SB 5.3.4 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

ऋत्विज ऊचु: अर्हसि मुहुरर्हत्तमार्हणमस्माकमनुपथानां नमो नम इत्येतावत्सदुपशिक्षितं कोऽर्हति पुमान् प्रकृतिगुणव्यतिकरमतिरनीश ईश्वरस्य परस्य प्रकृतिपुरुषयोरर्वाक्तनाभिर्नामरूपाकृतिभी रूपनिरूपणम् ॥ ४ ॥ सकलजननिकायवृजिननिरसनशिवतमप्रवरगुणगणैकदेशकथनाद‍ृते ॥ ५ ॥

Verse text

ṛtvija ūcuḥ arhasi muhur arhattamārhaṇam asmākam anupathānāṁ namo nama ity etāvat sad-upaśikṣitaṁ ko ’rhati pumān prakṛti-guṇa-vyatikara-matir anīśa īśvarasya parasya prakṛti-puruṣayor arvāktanābhir nāma-rūpākṛtibhī rūpa-nirūpaṇam; sakala-jana-nikāya-vṛjina-nirasana-śivatama-pravara-guṇa-gaṇaika-deśa-kathanād ṛte.

Synonyms

ṛtvijaḥ ūcuḥ — the priests said ; arhasi — please (accept) ; muhuḥ — again and again ; arhat — tama — O most exalted, worshipable person ; arhaṇam — offering of worship ; asmākam — of us ; anupathānām — who are Your servants ; namaḥ — respectful obeisances ; namaḥ — respectful obeisances ; iti — thus ; etāvat — so far ; sat — by exalted personalities ; upaśikṣitam — instructed ; kaḥ — what ; arhati — is able (to make) ; pumān — man ; prakṛti — of material nature ; guṇa — of the modes ; vyatikara — in the transformations ; matiḥ — whose mind (is absorbed) ; anīśaḥ — who is most incapable ; īśvarasya — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; parasya — beyond ; prakṛti — puruṣayoḥ — the jurisdiction of the three modes of material nature ; arvāktanābhiḥ — which do not reach up to, or which are of this material world ; nāma — rūpa — ākṛtibhiḥ — by names, forms and qualities ; rūpa — of Your nature or position ; nirūpaṇam — ascertainment, perception ; sakala — all ; jana — nikāya — of mankind ; vṛjina — sinful actions ; nirasana — which wipe out ; śivatama — most auspicious ; pravara — excellent ; guṇa — gaṇa — of the transcendental qualities ; eka — deśa — one part ; kathanāt — by speaking ; ṛte — except .

Translation

The priests began to offer prayers to the Lord, saying: O most worshipable one, we are simply Your servants. Although You are full in Yourself, please, out of Your causeless mercy, accept a little service from us, Your eternal servants. We are not actually aware of Your transcendental form, but we can simply offer our respectful obeisances again and again, as instructed by the Vedic literatures and authorized ācāryas. Materialistic living entities are very much attracted to the modes of material nature, and therefore they are never perfect, but You are above the jurisdiction of all material conceptions. Your name, form and qualities are all transcendental and beyond the conception of experimental knowledge. Indeed, who can conceive of You? In the material world we can perceive only material names and qualities. We have no other power than to offer our respectful obeisances and prayers unto You, the transcendental person. The chanting of Your auspicious transcendental qualities will wipe out the sins of all mankind. That is the most auspicious activity for us, and we can thus partially understand Your supernatural position.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The priests said: O most exalted Lord! Since we are your followers, you should accept our offering of repeated respects, following the instructions of the great devotees. The incapable man, whose mind is affected the guṇas of prakṛti, cannot describe the form of the Supreme Lord who is beyond both prakṛti and puruṣa by limited names, colors and forms, except by describing a portion of your auspicious qualities which even then destroy the sins of all people. The praises in prose continue till verse sixteen. Though you are complete, you should accept our offerings, since we are following the path of bhakti-yoga (anupathānām). Though we do not request to attain you directly, since we have material desires to fulfill, we have a trace of bhakti. Therefore out of affection accept our offering. We are following your path. This much we have and not more. Thus we repeatedly offer you respects. This has been taught by the devotees to us. We do not know the methods of worship and glorification. “But you are my learned devotees. You know everything. Why do you hesitate to praise me?” They reply. In the material world there are praises making comparisons between your face and the moon. But who can describe your form by using material words, mentioning colors like the sapphire and forms which are blackish? What then to speak of actually making verses of praise from these material components! You are beyond (parasya) prakṛti and puruṣa. We cannot produce (or factually describe) a form which is beyond prakṛti and puruṣa out of material sapphire and other material components. “Then you can describe my form by using spiritual objects.” Our minds are absorbed in the world made of guṇas. It is impossible for the intelligence of the jīva in the material world to comprehend spiritual objects. Therefore one should only glorify you partially for your qualities such as affection for your devotees. Because the Lord is affectionate to his devotees he destroys all their sins, even by partial glorification.

Purport

The Supreme Personality of Godhead has nothing to do with material perception. Even the impersonalist Śaṅkarācārya says, nārāyaṇaḥ paro ’vyaktāt: “Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is beyond the material conception.” We cannot concoct the form and attributes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We must simply accept the description given in Vedic literatures about the Lord’s form and activities. As stated in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.29) : cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa- lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi “I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor, who is tending the cows, yielding all desires, in abodes built with spiritual gems and surrounded by millions of purpose trees. He is always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune.” We can have some conception of the Absolute Truth, His form and His attributes simply by reading the descriptions given in Vedic literatures and authoritative statements given by exalted personalities like Brahmā, Nārada, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and others. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ: “We cannot conceive the name, form and qualities of Śrī Kṛṣṇa through our material senses.” Because of this, other names for the Lord are adhokṣaja and aprākṛta, which indicate that He is beyond any material senses. Out of His causeless mercy upon His devotees, the Lord appeared before Mahārāja Nābhi. Similarly, when we are engaged in the Lord’s devotional service, the Lord reveals Himself to us. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. This is the only way to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ: one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead through devotional service. There is no other way. We have to hear from the authorities and from the śāstras and consider the Supreme Lord in terms of their statements. We cannot imagine or concoct forms and attributes of the Lord.