Devanagari
भजन्त्यभजतो ये वै करुणा: पितरौ यथा ।
धर्मो निरपवादोऽत्र सौहृदं च सुमध्यमा: ॥ १८ ॥
Verse text
bhajanty abhajato ye vai
karuṇāḥ pitarau yathā
dharmo nirapavādo ’tra
sauhṛdaṁ ca su-madhyamāḥ
Synonyms
bhajanti
—
they devotedly serve
;
abhajataḥ
—
with those who do not reciprocate with them
;
ye
—
those who
;
vai
—
indeed
;
karuṇāḥ
—
merciful
;
pitarau
—
parents
;
yathā
—
as
;
dharmaḥ
—
religious duty
;
nirapavādaḥ
—
faultless
;
atra
—
in this
;
sauhṛdam
—
friendship
;
ca
—
and
;
su
—
madhyamāḥ — O slender-waisted ones .
Translation
My dear slender-waisted gopīs, some people are genuinely merciful or, like parents, naturally affectionate. Such persons, who devotedly serve even those who fail to reciprocate with them, are following the true, faultless path of religion, and they are true well-wishers.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
My dear slender-waisted gopīs, some people are genuinely merciful or, like parents, naturally affectionate. Such persons, who devotedly serve even those who fail to reciprocate with them, are following the true, faultless path of religion, and they are true well-wishers.
KB 10.32.18
“Better than the first class is the second class of men, who love in spite of the opposite party’s contrariness. Such sincere love can be seen when the father and mother love their children in spite of their children’s neglect.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Krsna here answers the second question.
"Those who respect those who do not give respect, who respect without expectations, are divided into two types: those without family relationship and those with family relationship, such as merciful persons and father and mother. The merciful persons are the pure devotees. Among these we see unconditional mercy arising in persons like Prahlada. Both these types do not expect response. And the happiness and distress of the persons who do not respect them, becomes the happiness and distress of the pure devotee and the mother and father. Even after death they do not give up their respect. Among these the pure devotees are the best, and the mother and father are second class. In both cases , dharma, being without desire for results, is permanent (nirapavadah). Their prema (suahrdah) is also permanent. O beautiful women (sumadhyama)!"
Sumadhyama can also be interpreted as follows. "This splendid (su) riddle you have placed in the middle (madhyama) of the other two. Because for the first and last questions I give examples of degraded persons, the questions themselves are not respectable."
Or it can mean, "This middle answer actually is directed towards you gopis. You are the personification of the middle question’s answer."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
This is well known (vai). Parents are used as an example to show that they respond to both those who do not show them affection and those who do. This is faultless dharma and faultless friendship. The word ca indicates that nirapavādaḥ should modify both words. O thin-waisted gopīs! All such good qualities exist in you. You are the testimony that such people exist. This shows his cleverness so that they will worship him. Or, having rejected dharma and friendship based on motivated reciprocation, he shows real dharma and friendship based on pure reciprocation. He shows their spotless nature by citing the example of compassion in parents
who respect even their children who do not respond properly. Friendship is clearly manifested in those with compassion. Dharma is manifested generally by parents following rules of household life and protecting the children.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Some do not reciprocate, out of misery or because they are infants. This is well known (vai). Parents are used as an example to show causeless, natural compassion. The Lord says:
sādhūnāṁ sama-cittānāṁ sutarāṁ mat-kṛtātmanām
darśanān no bhaved bandhaḥ puṁso ’kṣṇoḥ savitur yathā
When one is face to face with the sun, there is no longer darkness for one’s eyes. Similarly, when one is face to face with a merciful devotee, who is fully peaceful and surrendered to the Supreme Lord, one will no longer be subject to material bondage. SB 10.10.41
Commenting on this verse Śrīdhara Svāmī says, “The devotees are most merciful (sādhūnām) and they do not take offense seriously (sama-cittānām). Because they are constantly devoted to me (mat-kṛtātmanām), the other two qualities naturally follow.”
There are two types: merciful persons and parents. Or both are given as examples. Ca should be added after pitarau. Their dharma is perfect (nirapavādaḥ) since they do not expect response and they help out of great compassion. Their friendship is perfect since it is based on natural affection. Parents cannot have dharma if they do not protect their children. One should examine the dharma of mother and father. They and the merciful have dharma. O beautiful women! That dharma is beauty. Or that dharma shines in you. This is his skill to have them worship him.