SB 11.10.2 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

अन्वीक्षेत विशुद्धात्मा देहिनां विषयात्मनाम् । गुणेषु तत्त्वध्यानेन सर्वारम्भविपर्ययम् ॥ २ ॥

Verse text

anvīkṣeta viśuddhātmā dehināṁ viṣayātmanām guṇeṣu tattva-dhyānena sarvārambha-viparyayam

Synonyms

anvīkṣeta — one should see ; viśuddha — purified ; ātmā — soul ; dehinām — of the embodied beings ; viṣaya — ātmanām — of those who are dedicated to sense gratification ; guṇeṣu — in the material objects of pleasure ; tattva — as truth ; dhyānena — by conceiving ; sarva — of all ; ārambha — endeavors ; viparyayam — the inevitable failure .

Translation

A purified soul should see that because the conditioned souls who are dedicated to sense gratification have falsely accepted the objects of sense pleasure as truth, all of their endeavors are doomed to failure.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

By meditation on his spiritual goal in relation to happiness from sense objects, the purified soul should see that all endeavors of persons dedicated to material enjoyment give opposite results. How does one become free of material desires? By meditation on his spiritual goal in relation to the happiness derived from sense objects, one should see that all endeavors give opposite results. He should see this repeatedly. Becoming convinced of this, he then becomes devoid of material desires.

Purport

In this verse the Lord describes the process of becoming desireless. All material sense objects, including those perceived by their form, taste, flavor, touch or sound, are temporary. We now see our family and nation, but ultimately they will disappear. Even our own body, by which we perceive them, will disappear. Thus, the inevitable result of material enjoyment is viparyaya, or great suffering. The word viśuddhātmā indicates those who have purified themselves by executing the regulative duties of devotional service. They can clearly see the hopeless frustration of material life, and thus they become akāmātmā, or great souls free from material desire.