Text 27] Ambarisa Maharaja Offended by Durvasa Muni 109

yuktena—which is simultaneously the best process of austerity;
parthivah—the King; sva-dharmena—by his constitutional activities;
harim—unto the Supreme Lord; prinan—satisfying; sarvén—all
varieties of; kamadn—material desires; sanaih—gradually; jahau—gave
up.

TRANSLATION

The king of this planet, Maharaja Ambarisa, thus performed de-
votional service to the Lord and in this endeavor practiced severe
austerity. Always satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead
by his constitutional activities, he gradually gave up all material
desires.

PURPORT

Severe austerities in the practice of devotional service are of many
varieties. For example, in worshiping the Deity in the temple there are
certainly laborious activities. Sri-vigraharddhana-nitya-ndnd-srnigara-
tan-mandira-mdrjanadau. One must decorate the Deity, cleanse the
temple, bring water from the Ganges and Yamuna, continue the routine
work, perform drati many times, prepare first-class food for the Deity,
prepare dresses and so on. In this way, one must constantly be engaged in
various activities, and the hard labor involved is certainly an austerity.
Similarly, the hard labor involved in preaching, preparing literature,
preaching to atheistic men and distributing literature door to door is of
course an austerity (tapo-yuktena). Tapo divyarh putrakd. Such austerity
is necessary. Yena sattvam Suddhyet. By such austerity in devotional ser-
vice, one is purified of material existence (kdmdn Sanair jahau). Indeed,
such austerity leads one to the constitutional position of devotional ser-
vice. In this way one can give up material desires, and as soon as one is
freed from material desires, he is free from the repetition of birth and
death, old age and disease.

TEXT 27

TY IY By arqy
fearnercaatsatay |
