1152 Stimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 3, Ch. 27
he has five active senses and five knowledge-acquiring senses. In this way
he merges in matter. But even while merged in the twenty-four elements
of matter, he can keep his individuality as the eternal servitor of the Lord.
Either in the spiritual nature or in the material nature, such a servitor is to
be considered a liberated soul. That is the explanation of the authorities,
and it is confirmed in this verse.
TEXT 15
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ACSTET FA ATT «AAT: 24M
manyamanas tadatmanam
anasto nastavan mrsa
naste “*hankarane drasta
nasta-vitta ivdturah

manyamanah—thinking; tadé—then; a@tmanam—himself; anastah—al-
though not lost; nasta-vat—as lost; mrsa—falsely ; naste aharkarane—because
of the disappearance of the ego; drastd—the seer; nasta-vittah—one who has
lost his fortune; iva—like; Gturah— distressed.

TRANSLATION

Although the living entity can vividly feel his existence as the seer,
still, because of the disappearance of the ego during the state of deep
sleep, he falsely takes himself to be lost, like a man who has lost his
fortune and feels distressed, thinking himself to be lost.

PURPORT

Only in ignorance does a living entity think that he is lost. If by
attainment of knowledge he comes to the real position of his eternal
existence, then he knows that he is not lost. An appropriate example is
mentioned herein: nasta-vitta ivdturah. A person who has lost a great sum
of money may think that he is lost, but actually he is not lost—only his
money is lost. But due to his absorption in the money or identification
with the money, he thinks that he is lost. Similarly, when we falsely
identify with matter as our field of activities, then we think that we are
lost, although actually we are not. As soon as a person is awakened to the
