Devanagari
न ह्यङ्गोपक्रमे ध्वंसो मद्धर्मस्योद्धवाण्वपि ।
मया व्यवसित: सम्यङ्निर्गुणत्वादनाशिष: ॥ २० ॥
Verse text
na hy aṅgopakrame dhvaṁso
mad-dharmasyoddhavāṇv api
mayā vyavasitaḥ samyaṅ
nirguṇatvād anāśiṣaḥ
Synonyms
na
—
there is not
;
hi
—
indeed
;
aṅga
—
My dear Uddhava
;
upakrame
—
in the attempt
;
dhvaṁsaḥ
—
destruction
;
mat
—
dharmasya — of My devotional service
;
uddhava
—
My dear Uddhava
;
aṇu
—
the slightest
;
api
—
even
;
mayā
—
by Me
;
vyavasitaḥ
—
established
;
samyak
—
perfectly
;
nirguṇa
—
tvāt — because of its being transcendental
;
anāśiṣaḥ
—
having no ulterior motive .
Translation
My dear Uddhava, because I have personally established it, this process of devotional service unto Me is transcendental and free from any material motivation. Certainly a devotee never suffers even the slightest loss by adopting this process.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
O Uddhava! Because I have personally established it, the process of niṣkāma-bhakti is beyond the guṇas. Thus even by starting and not completing the process, there is no destruction of results.
In three verses (9-11) the Lord described bhakti and in eight verses he described jṣāna (12-19). In three verses the Lord again describes the highest essence of bhakti. In following other processes, if one starts and performs the actions until the completion of the process without interruption, with all its principle and secondary parts, one will attain the result. If one does not complete the process, or interrupts it, or does not follow all the parts, then there is no result. This is not the rule for bhakti however. Even if one just starts and does not complete the process, or if one does not perform all the parts (aṅgas), it is not useless. O Uddhava! If one starts bhakti-yoga (mad-dharmasya) or if one performs one aṅga and does not complete it, there is no destruction at all (anu) of results because of the irregularity, since bhakti is beyond the guṇas. It is impossible that things beyond the guṇas are destroyed. This bhakti of my niṣkāma devotee (anāśiṣaḥ) is established completely by me. Even a small portion of this bhakti is complete. The cause should not be asked. Bhakti is the same as my being the Supreme Lord. Mad-dharma in the verse cannot mean jṣāna, since jṣāna is not beyond the guṇas. The Lord has said kaivalyaṁ sāttvikaṁ jṣānam: kaivalya-jṣāna is in sattva-guṇa. (SB 11. 25.24)
Purport
Although great sages and authorities have established various methods of human progress, the Supreme Lord Himself has introduced the system of
bhakti-yoga,
wherein one directly takes shelter of the Lord in loving service. One who serves the Lord without personal motivation can never be defeated in his progress and will certainly go back home, back to Godhead, in the near future.