SB 4.9.8 Be krita-vida (wise) to see the Lord not just as arta-bandho (reliever of distress) but also as apavarga-sharanam (releaser from bondage)

Transcript

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Srimad Bhagavatam 4.9.8 So here, Prahlada Maharaj is giving the reasoning for cultivating remembrance of the Supreme Lord.
He says that right from the beginning of the creation, right from the history of the first living being, you have offered wisdom and guidance for all. And he gives the trend-setting example of Brahmaji. At the first and foremost living being, in the creation, Brahmaji was bewildered and you will enlighten him.
And similarly, you can enlighten everyone. You can give vayunaya. Vayunaya means knowledge.
So, just as Brahmaji was lost in ignorance and you enlightened him, you can enlighten everyone. And that is why you are Apavarga Sharanam. Apavarga Sharanam means you are the shelter of those who seek liberation.
Those who seek liberation are actually always striving for your shelter. And therefore, he says further, that beautiful paadamoolam vismarayate prutamida, how is it possible that your lotus feet can be forgotten by those who are in distress. He says, in general, the wise never forget your lotus feet because they know that you are the giver of knowledge, you are the giver of liberation, you are the shelter of those seeking ultimate deliverance from the miseries of material existence.
And therefore, he says that actually even the distressed should seek your shelter. He is implying over here that I am also distressed. So, the Bhagavad Gita describes how the Artha is one of the categories among the four categories of people who surrender to the Supreme Lord.
And herein, the Lord is described as Artha Bandho. The Lord is not just the Bhakta Vatsala. Yes, He is definitely Bhakta Vatsala.
But He is also Artha Bandho. Those who are distressed, He offers them relief. He gives them the opportunity to turn towards the Supreme, to gain relief if they turn towards Him.
And we all have our distresses in life. And we have to work at the material level to tackle the distresses. But just working at the material level is not enough.
We need to also act at the spiritual level. We need to recognize that ultimately it is only the relief that comes from remembrance of Krishna that will bring release. Everything else may bring some relief, but that will not bring release.
We will stay in, say, imprisoned. It is like if we are in prison, and one side of our shoulder is paining because of sleeping on it for a long time. We shift over to another side in the prison.
That may bring some relief. But what our heart longs for is not just relief, but release. If we get too caught up in relief, seeking only, then we miss out on the opportunity to gain release.
And that is how we become entangled in multiple existences. And if we stay entangled, solving temporary problems, but never focusing our energy on solving the underlying ultimate problem. That’s why when we learn to turn our thoughts towards Krishna, at least during the time of our meditation, then by that we give ourselves the opportunity to strive for liberation, to seek for something higher, something greater.
And that empowers us to ultimately access the full power of Krishna. The power of Krishna is not just that He is Aratbandho, He is the friend of the distressed. Yes, He definitely is, and He will help us deal with our problems.
But He is ultimately He is the shelter of those who seek liberation and therefore those who are wise people, they never they never forget your lotus feet. Those who are Aratbandho, they when their distress is removed, they may forget the lotus feet of the Lord. But those who are they are actually they being knowledgeable, no matter what happens, they continue serving the Lord.
And if we want to be consistent in our devotion, we also have to contemplate philosophically and become Krutavita. And then we will be able to gain a steady, consistent taste in our devotion, in our meditation.