Canto 7: The Science of GodChapter 13: The Behavior of a Perfect Person

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.13.5

supti-prabodhayoh sandhāv

ātmano gatim ātma-drik

paśyan bandham ca moksham ca

māyā-mātram na vastutah

SYNONYMS

suptiin the state of unconsciousness; prabodhayoh — and in the state of consciousness; sandhauin the state of marginal existence; ātmanah — of oneself; gatim — the movement; ātma-drik — one who can actually see the self; paśyan — always trying to see or understand; bandham — the conditional state of life; ca — and; moksham — the liberated state of life; ca — also; māyā-mātram — only illusion; na — not; vastutahin fact.

TRANSLATION

During unconsciousness and consciousness, and between the two, he should try to understand the self and be fully situated in the self. In this way, he should realize that the conditional and liberated stages of life are only illusory and not actually factual. With such a higher understanding, he should see only the Absolute Truth pervading everything.

PURPORT

The unconscious state is nothing but ignorance, darkness or material existence, and in the conscious state one is awake. The marginal state, between consciousness and unconsciousness, has no permanent existence. Therefore one who is advanced in understanding the self should understand that unconsciousness and consciousness are but illusions, for they fundamentally do not exist. Only the Supreme Absolute Truth exists. As confirmed by the Lord in Bhagavad-gītā (9.4):

mayā tatam idam sarvam

jagad avyakta-mūrtinā

mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni

na cāham teshv avasthitah

"By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them." Everything exists on the basis of Krishna's impersonal feature; nothing can exist without Krishna. Therefore the advanced devotee of Krishna can see the Lord everywhere, without illusion.

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