FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.20.3

సుధియ: సాధవో లోకే నరదేవ నరోత్తమా: । నాభిద్రుహ్యన్తి భూతేభ్యో యర్హి నాత్మా కలేవరమ్ ॥ ౩ ॥
sudhiyaḥ sādhavo loke
[sudhiyah saadhavo loke]
naradeva narottamāḥ
[naradeva narottamaah]
nābhidruhyanti bhūtebhyo
[naabhidruhyanti bhootebhyo]
yarhi nātmā kalevaram
[yarhi naatmaa kalevaram]
su-dhiyaḥ — the most intelligent persons sādhavaḥ — who are inclined to perform welfare activities loke — in this world nara-deva — O King nara-uttamāḥ — the best of human beings na abhidruhyanti — never become malicious bhūtebhyaḥ — toward other living beings yarhi — because na — never ātmā — the self or soul kalevaram — this body.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sudhiyaḥ sādhavo loke
su-dhiyaḥ
the most intelligent persons
sādhavaḥ
who are inclined to perform welfare activities
loke
in this world
naradeva narottamāḥ
nara-deva
O King
nara-uttamāḥ
the best of human beings
nābhidruhyanti bhūtebhyo
na abhidruhyanti
never become malicious
bhūtebhyaḥ
toward other living beings
yarhi
because
yarhi nātmā kalevaram
na
never
ātmā
the self or soul
kalevaram
this body.
O King, one who is advanced in intelligence and eager to perform welfare activities for others is considered best amongst human beings. An advanced human being is never malicious to others. Those with advanced intelligence are always conscious that this material body is different from the soul.

In daily life we find that when a madman commits murder, he is excused even by a high-court judge. The idea is that a living entity is always pure because he is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When he falls into the clutches of material energy, he becomes a victim of the three modes of material nature. Indeed, whatever he does, he does under the influence of material nature. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (5.14) :

na kartṛtvaṁ na karmāṇi lokasya sṛjati prabhuḥ na karma-phala-saṁyogaṁ svabhāvas tu pravartate

“The embodied spirit, master of the city of his body, does not create activities, nor does he induce people to act, nor does he create the fruits of action. All this is enacted by the modes of material nature.”

Actually the living entity, or soul, does not do anything; everything is done under the influence of the modes of material nature. When a man is diseased, the symptoms of the disease become a source of all kinds of pain. Those who are advanced in transcendental consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, are never envious, neither of the soul nor of the activities of the soul under the influence of material nature. Advanced transcendentalists are called sudhiyaḥ. Sudhī means “intelligence,” sudhī means “highly advanced,” and sudhī means “devotee.” One who is both devoted and highly advanced in intelligence does not take action against the soul or the body. If there is any discrepancy, he forgives. It is said that forgiveness is a quality of those who are advancing in spiritual knowledge.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O King! The most intelligent devotees, the best of humans, do not harm other living beings because they know those bodies are not the soul. This is because (yarhi) the body is not the soul. How is it possible to be violent towards other living entities, since one should not identify them as bodies?
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 20