SB 1.2.21 (1962)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 21
Bhidyate hridaya granthis chhidyante sarva samsayah Ksheayante cha asya karmani drista eva atmani isware.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Bhidyate—pierced, hridaya—heart, granthis—knots, chhidyante—cut into pieces, sarva—all, samsayah—misgivings, ksheeyante—terminated, cha—and, assya—his, karmani—chain of fruitive actions, drista—having seen, atmani—unto the self, isware—dominating factor.
TRANSLATION
The knot of one's heart is thus pierced and all misgivings are cut into pieces. The chain of fruitive actions are terminated along with the seeing of one's self the dominating factor.
PURPORT
Attainment of scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead means seeing of one's own self simultaneously. So far the identity of the living being as spirit self is concerned, there are number of speculations and misgivings. The materialist does not believe in the existence of the spirit self and empiric philosophers believe in the impersonal feature of the whole spirit without any individuality of the living beings. But the transcendentalists affirm it that the Soul and the Super Soul are two different identities qualitatively one but quantitatively different. And there are many other theories and believers in different manners. And all these different speculations are at once cleared off as soon as Sri Krishna is realised in truth by the process of Bhaktiyoga. Sri Krishna is like the sun and the materialistic speculations about the Absolute Truth are like the darkest midnight. As soon as the Krishna Sun is arisen within one's heart, the darkness of materialistic speculations about the Absolute Truth and the living beings are at once cleared off. In the presence of the Sun the darkness cannot stand and the relative truths that were hidden within the dense darkness of ignorance become clearly manifested by the mercy of Krishna who is residing in every one's heart as the Super Soul.
In the Bhagwat Geeta the Lord says that in order to show special favour to His pure devotees, He Personally, eradicates the dense darkness of all misgivings by switching on the light of pure knowledge within the heart of a devotee. (BG 10.11) Therefore, on account of the Personality of Godhead's taking charge of illuminating the heart of His devotee, certainly a devotee, engaged in His service in transcendental love, cannot remain in darkness about everything in the Absolute and the relative truths. The devotee cannot remain in darkness and because a devotee is enlightened by the Personality of Godhead, his knowledge is certainly perfect than those who speculate on the Absolute Truth by dint of one's own limited power of approach. Such knowledge is called Parampara or the deductive knowledge coming down from the authority to the submissive aural receiver bonafide by service and surrender. One cannot challenge the authority of the Supreme and know Him also at the same time. He reserves the right of not being exposed to such challenging spirit of an insignificant spark of the whole subjected to the control of illusory energy. The devotees are submissive and therefore the transcendental knowledge descends from the Personality of Godhead to Brahma and from Brahma to his sons and disciple in succession and helped by the Supersoul within such devotees. That is the perfect way of learning transcendental knowledge.
This enlightenment of the devotee perfectly enables him to distinguish the spirit from the matter because the knot of spirit and matter is unlocked by the Lord. This knot is called as Ahamkara which falsely obliges a living being to become indentified with matter. As soon as, therefore, this knot is loosened the cloud of all doubts are at once cleared off. He sees his Master and fully engages himself in the transcendental loving service of the Lord making a full termination of the chain off fruitive action. In the material existence, a living being creates his own chain of fruitive work and enjoys the good and bad effects of those actions life after life. But as soon as he engages himself in the loving service of the Lord, he at once becomes free from such chains of Karma and all his actions do no more create any reactions as they are grown in the material energy.