Text 51] Matsya, the Lord’s Fish Incarnation 265
Jano janasyadisate ’satim gatim
yaya prapadyeta duratyayam tamah
tvam tv avyayam jnadnam amogham ajnjasa
prapadyate yena jano nijam padam

Janah—a person who is not a bona fide guru (an ordinary person);
Janasya—of an ordinary person who does not know the goal of life;
ddisate—instructs; asatim—impermanent, material; gatim—the goal of
life; yaya—by such knowledge; prapadyeta—he surrenders;
duratyayam—insurmountable; tamah—to ignorance; tvam—Your
Lordship; tu—but; avyayam—indestructible; jridnam—knowledge;
amogham—without material contamination; afiyasi—very soon;
prapadyate—achieves; yena—by such knowledge; janah—a person;
niyam—his own; padam—original position.

TRANSLATION

A materialistic so-called guru instructs his materialistic disciples
about economic development and sense gratification, and because
of such instructions the foolish disciples continue in the ma-
terialistic existence of ignorance. But Your Lordship gives knowl-
edge that is eternal, and the intelligent person receiving such
knowledge is quickly situated in his original constitutional
position.

PURPORT

So-called gurus instruct their disciples for the sake of material profit.
Some guru advises that one meditate in such a way that his intelligence
will increase in regard to keeping his body fit for sense gratification.
Another guru advises that sex is the ultimate goal of life and that one
should therefore engage in sex to the best of his ability. These are the in-
structions of foolish gurus. In other words, because of the instructions of
a foolish guru one remains perpetually in material existence and suffers
its tribulations. But if one is intelligent enough to take instructions from
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as enunciated in Bhagavad-gita or
the Sankhya philosophy of Kapiladeva, one can very soon attain libera-
tion and be situated in his original position of spiritual life. The words
nijam padam are significant. The living entity, being part and parcel of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has the birthright to a position in
