# Cc. Madhya 13.24 ## Text > tāṅhāra sammati lañā bhakte sukha dite > rathe caḍi' bāhira haila vihāra karite ## Synonyms *tāṅhāra* *sammati*—her permission; *lañā*—taking; *bhakte*—the devotees; *sukha* *dite*—to please; *rathe* *caḍi'*—riding on the car; *bāhira* *haila*—came out; *vihāra* *karite*—to perform pastimes. ## Translation **Having taken permission from the goddess of fortune, the Lord came out to ride on the Ratha car and perform His pastimes for the pleasure of the devotees.** ## Purport In this connection, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura comments that as an ideal husband, Lord Jagannātha remained fifteen days in a secluded place with His wife, the supreme goddess of fortune. Nonetheless, the Lord wanted to come out of seclusion to give happiness to His devotees. The Lord enjoys Himself in two ways, known as *svakīya* and *parakīya.* The Lord's conjugal love in the *svakīya-rasa* relates to the regulative principles observed in Dvārakā. There the Lord has many married queens, but in Vṛndāvana the conjugal love of the Lord is not with His married wives but with His girl friends, the *gopīs.* Conjugal love with the *gopīs* is called *parakīya-rasa.* Lord Jagannātha leaves the secluded place where He enjoys the company of the supreme goddess of fortune in *svakīya-rasa,* and He goes to Vṛndāvana where He enjoys the *parakīya-rasa.* Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura therefore reminds us that the Lord's pleasure in *parakīya-rasa* is superior to His pleasure in *svakīya-rasa.* In the material world, *parakīya-rasa,* or loving affairs with unmarried girl friends, is a most degraded relationship, but in the spiritual world this type of loving affair is considered the supreme enjoyment. In the material world everything is but a reflection of the spiritual world, and that reflection is perverted. We cannot understand the affairs of the spiritual world on the basis of our experience in the material world. The Lord's pastimes with the *gopīs* are therefore misunderstood by mundane scholars and word-wranglers. The *parakīya-rasa* of the spiritual world should not be discussed except by one who is very advanced in pure devotional service. The *parakīya-rasa* in the spiritual world and that in the material world are not comparable. The former is like gold, and the latter is like iron. Because the difference between the two is so great, they cannot actually be compared. However, one can easily distinguish the value of gold by seeing the value of iron. One who has the proper realization can easily distinguish the transcendental activities of the spiritual world from material activities.