Devanagari
आत्मानं चानुशोचामि भवन्तं चामरोत्तमम् ।
देवान् पितृनृषीन् साधून् सर्वान् वर्णांस्तथाश्रमान् ॥ ३१ ॥
Verse text
ātmānaṁ cānuśocāmi
bhavantaṁ cāmarottamam
devān pitṝn ṛṣīn sādhūn
sarvān varṇāṁs tathāśramān
Synonyms
ātmānam
—
myself
;
ca
—
also
;
anuśocāmi
—
lamenting
;
bhavantam
—
yourself
;
ca
—
as well as
;
amara
—
uttamam — the best amongst the demigods
;
devān
—
about the demigods
;
pitṝn
—
about the denizens of the Pitṛloka planet
;
ṛṣīn
—
about the sages
;
sādhūn
—
about the devotees
;
sarvān
—
all of them
;
varṇān
—
sections
;
tathā
—
as also
;
āśramān
—
orders of human society .
Translation
I am thinking about myself and also, O best amongst the demigods, about you, as well as about all the demigods, sages, denizens of Pitṛloka, devotees of the Lord and all men obedient to the system of varṇa and āśrama in human society.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The earth said: You know all the dharma about which you are asking me. I am lamenting the population which is now influenced by the sinful glance of Kali, and which is devoid of the Lord, the abode of Lakṣmī, the abode of qualities, by whose power you existed with four legs which gave benefit to the people, and in whom reside the following eternal, great qualities, which do not disappear at any time: truthfulness, purity, compassion, control of anger, generosity, self-satisfaction, straightforwardness, control of mind, control of external senses, following his caste role during pastimes, neutrality to all, tolerance, indifference to material enjoyment, consideration of scripture, omniscience, distaste for material enjoyment, control of others, determination in battle, influence, skill, defining social duties, independence, expertise in arts, beauty, lack of confusion, tenderness, boldness, modesty, being good-natured, sharpness of mind, sharpness of the knowledge senses and action senses, the abode of enjoyment, imperturbability, steadiness, faith, fame, respectability, lack of pride, and as well, other qualities desirable for those who want greatness.
Purport
To effect the perfection of human life there is cooperation between men and demigods, sages, denizens of the Pitṛloka, devotees of the Lord and the scientific system of
varṇa
and
āśrama
orders of life. The distinction between human life and animal life therefore begins with the scientific system of
varṇa
and
āśrama,
guided by the experience of the sages in relation with the demigods, gradually rising to the summit of reestablishing our eternal relation with the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When God-made
varṇāśrama-dharma,
which is strictly meant for developing animal consciousness into human consciousness and human consciousness into godly consciousness, is broken by advancement of foolishness, the whole system of peaceful and progressive life is at once disturbed. In the Age of Kali, the first attack of the venomous snake strikes against the God-made
varṇāśrama-dharma,
and thus a person properly qualified as a
brāhmaṇa
is called a
śūdra,
and a
śūdra
by qualification is passing as a
brāhmaṇa,
all on a false birthright claim. To become a
brāhmaṇa
by a birthright claim is not at all bona fide, although it may be a fulfillment of one of the conditions. But the real qualification of a
brāhmaṇa
is to control the mind and the senses, and to cultivate tolerance, simplicity, cleanliness, knowledge, truthfulness, devotion and faith in the Vedic wisdom. In the present age, consideration of the necessary qualification is being neglected, and the false birthright claim is being supported even by a popular, sophisticated poet, the author of
Rāma-carita-mānasa.
This is all due to the influence of the Age of Kali. Thus mother earth, represented as a cow, was lamenting the regrettable condition.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
“You know all about dharma since you are dharma personified.”
“Though I know, I want to hear from your mouth.” Therefore she speaks. You know the dharma because of which you exist with four legs. Present tense is used since the condition is near the present. The sentence continues till verse 31.
Satyam means speaking about things as they are. Śaucam means purity. Dayā means sympathizing with other’s suffering, protecting those who have surrendered, and being friendly to devotees. Kṣānti means having control of the mind even when angry. Tyāga means generosity. Santoṣa means satisfied in the self. Ārjavam means honesty, not being crooked. Śama means control of the mind, by which one has firm vows. Dama means control of the external senses. Tapas means acting according to one’s nature such as kṣatriya during pastimes. Sāmyam means devoid of thinking one is an enemy and another is a friend. Titikṣa is tolerance when others offend you. Uparati is indifference to attaining material enjoyment. Śrutam means judging by scripture. Jṣānam means omniscience and gratitude etc. Virakti means absence of taste for material enjoyment. Aiśvaryam is control of others. Śauryam is determination in battle. Tejas is influence. Balam is skill. Smṛti means searching out what should be done as duty. Svātantryam is non-dependence on others. Kauśalam is skill in arts and play. Kāntih is beauty. Dhairyam is not being agitated. Mārdavam is being very young and being tender with prema. Prāgalbhyam is extreme boldness. Praśraya is mildness. Śīla means good natured. Sahas is sharpness of mind. Tejas is sharpness of knowledge senses. Ojas is sharpness of action senses. Bhaga is being the shelter of enjoyment. Gāmbhiryam means imperturbable. Sthairyam is not being fickle. Āstikyam is faith. Kīrti is fame. Māna is being worthy of worship. Anahaṅkṛti is absence of pride. Other qualities include being true to one’s word, respecting brāhmaṇas and being affectionate to the devotees. These great qualities are eternal—existing over all time in the Lord. The Lord has said:
māṁ bhajanti guṇāḥ sarve nirguṇaṁ nirapekṣakam
suhṛdaṁ priyam ātmānaṁ sāmyāsaṅgādayo ’guṇāḥ
All superior qualities, which are eternal, such as equality to all beings and attachment to my devotee, reside in me, who am beyond the material guṇas, not dependent on material qualities, and the friend of my devotees, giving love to them. SB 11.13.40
Thus, though the Lord is beyond the guṇas, he possesses qualities, great qualities, which are spiritual, beyond matter, arising from his svarūpa. Even during universal destruction, these qualities do not disappear (na viyanti). If they continually reside in Kṛṣṇa, even during the final destruction, then the qualities just listed must all be eternal. If they are eternal, the objects in which they exist must also be eternal. Thus the pastimes, the participants in the pastimes, the places of the pastimes and all ingredients are eternal.