166 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 6, Ch. 17
When Citraketu spoke in this way, all the members in the great assem-
bly in which Lord Siva and Parvati were present were astonished. Then
Lord Siva began speaking about the devotees of the Lord. A devotee is
neutral in all conditions of life, whether in the heavenly planets or
hellish planets, whether liberated from the material world or conditioned
by it, and whether blessed with happiness or subjected to distress. These
are all merely dualities created by the external energy. Being influenced
by the external energy, the living entity accepts a gross and subtle ma-
terial body, and in this illusory position he apparently suffers miseries,
although everyone is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. The so-called
demigods consider themselves independent lords, and in this way they
are misled from understanding that all living entities are part of the
Supreme. This chapter concludes by glorifying the devotee and the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TEXT 1
yS STI
a
TAMTEASATTHEA FA (AY AA: |
Rearachrataaan TATE te Ul
Sri-Suka uvaca
yatas cantarhito ’nantas
tasyai krtva dise namah
vidyadharas citraketus
cacdra gagane carah
sri-Sukah uvdca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; yatah—in which
(direction); ca—and; antarhitah—disappeared; anantah—the un-
limited Supreme Personality of Godhead; tasyai—unto that; krtva—
after offering; dise—direction; namah—obeisances; vidyadharah—the
King of the Vidyadhara planet; citraketuh—Citraketu; cacdéra—tra-
veled; gagane—in outer space; carah—moving.
TRANSLATION
Srila Sukadeva Gosvami said: After offering obeisances to the
direction from which Ananta, the Supreme Personality of God-
