Text 41] The Glories of Devotional Service 1055
na—not; anyatra—otherwise; mat—than Myself; bhagavatah—the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; pradhdna-purusa-isvarat—the Lord of both prakrti
and purusa; dtmanah—the Soul; sarva-bhitanam—of all living beings;
bhayam—fear; tivram—terrible; nivartate—is forsaken.
TRANSLATION

The terrible fear of birth and death can never be forsaken by anyone
who resorts to any shelter other than Myself, for Iam the almighty Lord,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original source of all creation,
and also the Supreme Soul of all souls.

PURPORT

It is indicated herein that the cycle of birth and death cannot be stopped
unless one is a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord. It is said, hari vind
na srtim taranti. One cannot surpass the cycle of birth and death unless
one is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The same concept
is confirmed herewith: one may take to the system of understanding the
Absolute Truth by one’s own imperfect sensual speculation, or one may try
to realize the self by the mystic yoga process; but whatever one may do,
unless he comes to the point of surrendering to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, no process can give him liberation. One may ask if this means
that those who are undergoing so much penance and austerity by strictly
following the rules and regulations are endeavoring in vain. The answer is
given by Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.32): ye ‘nye ‘ravindaksa vimukta-
maninah. Lord Brahma and other demigods prayed to the Lord when Krsna
was in the womb of Devaki: ‘“‘My dear lotus-eyed Lord, there are persons
who are puffed up with the thought that they have become liberated or one
with God or have become God, but in spite of thinking in such a puffed-up
way, their intelligence is not laudable. They are less intelligent.” It is stated
that their intelligence, whether high or low, is not even purified. In
purified intelligence a living entity cannot think otherwise than to surren-
der. Bhagavad-gita, therefore, confirms that purified intelligence arises in
the person of a very wise man. Bahiinarm janmanam ante jiidnavan mam
prapadyate. After many, many births, one who is actually advanced in
intelligence surrenders unto the Supreme Lord.

Without the surrendering process, one cannot achieve liberation. The
Bhagavatam says, “Those who are simply puffed up, thinking themselves
liberated by some nondevotional process, are not polished or clear in
intelligence because they have not yet surrendered unto You. In spite of
executing all kinds of austerities and penances or even arriving at the
