FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.9.37

Devanagari
sama-viṣama-matīnāṁ matam anusarasi yathā rajju-khaṇḍaḥ sarpādi-dhiyām.
[sama-vishama-mateenaam matam anusarasi yathaa rajju-khandah sarpaadi-dhiyaam.]
Word-for-word
sama — equal or proper viṣama — and unequal or mistaken matīnām — of those having intelligence matam — conclusion anusarasi — You follow yathā — just as rajju-khaṇḍaḥ — a piece of rope sarpa-ādi — a snake, etc. dhiyām — of those who perceive.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sama-viṣama-matīnāṁ matam anusarasi yathā rajju-khaṇḍaḥ sarpādi-dhiyām.
sama
equal or proper
viṣama
and unequal or mistaken
matīnām
of those having intelligence
matam
conclusion
anusarasi
You follow
yathā
just as
rajju-khaṇḍaḥ
a piece of rope
sarpa-ādi
a snake, etc.
dhiyām
of those who perceive.
A rope causes fear for a bewildered person who considers it a snake, but not for a person with proper intelligence who knows it to be only a rope. Similarly, You, as the Supersoul in everyone’s heart, inspire fear or fearlessness according to one’s intelligence, but in You there is no duality.
Purport

In Bhagavad-gītā (4.11) the Lord says, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham: “As one surrenders unto Me, I reward him accordingly.” The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the reservoir of everything, including all knowledge, all truth and all contradictions. The example cited herein is very appropriate. A rope is one truth, but some mistake it for a snake, whereas others know it to be a rope. Similarly, devotees who know the Supreme Personality of Godhead do not see contradictions in Him, but nondevotees regard Him as the snakelike source of all fear. For example, when Nṛsiṁhadeva appeared, Prahlāda Mahārāja saw the Lord as the supreme solace, whereas his father, a demon, saw Him as the ultimate death. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.37) , bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syāt: fear results from being absorbed in duality. When one is in knowledge of duality, one knows both fear and bliss. The same Supreme Lord is a source of bliss to devotees and fear to nondevotees who have a poor fund of knowledge. God is one, but people understand the Absolute Truth from different angles of vision. The unintelligent see contradictions in Him, but sober devotees find no contradictions.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
You accept the opinions of those who are peaceful because of contact with things related Brahman and are disturbed by contact with things opposed to Brahman. However, this opinion is like thinking a rope is a snake. But you do not defeat the opinions of the non-devotees, so that they can accomplish their tradition in saṁsāra. You accept the opinions of those who are peaceful in accepting Brahman and disturbed by anything opposing Brahman. Or you accept the opinion of those who say that Bhagavān is the Brahman with material variety (viṣama) though they are actually two aspects of one form (sama). Just as person thinks a rope is a snake, one sees in Brahman, which is actually ātmārāma, false qualities like happiness and distress by the influence of māyā. The Lord does not oppose this.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
As a rope mistaken for a snake causes fear, illusion in the bewildered creates fear; You, as Supersoul, inspire fear or fearlessness according to right or wrong perception. We choose between rope and snake at every moment.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I treating ropes as snakes — feeding fear of illusion?
  • What discipline could keep my perception more rope-accurate?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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