FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.13.28

इत्येतदात्मन: स्वार्थं सन्तं विस्मृत्य वै पुमान् । विचित्रामसति द्वैते घोरामाप्नोति संसृतिम् ॥ २८ ॥
ity etad ātmanaḥ svārthaṁ
[ity etad aatmanah svaartham]
santaṁ vismṛtya vai pumān
[santam vismritya vai pumaan]
vicitrām asati dvaite
[vichitraam asati dvaite]
ghorām āpnoti saṁsṛtim
[ghoraam aapnoti samsritim]
Word-for-word
iti — in this way etat — a person materially conditioned ātmanaḥ — of his self sva-artham — own interest santam — existing within oneself vismṛtya — forgetting vai — indeed pumān — the living entity vicitrām — attractive false varieties asati — in the material world dvaite — other than the self ghorām — very fearful (due to continuous acceptance of birth and death) āpnoti — one becomes entangled saṁsṛtim — in material existence.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ity etad ātmanaḥ svārthaṁ
iti
in this way
etat
a person materially conditioned
ātmanaḥ
of his self
sva-artham
own interest
santaṁ vismṛtya vai pumān
santam
existing within oneself
vismṛtya
forgetting
vai
indeed
pumān
the living entity
vicitrām asati dvaite
vicitrām
attractive false varieties
asati
in the material world
dvaite
other than the self
ghorām āpnoti saṁsṛtim
ghorām
very fearful (due to continuous acceptance of birth and death)
āpnoti
one becomes entangled
saṁsṛtim
in material existence.
In this way the conditioned soul living within the body forgets his self-interest because he identifies himself with the body. Because the body is material, his natural tendency is to be attracted by the varieties of the material world. Thus the living entity suffers the miseries of material existence.
Purport

Everyone is trying to be happy because, as explained in the previous verse, sukham asyātmano rūpaṁ sarvehoparatis tanuḥ: when the living entity is in his original spiritual form, he is happy by nature. There is no question of miseries for the spiritual being. As Kṛṣṇa is always happy, the living entities, who are His parts and parcels, are also happy by nature, but because of being put within this material world and forgetting their eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa, they have forgotten their real nature. Because every one of us is a part of Kṛṣṇa, we have a very affectionate relationship with Him, but because we have forgotten our identities and are considering the body to be the self, we are afflicted by all the troubles of birth, death, old age and disease. This misconception in materialistic life continues unless and until one comes to understand his relationship with Kṛṣṇa. The happiness sought by the conditioned soul is certainly only illusion, as explained in the next verse.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
In this way, forgetting one’s own interest, the jīva accepts fearful material existence with a temporary identity of body and other things. And thus, how can anyone be happy? That is expressed in this verse. Forgetting ones form of happiness-- the ātmā (svārtham), one accepts saṁsāra with duality, a condition of suffering (asati), in the form of the body and other things, though these things do not exist in the ātmā. Asati can also mean temporary.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The conditioned soul forgets its own interest because it identifies with the body. Attracted by material variety, it suffers. Misidentification is the root error; everything else cascades from it.
Reflection Questions
  • Where does identification with your body currently lead you into needless suffering?
  • What practice helps disidentify, even momentarily, with the body?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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