410 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 9

dust. A devotee is always engaged in drinking the honey from the lotus feet
of the Lord. Unless one is freed from all material desires, he cannot actually
taste the honey from the Lord’s lotus feet. One has to discharge his devo-
tional duties without being disturbed by the coming and going of material
circumstances. This desirelessness for material prosperity is called niskama.
One should not mistakenly think that niskama means giving up all desires.
That is impossible. A living entity is eternally existent, and he cannot give
up desires. A living entity must have desires; that is the symptom of life.
When there is a recommendation to become desireless, it is to be under-
stood that this means that we should not desire anything for our sense
gratification. For a devotee this state of mind, nihsprha, is the right posi-
tion. Actually every one of us already has an arrangement for our standard
of material comforts. A devotee should always remain satisfied with the
standard of comforts offered by the Lord, as stated in the [sopanisad (tena
tyaktena bhujijitha). This saves time for executing Krsna consciousness.

TEXT 37
MT ATA A TTT TASTY |
TH A ACY ARTA FA AA U3

akarnyatma-jam ayantam
samparetya yathagatam

raja na graddadhe bhadram
abhadrasya kuto mama

adkarnya—having heard; dtma-jam—his son; ayantam—coming back;
samparetya—after dying; yatha—as if; dgatam—coming back; raja—King
Uttanapada; na—did not; sraddadhe—have any confidence; bhadram—good
fortune; abhadrasya—of the impious; kutah —whence; mama—my.

TRANSLATION

When King Uttanapada heard that his son Dhruva was coming back
home, as if coming back to life after death, he could not put his faith in
this message, for he was doubtful how it could happen. He considered.
himself the most wretched, and therefore he thought that it was not
possible for him to attain such good fortune.

PURPORT

Dhruva Maharaja, a five-year-old boy, went to the forest for penance
and austerity, and the King could not at all believe that a small boy of
such a tender age could live in the forest. He was certain that he was dead.
