देह्यज्ञोऽजितषड्वर्गो नेच्छन्कर्माणि कार्यते । कोशकार इवात्मानं कर्मणाच्छाद्य मुह्यति ॥ ५२ ॥
dehy ajno ’jita-sad-vargo necchan karmani karyate kosakara ivatmanam karmanacchadya muhyati
- dehi
- the embodied soul
- ajnah
- without perfect knowledge
- ajita-sat-vargah
- who has not controlled the senses of perception and the mind
- na icchan
- without desiring
- karmani
- activities for material benefit
- karyate
- is caused to perform
- kosakarah
- the silkworm
- iva
- like
- atmanam
- himself
- karmana
- by fruitive activities
- acchadya
- covering
- muhyati
- becomes bewildered.
The foolish embodied living entity, inept at controlling his senses and mind, is forced to act according to the influence of the modes of material nature, against his desires. He is like a silkworm that uses its own saliva to create a cocoon and then becomes trapped in it, with no possibility of getting out. The living entity traps himself in a network of his own fruitive activities and then can find no way to release himself. Thus he is always bewildered, and repeatedly he dies.