Text 64] Chanting the Song Sung by Lord Siva 1111

bite one another when they enjoy honey, they are not exclusively enjoying
the sweetness of the honey, for there is also suffering. In other words, the
living entities are subjected to the pains and pleasures of material enjoy-
ment, whereas the Supreme Personality of Godhead, knowing their plans
for sense enjoyment, is aloof from them. In the Upanisads the example is
given of two birds sitting on a tree. One bird (the jiva, or living entity) is
enjoying the fruits of that tree, and the other bird (Paramatma) is simply
witnessing. In the Bhagavad-gita the Supreme Personality of Godhead as
Paramatma is described as upadrasta (the overseer) and anumanta (the
permitter).

upadrastanumanta ca

bharta bhokta mahesvarah
paramatmeti capy ukto

dehe ’smin purusah parah

“Yet in this body there is another, a transcendental enjoyer, who is the
Lord, the supreme proprietor, who exists as the overseer and permitter,
and who is known as the Supersoul.”’ (Bg. 13.23)

Thus the Lord simply witnesses and gives the living entity sanction for
sense enjoyment. It is the Paramatma also who gives the intelligence by
which the bees can construct a hive, collect honey from various flowers,
store it and enjoy it. Although the Paramatma is aloof from the living
entities, He knows their intentions, and He gives them facilities by which
they can enjoy or suffer the results of their actions. Human society is
exactly like a beehive, for everyone is engaged in collecting honey from
various flowers, or collecting money from various sources and creating
large empires for common enjoyment. However, after these empires are
created, the bites of other nations have to be suffered. Sometimes nations
declare war upon one another, and the human beehives become sources of
misery. Although human beings are creating their beehives in order to
enjoy the sweetness of their senses, they are at the same time suffering
from the bites of other persons or nations. The Supreme Personality of
Godhead as Paramatma is simply witnessing all these activities. The con-
clusion is that both the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the jivas
enter into this material world. However, the Paramatma, or Supreme Per-
sonality of Godhead, is worshipable because He has arranged for the
happiness of the living entity in the material world. Because it is the mate-
rial world, however, no one can enjoy any kind of happiness without
inebriety. Material enjoyment means inebriety, whereas spiritual enjoyment
means pure enjoyment under the protection of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
