Text 30] Prahlada, the Saintly Son of Hiranyakasipu 267
TRANSLATION

Prahlada Maharaja replied: Because of their uncontrolled
senses, persons too addicted to materialistic life make progress
toward hellish conditions and repeatedly chew that which has
already been chewed. Their inclinations toward Krsna are never
aroused, either by the instructions of others, by their own efforts,
or by a combination of both.

PURPORT

In this verse the words matir na krsne refer to devotional service ren-
dered to Krsna. So-called politicians, erudite scholars and philosophers
who read Bhagavad-gita try to twist some meaning from it to suit their
material purposes, but their misunderstandings of Krsna will not yield
them any profit. Because such politicians, philosophers and scholars are
interested in using Bhagavad-gitd as a vehicle for adjusting things ma-
terially, for them constant thought of Krsna, or Krsna consciousness, is
impossible (matir na krsne). As stated in Bhagavad-gita (18.55),
bhaktya mam abhijdnati: only through devotional service can one
understand Krsna as He is. The so-called politicians and scholars think of
Krsna as fictitious. The politician says that his Krsna is different from
the Krsna depicted in Bhagavad-gita. Even though he accepts Krsna and
Rama as the Supreme he thinks of Rama and Krsna as impersonal be-
cause he has no idea of service to Krsna. Thus his only business is punah
punas carvita-carvandndm—chewing the chewed again and again. The
aim of such politicians and academic scholars is to enjoy this material
world with their bodily senses. Therefore it is clearly stated here that
those who are grha-vrata, whose only aim is to live comfortably with the
body in the material world, cannot understand Krsna. The two expres-
sions grha-vrata and carvita-carvandnam indicate that a materialistic
person tries to enjoy sense gratification in different bodily forms, life
after life, but is still unsatisfied. In the name of personalism, this ism or
that ism, such persons always remain attached to the materialistic way of
life. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (2.44):

bhogaisvarya-prasaktanarn
tayapahrta-cetasim
