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mÄbhÄ«r manda-mano vicintya bahudhÄ yÄmÄ«Å› ciraá¹ yÄtanÄ
naivÄmÄ« prabhavanti pÄpa-ripavaḥ svÄmÄ« nanu Å›rÄ«dharaḥ
Älasyaá¹ vyapanÄ«ya bhakti-sulabhaá¹ dhyÄyasva nÄrÄyaṇaá¹
lokasya vyasanÄpanodana-karo dÄsasya kiá¹ na ká¹£amaḥ

 mÄ bhīḥ - do not be afraid; manda - foolish; manaḥ - O mind; vicintya - thinking; bahudhÄ - repeatedly; yÄmīḥ - caused by YamarÄja, the lord of death; ciram - long-lasting; yÄtanÄḥ - about the torments; na - not; eva - indeed; amÄ« - these; prabhavanti - are effective; pÄpa - sinful reactions; ripavaḥ - the enemies; svÄmÄ« - master; nanu - is He not; Å›rÄ«-dharaḥ - the maintainer of the goddess of fortune; Älasyam - sloth; vyapanÄ«ya - driving off; bhakti - by devotional service; su-labham - who is easily attained; dhyÄyasva - just meditate; nÄrÄyaṇam - upon the Supreme Lord NÄrÄyaṇa; lokasya - of the world; vyasana - the troubles; apanodana-karaḥ - who dispels; dÄsasya - for His servant; kim - what; na - not; ká¹£amaḥ - capable.


Text

O foolish mind, stop your fearful fretting about the extensive torments imposed by YamarÄja. How can your enemies, the sinful reactions you have accrued, even touch you? After all, is your master not the Supreme Lord, the husband of Goddess ÅšrÄ«? Cast aside all hesitation and concentrate your thoughts on Lord NÄrÄyaṇa, whom one very easily attains through devotional service. What can that dispeller of the whole world's troubles not do for His own servant?

Purport

In a very positive mood, King KulaÅ›ekhara reminds us that as long as we are under the protection of the supreme, all-powerful Lord, no harm can come to us, even that which our own sinful reactions would normally bring us. Lord Kṛṣṇa also orders Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (9.31), "Declare it boldly: My devotee will never be vanquished."

Sinful life and its reactions are certainly serious matters, not to be easily dismissed. YamarÄja metes out hellish torments to all sinful living beings. But the process of bhakti is so potent that it drives away all sinful reactions as if they were merely enemies one might see in a bad dream. In Text 15 King KulaÅ›ekhara will recommend the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa as the best way to attain freedom from the miseries of birth and death. NÄmÄcÄrya HaridÄsa ṬhÄkura concurs, declaring that even the shadow of pure chanting of the holy names, known as nÄmÄbhÄsa, destroys the entire stock of sins one has accumulated for many lifetimes and thus grants liberation.

The devotees' claim to victory over birth and death is not an idle boast, but it requires full surrender to Lord Hari. The Lord offers this benediction to the unalloyed servant of His servant, and not to others. As long as one tries to protect oneself with wealth and worldly power, one will be an easy victim for powerful MÄyÄ. The jÄ«va who is serious about freeing himself from saá¹sÄra does not, therefore, pretend to act on his or her own prowess but always follows the authorized directions of the Supreme Lord and His representatives. Only such a dependent servitor of the Lord, under His full protection, can be confident of conquering birth and death.

In this prayer King KulaÅ›ekhara mentions YamarÄja, the lord of death, as the cause of long-lasting torments. But such suffering is not for the Lord's devotees. YamarÄja himself once instructed his servants, the YamadÅ«tas, that those who chant the holy names of the Lord were not under Yama's jurisdiction. YamarÄja said, "Generally [the devotees] never commit sinful activities, but even if by mistake or because of bewilderment or illusion they sometimes commit sinful acts, they are protected from sinful reactions because they always chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra" (SB 6.3.26). YamarÄja told his followers they should not even go near the devotees. The Vaiṣṇavas are always protected by Lord Viṣṇu's club, and thus neither Lord BrahmÄ nor even the time factor can chastise them.

ÅšrÄ«la PrabhupÄda said that when a devotee receives initiation from his spiritual master he is freed from his karmic reactions. Pains and pleasures that may appear like continuing karmic reactions are merely the residual effects of nondevotional activities, like the last revolutions of an electric fan after it's been unplugged. But everything depends on the sincere execution of devotional service. One who again regularly transgresses the laws of God, even after taking the vows of initiation, is once more subject to the merciless dealings of the material nature.