SB 7.5.30

śrī-prahrāda uvāca
matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā
mitho ‘bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām
adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ
punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām

śrīplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsri

and opulence; beautiful; beauty; fortune; Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune; named śrī; opulence or beauty; opulences; the affluent; the goddess of fortune; the goddess of fortune, or a beautiful calf; the treasury houses; transcendental; with opulence.-prahrādaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigprahrādaḥ

Mahārāja Prahlāda; Mahārāja Prahlāda, his grandfather; Prahlāda; Prahlāda Mahārāja; the one named Prahlāda. uvācaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biguvāca

answered; described; explained; he recited; he said; inquired; prayed; replied; said; she said; she spoke; spoke; talked with them.—Prahlāda Mahārāja said; matiḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmatiḥ

attachment; attention; attraction; concentration; conception; consciousness; consideration; determination; enlightenment; faith; her mind; His attention; his intelligence; his mentality; his mind; identification; inclination; intelligence; mind; minded; opinion; such discrimination; the consciousness; the interest; the mind; thinking, feeling and willing; whose attention; whose consciousness; whose mind (is absorbed); whose mind.—inclination; naplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigna

never; not; are not; but not; cannot; certainly not; could not; did not; do not; does it not; does not; is not; it is not; it is not so; may not; neither; never; never does; never to be; no; no one; none; nor; not; not like that; not preceded by oṁ; not suitable; nothing; or not; shall not; should never; there is none; there is not; there should not be; was not; whether; without.—never; kṛṣṇeplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkṛṣṇe

by Lord Kṛṣṇa; darkness; for Kṛṣṇa; for Lord Kṛṣṇa; from Kṛṣṇa; in Kṛṣṇa; in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; in Kṛṣṇa's; in Lord Kṛṣṇa; Lord Kṛṣṇa; Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; to Kṛṣṇa; to Lord Kṛṣṇa; toward Kṛṣṇa; unto Kṛṣṇa; unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; unto Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa; when Lord Kṛṣṇa; with Kṛṣṇa.—unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; parataḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigparataḥ

ahead; beyond; beyond that; by any external power; by His inconceivable potencies; by others (the damsels created by Kardama); by others; due to other causes; from anyone else; from others; from the instructions of others; of others; on the opposite side; superior; transcendentally situated.—from the instructions of others; svataḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsvataḥ

automatically; by dream; by himself; by His omnipotency; by personal endeavor; by yourself; due to yourself; for one's self; from their own understanding; from themselves; in himself; obtained of itself, without extra endeavor; of your own accord; self-sufficient; self-sufficiently.—from their own understanding; vāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigva

also; alternately; and; anything else; as also; as well as; certainly; either; either, or; even though; in all probability; indeed; is either; like this; more; nor; or (in the next life); or (used sarcastically); or; otherwise; rather; the need; then.—either; mithaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmithaḥ

among one another; among themselves; between one another; by a quarrel; for one another; from combined effort; from one another; in a duel; mutual; mutually; of one another; on one another; one another; or another; to one another; with each other; with one another.—from combined effort; abhipadyetaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigabhipadyeta

is developed.—is developed; gṛhaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biggṛha

by home; home; home, community, society and nation; house; in the material home; room; the home; the homes; the house; the household; to your home.-vratānāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvratānām

and of all vows.—of persons too addicted to the materialistic, bodily conception of life; adāntaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigadānta

uncontrolled.—uncontrolled; gobhiḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biggobhiḥ

by the rays; by the senses; by the sunshine.—by the senses; viśatāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigviśatām

entering; let him enter; may enter.—entering; tamisramplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtamisram

darkness; hellish life; the name of a particular hell.—hellish life; punaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpunaḥ

again (at home); again (is to be said); again (their son); again; again and again; again, for the second time; again, the second; but; then; yet.—again; punaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpunaḥ

again (at home); again (is to be said); again (their son); again; again and again; again, for the second time; again, the second; but; then; yet.—again; carvitaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigcarvita

chewed; things already chewed.—things already chewed; carvaṇānāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigcarvaṇānām

who are chewing.—who are chewing. ¶

Prahlāda Mahārāja replied: Because of their uncontrolled senses, persons too addicted to materialistic life make progress toward hellish conditions and repeatedly chew that which has already been chewed. Their inclinations toward Kṛṣṇa are never aroused, either by the instructions of others, by their own efforts, or by a combination of both. ¶

In this verse the words matir na kṛṣṇe refer to devotional service rendered to Kṛṣṇa. So-called politicians, erudite scholars and philosophers who read Bhagavad-gītā try to twist some meaning from it to suit their material purposes, but their misunderstandings of Kṛṣṇa will not yield them any profit. Because such politicians, philosophers and scholars are interested in using Bhagavad-gītā as a vehicle for adjusting things materially, for them constant thought of Kṛṣṇa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is impossible (matir na kṛṣṇe). As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (Bg. 18.55)plugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigBhagavad-gītā As It Is 18.55

One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God., bhaktyā mām abhijānāti: only through devotional service can one understand Kṛṣṇa as He is. The so-called politicians and scholars think of Kṛṣṇa as fictitious. The politician says that his Kṛṣṇa is different from the Kṛṣṇa depicted in Bhagavad-gītā. Even though he accepts Kṛṣṇa and Rāma as the Supreme he thinks of Rāma and Kṛṣṇa as impersonal because he has no idea of service to Kṛṣṇa. Thus his only business is punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām [SB 7.5.30]—chewing the chewed again and again. The aim of such politicians and academic scholars is to enjoy this material world with their bodily senses. Therefore it is clearly stated here that those who are gṛha-vrata, whose only aim is to live comfortably with the body in the material world, cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. The two expressions gṛha-vrata and carvita-carvaṇānām indicate that a materialistic person tries to enjoy sense gratification in different bodily forms, life after life, but is still unsatisfied. In the name of personalism, this ism or that ism, such persons always remain attached to the materialistic way of life. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (Bg. 2.44)plugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigBhagavad-gītā As It Is 2.44

In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination of devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.: ¶

bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ
tayāpahṛta-cetasām
vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ
samādhau na vidhīyate

“In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.” Those who are attached to material enjoyment cannot be fixed in devotional service to the Lord. They cannot understand Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, or His instruction, Bhagavad-gītā. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram: [SB 7.5.30] their path actually leads toward hellish life. ¶

As confirmed by Ṛṣabhadeva, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ: [SB 5.5.2]plugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigŚrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.5.2

One can attain the path of liberation from material bondage only by rendering service to highly advanced spiritual personalities. These personalities are impersonalists and devotees. Whether one wants to merge into the Lord's existence or wants to associate with the Personality of Godhead, one should render service to the mahātmās. For those who are not interested in such activities, who associate with people fond of women and sex, the path to hell is wide open. The mahātmās are equipoised. They do not see any difference between one living entity and another. They are very peaceful and are fully engaged in devotional service. They are devoid of anger, and they work for the benefit of everyone. They do not behave in any abominable way. Such people are known as mahātmās. one must try to understand Kṛṣṇa by serving a devotee. The word mahat refers to a devotee. ¶

mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
bhajanty ananya-manaso
jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam

“O son of Pṛthā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.” (Bg. 9.13)plugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigBhagavad-gītā As It Is 9.13

O son of Pṛthā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible. A mahātmā is one who is constantly engaged in devotional service, twenty-four hours a day. As explained in the following verses, unless one adheres to such a great personality, one cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Hiraṇyakaśipu wanted to know where Prahlāda had gotten this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Who had taught him? Prahlāda sarcastically replied, “My dear father, persons like you never understand Kṛṣṇa. One can understand Kṛṣṇa only by serving a mahat, a great soul. Those who try to adjust material conditions are said to be chewing the chewed. No one has been able to adjust material conditions, but life after life, generation after generation, people try and repeatedly fail. Unless one is properly trained by a mahat—a mahātmā, or unalloyed devotee of the Lord—there is no possibility of one’s understanding Kṛṣṇa and His devotional service.” ¶