FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.10.22

स्थाल्यग्नितापात्पयसोऽभिताप- स्तत्तापतस्तण्डुलगर्भरन्धि: । देहेन्द्रियास्वाशयसन्निकर्षात् तत्संसृति: पुरुषस्यानुरोधात् ॥ २२ ॥
sthāly-agni-tāpāt payaso ’bhitāpas
[sthaaly-agni-taapaat payaso ’bhitaapas]
tat-tāpatas taṇḍula-garbha-randhiḥ
[tat-taapatas tandula-garbha-randhih]
dehendriyāsvāśaya-sannikarṣāt
[dehendriyaasvaashaya-sannikarshaat]
tat-saṁsṛtiḥ puruṣasyānurodhāt
[tat-samsritih purushasyaanurodhaat]
Word-for-word
sthāli — on the cooking pot agni-tāpāt — because of the heat of fire payasaḥ — the milk put into the pot abhitāpaḥ — becomes hot tat-tāpataḥ — because of the milk’s becoming hot taṇḍula-garbha-randhiḥ — the center of the rice within the milk becomes cooked deha-indriya-asvāśaya — the bodily senses sannikarṣāt — from having connections with tat-saṁsṛtiḥ — the experience of fatigue and other miseries puruṣasya — of the soul anurodhāt — from compliance due to being grossly attached to the body, senses and mind.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sthāly-agni-tāpāt payaso ’bhitāpas
sthāli
on the cooking pot
agni-tāpāt
because of the heat of fire
payasaḥ
the milk put into the pot
abhitāpaḥ
becomes hot
tat-tāpataḥ
because of the milk’s becoming hot
tat-tāpatas taṇḍula-garbha-randhiḥ
taṇḍula-garbha-randhiḥ
the center of the rice within the milk becomes cooked
dehendriyāsvāśaya-sannikarṣāt
deha-indriya-asvāśaya
the bodily senses
sannikarṣāt
from having connections with
tat-saṁsṛtiḥ puruṣasyānurodhāt
tat-saṁsṛtiḥ
the experience of fatigue and other miseries
puruṣasya
of the soul
anurodhāt
from compliance due to being grossly attached to the body, senses and mind.
King Rahūgaṇa continued: My dear sir, you have said that designations like bodily fatness and thinness are not characteristics of the soul. That is incorrect because designations like pain and pleasure are certainly felt by the soul. You may put a pot of milk and rice within fire, and the milk and rice are automatically heated one after the other. Similarly, due to bodily pains and pleasures, the senses, mind and soul are affected. The soul cannot be completely detached from this conditioning.
Purport

This argument put forward by Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa is correct from the practical point of view, but it arises from an attachment to the bodily conception. It can be said that a person sitting in his car is certainly different from his car, but if there is damage to the car, the owner of the car, being overly attached to the car, feels pain. Actually, the damage done to the car has nothing to do with the car’s proprietor, but because the proprietor has identified himself with the interest of the car, he feels pleasure and pain connected with it. This conditional state can be avoided if attachment is withdrawn from the car. Then the proprietor would not feel pleasure or pain if the car is damaged or whatever. Similarly, the soul has nothing to do with the body and the senses, but due to ignorance, he identifies himself with the body, and he feels pleasure and pain due to bodily pleasure and pain.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
By applying heat to the pot, milk in the pot becomes hot. Because of the hot milk, the rice in the milk gets cooked. Similarly because of connection with the body, senses, life airs and mind, saṁsāra of the ātmā takes place, because of successive influence of the coverings on the ātmā. An example is given to illustrate that the ātmā becomes tired because of fatigue of the body and senses from carrying a load. Because of the heat of fire on a pot, the milk within it becomes hot. Because of the heat of the milk the outer portion of the rice becomes hot. Then the inside of the rice grains becomes cooked. Similarly, because of relationship with the body, senses, life airs and mind, saṁsāra of the ātmā occurs. Asu means life air and āśaya means the mind. This takes place from successive effects on the coverings of the ātmā (anurodhāt). For instance, because of the sun’s heat, the body becomes hot. The senses then become hot. Then the life airs and the mind become hot. Then the ātmā becomes hot.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Even though the soul is distinct from the body, attachment makes us feel the body's heat as our own — just as a car owner feels personally damaged when his car is scratched. The cure is loosening identification, not denying that pain feels real until then.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do you feel personally damaged by things happening to your 'vehicle' rather than to you?
  • Which loosening of identification would relieve the most current pain in your life?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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