SB 4.9.34 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

मयैतत्प्रार्थितं व्यर्थं चिकित्सेव गतायुषि प्रसाद्य जगदात्मानं तपसा दुष्प्रसादनम् भवच्छिदमयाचेऽहं भवं भाग्यविवर्जित: ॥ ३४ ॥

Verse text

mayaitat prārthitaṁ vyarthaṁ cikitseva gatāyuṣi prasādya jagad-ātmānaṁ tapasā duṣprasādanam bhava-cchidam ayāce ’haṁ bhavaṁ bhāgya-vivarjitaḥ

Synonyms

mayā — by me ; etat — this ; prārthitam — prayed for ; vyartham — uselessly ; cikitsā — treatment ; iva — like ; gata — has ended ; āyuṣi — for one whose life ; prasādya — after satisfying ; jagat — ātmānam — the soul of the universe ; tapasā — by austerity ; duṣprasādanam — who is very difficult to satisfy ; bhava — chidam — the Personality of Godhead, who can cut the chain of birth and death ; ayāce — prayed for ; aham — I ; bhavam — repetition of birth and death ; bhāgya — fortune ; vivarjitaḥ — being without .

Translation

It is very difficult to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but in my case, although I have satisfied the Supersoul of the whole universe, I have prayed only for useless things. My activities were exactly like treatment given to a person who is already dead. Just see how unfortunate I am, for in spite of meeting the Supreme Lord, who can cut one’s link with birth and death, I have prayed for the same conditions again.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

I prayed for useless things, which are like medicine given to a dead person. Having pleased the Lord who is the soul of the universe, difficult to please by austerities, and who can destroy material existence, I prayed for material enjoyment, since I was devoid of good fortune. Bhavam means objects of enjoyment, the cause of repeated birth.

Purport

Sometimes it so happens that a devotee engaged in the loving service of the Lord desires some material benefit in exchange for this service. This is not the proper way to discharge devotional service. Out of ignorance, of course, sometimes a devotee does so, but Dhruva Mahārāja regrets his personal behavior in this connection.