Text 4] Understanding Material Nature 1137
TEXT 4
at afresh daft frata |
Te Rea aASATTTA TA Uv UI
arthe hy avidyamane ‘pi
samsrtir na nivartate
dhyayato visaydn asya
svapne ‘narthagamo yatha

arthe—real cause; hi—certainly; avid yamane—not existing; api—although;
samsrtih—the material existential condition; na— not; nivartate— does cease;
dhyayatah—contemplating; visaydn—objects of the senses; asya—of the
living entity; svapne—in a dream; anartha—of disadvantages; dgamah—
arrival; yatha—like.

TRANSLATION

Actually a living entity is transcendental to material existence, but
because of his mentality to lord it over material nature, his material
existential condition does not cease, and, just as in a dream, he is affected.
by all sorts of disadvantages.

PURPORT

The example of a dream is very appropriate. Due to different mental
conditions, in dreams we are put into advantageous and disadvantageous
positions. Similarly, the spirit soul has nothing to do with this material
nature, but because of his mentality to lord it over, he is put into the
position of conditional existence.

Conditional existence is described here as dhyayato vigayan asya.
Visaya means an object of enjoyment. As long as one continues to think
that he can enjoy material advantages, then he is in conditioned life, but
as soon as he comes to his senses, he develops the knowledge that he is not
the enjoyer, for the only enjoyer is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (Bg. 5.29), He is the beneficiary for all the
results of sacrifices and penances (bhoktaram yajiia-tapasam), and He is
the proprietor of all the three worlds (sarva-loka-mahesvaram). He is
the actual friend of all living entities. But instead of leaving proprietor-
ship, enjoyment and the actual position as the friend of all living entities
to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we claim that we are the propri-
etors, the enjoyers and the friends. We perform philanthropic work,
