SB 11.9.4
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Please note: The synonyms, translation and purport of this verse were composed by disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda
TEXT 4
- dvāv eva cintayā muktau
- paramānanda āplutau
- yo vimugdho jaḍo bālo
- yo guṇebhyaḥ paraṁ gataḥ
SYNONYMS
dvau — two; eva — certainly; cintayā — from anxiety; muktau — freed; parama-ānande — in great happiness; āplutau — merged; yaḥ — one who; vimugdhaḥ — is ignorant; jaḍaḥ — retarded without developing activities; bālaḥ — childish; yaḥ — one who; guṇebhyaḥ — to the modes of nature; param — the Lord, who is transcendental; gataḥ — has achieved.
Translation and purport composed by disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda
TRANSLATION
In this world two types of people are free from all anxiety and merged in great happiness: one who is a retarded and childish fool and one who has approached the Supreme Lord, who is beyond the three modes of material nature.
PURPORT
Those who fervently seek material sense gratification are gradually pushed down into a miserable condition of life because as soon as one even slightly violates the laws of nature, one must suffer sinful reactions. Thus even materially alert and ambitious persons are constantly in anxiety, and from time to time they are plunged into great misery. Those who are nonsensical and retarded, however, live in a fool's paradise, and those who have surrendered to Lord Kṛṣṇa are filled with transcendental bliss. Therefore both the fool and the devotee may be said to be peaceful, in the sense that they are free from the ordinary anxiety of the materially ambitious person. However, this does not mean that the devotee and the retarded fool are on the same platform. A fool's peace is like that of a dead stone, whereas a devotee's satisfaction is based on perfect knowledge.