FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.15.24

द‍ृश्यमाना विनार्थेन न द‍ृश्यन्ते मनोभवा: । कर्मभिर्ध्यायतो नानाकर्माणि मनसोऽभवन् ॥ २४ ॥
dṛśyamānā vinārthena
[drishyamaanaa vinaarthena]
na dṛśyante manobhavāḥ
[na drishyante manobhavaah]
karmabhir dhyāyato nānā-
[karmabhir dhyaayato naanaa-]
karmāṇi manaso ’bhavan
[karmaani manaso ’bhavan]
dṛśyamānāḥ — being perceived vinā — without arthena — substance or reality na — not dṛśyante — are seen manobhavāḥ — creations of mental concoction karmabhiḥ — by fruitive activities dhyāyataḥ — meditating upon nānā — various karmāṇi — fruitive activities manasaḥ — from the mind abhavan — appear.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
dṛśyamānā vinārthena
dṛśyamānāḥ
being perceived
vinā
without
arthena
substance or reality
na dṛśyante manobhavāḥ
na
not
dṛśyante
are seen
manobhavāḥ
creations of mental concoction
karmabhir dhyāyato nānā-
karmabhiḥ
by fruitive activities
dhyāyataḥ
meditating upon
nānā
various
karmāṇi manaso ’bhavan
karmāṇi
fruitive activities
manasaḥ
from the mind
abhavan
appear.
These visible objects like wife, children and property are like dreams and mental concoctions. Actually what we see has no permanent existence. It is sometimes seen and sometimes not. Only because of our past actions do we create such mental concoctions, and because of these concoctions, we perform further activities.

Everything material is a mental concoction because it is sometimes visible and sometimes not. At night when we dream of tigers and snakes, they are not actually present, but we are afraid because we are affected by what we envision in our dreams. Everything material is like a dream because it actually has no permanent existence.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura writes as follows in his commentary: arthena vyāghra-sarpādinā vinaiva dṛśyamānāḥ svapnādi-bhaṅge sati na dṛśyante tad evaṁ dārādayo ’vāstava-vastu-bhūtāḥ svapnādayo ’vastu-bhūtāś ca sarve manobhavāḥ mano-vāsanā janyatvān manobhavāḥ. At night one dreams of tigers and snakes, and while dreaming he actually sees them, but as soon as the dream is broken they no longer exist. Similarly, the material world is a creation of our mental concoctions. We have come to this material world to enjoy material resources, and by mental concoction we discover many, many objects of enjoyment because our minds are absorbed in material things. This is why we receive various bodies. According to our mental concoctions we work in various ways, desiring various achievements, and by nature and the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ( karmaṇā-daiva-netreṇa ) we get the advantages we desire. Thus we become more and more involved with material concoctions. This is the reason for our suffering in the material world. By one kind of activity we create another, and they are all products of our mental concoctions.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Imaginary objects seen in the absence of real objects are not seen when waking from a dream. They are products of the mind. Actions for attaining objects of a person meditating on those objects because of impressions of karma are also made of the mind. Imaginary objects are seen without some real object such as a tiger or snake existing, but when the dream is over, they are not seen. Impermanent objects like wife and false objects, like dreams, all arise from the mind, since they arise from desires in the mind (manobhavāḥ). Actions also are composed of the mind because one meditates (using his mind) on objects because of his impressions of karma (in order to carry out action). Because the action is composed of mind, the object attained is also made of the mind.
Wife, children and property are like dreams and mental concoctions — sometimes seen, sometimes not, generated by past actions. The continuity we feel is partly memory's editing.
Reflection Questions
  • Which long-running 'realities' in my life are partly my own continuous editing?
  • What appears solid because I keep saying it is?
📝 My note

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