Devanagari
यदनुध्यासिना युक्ता: कर्मग्रन्थिनिबन्धनम् ।
छिन्दन्ति कोविदास्तस्य को न कुर्यात्कथारतिम् ॥ १५ ॥
Verse text
yad-anudhyāsinā yuktāḥ
karma-granthi-nibandhanam
chindanti kovidās tasya
ko na kuryāt kathā-ratim
Synonyms
yat
—
which
;
anudhyā
—
remembrance
;
asinā
—
sword
;
yuktāḥ
—
being equipped with
;
karma
—
reactionary work
;
granthi
—
knot
;
nibandhanam
—
interknit
;
chindanti
—
cut
;
kovidāḥ
—
intelligent
;
tasya
—
His
;
kaḥ
—
who
;
na
—
not
;
kuryāt
—
shall do
;
kathā
—
messages
;
ratim
—
attention .
Translation
With sword in hand, intelligent men cut through the binding knots of reactionary work [karma] by remembering the Personality of Godhead. Therefore, who will not pay attention to His message?
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Who will not develop attraction for topics of the Lord, remembrance of whom, like a sword, will cut the knots of karma?
Purport
The contact of the spiritual spark with material elements creates a knot which must be cut if one wants to be liberated from the actions and reactions of fruitive work. Liberation means freedom from the cycle of reactionary work. This liberation automatically follows for one who constantly remembers the transcendental pastimes of the Personality of Godhead. This is because all the activities of the Supreme Lord (His
līlā
) are transcendental to the modes of the material energy. They are all-attractive spiritual activities, and therefore constant association with the spiritual activities of the Supreme Lord gradually spiritualizes the conditioned soul and ultimately severs the knot of material bondage.
Liberation from material bondage is, therefore, a by-product of devotional service. Attainment of spiritual knowledge is not sufficient to insure liberation. Such knowledge must be overcoated with devotional service so that ultimately the devotional service alone predominates. Then liberation is made possible. Even the reactionary work of the fruitive workers can lead one to liberation when it is overcoated with devotional service.
Karma
overcoated with devotional service is called
karma-yoga.
Similarly, empirical knowledge overcoated with devotional service is called
jṣāna-yoga.
But pure
bhakti-yoga
is independent of such
karma
and
jṣāna
because it alone can not only endow one with liberation from conditional life but also award one the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
Therefore, any sensible man who is above the average man with a poor fund of knowledge must constantly remember the Personality of Godhead by hearing about Him, by glorifying Him, by remembering Him and by worshiping Him always, without cessation. That is the perfect way of devotional service. The Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana, who were authorized by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to preach the
bhakti
cult, rigidly followed this rule and made immense literatures of transcendental science for our benefit. They have chalked out ways for all classes of men in terms of the different castes and orders of life in pursuance of the teachings of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
and similar other authoritative scriptures.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The qualification for bhakti is faith in topics of the Lord. This is illustrated in the following verses:
tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta na nirvidyeta yāvatā
mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā śraddhā yāvan na jāyate
As long as one is not satiated by fruitive activity and has not awakened his taste for devotional service by śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ [SB 7.5.23] one has to act according to the regulative principles of the Vedic injunctions. SB 11.20.9
śraddhālur mat-kathāḥ śṛṇvan su-bhadrā loka-pāvanīḥ
gāyann anusmaran karma janma cābhinayan muhuḥ
mad-arthe dharma-kāmārthān ācaran mad-apāśrayaḥ
labhate niścalāṁ bhaktiṁ mayy uddhava sanātane
A person with natural faith should constantly hear topics about me, should sing and remember my topics which purify the world, and enact my exploits and birth. He should perform dharma, kāma and artha as service to me. Having taken shelter of me, he will attain permanent bhakti to me, whose form is permanent. SB 11.11.23-24
jāta-śraddho mat-kathāsu nirviṇṇaḥ sarva-karmasu
veda duḥkhātmakān kāmān parityāge ’py anīśvaraḥ
tato bhajeta māṁ prītaḥ śraddhālur dṛḍha-niścayaḥ
juṣamāṇaś ca tān kāmān duḥkhodarkāṁś ca garhayan
Having developed faith in topics about me and being disgusted with all karmas, he knows that all enjoyments are filled with misery. But he is unable to given them up. Still, with affection for me, with faith and determination, he will continue worshipping me, at the same time SB 11.20.27-28
How does that faith arise? This verse answers. Remembrance of the Lord is a sword. Equipped with that sword (asinā), persons cut the bondage caused by the knot of false ego which ties one up with karma.
Or another meaning is as follows. People tie up small amounts of money in knots of their clothing for the purpose of daily eating by dividing up their savings and spending a little each day. This knot of money for enjoyment is compared to the karmas allotted in this life for enjoyment. Thus the sword of remembering the Lord cuts this knot of prārabdha-karma.
Who will not have attraction for topics concerning the Lord, whose remembrance cuts the knots of karma? Attraction for those topics arises suddenly (in all people, before having faith)! The verse indicates that a person who is more qualified, who has faith, will be even more attracted.