ÄtmÄnaá¹ ced vijÄnÄ«yÄt
paraá¹ jñÄna-dhutÄÅ›ayaḥ
kim icchan kasya vÄ hetor
dehaá¹ puṣṇÄti lampaá¹aḥ
ÄtmÄnam - the soul; cet - if; vijÄnÄ«yÄt - one understands; param - supreme; jñÄna - by knowledge; dhuta - thrown off; ÄÅ›ayaḥ - material desires; kim - what; icchan - desiring; kasya - what; vÄ - or; hetoḥ - for reason; deham - the material body; puṣṇÄti - maintains; lampaá¹aḥ - debauchee.
“ ‘If one’s heart has been cleansed by perfect knowledge and one has understood Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Brahman, he then gains everything. Why should such a person act like a debauchee by trying to maintain his material body very carefully?’ â€
This verse (BhÄg. 7.15.40) was spoken by NÄrada to Yudhiá¹£á¹hira MahÄrÄja regarding a householder’s liberation from material bondage. On the spiritual platform, one does not unnecessarily care for the body. ÅšrÄ«la Narottama dÄsa ṬhÄkura has said, deha-smá¹›ti nÄhi yÄra, saá¹sÄra bandhana kÄhÄá¹… tÄra. One who is spiritually situated does not think that he is the body. Therefore he can transcendentally execute severe penances in the renounced order of life. The best example of such renunciation is RaghunÄtha dÄsa GosvÄmÄ«.
