Text 26] The Subterranean Heavenly Planets 401
Supreme Lord (gopi-bhartuh pdda-kamalayor désa-dasénudasah). In
Vaisnava philosophy, one should not even become a direct servant.
Prahlada Maharaja was offered all the blessings of an opulent position in
the material world and even the liberation of merging into Brahman, but
he refused all this. He simply wanted to engage in the service of the ser-
vant of the servant of the Lord. Therefore Bali Maharaja said that
because his grandfather Prahlada Maharaja had rejected the blessings of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead in terms of material opulence and
liberation from material bondage, he truly understood his self-interest.
TEXT 26

Te WATAMATTIA TENT: Bl AARA: shetranacawE
STTATATA 1 RE a
tasya mahdnubhdvasydnupatham amrjita-kasdyah ko vasmad-vidhah
parihina-bhagavad-anugraha upajigamisatiti.

tasya—of Prahlada Maharaja; mahd-anubhdvasya—who was an ex-
alted devotee; anupatham—the path; amrjita-kaséyah—a person who is
materially contaminated; kKah—what; v@—or; asmat-vidhah—like us;
parihina-bhagavat-anugrahah—being without the favor of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; upajigamisati—desires to follow; iti—thus.

TRANSLATION

Bali Maharaja said: Persons like us, who are still attached to
material enjoyment, who are contaminated by the modes of
material nature and who lack the mercy of the Supreme Per-
sonality of Godhead, cannot follow the supreme path of Prahlada
Maharaja, the exalted devotee of the Lord.

PURPORT

It is said that for spiritual realization one must follow great per-
sonalities like Lord Brahma, Devarsi Narada, Lord Siva and Prahlada
Maharaja. The path of bhakti is not at all difficult if we follow in the
footsteps of previous dcaryas and authorities, but those who are too
materially contaminated by the modes of material nature cannot follow
them. Although Bali Maharaja was actually following the path of his
