Text 35] Conversation Between Manu and Kardama 841
the Lord; therefore he is considered the transcendental prince of all carriers.
With his two wings Garuda began to vibrate the Sama Veda, which is
chanted by great sages to pacify the Lord. The Lord is worshiped by
Brahma, by Lord Siva, by Garuda and other demigods with selected poems,
and great sages worship Him with the hymns of Vedic literatures, such as
the Upanisads and Sama Veda. These Sama Veda utterances are automati-
cally heard by the devotee when another great devotee of the Lord,
Garuda, flaps his wings.

It is clearly stated here that the sage Kardama Muni began to look to the
path by which the Lord was being carried to Vaikuntha. It is thus con-
firmed that the Lord descends from His abode, Vaikuntha, in the spiritual
sky, and is carried by Garuda. The path which leads to Vaikuntha is not
worshiped by the ordinary class of transcendentalists. Only those who are
already liberated from material bondage can become devotees of the Lord.
Those who are not liberated from material bondage cannot understand
transcendental devotional service. In Bhagavad-gita it is clearly stated,
yatatam api siddhanam. There are many persons who are trying to attain
perfection by striving for liberation from material bondage, and those
who are actually liberated are called brahma-bhita or siddha. Only the
siddhas, or persons liberated from material bondage, can become devotees.
This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita: anyone who is engaged in Krsna
consciousness or devotional service is already liberated from the influence
of the modes of material nature. Here it is also confirmed that the path of
devotional service is worshiped by liberated persons, not the conditioned
souls. The conditioned soul cannot understand the devotional service of
the Lord. Kardama Muni was a liberated soul who saw the Supreme Lord
in person, face to face. There was no doubt that he was liberated, and
thus he could see Garuda carrying the Lord on the way to Vaikuntha and
hear the flapping of his wings vibrating the sound of Hare Krsna, the
essence of the Sama Veda.

TEXT 35
AY Aaa IH Beal WTA: |
are oH Pega ¢ are afr 13411
atha samprasthite sukle
kardamo bhagavan rsih
aste sma bindusarasi
tam kalam pratipalayan
