FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.7.17

यश्च मूढतमो लोके यश्च बुद्धे: परं गत: । तावुभौ सुखमेधेते क्लिश्यत्यन्तरितो जन: ॥ १७ ॥
yaś ca mūḍhatamo loke
[yash cha moodhatamo loke]
yaś ca buddheḥ paraṁ gataḥ
[yash cha buddheh param gatah]
tāv ubhau sukham edhete
[taav ubhau sukham edhete]
kliśyaty antarito janaḥ
[klishyaty antarito janah]
yaḥ — one who is ca — also mūḍha-tamaḥ — the lowest of the fools loke — in the world yaḥ ca — and one who is buddheḥ — of intelligence param — transcendental gataḥ — gone tau — of them ubhau — both sukham — happiness edhete — enjoy kliśyati — suffer antaritaḥ — situated between janaḥ — persons.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yaś ca mūḍhatamo loke
yaḥ
one who is
ca
also
mūḍha-tamaḥ
the lowest of the fools
loke
in the world
yaś ca buddheḥ paraṁ gataḥ
yaḥ ca
and one who is
buddheḥ
of intelligence
param
transcendental
gataḥ
gone
tāv ubhau sukham edhete
tau
of them
ubhau
both
sukham
happiness
edhete
enjoy
kliśyaty antarito janaḥ
kliśyati
suffer
antaritaḥ
situated between
janaḥ
persons.
Both the lowest of fools and he who is transcendental to all intelligence enjoy happiness, whereas persons between them suffer the material pangs.

The lowest of fools do not understand material miseries; they pass their lives merrily and do not inquire into the miseries of life. Such persons are almost on the level of the animals, who, although in the eyes of superiors are always miserable in life, are unaware of material distresses. A hog’s life is degraded in its standard of happiness, which entails living in a filthy place, engaging in sex enjoyment at every opportune moment, and laboring hard in a struggle for existence, but this is unknown to the hog. Similarly, human beings who are unaware of the miseries of material existence and are happy in sex life and hard labor are the lowest of fools. Yet because they have no sense of miseries, they supposedly enjoy so-called happiness. The other class of men, those who are liberated and are situated in the transcendental position above intelligence, are really happy and are called paramahaṁsas. But persons who are neither like hogs and dogs nor on the level of the paramahaṁsas feel the material pangs, and for them inquiry about the Supreme Truth is necessary. The Vedānta-sūtra states, athāto brahma-jijñāsā: “Now one should inquire about Brahman.” This inquiry is necessary for those who are between the paramahaṁsas and the fools who have forgotten the question of self-realization in the midst of life in sense gratification.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
He who is the most foolish in this world and he who has attained the Lord beyond matter increases happiness, whereas others just suffer. Until now I have been drowning in the sorrow of doubt because of ignorance. This is expressed in this verse. One person who is the most foolish, like an animal (mūḍatamaḥ), whose intelligence is engaged in enjoying material objects (and ignoring the suffering), and another person who has achieved the Supreme Lord who is beyond (param) matter (buddheḥ)—these two persons increase happiness by deriving bliss from either material objects or the Lord, without suffering. He who desires to reject the material world by examining the suffering cannot accomplish this without attaining bhakti. He who is between these two (antaritaḥ) suffers in the ocean of doubt by not having either type of bliss.
The verse points at the threefold miseries not to depress the reader but to interrupt the fantasy that the next arrangement will finally be different. The verse anchors this in material existence.
Reflection Questions
  • What 'if only X happens, I'll finally be fine' story are you still telling yourself?
  • What would change if you read your suffering as a teacher rather than an enemy?
📝 My note

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