SB 8.24.47 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

जनोऽबुधोऽयं निजकर्मबन्धन: सुखेच्छया कर्म समीहतेऽसुखम् । यत्सेवया तां विधुनोत्यसन्मतिं ग्रन्थिं स भिन्द्याद् धृदयं स नो गुरु: ॥ ४७ ॥

Verse text

jano ’budho ’yaṁ nija-karma-bandhanaḥ sukhecchayā karma samīhate ’sukham yat-sevayā tāṁ vidhunoty asan-matiṁ granthiṁ sa bhindyād dhṛdayaṁ sa no guruḥ

Synonyms

janaḥ — the conditioned soul subjected to birth and death ; abudhaḥ — most foolish because of accepting the body as the self ; ayam — he ; nija — karma — bandhanaḥ — accepting different bodily forms as a result of his sinful activities ; sukha — icchayā — desiring to be happy within this material world ; karma — fruitive activities ; samīhate — plans ; asukham — but it is for distress only ; yat — sevayā — by rendering service unto whom ; tām — the entanglement of karma ; vidhunoti — clears up ; asat — matim — the unclean mentality (accepting the body as the self) ; granthim — hard knot ; saḥ — His Lordship the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; bhindyāt — being cut off ; hṛdayam — in the core of the heart ; saḥ — He (the Lord) ; naḥ — our ; guruḥ — the supreme spiritual master .

Translation

In hopes of becoming happy in this material world, the foolish conditioned soul performs fruitive activities that result only in suffering. But by rendering service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one becomes free from such false desires for happiness. May my supreme spiritual master cut the knot of false desires from the core of my heart.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Foolish people bound by their own actions perform actions with a desire for happiness, but those actions produce distress. You, by service to whom foolish people destroy those desires, should destroy the ignorance in our hearts which causes false conceptions. Except for you, there is no way of being delivered. The jīva (janaḥ) performs actions with a desire for happiness by which there is no real happiness (asukham). By service to you, they destroy those desires for happiness (tām). You destroy ignorance (granthim) situated in the heart.

Purport

For material happiness, the conditioned soul involves himself in fruitive activities, which actually put him into material distress. Because the conditioned soul does not know this, he is said to be in avidyā, or ignorance. Because of a false hope for happiness, the conditioned soul becomes involved in various plans for material activity. Here Mahārāja Satyavrata prays that the Lord sever this hard knot of false happiness and thus become his supreme spiritual master.