ŚB 12.5.7
Devanagari
स्नेहाधिष्ठानवर्त्यग्निसंयोगो यावदीयते ।
तावद्दीपस्य दीपत्वमेवं देहकृतो भव: ।
रज:सत्त्वतमोवृत्त्या जायतेऽथ विनश्यति ॥ ७ ॥
तावद्दीपस्य दीपत्वमेवं देहकृतो भव: ।
रज:सत्त्वतमोवृत्त्या जायतेऽथ विनश्यति ॥ ७ ॥
Verse text
snehādhiṣṭhāna-varty-agni-
saṁyogo yāvad īyate
tāvad dīpasya dīpatvam
evaṁ deha-kṛto bhavaḥ
rajaḥ-sattva-tamo-vṛttyā
jāyate ’tha vinaśyati
saṁyogo yāvad īyate
tāvad dīpasya dīpatvam
evaṁ deha-kṛto bhavaḥ
rajaḥ-sattva-tamo-vṛttyā
jāyate ’tha vinaśyati
Synonyms
sneha — of the oil; adhiṣṭhāna — the vessel; varti — the wick; agni — and the fire; saṁyogaḥ — the combination; yāvat — to which extent; īyate — is seen; tāvat — to that extent; dīpasya — of the lamp; dīpatvam — the status of functioning as a lamp; evam — similarly; deha-kṛtaḥ — due to the material body; bhavaḥ — material existence; rajaḥ-sattva-tamaḥ — of the modes of passion, goodness and ignorance; vṛttyā — by the action; jāyate — arises; atha — and; vinaśyati — is destroyed.
Translation
A lamp functions as such only by the combination of its fuel, vessel, wick and fire. Similarly, material life, based on the soul’s identification with the body, is developed and destroyed by the workings of material goodness, passion and ignorance, which are the constituent elements of the body.