158 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 9, Ch. 13

“A person acting in Krsna consciousness (or, in other words, in the ser-
vice of Krsna) with his body, mind, intelligence and words is a liberated
person even within the material world, although he may be engaged in
many so-called material activities.” The desire to serve the Lord
establishes one as liberated in any condition of life, whether in a spiritual
body or a material body. In a spiritual body the devotee becomes a direct
associate of the Lord, but even though a devotee may superficially appear
to be in a material body, he is always liberated and is engaged in the same
duties of service to the Lord as a devotee in Vaikunthaloka. There is no
distinction. It is said, sddhur jivo vd maro vd. Whether a devotee is alive
or dead, his only concern is to serve the Lord. Tyaktvd deham punar
Janma naiti mam eti. When he gives up his body, he goes directly to be-
come an associate of the Lord and serve Him, although he does the same
thing even in a material body in the material world.

For a devotee there is no pain, pleasure or material perfection. One
may argue that at the time of death a devotee also suffers because of giv-
ing up his material body. But in this connection the example may be
given that a cat carries a mouse in its mouth and also carries a kitten in
its mouth. Both the mouse and the kitten are carried in the same mouth,
but the perception of the mouse is different from that of the kitten.
When a devotee gives up his body (tyaktud deham), he is ready to go
back home, back to Godhead. Thus his perception is certainly different
from that of a person being taken away by Yamaraja for punishment. A
person whose intelligence is always concentrated upon the service of the
Lord is unafraid of accepting a material body, whereas a nondevotee,
having no engagement in the service of the Lord, is very much afraid of
accepting a material body or giving up his present one. Therefore, we
should follow the instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu: mama janmani
Janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi. It doesn’t matter whether
we accept a material body or a spiritual body; our only ambition should
be to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TEXT 10
TE AARNE TATRA
UAT Ta ATAIAITH TM Uo
