Text 22] Svayambhuva Manu Advises Dhruva Maharaja 473
ties remain in the material sphere. But persons who engage in devotional
service reach the abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, where
there is neither birth nor death nor different varieties of life under the
influence of the law of karma. The best interest of the living entity is
to engage himself in devotional service and go back home, back to Godhead.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura advised: ‘My friend, you are being washed
away in material nature’s waves of time. Please try to understand that you
are the eternal servant of the Lord. Then everything will stop, and you will
be eternally happy.”
TEXT 22
c
Bawa ead AMAT TW
e
GH we Tt Bh ga: aM URI
kecit karma vadanty enam
svabhavam apare nrpa
eke kalam pare daivam
pumsah kamam utapare

kecit—some; karma—fruitive activities; vadanti—explain; enam—that;
svabhavam—nature; apare—others; nrpa—my dear King Dhruva; eke—some;
kdlam—time; pare—others; daivam—fate; pumsah—of the living entity;
kdmam—desire; uta—also; apare—others.

TRANSLATION

The differentiation among varieties of life and their suffering and enjoy-
ment is explained by some to be the result of karma. Others say it is due
to nature, others due to time, others due to fate, and still others say that it
is due to desire.

PURPORT

There are different types of philosophers—mimamsakas, atheists, astrono-
mers, sexualists and so many other classifications of mental speculators.
The real conclusion is that it is our work only that binds us within this
material world in different varieties of life. How these varieties have sprung
up is explained in the Vedas: it is due to the desire of the living entity.
The living entity is not a dead stone; he has different varietics of desire, or
kama. The Vedas say, kamo ’karstt. The living entitics are originally parts
of the Lord, like sparks of a fire, but they have dropped to this material
world, attracted by a desire to lord it over nature. That is a fact. Every
