SB 9.8.22 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

ये देहभाजस्त्रिगुणप्रधाना गुणान् विपश्यन्त्युत वा तमश्च । यन्मायया मोहितचेतसस्त्वां विदु: स्वसंस्थं न बहि:प्रकाशा: ॥ २२ ॥

Verse text

ye deha-bhājas tri-guṇa-pradhānā guṇān vipaśyanty uta vā tamaś ca yan-māyayā mohita-cetasas tvāṁ viduḥ sva-saṁsthaṁ na bahiḥ-prakāśāḥ

Synonyms

ye — those persons who ; deha — bhājaḥ — have accepted the material body ; tri — guṇa — pradhānāḥ — influenced by the three modes of material nature ; guṇān — the manifestation of the three modes of material nature ; vipaśyanti — can see only ; uta — it is so said ; vā — either ; tamaḥ — the mode of ignorance ; ca — and ; yat — māyayā — by the illusory energy of whom ; mohita — has been bewildered ; cetasaḥ — the core of whose heart ; tvām — Your Lordship ; viduḥ — know ; sva — saṁstham — situated in one’s own body ; na — not ; bahiḥ — prakāśāḥ — those who can see only the products of external energy .

Translation

My Lord, You are fully situated in everyone’s heart, but the living entities, covered by the material body, cannot see You, for they are influenced by the external energy, conducted by the three modes of material nature. Their intelligence being covered by sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, they can see only the actions and reactions of these three modes of material nature. Because of the actions and reactions of the mode of ignorance, whether the living entities are awake or sleeping, they can see only the workings of material nature; they cannot see Your Lordship.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Persons with material bodies, dominated by the three guṇas, see only objects composed of the guṇas in waking and dream states, and see only tamas in deep sleep. Their minds are bewildered by your māyā, with knowledge only of external objects. They do not know you, situated in yourself. Those with material bodies, dominated by the three guṇas, see only objects of waking and dream states, or in deep sleep they see only tamas. They see nothing beyond the guṇas. Knowing only the external world, they do not know you who are situated in yourself (sva-saṁstham).

Purport

Unless one is situated in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, one is unable to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is situated in everyone’s heart. However, because the conditioned souls are influenced by material nature, they can see only the actions and reactions of material nature, but not the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One therefore must purify himself internally and externally: apavitraḥ pavitro vā sarvāvasthāṁ gato ’pi vā yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ To keep ourselves externally clean we should bathe three times daily, and for internal cleanliness we must cleanse the heart by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. The members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must always follow this principle ( bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ ). Then it will one day be possible to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face.