Study a Verse

• Material life, so much cherished by the nondevotees, is here compared to a dark hole filled with poisonous snakes.
• If one receives the Lord’s mercy, then even without any further qualification one can go back home, back to Godhead; and without the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the most learned, austere, powerful, wealthy or beautiful man will be pathetically crushed by the material world’s machinery of illusion.
• The Lord hears every sincere appeal, from even the most fallen soul, and the effects of the Lord’s mercy are wonderful.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Uncertainty → Clarity. The coming separation makes the instruction personally urgent.

Chapters 10–20 of Canto 11: Kṛṣṇa's teachings on self, yoga and wisdom. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 19: The Perfection of Spiritual Knowledge

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, stated to Uddhava, “One who is actually wise, who knows the truth of the self and possesses transcendental insight, rejects this world of dualities and the so-called knowledge meant for facilitating enjoyment of it. He instead engages himself in trying to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all.