Canto 6: Prescribed Duties for MankindChapter 16: King Citraketu Meets the Supreme Lord

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.16.8

evaḿ yoni-gato jīvaḥ

sa nityo nirahańkṛtaḥ

yāvad yatropalabhyeta

tāvat svatvaḿ hi tasya tat

SYNONYMS

evam — thus; yoni-gataḥ — being within a specific species of life; jīvaḥ — the living entity; saḥhe; nityaḥ — eternal; nirahańkṛtaḥ — without identification with the body; yāvatas long as; yatra — where; upalabhyetahe may be found; tāvat — that long; svatvam — the concept of self; hi — indeed; tasya — of him; tat — that.

TRANSLATION

Even though one living entity becomes connected with another because of a relationship based on bodies that are perishable, the living entity is eternal. Actually it is the body that is born or lost, not the living entity. One should not accept that the living entity takes birth or dies. The living being actually has no relationship with so-called fathers and mothers. As long as he appears as the son of a certain father and mother as a result of his past fruitive activities, he has a connection with the body given by that father and mother. Thus he falsely accepts himself as their son and acts affectionately. After he dies, however, the relationship is finished. Under these circumstances, one should not be falsely involved with jubilation and lamentation.

PURPORT

When the living entity lives within the material body, he falsely thinks that he is the body, although actually he is not. His relationship with his body and his so-called father and mother are false, illusory conceptions. These illusions continue as long as one is not enlightened about the situation of the living entity.

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