ko 'ti-prayāso 'sura-bālakā harer
ko 'ti-prayāso 'sura-bālakā harer
upāsane sve hṛdi chidravat sataḥ
svasyātmanaḥ sakhyur aśeṣa-dehināṁ
sāmānyataḥ kiṁ viṣayopapādanaiḥ
O demon boys! What difficulty is there in worshipping the Lord, the friend of the jīva, who remains in the heart like ether? What is the use of obtaining material enjoyment for humans who are like animals in their quest for enjoyment?
The best means, bhakti, produces happiness. The Lord is friend of the jīva (ātmanaḥ) residing like ether in his heart. Śruti says sayujau sakhāyau: the Lord and the jīva are two friends in a tree. (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.1.1) There is no difficulty in worshipping a friend. Because of the presence of the Lord at all times in the heart, and because of his affectionate nature, because of the processes of hearing and chanting, which also can be done at all times since the ear and tongue are always present, without bothering to find ingredients from elsewhere, what is the difficulty? On the other hand, there is great fatigue in attaining hell. He criticizes the tendency for material happiness. What is the use of attaining materials such as garlands, sandalwood and women for enjoyment? The cause is the misfortune of being similar (sāmānyataḥ) to pigs in their fixation on enjoyment.
|| 7.7.39 ||
rāyaḥ kalatraṁ paśavaḥ sutādayo
gṛhā mahī kuñjara-kośa-bhūtayaḥ
sarve 'rtha-kāmāḥ kṣaṇa-bhaṅgurāyuṣaḥ
kurvanti martyasya kiyat priyaṁ calāḥ
How much pleasure can ephemeral wealth, wife, animals, sons and daughters, residence, elephants, treasury, luxuries, economic development and sense gratification produce for the human with uncertain life span?
The material happiness of the enjoyers is not permanent. Rāyaḥ means wealth. Artha-kāmāḥ means artha and kāma.
|| 7.7.40 ||
evaṁ hi lokāḥ kratubhiḥ kṛtā amī
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