SB 10.14.52 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

देहात्मवादिनां पुंसामपि राजन्यसत्तम । यथा देह: प्रियतमस्तथा न ह्यनु ये च तम् ॥ ५२ ॥

Verse text

dehātma-vādināṁ puṁsām api rājanya-sattama yathā dehaḥ priyatamas tathā na hy anu ye ca tam

Synonyms

deha — ātma — vādinām — who ascribe to the view that the body is the self ; puṁsām — for persons ; api — indeed ; rājanya — sat — tama — O best of kings ; yathā — as ; dehaḥ — the body ; priya — tamaḥ — most dear ; tathā — thus ; na — not ; hi — certainly ; anu — relative ; ye — which things ; ca — and ; tam — to that .

Translation

Indeed, for persons who think the body is the self, O best of kings, those things whose importance lies only in their relationship to the body are never as dear as the body itself.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Indeed, for persons who think the body is the self, O best of kings, those things whose importance lies only in their relationship to the body are never as dear as the body itself. KB 10.14.52 The next important object of affection, after his own self, is his material body. A person who has no information of the spirit soul is very much attached to his material body, …

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Fools consider the self to be the body. From their point of view this verse is spoken. The attachment of such persons for their own body (self) is more than for sons, wealth and house.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Dehātma-vādinām refers to those people who are extremely undiscriminating, thinking the body to be the self. Even they, however, take the self as most dear. By identifying the self with the body, the body becomes dearest. Hi means “certainly.” Ca means “but.” O best of kings! Those kings who think the body is the self are not good. Those who understand the ātmā are good. Those who understand the Lord are better. Those who have affection for Kṛṣṇa alone are the best. Thus you are the best king (rājanya-sattama).