FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.9.36

ज्ञातोऽहं भवता त्वद्य दुर्विज्ञेयोऽपि देहिनाम् । यन्मां त्वं मन्यसेऽयुक्तं भूतेन्द्रियगुणात्मभि: ॥ ३६ ॥
jñāto ’haṁ bhavatā tv adya
[jnaato ’ham bhavataa tv adya]
durvijñeyo ’pi dehinām
[durvijneyo ’pi dehinaam]
yan māṁ tvaṁ manyase ’yuktaṁ
[yan maam tvam manyase ’yuktam]
bhūtendriya-guṇātmabhiḥ
[bhootendriya-gunaatmabhih]
Word-for-word
jñātaḥ — known aham — Myself bhavatā — by you tu — but adya — today duḥ — difficult vijñeyaḥ — to be known api — in spite of dehinām — for the conditioned soul yat — because mām — Me tvam — you manyase — understand ayuktam — without being made of bhūta — material elements indriya — material senses guṇa — material modes ātmabhiḥ — and false ego like the conditioned soul.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
jñāto ’haṁ bhavatā tv adya
jñātaḥ
known
aham
Myself
bhavatā
by you
tu
but
adya
today
durvijñeyo ’pi dehinām
duḥ
difficult
vijñeyaḥ
to be known
api
in spite of
dehinām
for the conditioned soul
yan māṁ tvaṁ manyase ’yuktaṁ
yat
because
mām
Me
tvam
you
manyase
understand
ayuktam
without being made of
bhūtendriya-guṇātmabhiḥ
bhūta
material elements
indriya
material senses
guṇa
material modes
ātmabhiḥ
and false ego like the conditioned soul.
Although I am not easily knowable by the conditioned soul, you have known Me today because you know that My personality is not constituted of anything material, and specifically not of the five gross and three subtle elements.
Purport

Knowledge of the Supreme Absolute Truth does not necessitate negation of the material manifestation but understanding of spiritual existence as it is. To think that because material existence is realized in forms therefore spiritual existence must be formless is only a negative material conception of spirit. The real spiritual conception is that spiritual form is not material form. Brahmā appreciated the eternal form of the Lord in that way, and the Personality of Godhead approved of Brahmā’s spiritual conception. In Bhagavad-gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa condemned the material conception of His body, a conception that arises because He is apparently present like a man. The Lord may appear in any of His many, many spiritual forms, but He is not materially composed, nor has He any difference between body and self. That is the way of conceiving the spiritual form of the Lord.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Though I cannot be understood by material beings, you have known me today, because you understand that my form is not made of material elements, material senses, or material guṇas, nor is it a jīva. Since, you see that I, though possessing a form, do not have a form made of material elements like earth, nor senses in the mode of passion, nor of any material guṇas, nor that I am just a jīva, since you understand that I am directly the Supreme Brahman, you know me today. Here the Lord says that understanding his body to be eternity knowledge and bliss is knowledge, and thinking his body is material is ignorance.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Suffering is treated here as structural, not accidental. Once we stop expecting the material world to cooperate, we can begin actually using it for spiritual progress. The pivot here is material existence.
Reflection Questions
  • What 'if only X happens, I'll finally be fine' story are you still telling yourself?
  • How would you live this week if you stopped expecting the material world to finally cooperate?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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