ENVY-Driving Engine Of Material Existence

2011-01-27
Srimad Bhagavatam 09.11.23 - ENVY-Driving Engine Of Material Existence (download mp3)
by Drutakarma Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty
www.iskcondesiretree.net






SB 9.11.23
puruso rama-caritam
sravanair upadharayan
anrsamsya-paro rajan
karma-bandhair vimucyate

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 sanatana-dhama or the eternal pastimes of the Lord. One becomes envious because of being influenced by the designations of the body, but the liberated devotee has nothing to do with the body, and therefore he is completely on the transcendental platform. A devotee is never envious of anyone, even his enemy. Because the devotee knows that the Lord is his supreme protector, he thinks, "What harm can the so-called enemy do?" Thus a devotee is confident about his protection. The Lord says, ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham: [Bg. 4.11] "According to the proportion of one's surrender unto Me, I respond accordingly." A devotee must therefore be completely free from envy, especially of other devotees. To envy other devotees is a great offense, a vaisnava-aparadha. A devotee who constantly engages in hearing and chanting (sravana-kirtana) is certainly freed from the disease of envy, and thus he becomes eligible to go back home, back to Godhead.