SB 10.7.32 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

किं नस्तपश्चीर्णमधोक्षजार्चनं पूर्तेष्टदत्तमुत भूतसौहृदम् । यत्सम्परेत: पुनरेव बालको दिष्टय‍ा स्वबन्धून् प्रणयन्नुपस्थित: ॥ ३२ ॥

Verse text

kiṁ nas tapaś cīrṇam adhokṣajārcanaṁ pūrteṣṭa-dattam uta bhūta-sauhṛdam yat samparetaḥ punar eva bālako diṣṭyā sva-bandhūn praṇayann upasthitaḥ

Synonyms

kim — what kind of ; naḥ — by us ; tapaḥ — austerity ; cīrṇam — has been done for a very long time ; adhokṣaja — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; arcanam — worshiping ; pūrta — constructing public roads, etc. ; iṣṭa — activities for public benefit ; dattam — giving charity ; uta — or else ; bhūta — sauhṛdam — because of love for the general public ; yat — by the result of which ; samparetaḥ — even though the child was practically lost in death ; punaḥ eva — even again because of pious activities ; bālakaḥ — the child ; diṣṭyā — by fortune ; sva — bandhūn — all His relatives ; praṇayan — to please ; upasthitaḥ — is present here .

Translation

Nanda Mahārāja and the others said: We must previously have performed austerities for a very long time, worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead, performed pious activities for public life, constructing public roads and wells, and also given charity, as a result of which this boy, although faced with death, has returned to give happiness to His relatives.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Nanda Mahārāja and the others said: We must previously have performed austerities for a very long time, worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead, performed pious activities for public life, constructing public roads and wells, and also given charity, as a result of which this boy, although faced with death, has returned to give happiness to His relatives. KB 10.7.32 “And we too must have performed great sacrifices in our previous lives, worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, giving great wealth in charity and acting philanthropically for the general welfare of men. Because of such pious activities, the child is safe from all danger.” The gopīs assembled there spoke among themselves: “What sort of austerities and penances we must have undergone in our previous lives! We must have worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead, offered different kinds of sacrifices, made charities and performed many welfare activities for the public, such as growing banyan trees and excavating wells. As a result of these pious activities, we have gotten back our child, even though He was supposed to be dead. Now He has come back to enliven His relatives.”

Purport

Nanda Mahārāja confirmed that by pious activities one can become a sādhu so that one will be happy at home and one’s children will be protected. In śāstra there are many injunctions for karmīs and jṣānīs, especially for karmīs, by which they can become pious and happy even in material life. According to Vedic civilization, one should perform activities for the benefit of the public, such as constructing public roads, planting trees on both sides of the road so that people can walk in the shade, and constructing public wells so that everyone can take water without difficulty. One should perform austerity to control one’s desires, and one must simultaneously worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus one becomes pious, and as a result one is happy even in material conditions of life.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Nanda and the others began to speak. "If anything inauspicious had happened to Krsna we all would have died. That Krsna is unharmed is a result of heaps of pious activities." Thus they speak this verse. How much austerities they must have done (cirna), how much worship of the Lord, how much help to other living entities, how much charity of construction of a well or canal (purta) and sacrifices (istam), because of which (yat), Krsna has come back from death, bringing life to his friends or showing affection for his friends (pranayan).

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Again out of joy they consider their good fortune. Because the items were offered to the Lord they all produced bhakti. It is said: sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje | ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati || That is the supreme dharma for all human beings (sādhana bhakti) by which prema-bhakti to the Lord arises, which is uncaused by anything other than itself, cannot be obstructed, and which satisfies the mind completely. SB 1.2.6 Tapas refers to harsh austerities. The description of these items is as follows: vāpi-kūpa-taḍāgāni devatāyatanāni ca anna-pradānam ārāmāḥ pūrtam itiy abhidhiyate agnihotraṁ tapaḥsiddham; vedānām cānupālanam ‘atithyaṁ vaiśvadevaṁ ca iṣṭam ity abhidhīyate śaraṇāgata-saṁtrāṇaṁ bhūtānām cāpy ahiṁsanam bahir vedyaṁ ca yad dānaṁ tad dattam abhidhiyate Pūrta refers to building canals, wells, ponds, temples, and gardens as well as giving food. Iṣṭa refers to fire sacrifices, austerities, study of the Vedas, receiving guest and worship of Vaiśvadevas. Datta refers to protecting those who surrender, non-violence, and giving charity which is not connected with sacrifices. Or, the meaning can be that all these items became devotional acts. For instance tapas refers to Ekadaśī fasting and pūrta refers to those actions of building ponds or temples for the Lord. As if (eva) he has again come back from the dead, giving life to his relatives, he has come here.