तस्यैव हेतो: प्रयतेत कोविदो
न लभ्यते यद्भ्रमतामुपर्यध: ।
तल्लभ्यते दु:खवदन्यत: सुखं
कालेन सर्वत्र गभीररंहसा ॥
tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido
na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ |
tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ
kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.5.18)
“A wise person should endeavor for the sake of that which is not attained by those [jīvas] wandering above [up to Brahmaloka] and below [down into inanimate lifeforms], as [sensual] happiness is otherwise attained [as a result of one’s previous karma] everywhere [throughout saṁsāra, even in Naraka], just like suffering, as a result of the deep force of time.”