Text 14] The Manus, Administrators of the Universe 21
stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.7.23): mayarn vyudasya cic-chaktya
kaivalye sthita dtmani. Although the external energy belongs to the
Lord, when one is in the external energy (mama maya duratyaya) He is
very difficult to understand. However, when one comes to the spiritual
energy, one can understand Him. Therefore in Bhagavad-gita (18.55) it
is said, bhaktyé mam abhijanati yavan yas cdsmi tattvatah: one who
wants to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead in reality must
take to the platform of bhakti, or Krsna consciousness. This bhakti con-
sists of various activities (sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pdda-
sevanam/ arcanarh vandanam dasyar sakhyam atma-nivedanam), and
to understand the Lord one must take to this path of devotional service.
Even though the people of the world have forgotten God and may say
that God is dead, this is not a fact. One can understand God when one
takes to the Krsna consciousness movement, and thus one can be happy.
TEXT 14
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athagre rsayah karman-
ihante *karma-hetave
ihamano hi purusah
prayo ’niham prapadyate

atha—therefore; agre—in the beginning; rsayah—all learned rsis,
saintly persons; karméni—fruitive activities; ihante—execute;
akarma—freedom from fruitive results; hetave—for the purpose of;
thamanah—engaging in such activities; hi—indeed; purusah—a per-
son; pradyah—almost always; aniham—liberation from karma;
prapadyate —attains.

TRANSLATION

Therefore, to enable people to reach the stage of activities that
are not tinged by fruitive results, great saints first engage people
in fruitive activities, for unless one begins by performing activities
as recommended in the Sastras, one cannot reach the stage of
liberation, or activities that produce no reactions.
