Understanding Material Nature

Verse 1 (bhagavata.3.27.1)

श्रीभगवानुवाच प्रकृतिस्थोऽपि पुरुषो नाज्यते प्राकृतैर्गुणैः । अविकारादकर्तृत्वान्निर्गुणत्वाज्जलार्कवत् ॥ 27.1 ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca prakṛti-stho ’pi puruṣo nājyate prākṛtair guṇaiḥ avikārād akartṛtvān nirguṇatvāj jalārkavat

Sri Bhagavan said: Though situated within material nature, the soul is not tainted by its gunas, being changeless, a non-doer, and free of qualities — like the sun reflected on water, which remains untouched by it.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.3.27.2)

स एष यर्हि प्रकृतेर्गुणेष्वभिविषज्जते । अहंक्रियाविमूढात्मा कर्तास्मीत्यभिमन्यते ॥ 27.2 ॥

sa eṣa yarhi prakṛter guṇeṣv abhiviṣajjate ahaṅkriyā-vimūḍhātmā kartāsmīty abhimanyate

But when that same soul becomes attached to the gunas of prakriti, his mind bewildered by false ego, he takes himself to be the doer.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.3.27.3)

तेन संसारपदवीमवशोऽभ्येत्यनिर्वृतः । प्रासङ्गिकैः कर्मदोषैः सदसन्मिश्रयोनिषु ॥ 27.3 ॥

tena saṁsāra-padavīm avaśo ’bhyety anirvṛtaḥ prāsaṅgikaiḥ karma-doṣaiḥ sad-asan-miśra-yoniṣu

Through this notion, discontented and helpless, he enters the path of samsara, and through incidental faults of action wanders among wombs both good and bad and mixed.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.3.27.4)

अर्थे ह्यविद्यमानेऽपि संसृतिर्न निवर्तते । ध्यायतो विषयानस्य स्वप्नेऽनर्थागमो यथा ॥ 27.4 ॥

arthe hy avidyamāne ’pi saṁsṛtir na nivartate dhyāyato viṣayān asya svapne ’narthāgamo yathā

Even though its true cause does not exist, this condition of samsara does not cease so long as one keeps dwelling on sense-objects — just as, in a dream, misfortunes seem to arrive as real.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.3.27.5)

अत एव शनैश्चित्तं प्रसक्तमसतां पथि । भक्तियोगेन तीव्रेण विरक्त्या च नयेद्वशम् ॥ 27.5 ॥

ata eva śanaiś cittaṁ prasaktam asatāṁ pathi bhakti-yogena tīvreṇa viraktyā ca nayed vaśam

Therefore one should, by intense bhakti-yoga and dispassion, gradually bring under control a mind that has become attached to the path of the unreal.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.3.27.6)

यमादिभिर्योगपथैरभ्यसन्श्रद्धयान्वितः । मयि भावेन सत्येन मत्कथाश्रवणेन च ॥ 27.6 ॥

yamādibhir yoga-pathair abhyasañ śraddhayānvitaḥ mayi bhāvena satyena mat-kathā-śravaṇena ca

Practicing the paths of yoga beginning with yama, endowed with faith, with true devotion toward Me, and through hearing accounts of Me — thus should the seeker proceed.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.3.27.7)

सर्वभूतसमत्वेन निर्वैरेणाप्रसङ्गतः । ब्रह्मचर्येण मौनेन स्वधर्मेण बलीयसा ॥ 27.7 ॥

sarva-bhūta-samatvena nirvaireṇāprasaṅgataḥ brahmacaryeṇa maunena sva-dharmeṇa balīyasā

Seeing all beings with equal vision, harboring enmity toward none, avoiding needless attachment, observing celibacy and silence, and firmly performing one's own prescribed duty.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.3.27.8)

यदृच्छयोपलब्धेन सन्तुष्टो मितभुङ्मुनिः । विविक्तशरणः शान्तो मैत्रः करुण आत्मवान् ॥ 27.8 ॥

yadṛcchayopalabdhena santuṣṭo mita-bhuṅ muniḥ vivikta-śaraṇaḥ śānto maitraḥ karuṇa ātmavān

Content with whatever comes without effort, eating little, thoughtful, dwelling in solitude, peaceful, a friend to all, compassionate, and established in the self.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.3.27.9)

सानुबन्धे च देहेऽस्मिन्नकुर्वन्नसदाग्रहम् । ज्ञानेन दृष्टतत्त्वेन प्रकृतेः पुरुषस्य च ॥ 27.9 ॥

sānubandhe ca dehe ’sminn akurvann asad-āgraham jñānena dṛṣṭa-tattvena prakṛteḥ puruṣasya ca

Not fostering a false insistence on this body and its attachments, but through the knowledge that has truly seen the reality of both prakriti and purusha.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.3.27.10)

निवृत्तबुद्ध्यवस्थानो दूरीभूतान्यदर्शनः । उपलभ्यात्मनात्मानं चक्षुषेवार्कमात्मदृक् ॥ 27.10 ॥

nivṛtta-buddhy-avasthāno dūrī-bhūtānya-darśanaḥ upalabhyātmanātmānaṁ cakṣuṣevārkam ātma-dṛk

Rising above the [changing] states of material intellect, leaving all other conceptions far behind, the self-seeing soul perceives his own self through his purified inner being, just as the eye beholds the sun.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.3.27.11)

मुक्तलिङ्गं सदाभासमसति प्रतिपद्यते । सतो बन्धुमसच्चक्षुः सर्वानुस्यूतमद्वयम् ॥ 27.11 ॥

mukta-liṅgaṁ sad-ābhāsam asati pratipadyate sato bandhum asac-cakṣuḥ sarvānusyūtam advayam

The liberated soul realizes that reality which, transcendental in itself, is reflected even within the false ego as an appearance of being — the support of the real, the revealer of the unreal, present within all things, and without a second.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.3.27.12)

यथा जलस्थ आभासः स्थलस्थेनावदृश्यते । स्वाभासेन तथा सूर्यो जलस्थेन दिवि स्थितः ॥ 27.12 ॥

yathā jala-stha ābhāsaḥ sthala-sthenāvadṛśyate svābhāsena tathā sūryo jala-sthena divi sthitaḥ

Just as a reflection resting on water is in turn perceived through a reflection on a wall, so the sun, situated in the sky, is recognized through its own reflection lying on water.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.3.27.13)

एवं त्रिवृदहङ्कारो भूतेन्द्रियमनोमयैः । स्वाभासैर्लक्षितोऽनेन सदाभासेन सत्यदृक् ॥ 27.13 ॥

evaṁ trivṛd-ahaṅkāro bhūtendriya-manomayaiḥ svābhāsair lakṣito ’nena sad-ābhāsena satya-dṛk

In this same way the threefold ego, in the form of the elements, senses and mind, is revealed through its own reflections, and through that reflection of the real the truth-seeing soul is recognized.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.3.27.14)

भूतसूक्ष्मेन्द्रियमनोबुद्ध्यादिष्विह निद्रया । लीनेष्वसति यस्तत्र विनिद्रो निरहंक्रियः ॥ 27.14 ॥

bhūta-sūkṣmendriya-mano- buddhy-ādiṣv iha nidrayā līneṣv asati yas tatra vinidro nirahaṅkriyaḥ

When the gross elements, the subtle senses, mind, intelligence and the rest have all merged in sleep, that one who, remaining apart from these unreal things, stays awake and free of false ego — he is the true seer.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.3.27.15)

मन्यमानस्तदात्मानमनष्टो नष्टवन्मृषा । नष्टेऽहङ्करणे द्रष्टा नष्टवित्त इवातुरः ॥ 27.15 ॥

manyamānas tadātmānam anaṣṭo naṣṭavan mṛṣā naṣṭe ’haṅkaraṇe draṣṭā naṣṭa-vitta ivāturaḥ

When this ego thus disappears, the seer, though in truth never lost, falsely takes himself to be lost — like a man who has lost his wealth and, in his distress, mistakenly feels himself undone.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.3.27.16)

एवं प्रत्यवमृश्यासावात्मानं प्रतिपद्यते । साहङ्कारस्य द्रव्यस्य योऽवस्थानमनुग्रहः ॥ 27.16 ॥

evaṁ pratyavamṛśyāsāv ātmānaṁ pratipadyate sāhaṅkārasya dravyasya yo ’vasthānam anugrahaḥ

Reflecting thus deeply, that person comes to realize his own true self, and then whatever position the ego-bound elements hold becomes fully manifest before him.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.3.27.17)

देवहूतिरुवाच पुरुषं प्रकृतिर्ब्रह्मन्न विमुञ्चति कर्हिचित् । अन्योन्यापाश्रयत्वाच्च नित्यत्वादनयोः प्रभो ॥ 27.17 ॥

devahūtir uvāca puruṣaṁ prakṛtir brahman na vimuñcati karhicit anyonyāpāśrayatvāc ca nityatvād anayoḥ prabho

Devahuti said: O brahmana, O Lord, prakriti never releases purusha, since the two are mutually dependent and eternal.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.3.27.18)

यथा गन्धस्य भूमेश्च न भावो व्यतिरेकतः । अपां रसस्य च यथा तथा बुद्धेः परस्य च ॥ 27.18 ॥

yathā gandhasya bhūmeś ca na bhāvo vyatirekataḥ apāṁ rasasya ca yathā tathā buddheḥ parasya ca

Just as earth and its odor, or water and its taste, have no existence apart from each other, so how can intelligence and the supreme spirit be separate?

Verse 19 (bhagavata.3.27.19)

अकर्तुः कर्मबन्धोऽयं पुरुषस्य यदाश्रयः । गुणेषु सत्सु प्रकृतेः कैवल्यं तेष्वतः कथम् ॥ 27.19 ॥

akartuḥ karma-bandho ’yaṁ puruṣasya yad-āśrayaḥ guṇeṣu satsu prakṛteḥ kaivalyaṁ teṣv ataḥ katham

This bondage of action clings to the soul — though he is not truly the doer — only because he remains reliant on the gunas. So long as the gunas of prakriti persist, how then can there be the soul's separateness from them?

Verse 20 (bhagavata.3.27.20)

क्वचित्तत्त्वावमर्शेन निवृत्तं भयमुल्बणम् । अनिवृत्तनिमित्तत्वात्पुनः प्रत्यवतिष्ठते ॥ 27.20 ॥

kvacit tattvāvamarśena nivṛttaṁ bhayam ulbaṇam anivṛtta-nimittatvāt punaḥ pratyavatiṣṭhate

In some cases, reflection on the underlying principles may drive away that great fear, but since its cause has not fully ceased, it returns once more.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.3.27.21)

श्रीभगवानुवाच अनिमित्तनिमित्तेन स्वधर्मेणामलात्मना । तीव्रया मयि भक्त्या च श्रुतसम्भृतया चिरम् ॥ 27.21 ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca animitta-nimittena sva-dharmeṇāmalātmanā tīvrayā mayi bhaktyā ca śruta-sambhṛtayā ciram

Sri Bhagavan said: Through one's own prescribed duty performed without desire for its fruit, with a purified mind, and through intense devotion to Me nourished over a long time by hearing [of Me].

Verse 22 (bhagavata.3.27.22)

ज्ञानेन दृष्टतत्त्वेन वैराग्येण बलीयसा । तपोयुक्तेन योगेन तीव्रेणात्मसमाधिना ॥ 27.22 ॥

jñānena dṛṣṭa-tattvena vairāgyeṇa balīyasā tapo-yuktena yogena tīvreṇātma-samādhinā

Through knowledge that beholds the truth, through powerful renunciation, through yoga joined with austerity, and through intense absorption fixed in the self.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.3.27.23)

प्रकृतिः पुरुषस्येह दह्यमाना त्वहर्निशम् । तिरोभवित्री शनकैरग्नेर्योनिरिवारणिः ॥ 27.23 ॥

prakṛtiḥ puruṣasyeha dahyamānā tv ahar-niśam tiro-bhavitrī śanakair agner yonir ivāraṇiḥ

Here, the soul's [bond with] prakriti burns away day and night, and gradually vanishes — just as the fire-stick, the very source of the flame, is itself consumed by that fire.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.3.27.24)

भुक्तभोगा परित्यक्ता दृष्टदोषा च नित्यशः । नेश्वरस्याशुभं धत्ते स्वे महिम्नि स्थितस्य च ॥ 27.24 ॥

bhukta-bhogā parityaktā dṛṣṭa-doṣā ca nityaśaḥ neśvarasyāśubhaṁ dhatte sve mahimni sthitasya ca

Enjoyment once tasted, then relinquished, its faultiness having been seen once and for all — such enjoyment can no longer harm the soul, now independent and established in his own glory.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.3.27.25)

यथा ह्यप्रतिबुद्धस्य प्रस्वापो बह्वनर्थभृत् । स एव प्रतिबुद्धस्य न वै मोहाय कल्पते ॥ 27.25 ॥

yathā hy apratibuddhasya prasvāpo bahv-anartha-bhṛt sa eva pratibuddhasya na vai mohāya kalpate

Just as a dream brings much misfortune to one who is asleep, that same dream has no power to delude one who has awakened.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.3.27.26)

एवं विदिततत्त्वस्य प्रकृतिर्मयि मानसम् । युञ्जतो नापकुरुत आत्मारामस्य कर्हिचित् ॥ 27.26 ॥

evaṁ vidita-tattvasya prakṛtir mayi mānasam yuñjato nāpakuruta ātmārāmasya karhicit

In just this way, prakriti can never do harm to one who has thus known the truth and rejoices in the self, whose mind remains ever fixed upon Me.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.3.27.27)

यदैवमध्यात्मरतः कालेन बहुजन्मना । सर्वत्र जातवैराग्य आब्रह्मभुवनान्मुनिः ॥ 27.27 ॥

yadaivam adhyātma-rataḥ kālena bahu-janmanā sarvatra jāta-vairāgya ābrahma-bhuvanān muniḥ

When, thus devoted to self-realization across many births over a long time, a thoughtful person's detachment awakens toward every world, even up to Brahmaloka.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.3.27.28)

मद्भक्तः प्रतिबुद्धार्थो मत्प्रसादेन भूयसा । निःश्रेयसं स्वसंस्थानं कैवल्याख्यं मदाश्रयम् ॥ 27.28 ॥

mad-bhaktaḥ pratibuddhārtho mat-prasādena bhūyasā niḥśreyasaṁ sva-saṁsthānaṁ kaivalyākhyaṁ mad-āśrayam

Then My devotee, by My abundant grace, comes to know the truth in full, and — resting under My shelter — that ultimate, most auspicious abode of his own true nature, called kaivalya —

Verse 29 (bhagavata.3.27.29)

प्राप्नोतीहाञ्जसा धीरः स्वदृशाच्छिन्नसंशयः । यद्गत्वा न निवर्तेत योगी लिङ्गाद्विनिर्गमे ॥ 27.29 ॥

prāpnotīhāñjasā dhīraḥ sva-dṛśā cchinna-saṁśayaḥ yad gatvā na nivarteta yogī liṅgād vinirgame

— that steady soul attains truly, in this very life, his doubts cut away by his own vision of the self; and having gone there, the yogi, once free of the subtle body, never returns again.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.3.27.30)

यदा न योगोपचितासु चेतो मायासु सिद्धस्य विषज्जतेऽङ्ग । अनन्यहेतुष्वथ मे गतिः स्याद् आत्यन्तिकी यत्र न मृत्युहासः ॥ 27.30 ॥

yadā na yogopacitāsu ceto māyāsu siddhasya viṣajjate ’ṅga ananya-hetuṣv atha me gatiḥ syād ātyantikī yatra na mṛtyu-hāsaḥ

O my mother, when a perfected yogi's attention no longer clings even to the mystic powers that yoga has developed — mere manifestations of maya — then his movement toward Me, having no other cause, becomes final and complete, a state where even death's mockery cannot reach him.