Devanagari
यदृच्छया मत्कथादौ जातश्रद्धस्तु य: पुमान् ।
न निर्विण्णो नातिसक्तो भक्तियोगोऽस्य सिद्धिद: ॥ ८ ॥
Verse text
yadṛcchayā mat-kathādau
jāta-śraddhas tu yaḥ pumān
na nirviṇṇo nāti-sakto
bhakti-yogo ’sya siddhi-daḥ
Synonyms
yadṛcchayā
—
somehow or other by good fortune
;
mat
—
kathā — ādau — in the narrations, songs, philosophy, dramatical performances, etc., that describe My glories
;
jāta
—
awakened
;
śraddhaḥ
—
faith
;
tu
—
indeed
;
yaḥ
—
one who
;
pumān
—
a person
;
na
—
not
;
nirviṇṇaḥ
—
disgusted
;
na
—
not
;
ati
—
saktaḥ — very attached
;
bhakti
—
yogaḥ — the path of loving devotion
;
asya
—
his
;
siddhi
—
daḥ — will award perfection .
Translation
If somehow or other by good fortune one develops faith in hearing and chanting My glories, such a person, being neither disgusted with nor very much attached to material life, should achieve perfection through the path of loving devotion to Me.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
If by unexpected association with devotees one develops faith in my topics, that person, being neither very disgusted with nor attached to material life, is qualified for bhakti and will achieve perfection.
By taking into account the explanation in the First Canto, the meaning of the first phrase is “the person who has developed faith in my topics by unexpected association with great devotees.” Faith in the Lord’s topics is the qualification for bhakti-yoga. That has already been stated in śraddhāmṛta-kathāyāṁ me (SB11.19.20) and śraddhālur me kathāḥ śṛṇvan (SB 11.11.23). The context is different in the present verse however. By using the singular number (one person), it is indicated that such a person who has developed that faith is very rare, compared to jṣānīs and karmīs. This person is not overly attached to body, house and family. He is also not disgusted with the world, for that is the qualification for jṣāna. Being overly attached to body and house qualifies a person for karma-yoga. If he does not have such attachment, he becomes qualified for bhakti.
The qualification for the three processes should be considered. The cause of disgust with or detachment from the world is purification of the antaḥ-karaṇa caused by niṣkāma-karma. The cause of excessive attachment is beginningless ignorance. The cause of being devoid of excessive attachment is unexpected association with great devotees. These causes should be considered. However, there are some special persons who become qualified. Even if a person is involved with sense enjoyment, by unexpected association with devotees he becomes qualified.
ko nu rājann indriyavān mukunda-caraṇāmbujam
na bhajet sarvato-mṛtyur upāsyam amarottamaiḥ
O King! Who among the conditioned souls with senses, confronted by death at every step of life, would not render service to the lotus feet of Lord Mukunda, who is worshipable even for the greatest devatās? SB 11.2.2
Purport
If somehow or other one gets the association of pure devotees of the Lord and hears from them the transcendental message of Lord Kṛṣṇa, then one has the chance to become a devotee of the Lord. As mentioned in the previous verse, those who become disgusted with material life take to impersonal philosophical speculation and rigorously try to stamp out any trace of personal existence. Those who are still attached to material sense gratification try to purify themselves by offering the fruits of their ordinary activities to the Supreme. A first-class candidate for pure devotional service, on the other hand, is neither completely disgusted with nor attached to material life. He does not desire to pursue ordinary material existence any further, because it cannot award real happiness. Nevertheless, a candidate for devotional service does not give up all hope for perfecting personal existence. A person who avoids the two extremes of material attachment and impersonal reaction to material attachment and who somehow or other gets the association of pure devotees, faithfully hearing their message, is a good candidate for going back home, back to Godhead, as described here by the Lord.