Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.28.12

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

yāvad dehendriya-prāṇair

ātmanaḥ sannikarṣaṇam

saḿsāraḥ phalavāḿs tāvad

apārtho 'py avivekinaḥ

SYNONYMS

śrī-bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; yāvat — as long as; deha — by the body; indriya — senses; prāṇaiḥ — and vital force; ātmanaḥ — of the soul; sannikarṣaṇam — attraction; saḿsāraḥ — material existence; phala-vān — fruitful; tāvat — for that duration; apārthaḥ — meaningless; api — although; avivekinaḥ — for the undiscriminating.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: As long as the foolish spirit soul remains attracted to the material body, senses and vital force, his material existence continues to flourish, although it is ultimately meaningless.

PURPORT

Here the word sannikarṣaṇam indicates that the pure spirit soul voluntarily connects himself with the material body, considering this a most fruitful arrangement. Actually, the situation is apārtha, useless, unless one uses one's embodied situation to engage in the loving service of the Lord. At that time one's connection is actually with Lord Kṛṣṇa, not with the body, which becomes a mere instrument for executing one's higher purpose.

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