Devanagari
देहेन देहिनो राजन् देहाद्देहोऽभिजायते ।
बीजादेव यथा बीजं देह्यर्थ इव शाश्वत: ॥ ७ ॥
Verse text
dehena dehino rājan
dehād deho ’bhijāyate
bījād eva yathā bījaṁ
dehy artha iva śāśvataḥ
Synonyms
dehena
—
by the body
;
dehinaḥ
—
of the father possessing a material body
;
rājan
—
O King
;
dehāt
—
from the body (of the mother)
;
dehaḥ
—
another body
;
abhijāyate
—
takes birth
;
bījāt
—
from one seed
;
eva
—
indeed
;
yathā
—
just as
;
bījam
—
another seed
;
dehī
—
a person who has accepted a material body
;
arthaḥ
—
the material elements
;
iva
—
like
;
śāśvataḥ
—
eternal .
Translation
As from one seed another seed is generated, O King, so from one body [the body of the father], through another body [the body of the mother], a third body is generated [the body of a son]. As the elements of the material body are eternal, the living entity who appears through these material elements is also eternal.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Just as from one seed another seed is generated, O King, so by the body of the father another body, a son, is produced through the body of the mother. (Why do you lament, since the body is still here?) But the object called the jīva is eternal.
“What you said is true. I, a father, created by the Lord, produced a son, who is now dead. Therefore I lament.” The two sages respond. By the body of the father, the body of the son is born from the body of a mother, just as a seed is born from another seed. Since the body of the son which you produced is present before you now, why do you lament? This is the intention of the statement. “But I am lamenting because the jīva is not longer present.” They reply. The jīva is eternal. It is not produced by you. Thus you have no relationship at all with it.
Purport
From
Bhagavad-gītā
we understand that there are two energies, namely the superior energy and inferior energy. Inferior energy consists of the five gross and three subtle material elements. The living entity, who represents the superior energy, appears in different types of bodies through these elements by the manipulation or supervision of the material energy. Actually both the material and spiritual energies — matter and spirit — exist eternally as potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The potent entity is the Supreme Person. Since the spiritual energy, the living being, who is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, desires to enjoy this material world, the Lord gives him a chance to accept different types of material bodies and enjoy or suffer in different material conditions. Factually, the spiritual energy, the living entity who desires to enjoy material things, is manipulated by the Supreme Lord. The so-called father and mother have nothing to do with the living entity. As a result of his own choice and
karma,
the living being takes different bodies through the agency of so-called fathers and mothers.