260 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 9

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord Nrsirnhadeva, I see that there are many saintly per-
sons indeed, but they are interested only in their own deliverance.
Not caring for the big cities and towns, they go to the Himalayas or
the forest to meditate with vows of silence [mauna-vrata]. They are
not interested in delivering others. As for me, however, I do not
wish to be liberated alone, leaving aside all these poor fools and
rascals. | know that without Krsna consciousness, without taking
shelter of Your lotus feet, one cannot be happy. Therefore I wish
to bring them back to shelter at Your lotus feet.

PURPORT

This is the decision of the Vaisnava, the pure devotee of the Lord. For
himself he has no problems, even if he has to stay in this material world,
because his only business is to remain in Krsna consciousness. The Krsna
conscious person can go even to hell and still be happy. Therefore
Prahlada Maharaja said, naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaranyah: “O
best of the great personalities, | am not at all afraid of material exis-
tence.” The pure devotee is never unhappy in any condition of life. This
is confirmed in Srimad-Bhégavatam (6.17.28):

ndrayana-parah sarve
na kutascana bibhyati

svargapavarga-narakesv
api tulyartha-darsinah

“Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Per-
sonality of Godhead, Narayana, never fear any condition of life. For
them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the
same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.”
For a devotee, being situated in the heavenly planets and being in the
hellish planets are equal, for a devotee lives neither in heaven nor in hell
but with Krsna in the spiritual world. The secret of success for the devo-
tee is not understood by the karmis and jrdnis. Karmis therefore try to
be happy by material adjustment, and jndanis want to be happy by becom-
ing one with the Supreme. The devotee has no such interest. He is not in-
terested in so-called meditation in the Himalayas or the forest. Rather,
