Text 3] Prahlada, the Best Among Exalted Devotees 283
demigods to procure various material opulences. They are especially at-
tached to worship of the goddess Durga and Lord Siva because this tran-
scendental couple can offer their devotees all material opulence.
Prahlada Maharaja, however, was detached from all material enjoyment.
He therefore took shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nrsirnhadeva, and not
the feet of any demigod. It is to be understood that if one really wants
release from this material world, from the threefold miseries and from
janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi (birth, death, old age and disease), one must
take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for without the
Supreme Personality of Godhead one cannot get release from ma-
terialistic life. Atheistic men are very much attached to material enjoy-
ment. Therefore if they get some opportunity to achieve more and more
material enjoyment, they take it. Prahlada Maharaja, however, was very
careful in this regard. Although born of a materialistic father, because he
was a devotee he had no material desires (anyabhildsita-sinyam).
TEXT 3
eC. a ~
TAMIAMI = AAATTAT |
wal dandy ecaaferg wat ll 21
bhrtya-laksana-jijnasur
bhaktamm kdmesv acodayat
bhavan samsdra-bijesu
hrdaya-granthisu prabho
bhrtya-laksana-jijndsuh —desiring to exhibit the symptoms of a pure

devotee; bhaktam—the devotee; k@mesu—in the material world, where
lusty desires predominate; acodayat—has sent; bhavan—Your Lord-
ship; sartsdra-bijesu—the root cause of being present in this material
world; hrdaya-granthisu—which (desire for material enjoyment) is in
the cores of the hearts of all conditioned souls; prabho—O my worshipa-
ble Lord.

TRANSLATION

O my worshipable Lord, because the seed of lusty desires, which

is the root cause of material existence, is within the core of
