308 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 8
and vanaprastha life also and takes to sannydsa, completely devoting him-
self to devotional service.

Generally, people think that childhood is meant for enjoying life by
engaging oneself in sports and play, youth is meant for enjoying the
company of young girls, and when one becomes old, at the time of death,
then he may try to execute devotional service or a mystic yoga process. But
this conclusion is not for devotees who are actually serious. The great
sage Narada Muni is instructing Dhruva Maharaja just to test him.
Actually, the direct order is that from any point of life one should begin
rendering devotional service. But it is the duty of the spiritual master to
test the disciple to see how seriously he desires to execute devotional
service. Then he may be initiated.

TEXT 33
qe ag eafafid a Aa Taga: |
MAM AIK Was Wess (231
yasya yad daiva-vihitam
sa tena sukha-duhkhayoh
atmanam tosayan dehi
tamasah param rechati

yasya—anyone; yat—that which; daiva—by destiny; vihitam—destined;
sah—such a person; tena—by that; sukha-duhkhayoh—happiness or dis-
tress; atmanam—one’s self; tosayan—being satisfied; dehi-an embodied
soul; tamasah—of the darkness; péram—to the other side; rechati—crosses.

TRANSLATION

One should try to keep himself satisfied in any condition of life—
whether distress or happiness—which is offered by the supreme will. A
person who endures in this way is able to cross over the darkness of
nescience very easily.

PURPORT

Material existence consists of pious and impious fruitive activities. As
long as one is engaged in any kind of activity other than devotional service,
it will result in the happiness and distress of this material world. When we
