FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.73.11

मृगतृष्णां यथा बाला मन्यन्त उदकाशयम् । एवं वैकारिकीं मायामयुक्ता वस्तु चक्षते ॥ ११ ॥
mṛga-tṛṣṇāṁ yathā bālā
[mriga-trishnaam yathaa baalaa]
manyanta udakāśayam
[manyanta udakaashayam]
evaṁ vaikārikīṁ māyām
[evam vaikaarikeem maayaam]
ayuktā vastu cakṣate
[ayuktaa vastu chakshate]
mṛga - tṛṣṇām — a mirage yathā — as bālāḥ — men of childish intelligence manyante — consider udaka — of water āśayam — a reservoir evam — in the same way vaikārikīm — subject to transformations māyām — the material illusion ayuktāḥ — those who lack discrimination vastu — substance cakṣate — see as .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
mṛga-tṛṣṇāṁ yathā bālā
mṛga - tṛṣṇām
a mirage
yathā
as
bālāḥ
men of childish intelligence
manyanta udakāśayam
manyante
consider
udaka
of water
āśayam
a reservoir
evaṁ vaikārikīṁ māyām
evam
in the same way
vaikārikīm
subject to transformations
māyām
the material illusion
ayuktā vastu cakṣate
ayuktāḥ
those who lack discrimination
vastu
substance
cakṣate
see as .
  • mṛga-tṛṣṇām — a mirage (lit. 'deer-thirst')
    Classical Indian image: the gazelle running to water that is not there. Used here for material assets — the more you chase, the further they retreat.
  • bālāḥ — men of childish intelligence
    Not children in age but in discrimination — viveka-rahita. Gauḍīyas use bāla for those who, lacking guru, mistake reflections for substance.
  • vaikārikīm — subject to transformations
    Vaikārika — that which undergoes vikāra, change. Māyā is defined by mutation; the kings here name the philosophical reason it cannot be vastu.
  • ayuktāḥ — those lacking discrimination / yoga
    A + yukta. The yukta is one whose intellect is joined to Bhagavān; the ayukta sees māyā's mutations as substance because he is not connected to the only thing that does not mutate.
  • vastu — real substance
    Vastu in Vaiṣṇava usage is reserved for that which is svarūpa-siddha — self-establishedly real. Only Bhagavān, His dhāma, His associates, and bhakti qualify.
Just as men of childish intelligence consider a mirage in the desert to be a pond of water, so those who are irrational look upon the illusory transformations of Māyā as substantial.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Just as men of childish intelligence consider a mirage in the desert to be a pond of water, so those who are irrational look upon the illusory transformations of Māyā as substantial.
Commentary

Furthermore the wealth of kingdom and other things is not really wealth. The unintelligent persons (ayukta) see the illusory (mayam) enjoyments arising from sense objects such as sound, form etc.(vaikariniam) as real. Just as a fool sees the light in a mirage to be water, so the kings see the distress arising in objects of enjoyment as happiness.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Unintelligent beings like deer consider a mirage to be water. The unintelligent person considers t sense objects, transformations of māyā, which are not really useful (vastu). The example of the deer and the mirage is used to explain the useless aspect of enjoying material objects (rather than to explain that matter is unreal).

Related values
Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomAbhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Hrih (Modesty / Sense of Shame)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)
Related verses
The childish mistake a mirage for water; the irrational treat Māyā's transformations as substantial. The error is not exotic; it is the default state until the eyes are trained.
Reflection Questions
  • What mirage am I currently working toward?
  • What would training my eyes to see Māyā as Māyā require?

A child running across hot sand sees water shimmering ahead and runs faster, never reaching it, never doubting it. So the irrational mind, says the verse, races toward māyā's transformations and never asks why the pond keeps receding.

📝 My note

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