Devanagari
मानस्तम्भनिमित्तानां जन्मादीनां समन्तत: ।
सर्वश्रेय:प्रतीपानां हन्त मुह्येन्न मत्पर: ॥ २७ ॥
Verse text
māna-stambha-nimittānāṁ
janmādīnāṁ samantataḥ
sarva-śreyaḥ-pratīpānāṁ
hanta muhyen na mat-paraḥ
Synonyms
māna
—
of false prestige
;
stambha
—
because of this impudence
;
nimittānām
—
which are the causes
;
janma
—
ādīnām — such as birth in a high family
;
samantataḥ
—
taken together
;
sarva
—
śreyaḥ — for the supreme benefit of life
;
pratīpānām
—
which are impediments
;
hanta
—
also
;
muhyet
—
becomes bewildered
;
na
—
not
;
mat
—
paraḥ — My pure devotee .
Translation
Although aristocratic birth and other such opulences are impediments to advancement in devotional service because they are causes of false prestige and pride, these opulences never disturb a pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Although high birth and other qualifications are impediments because they are causes of arrogance and pride, they never disturb my devotee at all.
However, my devotee is not bewildered by high birth etc. which are causes of disrespectfulness (stambha) and arrogance, a type of pride. The genitive case represents the instrumental case as in the phrase nāgniḥ tṛpyati kāṣṭhānām: fire is not satisfied by wood fuel. Hanta indicates amazement and “not at all” since the word yadi is not used as in the previous verse and the statement is repeated in the next verse. My dedicated devotee is the special recipient of my mercy. I give wealth to devotees like Dhruva who are distinguished from the previously mentioned persons. Being merciful to the devotee, the Lord in the beginning takes away actions, birth or wealth which are causes of obstacles for the devotee. He does not take away things he has given to the devotee. Some say that this however is not a fixed rule for the Lord who is skilful at increasing the prema of his devotee. Some give the example of the Lord taking away the wealth of the Pāṇḍavas.
Purport
Devotees like Dhruva Mahārāja, who was given unlimited material opulence, have the special mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Once Kuvera wanted to give Dhruva Mahārāja a benediction, but although Dhruva Mahārāja could have asked him for any amount of material opulence, he instead begged Kuvera that he might continue his devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When a devotee is fixed in his devotional service, there is no need for the Lord to deprive him of his material opulences. The Supreme Personality of Godhead never takes away material opulences achieved because of devotional service, although He sometimes takes away opulences achieved by pious activities. He does this to make a devotee prideless or put him in a better position in devotional service. If a special devotee is meant for preaching but does not give up his family life or material opulences to take to the service of the Lord, the Lord surely takes away his material opulences and establishes him in devotional service. Thus the pure devotee becomes fully engaged in propagating Kṛṣṇa consciousness.