Text 45] Instructions for Civilized Human Beings 249

Jfdndsim acyuta-balo dadhad asta-satruh
svdnanda-tusta upasdnta idam vijahyat

ydvat—as long as; nr-kdya—this human form of body; ratham—con-
sidered to be a chariot; dtma-vasa —dependent upon one’s own control;
upakalpam—in which there are many other subordinate parts; dhatte—
one possesses; garistha-carana—the lotus feet of the superiors (namely
the spiritual master and his predecessors); arcanayé—by serving;
nisdtam—sharpened; jndna-asim—the sword or weapon of knowledge;
acyuta-balah—by the transcendental strength of Krsna; dadhat—hold-
ing; asta-satruh—until the enemy is defeated; sva-dnanda-tustah—
being fully self-satisfied by transcendental bliss; upasadntah—the con-
sciousness being cleansed of all material contamination; idam—this
body; vijahydt—one should give up.

TRANSLATION

As long as one has to accept a material body, with its different
parts and paraphernalia, which are not fully under one’s control,
one must have the lotus feet of his superiors, namely his spiritual
master and the spiritual master’s predecessors. By their mercy,
one can sharpen the sword of knowledge, and with the power of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s mercy one must then con-
quer the enemies mentioned above. In this way, the devotee
should be able to merge into his own transcendental bliss, and
then he may give up his body and resume his spiritual identity.

PURPORT
In Bhagavad-gita (4.9) the Lord says:

Janma karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deharn punar janma
naiti mam eti so ’rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and ac-
tivities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this
