Devanagari
श्रीनारद उवाच
धर्मं पारमहंस्यं वै मुने: श्रुत्वासुरेश्वर: ।
पूजयित्वा तत: प्रीत आमन्त्र्यप्रययौ गृहम् ॥ ४६ ॥
Verse text
śrī-nārada uvāca
dharmaṁ pāramahaṁsyaṁ vai
muneḥ śrutvāsureśvaraḥ
pūjayitvā tataḥ prīta
āmantrya prayayau gṛham
Synonyms
śrī
—
nāradaḥ uvāca — Śrī Nārada Muni said
;
dharmam
—
the occupational duty
;
pāramahaṁsyam
—
of the paramahaṁsas, the most perfect human beings
;
vai
—
indeed
;
muneḥ
—
from the saintly person
;
śrutvā
—
thus hearing
;
asura
—
īśvaraḥ — the King of the asuras, Prahlāda Mahārāja
;
pūjayitvā
—
by worshiping the saintly person
;
tataḥ
—
thereafter
;
prītaḥ
—
being very pleased
;
āmantrya
—
taking permission
;
prayayau
—
left that place
;
gṛham
—
for his home .
Translation
Nārada Muni continued: After Prahlāda Mahārāja, the King of the demons, heard these instructions from the saint, he understood the occupational duties of a perfect person [paramahaṁsa]. Thus he duly worshiped the saint, took his permission and then left for his own home.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Nārada said: After Prahlāda Mahārāja, the King of the demons, heard about the path of the paramahaṁsa, he worshiped the saint, took his permission, and then left for his home.
Thus ends the commentary on the Thirteenth Chapter of the Seventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
Chapter Fourteen
Duties of the Householder
Purport
As quoted in
Caitanya-caritāmṛta
(
Madhya
8.128)
, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said:
kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei ‘guru’ haya
A
guru,
or spiritual master, can be anyone who is well conversant with the science of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore although Prahlāda Mahārāja was a
gṛhastha
ruling over the demons, he was a
paramahaṁsa,
the best of human beings, and thus he is our
guru.
In the list of
gurus,
or authorities, Prahlāda Mahārāja’s name is therefore mentioned:
svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ
kumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ
prahlādo janako bhīṣmo
balir vaiyāsakir vayam
(
Bhāg.
6.3.20)
The conclusion is that a
paramahaṁsa
is an exalted devotee (
bhagavat-priya
). Such a
paramahaṁsa
may be in any stage of life —
brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha
or
sannyāsa
— and be equally liberated and exalted.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Seventh Canto, Thirteenth Chapter, of the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
entitled “The Behavior of a Perfect Person.”