Devanagari
सोऽहं प्रियस्य सुहृद: परदेवताया
लीलाकथास्तव नृसिंह विरिञ्चगीता: ।
अञ्जस्तितर्म्यनुगृणन्गुणविप्रमुक्तो
दुर्गाणि ते पदयुगालयहंससङ्ग: ॥ १८ ॥
Verse text
so ’haṁ priyasya suhṛdaḥ paradevatāyā
līlā-kathās tava nṛsiṁha viriṣca-gītāḥ
aṣjas titarmy anugṛṇan guṇa-vipramukto
durgāṇi te pada-yugālaya-haṁsa-saṅgaḥ
Synonyms
saḥ
—
that
;
aham
—
I (Prahlāda Mahārāja)
;
priyasya
—
of the dearmost
;
suhṛdaḥ
—
well-wisher
;
paradevatāyāḥ
—
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
;
līlā
—
kathāḥ — narrations of the pastimes
;
tava
—
Your
;
nṛsiṁha
—
O my Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva
;
viriṣca
—
gītāḥ — given by Lord Brahmā by the disciplic succession
;
aṣjaḥ
—
easily
;
titarmi
—
I shall cross
;
anugṛṇan
—
constantly describing
;
guṇa
—
by the modes of material nature
;
vipramuktaḥ
—
specifically being uncontaminated
;
durgāṇi
—
all miserable conditions of life
;
te
—
of You
;
pada
—
yuga — ālaya — fully absorbed in meditation on the lotus feet
;
haṁsa
—
saṅgaḥ — having the association of the haṁsas, or liberated persons (who have no connection with material activities) .
Translation
O my Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, by engaging in Your transcendental loving service in the association of devotees who are liberated souls [haṁsas], I shall become completely uncontaminated by the association of the three modes of material nature and be able to chant the glories of Your Lordship, who are so dear to me. I shall chant Your glories, following exactly in the footsteps of Lord Brahmā and his disciplic succession. In this way I shall undoubtedly be able to cross the ocean of nescience.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
O Nṛsiṁha! Taking association of persons who take shelter of your feet, hearing pastimes of the Supreme Lord from devotees in dāsya, sakhya and mādhurya-rasa, which are sung by Brahmā, becoming free from material attachment, I will easily overcome separation from you.
“Though you attain service to me, still you should seek out some other solution for the miseries of material life.” Prahlāda reveals some anger and pride. Your pure devotee (saḥ) is famous as a servant of Nārada. I, Prahlāda, do not accept jṣāna or karma like others, even in my dreams. Chanting your pastimes, I surpass the guṇas. If I have surpassed the guṇas, what is the question of the so-called suffering or the solution for suffering? “But one sees suffering in devotees also.” I will quickly completely cross (titarmi) over the pain of separation from you (durgāṇi). Attaining direct service to you will not be delayed long because of the mercy from chanting about you. I will associate with your associates whose abodes are the lotuses of your feet, and they will bring me to you. Brahmā has also glorified you. Since these topics are authorized by him, there is definite value for anyone in chanting your glories. You are the master of the devotees having mādhurya-rasa (priyasya), sakhya-rasa (suhṛdaḥ) and dāsya-rasa (paradevatāyāh), like me.
Purport
A devotee’s life and duty are very well explained herein. As soon as a devotee can chant the holy name and glories of the Supreme Lord, he certainly comes to the liberated position. Attachment for glorifying the Lord by hearing and chanting the holy name and activities of the Lord (
śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
) certainly brings one to the position where material contamination is absent. One should chant the bona fide songs received from the disciplic succession. In
Bhagavad-gītā
it is said that the chanting is powerful when one follows the disciplic succession (
evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
). Manufacturing many ways of chanting will never be effective. However, chanting the song or the narration left by the previous
ācāryas
(
mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ
) is extremely effective, and this process is very easy. Therefore in this verse Prahlāda Mahārāja uses the word
aṣjaḥ
(“easily”). Accepting the thoughts of exalted authorities through disciplic succession is certainly much easier than the method of mental speculation, by which one tries to invent some means to understand the Absolute Truth. The best process is to accept the instructions of the previous
ācāryas
and follow them. Then God realization and self-realization become extremely easy. By following this easy method, one is liberated from the contamination of the material modes of nature, and thus one can certainly cross the ocean of nescience, in which there are many miserable conditions. By following in the footsteps of the great
ācāryas,
one associates with the
haṁsas
or
paramahaṁsas,
those who are completely freed from material contamination. Indeed, by following the instructions of the
ācāryas
one is always freed from all material contamination, and thus one’s life becomes successful, for one reaches the goal of life. This material world is miserable, regardless of one’s standard of life. Of this there is no doubt. Attempts to mitigate the miseries of material existence by material methods will never be successful. One must take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness to become really happy; otherwise happiness is impossible. One might say that becoming advanced in spiritual life also involves
tapasya,
voluntary acceptance of some inconvenience. However, such inconvenience is not as dangerous as material attempts to mitigate all miseries.