Pradyumna: Translation: "Please, therefore be blessed . . . being blessed with many years, explain to us what you ascertain to be the absolute and ultimate good for the people in general."
Prabhupāda: Hmm. This is the most important. First of all, Sūta Gosvāmī was selected because he received the knowledge from Vyāsadeva and other sages very perfectly on account of his becoming submissive and serious. This is the first qualification. Now they are asking, "What you have thought, the best way of achievement, the highest goal of life," añjasā, "just make it easy."
In the next verse it will be explained why easy things are required in this age. Very difficult execution of spiritual life, austerities, penance, that is not possible. People are so fallen that they cannot accept any severe type of austerity. It is not possible. Therefore the yoga system is not at all possible in this age. As we have several times discussed, it is very difficult, yama, niyama. The very beginning is yama, niyama, controlling. Everything controlling; not to be licentious, everything controlling. yoga life begins, yoga indriya saṁyama. The real purpose of practicing yoga is controlling the senses. Our senses are so strong, we have discussed many times, that even the greatest learned man falls victim to sense enjoyment. Even the greatest learned man. In the śāstra, therefore, it is ordered:
- mātrā svasrā duhitrā vā
- na viviktāsano bhavet
- balavān indriya-grāmo
- vidvāṁsam api karṣati
- (SB 9.19.17)
Mātrā means mother, with mother; svasrā, with sister; duhitrā, with daughter. Nāviviktāsano bhavet: "Never sit down in a lonely place even with your mother, even with your sister, or even with your daughter." Balavān indriya-grāmaḥ. The indriya-grāmaḥ, all the senses, especially the sex, is so strong that vidvāṁsam api karṣati, even one is very learned, very well educated, still he is attracted.
Therefore our . . . this is the basic principle of our conditioned life, the sex. We are in this material world . . . material world means to get this material body, and material body means subjected to the tribulations of material nature. This is called conditioned life. As soon as you get a material body, you have to undergo the pains of pleasures of this. No pleasure; all pains. You have to undergo. This is subjected. Mātrā-sparśa. As soon as you get a material body, immediately according to the seasonal changes . . . just like in London city sometimes you are feeling cold, sometimes you are feeling very warm as the season changes. So the material nature will go on changing, and because your material body is susceptible to all the influence of such changes, you will feel pains and pleasure. No pleasure; always pain.
The same warmth is pleasure at some time, and the same warmth is pain at the same time. In summer season warm is not very pleasing, but in the winter season the same warmth is pleasing. So warmth is pleasing or painful according to the seasonal changes. Therefore Kṛṣṇa advised Arjuna that, "Don't be subjected to the seasonal changes." āgamāpāyino 'nityā: "They come and go. Don't be very serious about that. Whenever there is some reverse condition of life, don't be disturbed, because they will come and go."