FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.5.11

भू: क्षेत्रं जीवसंज्ञं यदनादि निजबन्धनम् । अद‍ृष्ट्वा तस्य निर्वाणं किमसत्कर्मभिर्भवेत् ॥ ११ ॥
bhūḥ kṣetraṁ jīva-saṁjñaṁ yad
[bhooh kshetram jeeva-samjnam yad]
anādi nija-bandhanam
[anaadi nija-bandhanam]
adṛṣṭvā tasya nirvāṇaṁ
[adrishtvaa tasya nirvaanam]
kim asat-karmabhir bhavet
[kim asat-karmabhir bhavet]
bhūḥ — the earth kṣetram — the field of activities jīva-saṁjñam — the designation of the spiritual living being who is bound by different results of activity yat — which anādi — existing since time immemorial nija-bandhanam — causing his own bondage adṛṣṭvā — without seeing tasya — of this nirvāṇam — the cessation kim — what benefit asat-karmabhiḥ — with temporary fruitive activities bhavet — there can be.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
bhūḥ kṣetraṁ jīva-saṁjñaṁ yad
bhūḥ
the earth
kṣetram
the field of activities
jīva-saṁjñam
the designation of the spiritual living being who is bound by different results of activity
yat
which
anādi nija-bandhanam
anādi
existing since time immemorial
nija-bandhanam
causing his own bondage
adṛṣṭvā tasya nirvāṇaṁ
adṛṣṭvā
without seeing
tasya
of this
nirvāṇam
the cessation
kim asat-karmabhir bhavet
kim
what benefit
asat-karmabhiḥ
with temporary fruitive activities
bhavet
there can be.
[The Haryaśvas understood the meaning of Nārada’s words as follows.] The word “bhūḥ” [“the earth”] refers to the field of activities. The material body, which is a result of the living being’s actions, is his field of activities, and it gives him false designations. Since time immemorial, he has received various types of material bodies, which are the roots of bondage to the material world. If one foolishly engages in temporary fruitive activities and does not look toward the cessation of this bondage, what will be the benefit of his actions?

Nārada Muni spoke to the Haryaśvas, the sons of Prajāpati Dakṣa, about ten allegorical subjects — the king, the kingdom, the river, the house, the physical elements and so forth. After considering these by themselves, the Haryaśvas could understand that the living entity encaged in his body seeks happiness, but takes no interest in how to become free from his encagement. This is a very important verse, since all the living entities in the material world are very active, having obtained their particular types of bodies. A man works all day and night for sense gratification, and animals like hogs and dogs also work for sense gratification all day and night. Birds, beasts and all other conditioned living entities engage in various activities without knowledge of the soul encaged within the body. Especially in the human form of body, one’s duty is to act in such a way that he can release himself from his encagement, but without the instructions of Nārada or his representative in the disciplic succession, people blindly engage in bodily activities to enjoy māyā-sukha — flickering, temporary happiness. They do not know how to become free from their material encagement. Ṛṣabhadeva therefore said that such activity is not at all good, since it encages the soul again and again in a body subjected to the threefold miseries of the material condition.

The Haryaśvas, the sons of Prajāpati Dakṣa, could immediately understand the purport of Nārada’s instructions. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is especially meant for such enlightenment. We are trying to enlighten humanity so that people may come to the understanding that they should work hard in tapasya for self-realization and freedom from the continuous bondage of birth, death, old age and disease in one body after another. Māyā, however, is very strong; she is expert in putting impediments in the way of this understanding. Therefore sometimes one comes to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement but again falls into the clutches of māyā, not understanding the importance of this movement.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Not seeing the end or destruction of the subtle body (which you called the earth) of the jīva, which causes bondage without beginning, what will be the result of performance of karma-yoga? The ten items mentioned by Nārada are explained in ten verses to understand their meaning clearly. First there is an explanation of “not seeing the end of the earth.” Earth refers to the subtle body (jiva-samjñam), the cause of bondage without beginning for the soul. Nirvāṇam means destruction by knowledge. What can result from insubstantial karma-yoga? Rather you should strive to destroy karma.
They decode 'bhūḥ' (the earth) as the field of activities — the material body where karma is sown and reaped. The first move of inner work is recognizing the body as field, not as the self that farms it.
Reflection Questions
  • Do I see my body as the field of my karma or as my actual identity?
  • What 'crop' am I planting in this field right now?
📝 My note

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