Text 50] The Appearance of the Demon Vrtrasura 151
lotus feet. In such cases, although the krpana offers prayers to Lord
Krsna for material things, the Lord takes away whatever material posses-
sions the krpana has and gives him the sense to become a devotee. As
stated by the Lord in the Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 22.39):
ami—vijna, ei mirkhe ‘visaya’ kene diba?
sva-carandmrta diya ‘visaya’ bhulaiba
“Since I am very intelligent, why should I give this fool material
prosperity? Instead I shall induce him to take the nectar of the shelter of
My lotus feet and make him forget illusory material enjoyment.” If one
sincerely prays to God for material possessions in exchange for devo-
tional service, the Lord, who is not foolish like such an unintelligent
devotee, shows him special favor by taking away whatever material
possessions he has and gradually giving him the intelligence to be
satisfied only by rendering service to His lotus feet. Srila Visvanatha
Cakravarti Thakura comments in this regard that if a foolish child re-
quests his mother to give him poison, the mother, being intelligent, will
certainly not give him poison, even though he requests it. A materialist
does not know that to accept material possessions means to accept poison,
or the repetition of birth and death. An intelligent person, a brahmana,
aspires for liberation from material bondage. That is the real self-
interest of a human being.
TEXT 50
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TTAAHNs Tes TESATY FHA: [Moll
svayam nihsreyasam vidvan
na vakty ajfiadya karma hi
na rati rogino ’pathyam
varichato "pi bhisaktamah
svayam—personally; nihsreyasam—the supreme goal of life, namely
the means of obtaining ecstatic love for the Supreme Personality of God-
head; vit-vdn—one who is accomplished in devotional service; na—not;
