FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.10.21

द‍ृष्ट: श्रम: कर्मत आत्मनो वै भर्तुर्गन्तुर्भवतश्चानुमन्ये । यथासतोदानयनाद्यभावात् समूल इष्टो व्यवहारमार्ग: ॥ २१ ॥
dṛṣṭaḥ śramaḥ karmata ātmano vai
[drishtah shramah karmata aatmano vai]
bhartur gantur bhavataś cānumanye
[bhartur gantur bhavatash chaanumanye]
yathāsatodānayanādy-abhāvāt
[yathaasatodaanayanaady-abhaavaat]
samūla iṣṭo vyavahāra-mārgaḥ
[samoola ishto vyavahaara-maargah]
Word-for-word
dṛṣṭaḥ — it is experienced by everyone śramaḥ — fatigue karmataḥ — from acting in some way ātmanaḥ — of the soul vai — indeed bhartuḥ — of one who is carrying the palanquin gantuḥ — of one who is moving bhavataḥ — of yourself ca — and anumanye — I guess like that yathā — as much as asatā — with something that is not an actual fact uda — of water ānayana-ādi — of the bringing and other such tasks abhāvāt — from the absence sa-mūlaḥ — based on evidence iṣṭaḥ — respected vyavahāra-mārgaḥ — phenomenon.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
dṛṣṭaḥ śramaḥ karmata ātmano vai
dṛṣṭaḥ
it is experienced by everyone
śramaḥ
fatigue
karmataḥ
from acting in some way
ātmanaḥ
of the soul
vai
indeed
bhartur gantur bhavataś cānumanye
bhartuḥ
of one who is carrying the palanquin
gantuḥ
of one who is moving
bhavataḥ
of yourself
ca
and
anumanye
I guess like that
yathāsatodānayanādy-abhāvāt
yathā
as much as
asatā
with something that is not an actual fact
uda
of water
ānayana-ādi
of the bringing and other such tasks
abhāvāt
from the absence
samūla iṣṭo vyavahāra-mārgaḥ
sa-mūlaḥ
based on evidence
iṣṭaḥ
respected
vyavahāra-mārgaḥ
phenomenon.
You have said, “I am not fatigued from labor.” Although the soul is different from the body, there is fatigue because of bodily labor, and it appears to be the fatigue of the soul. When you are carrying the palanquin, there is certainly labor for the soul. This is my conjecture. You have also said that the external behavior exhibited between the master and the servant is not factual, but although in the phenomenal world it is not factual, the products of the phenomenal world can actually affect things. That is visible and experienced. As such, even though material activities are impermanent, they cannot be said to be untrue.
Purport

This is a discussion on impersonal Māyāvāda philosophy and the practical philosophy of Vaiṣṇavas. The Māyāvāda philosophy explains this phenomenal world to be false, but Vaiṣṇava philosophers do not agree. They know that the phenomenal world is a temporary manifestation but it is not false. A dream that we see at night is certainly false, but a horrible dream certainly affects the person seeing it. The soul’s fatigue is not factual, but as long as one is immersed in the illusory bodily conception, one is affected by such false dreams. When dreaming, it is not possible to avoid the actual facts, and the conditioned soul is forced to suffer due to his dream. A waterpot is made of earth and is temporary. Actually there is no waterpot; there is simply earth. However, as long as the waterpot can contain water, we can use it in that way. It cannot be said to be absolutely false.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
It is observed that I become fatigued from performing actions. When you carry the palanquin or move, then you experience fatigue. This is my inference. One cannot reject the conventional world. Since one cannot carry water with a false pot, one must accept the conventional, practical world. The King thought, “I will begin questioning Kapiladeva. Having met him on the road, I will first reject his answers, and in that way discover all that I asked about him.” First Bharata said he was not tired. The King inferred as follows. You become tired by carrying a load since you are the doer. The doer becomes tired, just as I become tired when I fight. One cannot say “That this is how people speak in the world, but spiritual people do not talk in this manner” since one cannot uproot practical existence. If one says “Bring water by means of the pot” one cannot bring water using a non-existent pot. Material existence is approved (iṣṭaḥ) as real (sa-mūlaḥ). Thus by inference, the material world is real, because of real objects and real doers. What is not real does not have objects and doers. If the world is unreal, there is no pot and no one to carry the water.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The soul does not actually labor, but as long as one is immersed in bodily identification, the dream of fatigue feels real enough to suffer from. The argument is not that pain is unreal but that its source is misidentification — and that can be addressed.
Reflection Questions
  • Where are you suffering as the body when, on closer look, you are not the body suffering?
  • What practice gradually loosens the dream that grips you?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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