yathÄ bhrÄmyaty ayo brahman
svayam Äkará¹£a-sannidhau
tathÄ me bhidyate cetaÅ›
cakra-pÄṇer yadá¹›cchayÄ
yathÄ - just as; bhrÄmyati - moves; ayaḥ - iron; brahman - O brÄhmaṇas; svayam - itself; Äkará¹£a - of a magnet; sannidhau - in the proximity; tathÄ - similarly; me - my; bhidyate - is changed; cetaḥ - consciousness; cakra-pÄṇeḥ - of Lord Viṣṇu, who has a disc in His hand; yadá¹›cchayÄ - simply by the will.
For iron to be attracted by a magnet is natural. Similarly, for all living entities to be attracted toward Kṛṣṇa is natural, and therefore the Lord’s real name is Kṛṣṇa, meaning He who attracts everyone and everything. The typical examples of such attraction are found in Vá¹›ndÄvana, where everything and everyone is attracted by Kṛṣṇa. The elderly persons like Nanda MahÄrÄja and YaÅ›odÄdevÄ«, the friends like ÅšrÄ«dÄmÄ, SudÄmÄ and the other cowherd boys, the gopÄ«s like ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī and Her associates, and even the birds, beasts, cows and calves are attracted. The flowers and fruits in the gardens are attracted, the waves of the YamunÄ are attracted, and the land, sky, trees, plants, animals and all other living beings are attracted by Kṛṣṇa. This is the natural situation of everything in Vá¹›ndÄvana.
Just contrary to the affairs of Vá¹›ndÄvana is the material world, where no one is attracted by Kṛṣṇa and everyone is attracted by mÄyÄ. This is the difference between the spiritual and material worlds. HiraṇyakaÅ›ipu, who was in the material world, was attracted by women and money, whereas PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja, being in his natural position, was attracted by Kṛṣṇa. In replying to HiraṇyakaÅ›ipu’s question about why PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja had a deviant view, PrahlÄda said that his view was not deviant, for the natural position of everyone is to be attracted by Kṛṣṇa. HiraṇyakaÅ›ipu found this view deviant, PrahlÄda said, because of being unnaturally unattracted by Kṛṣṇa. HiraṇyakaÅ›ipu therefore needed purification.
As soon as one is purified of material contamination, he is again attracted by Kṛṣṇa (sarvopÄdhi-vinirmuktaá¹ tat-paratvena nirmalam). In the material world, everyone is contaminated by the dirt of sense gratification and is acting according to different designations, sometimes as a human being, sometimes a beast, sometimes a demigod or tree, and so on. One must be cleansed of all these designations. Then one will be naturally attracted to Kṛṣṇa. The bhakti process purifies the living entity of all unnatural attractions. When one is purified he is attracted by Kṛṣṇa and begins to serve Kṛṣṇa instead of serving mÄyÄ. This is his natural position. A devotee is attracted by Kṛṣṇa, whereas a nondevotee, being contaminated by the dirt of material enjoyment, is not. This is confirmed by the Lord in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (7.28):
yeá¹£Äá¹ tv anta-gataá¹ pÄpaá¹
janÄnÄá¹ puṇya-karmaṇÄm
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktÄ
bhajante mÄá¹ dá¹›á¸ha-vratÄḥ
“Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.†One must be freed from all the sinful dirt of material existence. Everyone in this material world is contaminated by material desire. Unless one is free from all material desire (anyÄbhilÄá¹£itÄ-śūnyam), one cannot be attracted by Kṛṣṇa.