jano 'budho 'yaṠnija-karma-bandhanaḥ
sukhecchayÄ karma samÄ«hate 'sukham
yat-sevayÄ tÄá¹ vidhunoty asan-matiá¹
granthiá¹ sa bhindyÄd dhá¹›dayaá¹ sa no guruḥ
janaḥ - the conditioned soul subjected to birth and death; abudhaḥ - most foolish because of accepting the body as the self; ayam - he; nija-karma-bandhanaḥ - accepting different bodily forms as a result of his sinful activities; sukha-icchayÄ - desiring to be happy within this material world; karma - fruitive activities; samÄ«hate - plans; asukham - but it is for distress only; yat-sevayÄ - by rendering service unto whom; tÄm - the entanglement of karma; vidhunoti - clears up; asat-matim - the unclean mentality (accepting the body as the self); granthim - hard knot; saḥ - His Lordship the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhindyÄt - being cut off; há¹›dayam - in the core of the heart; saḥ - He (the Lord); naḥ - our; guruḥ - the supreme spiritual master.
For material happiness, the conditioned soul involves himself in fruitive activities, which actually put him into material distress. Because the conditioned soul does not know this, he is said to be in avidyÄ, or ignorance. Because of a false hope for happiness, the conditioned soul becomes involved in various plans for material activity. Here MahÄrÄja Satyavrata prays that the Lord sever this hard knot of false happiness and thus become his supreme spiritual master.