BG 9.33
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Devanagari
किं पुनर्ब्राह्मणा: पुण्या भक्ता राजर्षयस्तथा ।
अनित्यमसुखं लोकमिमं प्राप्य भजस्व माम् ॥ ३३ ॥
Verse text
kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā
bhaktā rājarṣayas tathā
anityam asukhaṁ lokam
imaṁ prāpya bhajasva mām
Synonyms
kim
—
how much
;
punaḥ
—
again
;
brāhmaṇāḥ
—
brāhmaṇas
;
puṇyāḥ
—
righteous
;
bhaktāḥ
—
devotees
;
rāja-ṛṣayaḥ
—
saintly kings
;
tathā
—
also
;
anityam
—
temporary
;
asukham
—
full of miseries
;
lokam
—
planet
;
imam
—
this
;
prāpya
—
gaining
;
bhajasva
—
be engaged in loving service
;
mām
—
unto Me.
Translation
How much more this is so of the righteous brāhmaṇas, the devotees and the saintly kings. Therefore, having come to this temporary, miserable world, engage in loving service unto Me.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
33. What then to speak of devotees who are pure brāhmaṇas or kings? Therefore, having come into this impermanent world of distress, worship Me.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
33. What then to speak of devotees who are pure brāhmaṇas or kings? Therefore, having come into this impermanent world of little happiness, worship Me.
Purport
In this material world there are classifications of people, but, after all, this world is not a happy place for anyone. It is clearly stated here, anityam asukhaṁ lokam: this world is temporary and full of miseries, not habitable for any sane gentleman. This world is declared by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be temporary and full of miseries. Some philosophers, especially Māyāvādī philosophers, say that this world is false, but we can understand from Bhagavad-gītā that the world is not false; it is temporary. There is a difference between temporary and false. This world is temporary, but there is another world, which is eternal. This world is miserable, but the other world is eternal and blissful.
Arjuna was born in a saintly royal family. To him also the Lord says, “Take to My devotional service and come quickly back to Godhead, back home.” No one should remain in this temporary world, full as it is with miseries. Everyone should attach himself to the bosom of the Supreme Personality of Godhead so that he can be eternally happy. The devotional service of the Supreme Lord is the only process by which all problems of all classes of men can be solved. Everyone should therefore take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and make his life perfect.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
What then to speak of brāhmaṇas born in pure families, of good conduct who are devotees? Therefore, you should worship Me.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
What then can be said of brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas who are saintly kings, who have been fortunate to be born in pure families (puṇyāḥ), and who become devotees with proper conduct? Certainly they will attain Me, the supreme state. There is no doubt about this. Therefore, you, a saintly king, having attained this world, should worship Me. Giving up the desire for kingdom in this world which has a little limited happiness (asukham), subject to destruction (anityam), worship Me possessing eternal, unlimited happiness, and attain Me. It is suggested here that one will quickly attain the Lord (since worshipping alone is mentioned.) In this verse the Lord, by clearly saying that the world is temporary, negates the idea that the world is completely false.
Surrender Unto Me
In this verse of His own mouth, Krsna says: "This world is 'anitya', it is not 'mithya', false. It is not false, an illusion as the Mayavadis say. No, it is temporary.
Here Krsna is desproving Mayavada philosophy.
Therefore knowing all these things, one should engage in pure devotional service.