Shloka 14
Kardama Muni’s Penance, Viṣṇu’s Darśana, and the Arrangement of Devahūti’s Marriage
ये मायया ते हतमेधसस्त्वत्- पादारविन्दं भवसिन्धुपोतम् । उपासते कामलवाय तेषां रासीश कामान्निरयेऽपि ये स्यु: ॥ १४ ॥
ye māyayā te hata-medhasas tvat- pādāravindaṁ bhava-sindhu-potam upāsate kāma-lavāya teṣāṁ rāsīśa kāmān niraye ’pi ye syuḥ
Tus pies de loto son la verdadera barca para cruzar el océano de la ignorancia mundana. Pero quienes, hechizados por māyā, han perdido el discernimiento, adoran esos pies buscando placeres sensoriales triviales y fugaces, que aun los que yacen en el infierno pueden obtener. Con todo, oh Señor, eres tan compasivo que también a ellos les otorgas misericordia.
As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, Seventh Chapter, there are two kinds of devotees — those who desire material pleasures and those who desire nothing but service to the Lord. Material pleasures can be attained even by hogs and dogs, whose condition of life is hellish. The hog also eats, sleeps and enjoys sex life to the full extent, and it is also very satisfied with such hellish enjoyment of material existence. Modern yogīs advise that because one has senses, one must enjoy to the fullest extent like cats and dogs, yet one can go on and practice yoga. This is condemned here by Kardama Muni; he says that such material pleasures are available for cats and dogs in a hellish condition. The Lord is so kind that if so-called yogīs are satisfied by hellish pleasures, He can give them facilities to attain all the material pleasures they desire, but they cannot attain the perfectional stage attained by Kardama Muni.
FAQs
This verse says that people bewildered by māyā may worship the Lord’s lotus feet—meant to carry one across saṁsāra—only for small material gains, which can be obtained even in painful conditions like hell; therefore such worship misses the higher purpose of devotion.
While offering prayers, Kardama contrasts pure devotion with desire-driven devotion, emphasizing that the Lord’s feet are for liberation from bhava-sindhu, not merely for fulfilling worldly cravings.
Use prayer and practice to seek purification and surrender—asking for devotion, clarity, and detachment—rather than treating worship as a tool for temporary outcomes.