FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.31.20

సోఽహం వసన్నపి విభో బహుదు:ఖవాసం గర్భాన్న నిర్జిగమిషే బహిరన్ధకూపే । యత్రోపయాతముపసర్పతి దేవమాయా మిథ్యా మతిర్యదను సంసృతిచక్రమేతత్ ॥ ౨౦ ॥
so ’haṁ vasann api vibho bahu-duḥkha-vāsaṁ
[so ’ham vasann api vibho bahu-duhkha-vaasam]
garbhān na nirjigamiṣe bahir andha-kūpe
[garbhaan na nirjigamishe bahir andha-koope]
yatropayātam upasarpati deva-māyā
[yatropayaatam upasarpati deva-maayaa]
mithyā matir yad-anu saṁsṛti-cakram etat
[mithyaa matir yad-anu samsriti-chakram etat]
Word-for-word
saḥ aham — I myself vasan — living api — although vibho — O Lord bahu-duḥkha — with many miseries vāsam — in a condition garbhāt — from the abdomen na — not nirjigamiṣe — I wish to depart bahiḥ — outside andha-kūpe — in the blind well yatra — where upayātam — one who goes there upasarpati — she captures deva-māyā — the external energy of the Lord mithyā — false matiḥ — identification yat — which māyā anu — according to saṁsṛti — of continual birth and death cakram — cycle etat — this.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
so ’haṁ vasann api vibho bahu-duḥkha-vāsaṁ
saḥ aham
I myself
vasan
living
api
although
vibho
O Lord
garbhān na nirjigamiṣe bahir andha-kūpe
bahu-duḥkha
with many miseries
yatropayātam upasarpati deva-māyā
vāsam
in a condition
garbhāt
from the abdomen
na
not
nirjigamiṣe
I wish to depart
bahiḥ
outside
mithyā matir yad-anu saṁsṛti-cakram etat
andha-kūpe
in the blind well
yatra
where
upayātam
one who goes there
upasarpati
she captures
deva-māyā
the external energy of the Lord
mithyā
false
matiḥ
identification
yat
which māyā
anu
according to
saṁsṛti
of continual birth and death
cakram
cycle
etat
this.
Therefore, my Lord, although I am living in a terrible condition, I do not wish to depart from my mother’s abdomen to fall again into the blind well of materialistic life. Your external energy, called deva-māyā, at once captures the newly born child, and immediately false identification, which is the beginning of the cycle of continual birth and death, begins.
Purport

As long as the child is within the womb of his mother, he is in a very precarious and horrible condition of life, but the benefit is that he revives pure consciousness of his relationship with the Supreme Lord and prays for deliverance. But once he is outside the abdomen, when a child is born, māyā, or the illusory energy, is so strong that he is immediately overpowered into considering his body to be his self. Māyā means “illusion,” or that which is actually not. In the material world, everyone is identifying with his body. This false egoistic consciousness of “I am this body” at once develops after the child comes out of the womb. The mother and other relatives are awaiting the child, and as soon as he is born, the mother feeds him and everyone takes care of him. The living entity soon forgets his position and becomes entangled in bodily relationships. The entire material existence is entanglement in this bodily conception of life. Real knowledge means to develop the consciousness of “I am not this body. I am spirit soul, an eternal part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.” Real knowledge entails renunciation, or nonacceptance of this body as the self.

By the influence of māyā, the external energy, one forgets everything just after birth. Therefore the child is praying that he prefers to remain within the womb rather than come out. It is said that Śukadeva Gosvāmī, on this consideration, remained for sixteen years within the womb of his mother; he did not want to be entangled in false bodily identification. After cultivating such knowledge within the womb of his mother, he came out at the end of sixteen years and immediately left home so that he might not be captured by the influence of māyā. The influence of māyā is also explained in Bhagavad-gītā as insurmountable. But insurmountable māyā can be overcome simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (7.14) : mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. Whoever surrenders unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa can get out of this false conception of life. By the influence of māyā only, one forgets his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa and identifies himself with his body and the by-products of the body — namely wife, children, society, friendship and love. Thus he becomes a victim of the influence of māyā, and his materialistic life of continued birth and death becomes still more stringent.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O Lord! Though living in a place of suffering, I do not wish to go out of the womb to the blind well, where the Lord’s māyā pervades all those who have gone there, and give them a false identity and continual birth. “You choose me by bhakti, but you are agitated by suffering. Because you requested to get out, now I will take you out of the womb.” “No, don’ṭ do that! I don’t what to get into a condition of suffering in the outside world!” In that place the Lord’s (deva) māyā pervades (upasarpati) all beings who have gone outside the womb (upayātam). By her, the false conception of “I am the body” (mithyā matiḥ) and repeated birth takes place.
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Source: vedabase.io

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