Canto 3: The Status QuoChapter 33: Activities of Kapila

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.33.27

nityārūḍha-samādhitvāt

parāvṛtta-guṇa-bhramā

na sasmāra tadātmānaḿ

svapne dṛṣṭam ivotthitaḥ

SYNONYMS

nitya — eternal; ārūḍha — situated in; samādhitvāt — from trance; parāvṛtta — freed from; guṇa — of the modes of material nature; bhramā — illusion; na sasmāra — she did not remember; tadā — then; ātmānam — her material body; svapnein a dream; dṛṣṭam — seen; iva — just as; utthitaḥ — one who has arisen.

TRANSLATION

Situated in eternal trance and freed from illusion impelled by the modes of material nature, she forgot her material body, just as one forgets his different bodies in a dream.

PURPORT

A great Vaiṣṇava said that he who has no remembrance of his body is not bound to material existence. As long as we are conscious of our bodily existence, it is to be understood that we are living conditionally, under the three modes of material nature. When one forgets his bodily existence, his conditional, material life is over. This forgetfulness is actually possible when we engage our senses in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. In the conditional state, one engages his senses as a member of a family or as a member of a society or country. But when one forgets all such membership in material circumstances and realizes that he is an eternal servant of the Supreme Lord, that is actual forgetfulness of material existence.

This forgetfulness actually occurs when one renders service unto the Lord. A devotee no longer works with the body for sense gratification with family, society, country, humanity and so on. He simply works for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. That is perfect Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

A devotee always merges in transcendental happiness, and therefore he has no experience of material distresses. This transcendental happiness is called eternal bliss. According to the opinion of devotees, constant remembrance of the Supreme Lord is called samādhi, or trance. If one is constantly in trance, there is no possibility of his being attacked or even touched by the modes of material nature. As soon as one is freed from the contamination of the three material modes, he no longer has to take birth to transmigrate from one form to another in this material world.

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