1104 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 24

material energy, their existence is always troublesome. Being always in
distress, the conditioned soul considers the material energy to be very
much disturbing. This fact is explained by a Vaisnava kavi, or poet: krsna
bhuli’ sei jiva anddi-bahir-mukha/ ataeva maya tare deya samsdara-duhkha.
When the living entity forgets the Supreme Lord and wants to enjoy him-
self independently, imitating the Supreme Lord, he is captured by the false
notion that he is the enjoyer and is separated from the Supreme Lord. This
material energy is therefore very much troublesome to the spiritual energy,
the living entity, but the material energy is never troublesome to the
Supreme Lord. Indeed, for the Supreme Lord, both material and spiritual
energy are the same. In this verse Lord Siva explains that the material energy
is never troublesome to the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is always
independent, but because the living entities are not independent—due to
their false idea of becoming independently happy—the material energy is
troublesome. Consequently the material energy creates differentiation.
Because the Mayavadi philosophers cannot understand this, they want
to be relieved from the material energy. However, because a Vaisnava
philosopher is in full knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
he finds no disturbance even in the material energy. This is because he
knows how to utilize the material energy for the service of the Lord. In
the government, the criminal department and civil department may appear
different in the eyes of the citizens, but in the eyes of the government
both departments are one and the same. The criminal department is
troublesome for the criminal but not for the obedient citizen. Similarly,
this material energy is troublesome for the conditioned soul, but it has
nothing to do with the liberated souls who are engaged in the service of
the Lord. Through the purusa-avatara Maha-Visnu, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead created the whole cosmic manifestation. Simply by breathing
out all the universes, the Lord creates and maintains the cosmic manifes-
tation as Lord Visnu. Then as Sankarsana, He annihilates the cosmic
manifestation. Yet despite the creation, maintenance and destruction of
the cosmos, the Lord is not affected. The various activities of the Lord
must be very disturbing to the tiny living entities, but since the Lord is
supremely great, He is never affected. Lord Siva or any other pure devotee
can see this clearly without being blinded by bheda-buddhi, or differen-
tiation. For a devotee, the Lord is the Supreme Spirit Soul. Since He is
supremely powerful, His various powers are also spiritual. For a devotee,
there is nothing material, for material existence only means forgetfulness

of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
