FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.16

अहंममाभिमानोत्थै: कामलोभादिभिर्मलै: । वीतं यदा मन: शुद्धमदु:खमसुखं समम् ॥ १६ ॥
ahaṁ mamābhimānotthaiḥ
[aham mamaabhimaanotthaih]
kāma-lobhādibhir malaiḥ
[kaama-lobhaadibhir malaih]
vītaṁ yadā manaḥ śuddham
[veetam yadaa manah shuddham]
aduḥkham asukhaṁ samam
[aduhkham asukham samam]
aham — I mama — mine abhimāna — from the misconception utthaiḥ — produced kāma — lust lobha — greed ādibhiḥ — and so on malaiḥ — from the impurities vītam — freed yadā — when manaḥ — the mind śuddham — pure aduḥkham — without distress asukham — without happiness samam — equipoised.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ahaṁ mamābhimānotthaiḥ
aham
I
mama
mine
abhimāna
from the misconception
utthaiḥ
produced
kāma-lobhādibhir malaiḥ
kāma
lust
lobha
greed
ādibhiḥ
and so on
malaiḥ
from the impurities
vītaṁ yadā manaḥ śuddham
vītam
freed
yadā
when
manaḥ
the mind
śuddham
pure
aduḥkham asukhaṁ samam
aduḥkham
without distress
asukham
without happiness
samam
equipoised.
When one is completely cleansed of the impurities of lust and greed produced from the false identification of the body as “I” and bodily possessions as “mine,” one’s mind becomes purified. In that pure state he transcends the stage of so-called material happiness and distress.

Kāma and lobha are the symptoms of material existence. Everyone always desires to possess something. It is said here that desire and greed are the products of false identification of oneself with the body. When one becomes free from this contamination, then his mind and consciousness also become freed and attain their original state. Mind, consciousness and the living entity exist. Whenever we speak of the living entity, this includes the mind and consciousness. The difference between conditional life and liberated life occurs when we purify the mind and the consciousness. When they are purified, one becomes transcendental to material happiness and distress.

In the beginning Lord Kapila has said that perfect yoga enables one to transcend the platform of material distress and happiness. How this can be done is explained here: one has to purify his mind and consciousness. This can be done by the bhakti-yoga system. As explained in the Nārada-pañcarātra, one’s mind and senses should be purified ( tat-paratvena nirmalam ). One’s senses must be engaged in devotional service to the Lord. That is the process. The mind must have some engagement. One cannot make the mind vacant. Of course there are some foolish attempts to try to make the mind vacant or void, but that is not possible. The only process that will purify the mind is to engage it in Kṛṣṇa. The mind must be engaged. If we engage our mind in Kṛṣṇa, naturally the consciousness becomes fully purified, and there is no chance of the entrance of material desire and greed.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
When the mind is free of the contamination of lust and greed arising from the false identity of I and mine, and becomes pure, without grief, without joy and peaceful, the jīva sees himself different from ignorance, full of knowledge, devoid of coverings, subtle, undivided, and unattached, as well as sees ignorance devoid of power to affect him, by a mind endowed with jñana and vairāgya, and principally with bhakti. Jñāna and yoga only assist bhakti in giving liberation. This is expressed in three verses. The mind becomes free (vītam) of the contaminations by śama and dama (process of jñana) and by yama and niyama (process of yoga). These are the aṅgas of jñāna and yoga. The effects of purification are described: being without sorrow, without happiness, peaceful. At that time the jīva (puruṣaḥ) sees himself separate from ignorance (prakṛteḥ param). He is devoid of the obstacles of gross and subtle bodies (nirantaram). He has uncovered knowledge (svayaṁjyotiḥ). He is subtle (aṇimānam). The Lord himself says sūkṣāṇām apy ahaṁ jīvaḥ: of subtle objects I am the jīva. (SB 11.16.11) This means by nature the jīva is a very small particle. He is undivided by material desires (akhaṇḍitam). By the mind endowed with jñana and vairāgya, and by bhakti to which jñāna and vairāgya are mere assistants (indicated by the word ca), and with out which they can bear no results, the jīva sees himself unattached. He sees his own ignorance (prakṛtim) which is unable to do anything to him (hataujasam).
The verse defines life's success by surrender, not by accumulation. What looks like 'giving up' from outside is, from inside, finally arriving at one's natural position. The pivot here is devotional service to the Lord.
Reflection Questions
  • What ordinary activity could you re-aim today so it becomes an offering rather than a transaction?
  • Where in your life are you still 'enjoying' the fruits of work you call devotional?
📝 My note

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