Devanagari
इदं शरीरं पुरुषस्य मोहजं
यथा पृथग्भौतिकमीयते गृहम् ।
यथौदकै: पार्थिवतैजसैर्जन:
कालेन जातो विकृतो विनश्यति ॥ ४२ ॥
Verse text
idaṁ śarīraṁ puruṣasya mohajaṁ
yathā pṛthag bhautikam īyate gṛham
yathaudakaiḥ pārthiva-taijasair janaḥ
kālena jāto vikṛto vinaśyati
Synonyms
idam
—
this
;
śarīram
—
body
;
puruṣasya
—
of the conditioned soul
;
moha
—
jam — born of ignorance
;
yathā
—
just as
;
pṛthak
—
separate
;
bhautikam
—
material
;
īyate
—
is seen
;
gṛham
—
a house
;
yathā
—
just as
;
udakaiḥ
—
with water
;
pārthiva
—
with earth
;
taijasaiḥ
—
and with fire
;
janaḥ
—
the conditioned soul
;
kālena
—
in due course of time
;
jātaḥ
—
born
;
vikṛtaḥ
—
transformed
;
vinaśyati
—
is vanquished .
Translation
Just as a householder, although different from the identity of his house, thinks his house to be identical with him, so the conditioned soul, due to ignorance, accepts the body to be himself, although the body is actually different from the soul. This body is obtained through a combination of portions of earth, water and fire, and when the earth, water and fire are transformed in the course of time, the body is vanquished. The soul has nothing to do with this creation and dissolution of the body.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The body is produced from bewilderment of the jīva. Paramātmā is different from the body just as the person living in a house is different from the house. The material body made of water, earth and fire is born, matures and dies in time.
This verse explained the Lord’s being different. The body is produced out of bewilderment of the jīva. It is different from the Paramātmā situated within it, just a house with walls and doors is different from the person living in the house. The difference is further explained. Just as foam made of water particles, a pot made of clay, and earrings made from fire are produced and then destroyed, the body, produced from atoms of water, earth and fire, is born, develops and then is destroyed. However, this is not so for the ātmā.
Purport
We transmigrate from one body to another in bodies that are products of our illusion, but as spirit souls we always exist separately from material, conditional life. The example given here is that a house or car is always different from its owner, but because of attachment the conditioned soul thinks it to be identical with him. A car or house is actually made of material elements; as long as the material elements combine together properly, the car or house exists, and when they are disassembled the house or the car is disassembled. The spirit soul, however, always remains as he is.