FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.25.14

एता ह्येवेह नृभिरुपगन्तव्या गतयो यथाकर्मविनिर्मिता यथोपदेशमनुवर्णिता: कामान् कामयमानै: ॥ १४ ॥
etā hy eveha nṛbhir upagantavyā gatayo yathā-karma-vinirmitā yathopadeśam anuvarṇitāḥ kāmān kāmayamānaiḥ.
[etaa hy eveha nribhir upagantavyaa gatayo yathaa-karma-vinirmitaa yathopadesham anuvarnitaah kaamaan kaamayamaanaih.]
etāḥ — all these hi — indeed eva — certainly iha — in this universe nṛbhiḥ — by all living entities upagantavyāḥ — achievable gatayaḥ — destinations yathā-karma — according to one’s past activities vinirmitāḥ — created yathā-upadeśam — as instructed anuvarṇitāḥ — described accordingly kāmān — material enjoyment kāmayamānaiḥ — by those who are desiring.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
etā hy eveha nṛbhir upagantavyā gatayo yathā-karma-vinirmitā yathopadeśam anuvarṇitāḥ kāmān kāmayamānaiḥ.
etāḥ
all these
hi
indeed
eva
certainly
iha
in this universe
nṛbhiḥ
by all living entities
upagantavyāḥ
achievable
gatayaḥ
destinations
yathā-karma
according to one’s past activities
vinirmitāḥ
created
yathā-upadeśam
as instructed
anuvarṇitāḥ
described accordingly
kāmān
material enjoyment
kāmayamānaiḥ
by those who are desiring.
My dear King, as I heard of it from my spiritual master, I have fully described to you the creation of this material world according to the fruitive activities and desires of the conditioned souls. Those conditioned souls, who are full of material desires, achieve various situations in different planetary systems, and in this way they live within this material creation.

In this regard, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings,

anādi karama-phale, paḍi’ bhavārṇava-jale, taribāre nā dekhi upāya

“My Lord, I do not know when I commenced my material life, but I can certainly experience that I have fallen in the deep ocean of nescience. Now I can also see that there is no other way to get out of it than to take shelter of Your lotus feet.” Similarly, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu offers the following prayer:

ayi nanda-tanuja kiṅkaraṁ patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja- sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya

“My dear Lord, son of Nanda Mahārāja, I am Your eternal servant. Somehow or other, I have fallen into this ocean of nescience. Kindly, therefore, save me from this horrible condition of materialistic life.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
As I have heard, I have described the destinations that are achieved by men who desire enjoyment, appropriate to their previous. Kāmān kāmayamānair nṛbhiḥ means “by men who desire material enjoyment.”
Conditioned souls full of material desires keep landing in different planetary situations matched to those desires. We are not randomly placed; our desires arrange our situations. Examine your desires; they are drawing your next address.
Reflection Questions
  • If my current situation reflects my prior desires, what does that tell me?
  • What desire, if cultivated now, would lead me to a more spiritually rich next chapter?
📝 My note

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