SB 3.31.24 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

पतितो भुव्यसृङ्‌मिश्र: विष्ठाभूरिव चेष्टते । रोरूयति गते ज्ञाने विपरीतां गतिं गत: ॥ २४ ॥

Verse text

patito bhuvy asṛṅ-miśraḥ viṣṭhā-bhūr iva ceṣṭate rorūyati gate jṣāne viparītāṁ gatiṁ gataḥ

Synonyms

patitaḥ — fallen ; bhuvi — on the earth ; asṛk — with blood ; miśraḥ — smeared ; viṣṭhā — bhūḥ — a worm ; iva — like ; ceṣṭate — he moves his limbs ; rorūyati — cries loudly ; gate — being lost ; jṣāne — his wisdom ; viparītām — the opposite ; gatim — state ; gataḥ — gone to .

Translation

The child thus falls on the ground, smeared with stool and blood, and plays just like a worm germinated from the stool. He loses his superior knowledge and cries under the spell of māyā.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Falling on the ground, smeared with blood, he moves around like a worm and cries loudly. Having lost knowledge of his previous existence, he enters into ignorance. He moves like a worm (viṣṭhā-bhūḥ). Rorūyati should be rorūyate. His knowledge of previous existence is gone (gate jṣāne) and becomes forgetful of that state (viparītāṁ gatim). Even the devotee jīva’s knowledge is generally covered from childhood because of the nature of things. By a little association, he has his previous impressions aroused, and attains the Lord by his devotion.