the best course by which
to know Him is to engage oneself in pure devotional activities. The more
one advances in devotional activities, the more one can understand Him
as He is. If from the material platform one could understand Krsna,
then, since Krsna is everything (sarvarn khalv idam brahma), one could
understand Krsna by seeing anything within this material world. But
that is not possible.
