124 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 9, Ch. 11

devotees are persons. Indeed, the living entities, like the Lord, were per-
sons in the past, they are persons in the present, and they will continue to
be persons even after giving up the body. This is also confirmed in
Bhagavad-gita.

TEXT 23
MAIN Wi RAs 112311

puruso rdma-caritam
Sravanair upadhérayan

anrsamsya-paro rdjan
karma-bandhair vimucyate

purusah—any person; réma-caritam—the narration concerning the
activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Ramacandra;
Sravanaih—by aural reception; upadharayan—simply by this process of
hearing; Gnrsamsya-parah—becomes completely free from envy; rdjan
—O King Pariksit; karma-bandhaih—by the bondage of fruitive ac-

tivities; vimucyate—one becomes liberated.

TRANSLATION

O King Pariksit, anyone who aurally receives the narrations
concerning the characteristics of Lord Ramacandra’s pastimes will
ultimately be freed from the disease of envy and thus be liberated
from the bondage of fruitive activities.

PURPORT

Here in this material world, everyone is envious of someone else. Even
in religious life, it is sometimes found that if one devotee has advanced
in spiritual activities, other devotees are envious of him. Such envious
devotees are not completely freed from the bondage of birth and death.
As long as one is not completely free from the cause of birth and death,
one cannot enter the sandtana-dhdma or the eternal pastimes of the
Lord. One becomes envious because of being influenced by the designa-
tions of the body, but the liberated devotee has nothing to do with the
