prÄyo dharmÄrtha-kÄmeá¹£u
vivitsÄyÄá¹ ca mÄnavÄḥ
hetunaiva samīhanta
Äyuá¹£o yaÅ›asaḥ Å›riyaḥ
prÄyaḥ - generally; dharma - in religiosity; artha - economic development; kÄmeá¹£u - and sense gratification; vivitsÄyÄm - in pursuit of spiritual knowledge; ca - also; mÄnavÄḥ - human beings; hetunÄ - for the purpose; eva - indeed; samÄ«hante - they endeavor; Äyuá¹£aḥ - of long life; yaÅ›asaḥ - fame; Å›riyaḥ - and material opulence.
Generally human beings work hard to cultivate religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and also knowledge of the soul, and their usual motive is to increase the duration of their lives, acquire fame and enjoy material opulence.
An intelligent person should understand that if there is an eternal soul different from the body, then real happiness must lie in our eternal situation, beyond the bondage of material nature. However, ordinary persons, even when discussing spiritual subject matters, generally desire to become famous or to increase their wealth and duration of life by such spiritual practices. Most common people think, for example, that the yoga system is meant for improving one’s health, that one may pray to God for money, and that one’s spiritual knowledge is meant for increasing one’s prestige in society. MahÄrÄja Yadu wants to clarify that the young brÄhmaṇa avadhÅ«ta is not like ordinary persons and that he is actually on a spiritual platform, as will be explained in the following verses.
