Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.28.10
श्रीउद्धव उवाच
नैवात्मनो न देहस्य संसृतिर्द्रष्टृदृश्ययो: ।
अनात्मस्वदृशोरीश कस्य स्यादुपलभ्यते ॥ १० ॥
śrī-uddhava uvāca
[shree-uddhava uvaacha]
naivātmano na dehasya
[naivaatmano na dehasya]
saṁsṛtir draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ
[samsritir drashtri-drishyayoh]
anātma-sva-dṛśor īśa
[anaatma-sva-drishor eesha]
kasya syād upalabhyate
[kasya syaad upalabhyate]
Word-for-word
śrī-uddhavaḥ uvāca
—
Śrī Uddhava said
na
—
there is not
eva
—
indeed
ātmanaḥ
—
of the self
na
—
nor
dehasya
—
of the body
saṁsṛtiḥ
—
material existence
draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ
—
of the seer or the seen
anātma
—
of that which is not spirit
sva-dṛśoḥ
—
or of him who has innate knowledge
īśa
—
O Lord
kasya
—
of whom
syāt
—
may be
upalabhyate
—
which is experienced.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-uddhava uvāca
śrī-uddhavaḥ uvāca
Śrī Uddhava said
naivātmano na dehasya
na
there is not
eva
indeed
ātmanaḥ
of the self
na
nor
dehasya
of the body
saṁsṛtir draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ
saṁsṛtiḥ
material existence
draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ
of the seer or the seen
anātma-sva-dṛśor īśa
anātma
of that which is not spirit
sva-dṛśoḥ
or of him who has innate knowledge
īśa
O Lord
kasya syād upalabhyate
kasya
of whom
syāt
may be
upalabhyate
which is experienced.
Śrī Uddhava said: My dear Lord, it is not possible for this material existence to be the experience of either the soul, who is the seer, or of the body, which is the seen object. On the one hand, the spirit soul is innately endowed with perfect knowledge, and on the other hand, the material body is not a conscious, living entity. To whom, then, does this experience of material existence pertain?
Purport
Since the living entity is pure spirit soul, innately full of perfect knowledge and bliss, and since the material body is a biochemical machine without knowledge or personal consciousness, who or what is actually experiencing the ignorance and anxiety of this material existence? The conscious experience of material life cannot be denied, and thus Uddhava asks Lord Kṛṣṇa this question to elicit a more precise understanding of the process by which illusion occurs.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Uddhava said: O Lord! It is not possible for this material existence to be the experience of either the soul, who is the seer, or of the body, which is the seen object, since the soul is innately endowed with knowledge, and on the other hand, the material body is not a conscious, living entity. To whom, then, does this experience of material existence pertain?
“Though the universe with beginning and end is illusory, during the interim when one perceives it as real, who experiences saṁsāra--the jīva or his body?” Saṁsāra cannot belong to the jīva or his body, because the body, which is unconscious (anātma), cannot experience the suffering of saṁsāra, and the jīva with knowledge inherent in him (sva-dṛk) can never be without knowledge. Saṁsāra does not belong to either.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Uddhava observes that material existence cannot be the experience of soul (which has perfect knowledge and is detached) or body (which is dull) — so who actually experiences it? The question is sharp.
Reflection Questions
- When I suffer, who is actually suffering — body, mind, or 'I'?
- What does the question itself reveal?
My note
Source: vedabase.io