Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 16
Nondual Vision Beyond Praise and Blame
Dvandva-nivṛtti and Ātma-viveka
देहेन्द्रियप्राणमनोऽभिमानो जीवोऽन्तरात्मा गुणकर्ममूर्ति: । सूत्रं महानित्युरुधेव गीत: संसार आधावति कालतन्त्र: ॥ १६ ॥
dehendriya-prāṇa-mano-’bhimāno jīvo ’ntar-ātmā guṇa-karma-mūrtiḥ sūtraṁ mahān ity urudheva gītaḥ saṁsāra ādhāvati kāla-tantraḥ
Makhluk hidup yang tersalah anggap tubuh, indera, prana dan minda sebagai ‘aku’ tinggal di dalam selubung itu sebagai atma batin dan mengambil bentuk menurut guna dan karma; berkait dengan tenaga material menyeluruh ia disebut dengan pelbagai nama, dan di bawah kawalan Kala Tertinggi ia dipaksa berlari ke sana sini dalam samsara.
False ego, which causes the living entity to suffer material existence, is here described in detail as the illusory identification with the material body, senses, life air and mind. The word kāla refers directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who imposes the limiting segments of time upon the conditioned souls, keeping them tightly bound under the laws of nature. Liberation is not an impersonal experience; liberation is attainment of one’s eternal body, senses, mind and intelligence in the association of the Personality of Godhead. We can revive our eternal, liberated personality, free from the contamination of false ego, by dedicating ourselves to the loving service of the Lord in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When the pure spirit soul accepts the false ego, he must undergo material suffering. One automatically conquers the false ego by accepting oneself, in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to be the eternal servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
FAQs
This verse explains that the jīva becomes bound when he falsely identifies with the body, senses, prāṇa, and mind; that misidentification drives his journey through saṁsāra under the control of time.
In the Uddhava-gītā teachings, Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava in self-knowledge and liberation; here He analyzes how the jīva’s ego-based identification with material coverings causes repeated embodiment through guṇa and karma.
Practice observing the body and mind as instruments rather than ‘I’; reduce ego-driven reactions, act without karmic obsession, and cultivate devotion and discrimination so time no longer drags one helplessly through anxiety and repeated attachments.