Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 1
The Forest of Material Existence (Saṁsāra-vana) and the Delivering Path of Bharata’s Teachings
स होवाच स एष देहात्ममानिनां सत्त्वादिगुणविशेषविकल्पितकुशलाकुशलसमवहारविनिर्मितविविधदेहावलिभिर्वियोगसंयोगाद्यनादिसंसारानुभवस्य द्वारभूतेनषडिन्द्रियवर्गेण तस्मिन्दुर्गाध्ववदसुगमेऽध्वन्यापतित ईश्वरस्य भगवतो विष्णोर्वशवर्तिन्या मायया जीवलोकोऽयं यथा वणिक्सार्थोऽर्थपर: स्वदेहनिष्पादितकर्मानुभव: श्मशानवदशिवतमायां संसाराटव्यां गतो नाद्यापि विफलबहुप्रतियोगेहस्तत्तापोपशमनीं हरिगुरुचरणारविन्दमधुकरानुपदवीमवरुन्धे ॥ १ ॥
sa hovāca sa eṣa dehātma-mānināṁ sattvādi-guṇa-viśeṣa-vikalpita-kuśalāku-śala-samavahāra-vinirmita-vividha-dehāvalibhir viyoga-saṁyogādy-anādi-saṁsārānubhavasya dvāra-bhūtena ṣaḍ-indriya-vargeṇa tasmin durgādhvavad asugame ’dhvany āpatita īśvarasya bhagavato viṣṇor vaśa-vartinyā māyayā jīva-loko ’yaṁ yathā vaṇik-sārtho ’rtha-paraḥ sva-deha-niṣpādita-karmānubhavaḥ śmaśānavad aśivatamāyāṁ saṁsārāṭavyāṁ gato nādyāpi viphala-bahu-pratiyogehas tat-tāpopaśamanīṁ hari-guru-caraṇāravinda-madhukarānupadavīm avarundhe.
Śrī Śukadeva répondit : Ô roi, l’être vivant qui se prend pour le corps, sous l’influence des différences des guṇa (sattva, rajas, tamas) et des échanges de karma favorable ou défavorable, reçoit une suite de corps variés et fait l’expérience du saṁsāra sans commencement par l’union et la séparation. La porte de cette expérience est le groupe des six sens ; par eux il tombe dans ce « bois » matériel aux chemins difficiles. Sous l’emprise de māyā, l’énergie externe soumise à Bhagavān Viṣṇu, il est dominé. Comme un marchand avide pénètre dans la forêt du monde, funeste comme un lieu de crémation, et erre en goûtant les fruits de ses actes, ainsi le jīva endure, dans la chaîne des corps, des peines tantôt sévères, tantôt mêlées. Bien qu’il cherche l’apaisement, il échoue le plus souvent et n’obtient pas encore la compagnie des dévots purs, tels des bourdons au service des pieds de lotus de Hari.
The most important information in this verse is hari-guru-caraṇa-aravinda-madhukara-anupadavīm. In this material world the conditioned souls are baffled by their activities, and sometimes they are relieved after great difficulty. On the whole the conditioned soul is never happy. He simply struggles for existence. Actually his only business is to accept the spiritual master, the guru, and through him he must accept the lotus feet or the Lord. This is explained by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja. People struggling for existence in the forests or cities of the material world are not actually enjoying life. They are simply suffering different pains and pleasures, generally pains that are always inauspicious. They try to gain release from these pains, but they cannot due to ignorance. For them it is stated in the Vedas: tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet. When the living entity is lost in the forest of the material world, in the struggle for existence, his first business is to find a bona fide guru who is always engaged at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. After all, if he is at all eager to be relieved of the struggle for existence, he must find a bona fide guru and take instructions at his lotus feet. In this way he can get out of the struggle.
FAQs
This verse describes the conditioned soul wandering in an inauspicious “forest of saṁsāra,” driven by māyā under Viṣṇu’s control, pursuing profit-like goals and repeatedly suffering karmic results.
Because only the shelter of Hari-guru—followed by the bee-like devotees—can pacify the burning misery caused by futile sense-driven endeavors and beginningless wandering through many bodies.
Reduce identity centered on the body and senses, recognize repeated “profit-chasing” as often futile, and adopt a practical bhakti shelter—regular hearing/chanting and guidance under a genuine guru—to cool material anxieties.