82 Srimad-Bhagavatam [ Canto 2, Ch. 2

beginning from the feet. One should not try to go upwards artificially
without seeing for himself how much he has been released from the sex
desire. The smiling face of the Lord is the Tenth Canto of Srimad-
Bhagavatam, and there are many upstarts who at once try to begin with
the Tenth Canto and especially with the five chapters which delineate the
rasa-lila of the Lord. This is certainly improper. By such improper study
or hearing of Bhagavatam, the material opportunists have played havoc by
indulgence of sex life in the name of Bhagavatam. This vilification of
Bhagavatam is rendered by the acts of the so-called devotees; one should be
free from all kinds of sex desire before he tries to make a show of recital
of Bhagavatam. Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur clearly defines the import
of purification as cessation from sex indulgence. He says “yatha yatha
dhis ca sudhyati visaya-lampatyam tyajati tatha tatha dharayed iti citta-
suddha-taratamyenaiva dhyana-tdratamyam.”’ And as one gets free from
the intoxication of sex indulgence by purification of intelligence, one
should step forward for the next meditation, or in other words, the progress
of meditation on the different limbs of the transcendental body of the
Lord should be enhanced in proportion to the progress of purification of
the heart. The conclusion is that those who are still entrapped by sex
indulgence should never progress to meditation above the feet of the Lord;
therefore recital of Srimad-Bhagavatam by them should be restricted within
the First and Second Cantos of the great literature. The purificatory
process must be completed by assimilating the contents of the first nine
cantos. Then one should be admitted into the realm of the Tenth Canto of
Srimad-Bhdagavatam.

TEXT 13

caatisata Prague
qale aralid wary: |
fed fd SAAT IAG
at at aeeata slat qa 12 311

ekaikaso *ngani dhiyanubhavayet
padadi yavadd hasitam gada-bhrtah
jitam jitam sthanam apohya dharayet
param param suddhyati dhir yatha yatha
