Devanagari
एतत्तेऽभिहितं साधो भवान् पृच्छति यच्च माम् ।
यथा स्वधर्मसंयुक्तो भक्तो मां समियात् परम् ॥ ४८ ॥
Verse text
etat te ’bhihitaṁ sādho
bhavān pṛcchati yac ca mām
yathā sva-dharma-saṁyukto
bhakto māṁ samiyāt param
Synonyms
etat
—
this
;
te
—
unto you
;
abhihitam
—
described
;
sādho
—
O saintly Uddhava
;
bhavān
—
you
;
pṛcchati
—
have asked
;
yat
—
which
;
ca
—
and
;
mām
—
from Me
;
yathā
—
the means by which
;
sva
—
dharma — in one’s prescribed duty
;
saṁyuktaḥ
—
perfectly engaged
;
bhaktaḥ
—
being a devotee
;
mām
—
to Me
;
samiyāt
—
one may come
;
param
—
the Supreme .
Translation
My dear saintly Uddhava, I have now described to you, just as you inquired, the means by which My devotee, perfectly engaged in his prescribed duty, can come back to Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
O saintly Uddhava! I have now described to you, just as you inquired, the means by which my devotee, perfectly engaged in his prescribed duty, can attain me.
Thus ends the commentary on the Eighteenth Chapter of the Eleventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
Chapter Nineteen
Jṣāna and Bhakti
11.19: The Perfection of Spiritual Knowledge
19. The Perfection of Spiritual Knowledge
11.19 Summary
This chapter describes how those who practice speculative knowledge eventually give up their method, whereas the pure devotees remain engaged in devotional service eternally. Also described are the different practices of the yogīs, beginning with yama.
The Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, stated to Uddhava, "One who is actually wise, who knows the truth of the self and possesses transcendental insight, rejects this world of dualities and the so-called knowledge meant for facilitating enjoyment of it. He instead engages himself in trying to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all. This is pure bhakti-yoga. Transcendental knowledge is greater than such ordinary pious activities as chanting of mantras, but pure devotional service is greater than even knowledge."
After this, Lord Kṛṣṇa, requested by Śrī Uddhava to describe in full detail pure transcendental knowledge and devotional service, related the same instructions that the greatest of Vaiṣṇavas, Bhīṣmadeva, gave on these topics to Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira on the occasion of the battle at Kurukṣetra. Following this, after being asked about yama and the other practices of yoga, the Lord enumerated the twelve kinds of yama beginning with nonviolence, and the twelve kinds of niyama, beginning with bodily cleanliness.
Purport
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Eleventh Canto, Eighteenth Chapter, of the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
entitled “Description of Varṇāśrama-dharma.”