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Canto 7 · The Science of God · 15 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.15.60

Who is speaking and story frame

धातवोऽवयवित्वाच्च तन्मात्रावयवैर्विना ।

न स्युर्ह्यसत्यवयविन्यसन्नवयवोऽन्तत: ॥ ६० ॥

dhātavo ’vayavitvāc ca

tan-mātrāvayavair vinā

na syur hy asaty avayaviny

asann avayavo ’ntataḥ

Translation

Because the body is formed of the five elements, it cannot exist without the subtle sense objects. Therefore, since the body is false, the sense objects are also naturally false or temporary.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Body and Sense Objects Are Temporary

  1. 1

    The body is formed of five elements. It cannot exist without the subtle sense objects.

  2. 2

    The body is described as false or temporary. Its existence is not lasting.

  3. 3

    The sense objects on which the body depends are also temporary. They do not provide a permanent reality.

How it feels

Seriousness → Principled living. The example of bhakti becomes a guide to daily life.

Chapters 11–15 of Canto 7: Teachings on social and spiritual conduct. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 15: Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Those who follow the paths of pitṛ-yāna and deva-yāna are never bewildered, even while in the material body. A monistic philosopher who gradually develops control of the senses understands that the objective of all the different āśramas, the statuses of life, is salvation.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.15
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dhātavaḥthe five elements
  2. avayavitvātbeing the cause of the bodily conception
  3. caand
  4. tat-mātrathe sense objects (sound, taste, touch, etc.)
  5. avayavaiḥthe subtle parts
  6. vināwithout
  7. nanot
  8. syuḥcan exist
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which temporary sense object am I treating as though it could give lasting satisfaction?

Practice

Pause before one sensory enjoyment today and remind yourself that both the body and its sense objects are temporary.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBody and Sense Objects Are TemporaryThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 7.15.60? Get an answer from the verses themselves.