Text 12
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
yāvad dehendriya-prāṇair
ātmanaḥ sannikarṣaṇam
saṁsāraḥ phalavāṁs tāvad
apārtho ’py avivekinaḥ
śrī-bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; yāvat — as long as; deha — by the body; indriya — senses; prāṇaiḥ — and vital force; ātmanaḥ — of the soul; sannikarṣaṇam — attraction; saṁsāraḥ — material existence; phala-vān — fruitful; tāvat — for that duration; apārthaḥ — meaningless; api — although; avivekinaḥ — for the undiscriminating.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: As long as the foolish spirit soul remains attracted to the material body, senses and vital force, his material existence continues to flourish, although it is ultimately meaningless.
Here the word sannikarṣaṇam indicates that the pure spirit soul voluntarily connects himself with the material body, considering this a most fruitful arrangement. Actually, the situation is apārtha, useless, unless one uses one’s embodied situation to engage in the loving service of the Lord. At that time one’s connection is actually with Lord Kṛṣṇa, not with the body, which becomes a mere instrument for executing one’s higher purpose.