Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
| Canto 5: The Creative Impetus | Chapter 5: Lord Rishabhadeva's Teachings to His Sons |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.5.4
nūnam pramattah kurute vikarma
na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam
SYNONYMS
nūnam — indeed; pramattah — mad; kurute — performs; vikarma — sinful activities forbidden in the scriptures; yat — when; indriya-prītaye — for sense gratification; āprinoti — engages; na — not; sādhu — befitting; manye — I think; yatah — by which; ātmanah — of the soul; ayam — this; asan — being temporary; api — although; kleśa-dah — giving misery; āsa — became possible; dehah — the body.
TRANSLATION
When a person considers sense gratification the aim of life, he certainly becomes mad after materialistic living and engages in all kinds of sinful activity. He does not know that due to his past misdeeds he has already received a body which, although temporary, is the cause of his misery. Actually the living entity should not have taken on a material body, but he has been awarded the material body for sense gratification. Therefore I think it not befitting an intelligent man to involve himself again in the activities of sense gratification by which he perpetually gets material bodies one after another.
PURPORT
Begging, borrowing and stealing to live for sense gratification is condemned in this verse because such consciousness leads one to a dark, hellish condition. The four sinful activities are illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. These are the means by which one gets another material body that is full of miseries. In the Vedas it is said: asańgo hy ayam purushah. The living entity is not really connected with this material world, but due to his tendency to enjoy the material senses. he is put into the material condition. One should perfect his life by associating with devotees. He should not become further implicated in the material body.
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness