Text 32] Pṛthu Mahārāja's Meeting with the Four Kumāras
929
there is no proper knowledge exhibited. Our original consciousness is Kṛṣṇa consciousness because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. When this consciousness is misguided and one is put into the material atmosphere, which pollutes the original consciousness, one thinks that he is a product of the material elements. Thus one loses his real remembrance of his position as part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just as a man who sleeps forgets himself. In this way, when the activities of proper consciousness are checked, all the activities of the lost soul are performed on a false basis. At the present moment human civilization is acting on a false platform of bodily identification; therefore it can be said that the people of the present age have lost their souls.
TEXT 32
नातः परतरो लोके पुंसः स्वर्थव्यतिक्रमः । यद्व्यन्यस्य प्रेषस्त्वमात्मनः स्वव्यतिक्रमात् ॥३२॥
nātaḥ parataro loke puṁsaḥ svārtha-vyatikramaḥ yadadhy anyasya preyastvam ātmanaḥ sva-vyatikramāt
na—not; ataḥ—after this; parataraḥ—greater; loke—in this world; puṁsaḥ—of the living entities; sva-artha—interest; vyatikramaḥ—obstruction; yadadhi—beyond that; anyasya—of others; preyastvam—to be more interesting; ātmanaḥ—for the self; sva—own; vyatikramāt—by obstruction.
TRANSLATION
There is no stronger obstruction to one's self-interest than thinking other subject matters to be more pleasing than one's self-realization.
PURPORT
Human life is especially meant for self-realization. Self refers to the Superself and the individual self, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entity. When, however, one becomes more interested in the body and bodily sense gratification, he creates for himself obstructions on the path of self-realization. By the influence of  māyā , one becomes more interested in sense gratification, which is prohibited in this world for those interested in self-realization. Instead of becoming interested in sense gratification, one should divert his activities to satisfy the senses of the Supreme Soul. Anything performed contrary to this principle is certainly against one's self-interest.