Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 11 Chapter 7 Verse 27

Canto 11: General History | Chapter 7: Lord Kṛṣṇa Instructs Uddhava

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.7.27

prāyo dharmārtha-kāmeṣu

vivitsāyāḿ ca mānavāḥ

hetunaiva samīhanta

āyuṣo yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ

SYNONYMS

prāyaḥ — generally; dharma — in religiosity; artha — economic development; kāmeṣu — and sense gratification; vivitsāyām — in pursuit of spiritual knowledge; ca — also; mānavāḥ — human beings; hetunā — for the purpose; eva — indeed; samīhante — they endeavor; āyuṣaḥ — of long life; yaśasaḥ — fame; śriyaḥ — and material opulence.

TRANSLATION

Generally human beings work hard to cultivate religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and also knowledge of the soul, and their usual motive is to increase the duration of their lives, acquire fame and enjoy material opulence.

PURPORT

An intelligent person should understand that if there is an eternal soul different from the body, then real happiness must lie in our eternal situation, beyond the bondage of material nature. However, ordinary persons, even when discussing spiritual subject matters, generally desire to become famous or to increase their wealth and duration of life by such spiritual practices. Most common people think, for example, that the yoga system is meant for improving one's health, that one may pray to God for money, and that one's spiritual knowledge is meant for increasing one's prestige in society. Mahārāja Yadu wants to clarify that the young brāhmaṇa avadhūta is not like ordinary persons and that he is actually on a spiritual platform, as will be explained in the following verses.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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