न साधु मेने तच्छिक्षां द्वन्द्वारामोपवर्णिताम् ॥ ५३ ॥
ātmane upaśikṣitam
na sādhu mene tac-chikṣāṁ
dvandvārāmopavarṇitām
kumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ
prahlādo janako bhīṣmo
balir vaiyāsakir vayam
SYNONYMS
yathā—as; tri-vargam—the three processes (religion, economic development and sense gratification); gurubhiḥ—by the teachers; ātmane—unto himself (Prahlāda Mahārāja); upaśikṣitam—instructed; na—not; sādhu—really good; mene—he considered; tat-śikṣām—the education in that; dvandva-ārāma—by persons taking pleasure in duality (in material enmity and friendship); upavarṇitām—which is prescribed.
TRANSLATION
The teachers Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka instructed Prahlāda Mahārāja in the three kinds of material advancement called religion, economic development and sense gratification. Prahlāda, however, being situated above such instructions, did not like them, for such instructions are based on the duality of worldly affairs, which involve one in a materialistic way of life marked by birth, death, old age and disease.
PURPORT
The entire world is interested in the materialistic way of life. Indeed, practically 99.9 percent of the people in the three worlds are uninterested in liberation or spiritual education. Only the devotees of the Lord, headed by such great personalities as Prahlāda Mahārāja and Nārada Muni, are interested in the real education of spiritual life. One cannot understand the principles of religion while staying on the material platform. Therefore one must follow these great personalities. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.3.20):
kumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ
prahlādo janako bhīṣmo
balir vaiyāsakir vayam