SB 1.2.15 (1962)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 15
Yad anudhya asina yuktah karma granthi nibandhanam
Chhindanti kovidas tasya ko na kuryat katha ratim.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Yad—which, anudhya—remembrance, asina—sowrd, yuktah—being equipped with persons, karma—reactionary work, granthi—knot, nibandhanam—interknit, chhindanti—cut, kovida—intelligent, tasya—His, ko—who, na—not, kuryat—shall not do, katha—messages, ratim—attention.
TRANSLATION
Intelligent persons do cut off the interknit of the knot of reactionery work, by remembrance of the Personality of Godhead. Therefore, who will not, give attention to His message.
PURPORT
Contact of the spiritual spark living being with material elements is the point of interknitting knot. Unless that knot is cut off the living being has to undergo fruitive action and reactions of his endless work. Liberation means freedom from the cycle of reactionary work and this liberation automatically follows for one who constantly remembers the transcendental pastimes of the Personality of Godhead. The reason is that all activities of the Supreme Lord or His Leela are transcendental to the modes of material energy. They are all attractive spiritual activities and therefore, constant association of the spiritual activities of the Supreme Lord, gradually spiritualise the reminiscence of the conditioned soul and ultimately unlocks the interknitting knot of material bondage.
Liberation from the material bondage is, therefore, a by-product of devotional service. Attainment of spiritual knowledge is not sufficient to ensure liberation to such learned fellows. Such knowledge must be overcoated with devotional service so that ultimately the devotional service only predominates and liberation is made possible. Even the reactionary work of the fruitive workers, can lead one to liberation when the same is overcoated with devotional service. Karma overcoated with devotional service is called Karma yoga. Similarly emperic knowledge overcoated with devotional service is called Jnana yoga. Pure Bhaktiyoga is independant of such Karma and Jnana because that alone can not only endow one with liberation from the conditional life but also can award the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
Therefore, any sensible man who is above the average man with a poor fund of knowledge, must do constantly remember the Personality of Godhead by hearing about Him, by glorifying Him, by remembering Him and by worshipping Him always without any interval. That is the perfect way of devotional service. The Goswamins of Vrindaban who were authorised by Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to preach the Bhakti Cult, rigidly followed this rule and made immense literatures of transcendental science for our benefit. They have chalked out ways for all classes of men in terms of the divisions of different status and order of life in pursuance of the teachings of Srimad Bhagwatam and similar other authoritative scriptures.