Text 30] Matsya, the Lord’s Fish Incarnation 245

TRANSLATION

O my Lord, possessing eyes like the petals of a lotus, the worship
of the demigods, who are in the bodily concept of life, is fruitless
in all respects. But because You are the supreme friend and dear-
most Supersoul of everyone, worship of Your lotus feet is never
useless. You have therefore manifested Your form as a fish.

PURPORT

The demigods like Indra, Candra and Sirya are ordinary living en-
tities who are differentiated parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. The Lord expands Himself through the living beings (nityo
nitydnam cetanas cetandnam). His personal visnu-tattva forms, which
are all spiritual, are called svamSa, and the living entities who are dif-
ferentiated parts are called vibhinnarmsa. Some of the vibhinnarhsa
forms are spiritual, and some are a combination of matter and spirit. The
conditioned souls in the material world are different from their external
bodies made of material energy. Thus the demigods living in the upper
planetary systems and the living entities living in the lower planetary
system are of the same nature. Nonetheless, those living as human beings
on this planet are sometimes attracted to worshiping the demigods in the
higher planetary systems. Such worship is temporary. As the human
beings on this planet have to change their bodies (tatha dehantara-
praptih), the living entities known as Indra, Candra, Varuna and so on
will also have to change their bodies in due course of time. As stated in
Bhagavad-gita, antavat tu phalarm tesam tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam:
“Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are
limited and temporary.” Kamais tais tair hrta-jnidnah prapadyante
‘nya-devatah: those who do not know the position of the demigods are
inclined to worship the demigods for some material purpose, but the
results of such worship are never permanent. Consequently, here it is
said, yathetaresam prthag-dtmandm satam, padopasarpanam mrsa
bhavet. In other words, if one is to worship someone else, he must wor-
ship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then his worship will never
be fruitless. Svualpam apy asya dharmasya trdyate mahato bhayat: even
a slight attempt to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead is a per-
manent asset. Therefore, as recommended in Srimad-Bhagavatam,
tyaktva sva-dharmam caranadmbujam hareh. One should take to the
