Devanagari
तावानयं व्यवहार: सदावि:क्षेत्रज्ञसाक्ष्यो भवति स्थूलसूक्ष्म:
तस्मान्मनो लिङ्गमदो वदन्तिगुणागुणत्वस्य परावरस्य ॥ ७ ॥
Verse text
tāvān ayaṁ vyavahāraḥ sadāviḥ
kṣetrajṣa-sākṣyo bhavati sthūla-sūkṣmaḥ
tasmān mano liṅgam ado vadanti
guṇāguṇatvasya parāvarasya
Synonyms
tāvān
—
until that time
;
ayam
—
this
;
vyavahāraḥ
—
the artificial designations (being fat or skinny, or belonging to the demigods or human beings)
;
sadā
—
always
;
āviḥ
—
manifesting
;
kṣetra
—
jṣa — of the living entity
;
sākṣyaḥ
—
testimony
;
bhavati
—
is
;
sthūla
—
sūkṣmaḥ — fat and skinny
;
tasmāt
—
therefore
;
manaḥ
—
the mind
;
liṅgam
—
the cause
;
adaḥ
—
this
;
vadanti
—
they say
;
guṇa
—
aguṇatvasya — of being absorbed in material qualities or devoid of material qualities
;
para
—
avarasya — and of lower and higher conditions of life .
Translation
The mind makes the living entity within this material world wander through different species of life, and thus the living entity experiences mundane affairs in different forms as a human being, demigod, fat person, skinny person and so forth. Learned scholars say that bodily appearance, bondage and liberation are caused by the mind.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Saṁsāra, created by the mind, manifested as the practical, material world, with waking and dream states, constantly witnessed by the knower of the field. They say that the mind is the cause of bondage and liberation, which are known as the inferior and superior states of existence.
Saṁsāra caused by the mind is called the practical material world. In this way the material world makes its appearance (āviḥ), always seen by the knower of the field, in waking and dreaming states (sthūla-sūkṣmaḥ). The happiness of the self, which is called truth, is caused by the mind. Therefore that mind alone is the cause (liṅgam) of saṁsāra (guṇa) and liberation (aguṇatvasya), which are low (avarasya) and high (para) conditions for the jīva. The order of the two words para and avara should be reversed to correspond to guṇa and aguṇatvasya.
Purport
Just as the mind is the cause of bondage, it can also be the cause of liberation. The mind is described here as
para-avara,
para
means transcendental, and
avara
means material. When the mind is engaged in the Lord’s service (
sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ
), it is called
para,
transcendental. When the mind is engaged in material sense gratification, it is called
avara,
or material. At the present moment, in our conditioned state, our mind is fully absorbed in material sense gratification, but it can be purified and brought to its original Kṛṣṇa consciousness by the process of devotional service. We have often given the example of Ambarīṣa Mahārāja.
Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane.
The mind must be controlled in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The tongue can be utilized to spread the message of Kṛṣṇa and glorify the Lord or take
prasāda,
the remnants of food offered to Kṛṣṇa.
Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau:
when one utilizes the tongue in the service of the Lord, the other senses can become purified. As stated in the
Nārada-paṣcarātra, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam:
when the mind and senses are purified, one’s total existence is purified, and one’s designations are also purified. One no longer considers himself a human being, a demigod, cat, dog, Hindu, Muslim and so forth. When the senses and mind are purified and one is fully engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service, one can be liberated and return home, back to Godhead.