muniṁ svāyambhuvaṁ manum

niṣṇātaṁ yogamāyāsu

muniṁ svāyambhuvaṁ manum

yad ābhraṁśayituṁ bhogā

na śekur bhagavat-param

 

Material enjoyment could not cause deviation in saintly Svāyambhuva Manu, who was surrendered to the Lord, because he was experienced in all types of material enjoyment by yoga practice.

 

By practice of aṣṭāṅga-yoga he was master of all types of knowledge of māyā (yogamāyāsu niṣnātam). Since he had experience of enjoying material objects, even the enjoyment of those objects could not produce attachment for them in him.

 

|| 3.22.35||

ayāta-yāmās tasyāsan

yāmāḥ svāntara-yāpanāḥ

śṛṇvato dhyāyato viṣṇoḥ

kurvato bruvataḥ kathāḥ

 

Since he heard about the Lord, meditated on him, spoke about him and made compositions with his words about him, his passing of time, extending for a Manvantara, was not in vain.

 

His hours, extending over a whole Manavantara period, were not in vain (ayātayāmā). Amara-koṣa says yātayāman means worn out or decayed. Kurvataḥ means he made compositions in his own words about what he had seen, heard and spoken.

 

|| 3.22.36||

sa evaṁ svāntaraṁ ninye

yugānām eka-saptatim

vāsudeva-prasaṅgena

paribhūta-gati-trayaḥ

 

Having conquered the three miseries, he spent the Manvantara of seventy-one yuga cycles in hearing topics related to the Lord.

Gati-trayam can refer to the states of waking sleeping and dreaming, to the three guṇas or to the three miseries.

 

|| 3.22.37||

śārīrā mānasā divyā

vaiyāse ye ca mānuṣāḥ

bhautikāś ca kathaṁ kleśā

bādhante hari-saṁśrayam

 

O Vidura! How can miseries arising from the body, mind, ghosts, other humans, or natural conditions bind up a person who has taken shelter of the Lord?

Bhakti is the cause of overcoming miseries. Divyā here means “coming from the intermediate sky, the place of ghosts.” Manuṣāḥ means those who take the role of enemies. Bhautikāḥ means influence of cold, heat etc. Vaiyāse means “O Vidura!”

 

|| 3.22.38||