Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.25.34

ihādya santam ātmānaḿ

vidāma na tataḥ param

yeneyaḿ nirmitā vīra

purī śaraṇam ātmanaḥ

SYNONYMS

iha — here; adya — today; santam — existing; ātmānam — living entities; vidāma — that much we know; na — not; tataḥ param — beyond that; yena — by whom; iyam — this; nirmitā — created; vīra — O great hero; purī — city; śaraṇam — resting place; ātmanaḥ — of all living entities.

TRANSLATION

O great hero, we only know that we are existing in this place. We do not know what will come after. Indeed, we are so foolish that we do not care to understand who has created this beautiful place for our residence.

PURPORT

This lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is called ignorance. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.5.5) it is called parābhavas tāvad abodha jātaḥ. Everyone is born ignorant. The Bhāgavatam therefore says that we are all born ignorant within this material world. In our ignorance we may create nationalism, philanthropy, internationalism, science, philosophy and so many other things. The basic principle behind all these is ignorance. What then is the value of all this advancement of knowledge if the basic principle is ignorance? Unless a person comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all of his activities are defeated. This human form of life is especially meant to dissipate ignorance, but without understanding how to dissipate ignorance people are planning and building many things. After death, however, all of this is finished.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness