1334 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 3, Ch. 31
a body for self-control; aparafi—another; sva-dehe—in his body; yat—by
the Supreme Lord; srstaya—endowed; dsam—was; tam—Him; aham—I;
purugam—person; purapam—oldest; pasye—see; bahih—outside; hydi—in
the heart; ca—and; caityam—the source of the ego; tva—indeed; pratitam—
recognized.

TRANSLATION

The living entity in another type of body sees only by instinct; he knows
only the agreeable and disagreeable sense perceptions of that particular
body. But I have a body in which I can control my senses and can
understand my destination; therefore, I offer my respectful obeisances to
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by whom I have been blessed with
this body, and by whose grace I can see Him within and without.

PURPORT

The evolutionary process of different types of bodies is something like
that of a fructifying flower. Just as there are different stages in the growth
of a flower—the bud stage, the blooming stage and the full-fledged, grown-
up stage of aroma and beauty—similarly, there are 8,400,000 species of
bodies in gradual evolution, and there is systematic progress from the low-
er species of life to the higher. The human form of life is supposed to be
the highest, for it offers consciousness for getting out of the clutches of
birth and death. The fortunate child in the womb of his mother realizes his
superior position and is thereby distinguished from other bodies. Animals
in bodies lower than that of the human being are conscious only as far as
their bodily distress and happiness are concerned; they cannot think of
more than their bodily necessities of life—eating, sleeping, mating and de-
fending. But in the human form of life, by the grace of God, the
consciousness is so developed that a man can evaluate his exceptional
position and thus realize the self and the Supreme Lord.

The word dama-sariri means that we have a body in which we can
control the senses and the mind. The complication of materialistic life is
due to an uncontrolled mind and uncontrolled senses. One should feel
grateful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead for having obtained such
a nice human form of body, and he should properly utilize it. The
distinction between an animal and a man is that the animal cannot control
himself and has no sense of decency, whereas the human being has the
sense of decency and can control himself. If this controlling power is not
exhibited by the human being, then he is no better than an animal. By
controlling the senses, or by the process of yoga regulation, one can under-
