Text 40] The Lord Begs Charity from Bali Maharaja 87

PURPORT

This sloka explains that in relation to the material body even the fac-
tual truth cannot exist without a touch of untruth. The Mayavadis say,
brahma satyam jagan mithya: “The spirit soul is truth, and the external
energy is untruth.” The Vaisnava philosophers, however, do not agree
with the Mayavada philosophy. Even if for the sake of argument the
material world is accepted as untruth, the living entity entangled in the
illusory energy cannot come out of it without the help of the body. With-
out the help of the body, one cannot follow a system of religion, nor can
one speculate on philosophical perfection. Therefore, the flower and fruit
(puspa-phalam) have to be obtained as a result of the body. Without the
help of the body, that fruit cannot be gained. The Vaisnava philosophy
therefore recommends yukta-vairagya. It is not that all attention should
be diverted for the maintenance of the body, but at the same time one’s
bodily maintenance should not be neglected. As long as the body exists
one can thoroughly study the Vedic instructions, and thus at the end of
life one can achieve perfection. This is explained in Bhagavad-gita (8.6):
yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram. Everything is
examined at the time of death. Therefore, although the body is tempor-
ary, not eternal, one can take from it the best service and make one’s life
perfect.

TEXT 40

TAM IYS: FAGAN |
Ud AVITT: AI AAT WIq AAT Uvoll

tad yatha urksa unmiilah
Susyaty udvartate ’cirdt

evam nastanrtah sadya
dtma susyen na sarsayah

tat—therefore; yatha—as; vrksah—a tree; unmilah—being
uprooted; Susyati—dries up; udvartate—falls down; acirdt—very soon;
evam—in this way; nasta—lost; anrtah—the temporary body;
sadyah—immediately; adtma—the body; susyet—dries up; na—not;
samsayah—any doubt.
