SB 5.9.20 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

न वा एतद्विष्णुदत्त महदद्भ‍ुतं यदसम्भ्रम: स्वशिरश्छेदन आपतितेऽपि विमुक्तदेहाद्यात्मभावसुद‍ृढहृदयग्रन्थीनां सर्वसत्त्वसुहृदात्मनां निर्वैराणां साक्षाद्भ‍गवतानिमिषारिवरायुधेनाप्रमत्तेन तैस्तैर्भावै: परिरक्ष्यमाणानां तत्पादमूलमकुतश्चिद्भ‍यमुपसृतानां भागवतपरमहंसानाम् ॥ २० ॥

Verse text

na vā etad viṣṇudatta mahad-adbhutaṁ yad asambhramaḥ sva-śiraś-chedana āpatite ’pi vimukta-dehādy-ātma-bhāva-sudṛḍha-hṛdaya-granthīnāṁ sarva-sattva-suhṛd-ātmanāṁ nirvairāṇāṁ sākṣād bhagavatānimiṣāri-varāyudhenāpramattena tais tair bhāvaiḥ parirakṣyamāṇānāṁ tat-pāda-mūlam akutaścid-bhayam upasṛtānāṁ bhāgavata-paramahaṁsānām.

Synonyms

na — not ; vā — or ; etat — this ; viṣṇu — datta — O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who was protected by Lord Viṣṇu ; mahat — a great ; adbhutam — wonder ; yat — which ; asambhramaḥ — lack of perplexity ; sva — śiraḥ — chedane — when the chopping off of the head ; āpatite — was about to happen ; api — even though ; vimukta — completely liberated from ; deha — ādi — ātma — bhāva — the false bodily concept of life ; su — dṛḍha — very strong and tight ; hṛdaya — granthīnām — of those whose knots within the heart ; sarva — sattva — suhṛt — ātmanām — of persons who in their hearts always wish well to all living entities ; nirvairāṇām — who do not find anyone as their enemy ; sākṣāt — directly ; bhagavatā — by the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; animiṣa — invincible time ; ari — vara — and the best of weapons, the Sudarśana cakra ; āyudhena — by Him who possesses the weapons ; apramattena — not agitated at any time ; taiḥ taiḥ — by those respective ; bhāvaiḥ — moods of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; parirakṣyamāṇānām — of persons who are protected ; tat — pāda — mūlam — at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; akutaścit — from nowhere ; bhayam — fear ; upasṛtānām — of those who have taken complete shelter ; bhāgavata — of devotees of the Lord ; parama — haṁsānām — of the most liberated persons .

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī then said to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: O Viṣṇudatta, those who already know that the soul is separate from the body, who are liberated from the invincible knot in the heart, who are always engaged in welfare activities for all living entities and who never contemplate harming anyone are always protected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who carries His disc [the Sudarśana cakra] and acts as supreme time to kill the demons and protect His devotees. The devotees always take shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord. Therefore at all times, even if threatened by decapitation, they remain unagitated. For them, this is not at all wonderful.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

O Parīkṣit! For the highest devotees who have severed the tight knot of identity with the body, who are friends with all beings, who have no enemy, who are protected by the attentive Lord with his attentive cakra and his various moods, and who have taken shelter of his fearless lotus feet, it is not surprising that one can be undisturbed at the moment of having one’s head cut off. “Is it not impossible that Bharata would not be disturbed by his death, and not show anger to his killers?” O Parīkṣit (visṇu-datta)! It is not surprising that there is no disturbance when one’s head is about to be cut off, for persons who are free of the tight knot in the heart composed of identity with the body, who are friends with all beings (sattva), even their killer, and who are protected by the attentive (apramattena) Lord holding in his hand the attentive (animiṣa) cakra, with his various moods of affection for his devotees, protecting the righteous and punishing the sinful (taiḥ taih bhāvaiḥ). Thus ends the commentary on the Ninth Chapter of the Fifth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas. Chapter Ten King Rahūgana Chastises Jaḍa Bharata

Purport

These are some of the great qualities of a pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. First, a devotee is firmly convinced of his spiritual identity. He never identifies with the body; he is firmly convinced that the spirit soul is different from the body. Consequently he fears nothing. Even though his life may be threatened, he is not at all afraid. He does not even treat an enemy like an enemy. Such are the qualifications of devotees. Devotees are always fully dependent on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Lord is always eager to give them all protection in all circumstances. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fifth Canto, Ninth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Supreme Character of Jaḍa Bharata.”