Text 15] Explanation of Devotional Service 1243
is confirmed by Lord Kapila: one who is situated in pure devotional
service is transcendentally situated, as is the Lord. Just as the Lord is
unaffected by the influence of the material modes, so too are His pure
devotees. One who is not affected by the three modes of material nature
is called a liberated soul, or brahma-bhita soul. Brahma-bhitah prasannatma
is the stage of liberation. Aham brahmasmi: “I am not this body.”
This is applicable only to the person who constantly engages in the
devotional service of Krsna and is thus in the transcendental stage; he is
above the influence of the three modes of material nature.

It is the misconception of the impersonalists that one can worship any
imaginary form of the Lord, or Brahman, and at the end merge in the
Brahman effulgence. Of course, to merge into the bodily effulgence
(Brahman) of the Supreme Lord is also liberation, as explained in the
previous verse. Ekatva is also liberation, but that sort of liberation is
never accepted by any devotee because qualitative oneness is immediately
attained as soon as one is situated in devotional service. For a devotee,
that qualitative equality, which is the result of impersonal liberation, is
already attained; he does not have to try for it separately. It is clearly
stated here that simply by pure devotional service one becomes qualita-
tively as good as the Lord Himself.

TEXT 15
frafaniida aay mehraT |
Beart Teta Ta AT Free Ts Ne
nisevitenanimittena
sva-dharmena mahiyasa
kriya-yogena sastena
natihimsrena nityasah

nisevitena—executed; animittena—without attachment to the result;
sva-dharmena—by one’s prescribed duties; mahiyasa—glorious; kriya-
yogena—by devotional activities; sastena—auspicious; na—without;
atihimsrena—excessive violence; nityasah—regularly.

TRANSLATION

A devotee must execute his prescribed duties, which are glorious,
without material profit. Without excessive violence, one should regularly
perform one’s devotional activities.
