Text 58]
King Citraketu Meets the Lord
159
of forgetfulness of one's constitutional position and that of the Supreme Lord, one comes into  māyā , or  saṁsāra —conditional life. In this regard, Madhvācārya says:
sarva-bhinnaṁ parātmānaṁ vismaran saṁsared iha abhinnaṁ saṁsmaran yāti tamo nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ
When one thinks that the living entity is nondifferent in all respects from the Supreme Lord, there is no doubt that he is in ignorance ( tamaḥ ).
TEXT 58
लब्ध्वेह मानुषीं योनिं ज्ञानविज्ञानसम्भवाम् । अत्मानं योन बुद्ध्येत न क्वचित् क्षेममाप्नुयात् ॥५८॥
labdhveha mānuṣīṁ yoniṁ jñāna-vijñāna-sambhavām ātmānaṁ yo na buddhyeta na kvacit kṣemam āpnuyāt
labdhvā—achieving; iha—in this material world (especially in this pious land of Bhārata-varṣa, India); mānuṣīṁ—the human; yoniṁ—species; jñāna—of knowledge through Vedic scriptures; vijñāna—and practical application of that knowledge in life; sambhavām—wherein there is a possibility; ātmānaṁ—one's real identity; yaḥ—anyone who; na—not; buddhyeta—understands; na—never; kvacit—at any time; kṣemam—success in life; āpnuyāt—can obtain.
TRANSLATION
A human being can attain perfection in life by self-realization through the Vedic literature and its practical application. This is possible especially for a human being born in India, the land of piety. A man who obtains birth in such a convenient position but does not understand his self is unable to achieve the highest perfection, even if he is exalted to life in the higher planetary systems.