Devanagari
देहेन्द्रियप्राणमनोऽभिमानो
जीवोऽन्तरात्मा गुणकर्ममूर्ति: ।
सूत्रं महानित्युरुधेव गीत:
संसार आधावति कालतन्त्र: ॥ १६ ॥
Verse text
dehendriya-prāṇa-mano-’bhimāno
jīvo ’ntar-ātmā guṇa-karma-mūrtiḥ
sūtraṁ mahān ity urudheva gītaḥ
saṁsāra ādhāvati kāla-tantraḥ
Synonyms
deha
—
with the material body
;
indriya
—
senses
;
prāṇa
—
life air
;
manaḥ
—
and mind
;
abhimānaḥ
—
who is falsely identifying
;
jīvaḥ
—
the living entity
;
antaḥ
—
situated within
;
ātmā
—
the soul
;
guṇa
—
according to his material qualities
;
karma
—
and work
;
mūrtiḥ
—
assuming his form
;
sūtram
—
the sūtra-tattva
;
mahān
—
the original form of material nature
;
iti
—
thus
;
urudhā
—
in many different ways
;
iva
—
indeed
;
gītaḥ
—
described
;
saṁsāre
—
in material life
;
ādhāvati
—
he runs about
;
kāla
—
of time
;
tantraḥ
—
under the strict control .
Translation
The living entity who falsely identifies with his body, senses, life air and mind, and who dwells within these coverings, assumes the form of his own materially conditioned qualities and work. He is designated variously in relation to the total material energy, and thus, under the strict control of supreme time, he is forced to run here and there within material existence.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The ahaṅkāra, which is a covering on the jīva, which assumes its form by the guṇas and karma, which is called by many names such as sūtra, mahat-tattva, body, senses life air and mind, and which is dependent on the Lord, makes the jīva accept its qualities for continuation of saṁsāra.
“If lamentation and joy are qualities of ahaṅkāra, not the ātmā, why does the ātmā accept those qualities and experience the suffering of saṁsāra? No one will accept someone else’s qualities if they give him suffering.” Ahaṅkāra (abhimānaḥ) is an imposition on the jīva (jīvaḥ), which takes its form by the guṇas and karma. It makes the jīva receive its qualities (ādhāvati) for continuing saṁsāra. Ahaṅkāra is subservient to the Lord called kāla-- one who pushes (kalayati). It is called by many names such as “body” in the scriptures concerning jṣāna. Body, senses, life air and mind are a dvandva compound in the singular. Antarātmā is intelligence. The jīva, bound by ignorance in the form of ahaṅkāra, falls into suffering in saṁsāra.
Purport
False ego, which causes the living entity to suffer material existence, is here described in detail as the illusory identification with the material body, senses, life air and mind. The word
kāla
refers directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who imposes the limiting segments of time upon the conditioned souls, keeping them tightly bound under the laws of nature. Liberation is not an impersonal experience; liberation is attainment of one’s eternal body, senses, mind and intelligence in the association of the Personality of Godhead. We can revive our eternal, liberated personality, free from the contamination of false ego, by dedicating ourselves to the loving service of the Lord in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When the pure spirit soul accepts the false ego, he must undergo material suffering. One automatically conquers the false ego by accepting oneself, in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to be the eternal servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa.