Devanagari
सत्यं दिशत्यर्थितमर्थितो नृणां
नैवार्थदो यत्पुनरर्थिता यत: ।
स्वयं विधत्ते भजतामनिच्छता-
मिच्छापिधानं निजपादपल्लवम् ॥ २७ ॥
Verse text
satyaṁ diśaty arthitam arthito nṛṇāṁ
naivārthado yat punar arthitā yataḥ
svayaṁ vidhatte bhajatām anicchatām
icchāpidhānaṁ nija-pāda-pallavam
Synonyms
satyam
—
certainly
;
diśati
—
He offers
;
arthitam
—
the object prayed for
;
arthitaḥ
—
being prayed to
;
nṛṇām
—
by the human beings
;
na
—
not
;
eva
—
indeed
;
artha
—
daḥ — the bestower of benedictions
;
yat
—
which
;
punaḥ
—
again
;
arthitā
—
a demand for a benediction
;
yataḥ
—
from which
;
svayam
—
personally
;
vidhatte
—
He gives
;
bhajatām
—
unto those engaged in His service
;
anicchatām
—
although not desiring it
;
icchā
—
pidhānam — which covers all desirable things
;
nija
—
pāda — pallavam — His own lotus feet .
Translation
The Supreme Personality of Godhead fulfills the material desires of a devotee who approaches Him with such motives, but He does not bestow benedictions upon the devotee that will cause him to demand more benedictions again. However, the Lord willingly gives the devotee shelter at His own lotus feet, even though such a person does not aspire for it, and that shelter satisfies all his desires. That is the Supreme Personality’s special mercy.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The Lord certainly gives desired objects to devotees who request them, but he does not give those objects in such a way that the devotee will ask again after finishing his enjoyment. In other words, he gives his lotus feet, which include all desirables, to those worshippers who do not even desire them.
The practitioner of pure bhakti, even if he has desires, becomes successful. He becomes equal to the niṣkāma-bhakta. Being requested by worshippers (nṛṇām) for desired objects (arthitam), the Lord gives those objects. He does not give the object (na arthadaḥ) in such a way that object is again requested, after enjoyment. What does this mean? He gives himself to those who do not desire his lotus feet, such as Dhruva. By mercy he gives his lotus feet, which include all desires (icchāpidhānam). Or another meaning is “He forcibly (svayam) gives his feet, which destroy all other desires.” Just as a father gives the child sugar candy though the child does not want it, and that way makes the child give up eating dirt, so the Lord gives the devotee his lotus feet, and that way the devotee gives up material endeavors. Therefore one should worship the Lord without a mixture of jṣāna or karma. Tivreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣām param. (SB 2.3.10) However, the attainment of the lotus feet of the Lord by niṣkāma or sakāma bhaktas should not be considered the same in all ways. That which is pure by nature and that which is purified by force do not have the same value. Thus the excellence of Hanumān is greater than that of Dhruva.
Purport
The devotees mentioned in the previous verse approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead with material motives, but this verse explains how such devotees are saved from those desires.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
(2.3.10)
advises:
akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā
mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena
yajeta puruṣaṁ param
“Whether one is freed from all material desires, is full of material desires, or desires to become one with the Supreme, he should engage in devotional service.” In this way, not only will the devotee’s desires be fulfilled, but the day will come when he will have no other desire than to serve the lotus feet of the Lord. One who engages in the service of the Lord with some motive is called a
sakāma-bhakta,
and one who serves the Lord without any motives is called an
akāma-bhakta.
Kṛṣṇa is so merciful that He turns a
sakāma-bhakta
into an
akāma-bhakta.
A pure devotee, an
akāma-bhakta,
who has no material motives, is satisfied simply to serve the lotus feet of the Lord. This is confirmed in
Bhagavad-gītā
(6.22).
Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ:
if one engages in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, he does not want anything more. This is the highest stage of devotional service. The Lord is so kind even to a
sakāma-bhakta,
a motivated devotee, that He satisfies his desires in such a way that one day he becomes an
akāma-bhakta.
Dhruva Mahārāja, for example, became a
bhakta
with the motive of getting a better kingdom than that of his father, but finally he became an
akāma-bhakta
and said to the Lord,
svāmin kṛtārtho ’smi varaṁ na yāce:
“My dear Lord, I am very satisfied simply to serve Your lotus feet. I do not want any material benefits.” Sometimes it is found that a small child eats dirty things, but his parents take away the dirty things and offer him a
sandeśa
or some other sweetmeat. Devotees who aspire for material benedictions are compared to such children. The Lord is so kind that He takes away their material desires and gives them the highest benediction. Therefore, even for material motives, one should not worship anyone other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead; one must fully engage himself in the devotional service of the Lord so that all his desires will be fulfilled and at the end he can go back home, back to Godhead. This is explained in
Caitanya-caritāmṛta
(
Madhya
22.37-39, 41) as follows.
Anyakāmī
— a devotee may desire something other than service to the lotus feet of the Lord;
yadi kare kṛṣṇera bhajana
— but if he engages in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s service;
nā māgiteha kṛṣṇa tāre dena sva-caraṇa
— Kṛṣṇa gives him shelter at His lotus feet, even though he does not aspire for it.
Kṛṣṇa kahe
— the Lord says;
āmā bhaje
— “He is engaged in My service”;
māge viṣaya-sukha
— “but he wants the benefits of material sense gratification.”
Amṛta chāḍi’ viṣa māge:
— “such a devotee is like a person who asks for poison instead of nectar.”
Ei baḍa mūrkha:
“That is his foolishness.”
Ami-vijṣa:
“But I am experienced.”
Ei mūrkhe ‘viṣaya’ kene diba:
“Why should I give such a foolish person the dirty things of material enjoyment?”
Sva-caraṇa-mṛta:
“It would be better for Me to give him shelter at My lotus feet.”
‘Viṣaya’ bhulāiba:
“I shall cause him to forget all material desires.”
Kāma lāgi’ kṛṣṇa bhaje
— if one engages in the service of the Lord for sense gratification;
paya kṛṣṇa-rase
— the result is that he ultimately gets a taste for serving the lotus feet of the Lord.
Kāma chāḍi’ ‘dasa’ haite haya abhilāṣe:
He then gives up all material desires and wants to become an eternal servant of the Lord.