Text 48] Hiranyakasipu, King of the Demons 113
vacah—the seeing and talking of; yatha—just as; manorathah—a men-
tal concoction (daydream); svapnah—a dream; sarvam—everything;
aindriyakam—produced by the senses; mrsd—false.

TRANSLATION

It is fruitless to see and talk of the material modes of nature and
their resultant so-called happiness and distress as if they were fac-
tual. When the mind wanders during the day and a man begins to
think himself extremely important, or when he dreams at night
and sees a beautiful woman enjoying with him, these are merely
false dreams. Similarly, the happiness and distress caused by the
material senses should be understood to be meaningless.

PURPORT

The happiness and distress derived from the activities of the material
senses are not actual happiness and distress. Therefore Bhagavad-gita
speaks of happiness that is transcendental to the material conception of
life (sukham Gtyantikam yat tad buddhi-grahyam atindriyam). When
our senses are purified of material contamination, they become
atindriya, transcendental senses, and when the transcendental senses are
engaged in the service of the master of the senses, HrsikeSa, one can
derive real transcendental pleasure. Whatever distress or happiness we
manufacture by mental concoction through the subtle mind has no
reality, but is simply a mental concoction. One should therefore not
imagine so-called happiness through mental concoction. Rather, the best
course is to engage the mind in the service of the Lord, Hrsikesa, and
thus feel real blissful life.

There is a Vedic statement apadma-somam amrta abhiima apsarobhir
viharama. With reference to such a conception, one wants to go to the
heavenly planets to enjoy with the young girls there and drink soma-
rasa. Such imaginary pleasure, however, has no value. As confirmed in
Bhagavad-gita (7.23), antavat tu phalam tesam tad bhavaty alpa-
medhasam: “‘Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their
fruits are limited and temporary.” Even if by fruitive activity or worship
of the demigods one is elevated to the higher planetary systems for sense
enjoyment, his situation is condemned in Bhagavad-gita as antavat,
perishable. The happiness one enjoys in this way is like the pleasure of
