The Wedding Party

[Guest guest]

sb 10. 87.33

 

vijita-hrsika-vayubhir adanta-manas tura-gam

ya iha yatanti yantum ati-lolam upaya-khidah

vyasana-satanvitah samavahaya guros caranam

vanija ivaja santy akrta-karna-dhara jaladhau

SYNONYMS

vijita—conquered; hrsika—with senses; vayubhih—and vital air; adanta—not

brought under control; manah—the mind; tura-gam—(which is like) a horse;

ye—those who; iha—in this world; yatanti—endeavor; yantum—to regulate;

ati—very; lolam—unsteady; upaya—by their various methods of cultivation;

khidah—distressed; vyasana—disturbances; sata—by hundreds; anvitah—joined;

samavahaya—abandoning; guroh—of the spiritual master; caranam—the feet;

vanijah—merchants; iva—as if; aja—O unborn one; santi—they are; akrta—having

not taken; karna-dharah—a helmsman; jala-dhau—on the ocean.

TRANSLATION

The mind is like an impetuous horse that even persons who have regulated

their senses and breath cannot control. Those in this world who try to tame

the uncontrolled mind, but who abandon the feet of their spiritual master,

encounter hundreds of obstacles in their cultivation of various distressful

practices. O unborn Lord, they are like merchants on a boat in the ocean who

have failed to employ a helmsman.

 

Sb 7.5.31

 

na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum

durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah

andha yathandhair upaniyamanas

te 'pisa-tantryam uru-damni baddhah

SYNONYMS

na—not; te—they; viduh—know; sva-artha-gatim—the ultimate goal of life, or

their own real interest; hi—indeed; visnum—Lord Visnu and His abode;

durasayah—being ambitious to enjoy this material world; ye—who;

bahih—external sense objects; artha-maninah—considering as valuable;

andhah—persons who are blind; yatha—just as; andhaih—by other blind men;

upaniyamanah—being led; te—they; api—although; isa-tantryam—to the ropes

(laws) of material nature; uru—having very strong; damni—cords;

baddhah—bound.

TRANSLATION

Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material

life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar

blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the

goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service

of Lord Visnu. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path

and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially

attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of

very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life,

suffering the threefold miseries.

 

TridaNDi BhikSu, Bhakti Visrambha MAdhava