Bhagavad Gita · Bhakti YogaChapter 12, Shloka 5 (12.5)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
क्लेशोऽधिकतरस्तेषाम् अव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम्
अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दुःखं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते
॥ 12.5 ॥
kleśo'dhikatarasteṣām avyaktāsaktacetasām
avyaktā hi gatirduḥkhaṃ dehavadbhiravāpyate
Translation
"For those whose minds are set on the unmanifest, the difficulty is far greater — for the unmanifest goal is reached with difficulty by embodied beings."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. yadyapi matkarmādiparāṇāṃ kleśaḥ adhika eva, kleśaḥ adhikataras tu akṣarātmanāṃ paramātmadarśināṃ dehābhimānaparityāganimittaḥ — devotees of action also face hardship, but the worshippers of the imperishable face more — because they must give up identification with the body; dehavadbhiḥ dehābhimānavadbhiḥ.
Acharya Ramanuja. avyaktā hi gatiḥ avyaktaviṣayā manovṛttiḥ dehavadbhiḥ dehātmābhimānayuktaiḥ duḥkhena avāpyate; dehavanto hi deham eva ātmānaṃ manyante — embodied beings take the body itself to be the self, so it is hard for them to keep the mind steady on the unmanifest.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.