Text 3] Explanation of Devotional Service 1229

material nature, the living entity and the Supersoul, one has to understand
the basic principle of devotional service to the Lord.

TEXT 3

fat Fa gen aay aad Aq |
Aes shasta fan aa daa: 2 1

virdgo yena puruso
bhagavan sarvato bhavet

acaksva jiva-lokasya
vividhad mama samsrtih

viragah—detached; yena—by which; purusah—a person; bhagavan—my
dear Lord; sarvatah—completely; bhavet—may become; acaksva—please
describe; jiva-lokasya—for the people in general; vividhah—manifold;
mama—for myself; samsrtih—repetition of birth and death.

TRANSLATION

Devahiiti continued: My dear Lord, please also describe in detail, both
for myself and for people in general, the continual process of birth and
death, for by hearing of such calamities we may become detached from the
activities of this material world.

PURPORT

In this verse the word samsrtih is very important. Sreyah-srti means the
prosperous path of advancement towards the Supreme Personality of God-
head, and sarisrti means the continued journey on the path of birth and
death towards the darkest region of material existence. People who have no
knowledge of this material world, God and their actual intimate relation-
ship with Him are actually going to the darkest region of material
existence in the name of progress in the material advancement of civiliza-
tion. To enter the darkest region of material existence means to enter into
a species of life other than the human species. Ignorant men do not know
that after this life they are completely under the grip of material nature
and will be offered a life which may not be very congenial. How a living
entity gets different kinds of bodies will be explained in the next chapter.
This continual change of bodies in birth and death is called sarmsara.
