SB 10.86.57 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तस्माद् ब्रह्मऋषीनेतान् ब्रह्मन् मच्छ्रद्धयार्चय । एवं चेदर्चितोऽस्म्यद्धा नान्यथा भूरिभूतिभि: ॥ ५७ ॥

Verse text

tasmād brahma-ṛṣīn etān brahman mac-chraddhayārcaya evaṁ ced arcito ’smy addhā nānyathā bhūri-bhūtibhiḥ

Synonyms

tasmāt — therefore ; brahma — ṛṣīn — brāhmaṇa sages ; etān — these ; brahman — O brāhmaṇa (Śrutadeva) ; mat — (as you have) for Me ; śraddhayā — with faith ; arcaya — just worship ; evam — thus ; cet — if (you do) ; arcitaḥ — worshiped ; asmi — I will be ; addhā — directly ; na — not ; anyathā — otherwise ; bhūri — vast ; bhūtibhiḥ — with riches .

Translation

Therefore you should worship these brāhmaṇa sages, O brāhmaṇa, with the same faith you have in Me. If you do so, you will worship Me directly, which you cannot do otherwise, even with offerings of vast riches.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Therefore you should worship these brāhmaṇa sages, O brāhmaṇa, with the same faith you have in Me. If you do so, you will worship Me directly, which you cannot do otherwise, even with offerings of vast riches. KB 10.86.57 “My dear Śrutadeva, you may therefore accept all these great saintly persons, brāhmaṇas and sages as My bona fide representatives. By worshiping them faithfully, you will be worshiping Me more diligently. I consider worship of My devotees to be better than direct worship of Me. If someone attempts to worship Me directly without worshiping My devotees, I do not accept such worship, even though it may be presented with great opulence.”

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Worship these brāhmaṇas, who have knowledge of me and are therefore dearest to me. This also indicates, “Worship all my devotees.” Do this with great affection (mac-chraddhayā). If you do this you worship me directly (addhā). If you reject my devotees, I cannot be worshipped even with great wealth.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Worship these sages among the brāhmaṇas, who are austere or are seers of the Vedas. They are dearest to me because they are the best of the mahā-bhāgavatas. This also includes all other devotees of the Lord. Worship them with the greatest devotion (śraddhayā) for me. I am directly (addhā) worshipped by that worship. By giving up my devotees, I am not worshiped by offerings of great wealth. O brāhmaṇa! This is a suitable instruction for you, who are non-different from the Vedas, with dependence on the Vedas. As you requested, I have given instructions on bhakti and my devotees.