SB 11.29.34 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

मर्त्यो यदा त्यक्तसमस्तकर्मा निवेदितात्मा विचिकीर्षितो मे । तदामृतत्त्वं प्रतिपद्यमानो मयात्मभूयाय च कल्पते वै ॥ ३४ ॥

Verse text

martyo yadā tyakta-samasta-karmā niveditātmā vicikīrṣito me tadāmṛtatvaṁ pratipadyamāno mayātma-bhūyāya ca kalpate vai

Synonyms

martyaḥ — a mortal ; yadā — when ; tyakta — having given up ; samasta — all ; karmā — his fruitive activities ; nivedita — ātmā — having offered his very self ; vicikīrṣitaḥ — desirous of doing something special ; me — for Me ; tadā — at that time ; amṛtatvam — immortality ; pratipadyamānaḥ — in the process of attaining ; mayā — with Me ; ātma — bhūyāya — for equal opulence ; ca — also ; kalpate — he becomes qualified ; vai — indeed .

Translation

A person who gives up all fruitive activities and offers himself entirely unto Me, eagerly desiring to render service unto Me, achieves liberation from birth and death and is promoted to the status of sharing My own opulences.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When a person who gives up all karmas offers himself entirely to guru and eagerly desires to render service to me alone, he achieves freedom from death and, more important, is qualified to be an associate of mine in prema. “I have understood all philosophies and processes, but please say what is the philosophy for your devotees?” O dear Uddhava! In the Twenty-fourth Chapter, I explained sat-kārya-vāda (effects exist in the cause—effects are real). In the Twenty-eighth Chapter, I explained asat-kārya-vāda (the effect does not exist in the cause). [Note: Usually both vivartavāda and pariṇāmavāda which are discussed in Chapter Twenty-eight are considered satkāryavāda. Vivartavāda is labeled asatkāryavāda since in this philosophy the effect is asat or unreal.] My devotees do not quarrel but proclaim truth, and do not remain amidst these two philosophies. When a person by chance mercy of my devotee gives up all daily, periodic and motivated (kāmya) duties and offers all identity of I and mine by words and mind to the guru, who is my svarūpa, who gives my mantra--from that moment, that mortal person desires to do different work for me—bhakti-yoga, which is different from yoga and jṣāna. Surrender is expressed in the following: yo’haṁ mamāsti yat kiṁcid iha loke paratra ca | tat sarvaṁ bhavato nātha caraṇeṣu samarpitam || O Lord! I offer everything related to I and mine in this life and the next to your lotus feet. Padma Purāṇa The effects of bhakti are not illusory, but real. It is not the effect of avidyā. Rather, the activities done for me are beyond the guṇas. Thus, the devotee is made deathless, and he becomes qualified for being my servant (ātma-bhūyāya) in my company. The word ca indicates that deathlessness is not a sought result but that being an associate in prema is the desired goal.