Shloka 7
Ṛṣabhadeva Instructs His Sons: Tapasya, Mahātmā-Sevā, and Cutting the Heart-Knot
यदा न पश्यत्ययथा गुणेहां स्वार्थे प्रमत्त: सहसा विपश्चित् । गतस्मृतिर्विन्दति तत्र तापा- नासाद्य मैथुन्यमगारमज्ञ: ॥ ७ ॥
yadā na paśyaty ayathā guṇehāṁ svārthe pramattaḥ sahasā vipaścit gata-smṛtir vindati tatra tāpān āsādya maithunyam agāram ajñaḥ
Walaupun berilmu, jika tidak melihat permainan guṇa ini sebagaimana adanya dan mabuk oleh kepentingan diri, dia lupa tujuan sejati; lalu berpaut pada rumah yang berasaskan hubungan seksual dan hanya meraih pelbagai derita.
In the lowest stage of devotional life, one is not an unalloyed devotee. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam: to be an unalloyed devotee, one must be freed from all material desires and untouched by fruitive activity and speculative knowledge. On the lower platform, one may sometimes be interested in philosophical speculation with a tinge of devotion. However, at that stage one is still interested in sense gratification and is contaminated by the modes of material nature. The influence of māyā is so strong that even a person advanced in knowledge actually forgets that he is Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servant. Therefore he remains satisfied in his householder life, which is centered around sexual intercourse. Conceding to a life of sex, he agrees to suffer all kinds of material miseries. Due to ignorance, one is thus bound by the chain of material laws.
FAQs
This verse explains that when intelligence is overwhelmed by selfish, mode-driven desires, one loses clear vision and memory, enters a life centered on sexual enjoyment, and consequently suffers many miseries.
He is cautioning his sons that when home life is built primarily on sense pleasure rather than dharma and devotion, it binds the soul, clouds discrimination, and produces repeated distress.
Regularly check whether decisions are driven by selfish pleasure; strengthen memory of spiritual goals through sādhana (hearing, chanting, association), and keep relationships guided by responsibility, restraint, and devotion rather than impulse.