SB 9.21.12 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

न कामयेऽहं गतिमीश्वरात् परा- मष्टर्द्धियुक्तामपुनर्भवं वा । आर्तिं प्रपद्येऽखिलदेहभाजा- मन्त:स्थितो येन भवन्त्यदु:खा: ॥ १२ ॥

Verse text

na kāmaye ’haṁ gatim īśvarāt parām aṣṭarddhi-yuktām apunar-bhavaṁ vā ārtiṁ prapadye ’khila-deha-bhājām antaḥ-sthito yena bhavanty aduḥkhāḥ

Synonyms

na — not ; kāmaye — desire ; aham — I ; gatim — destination ; īśvarāt — from the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; parām — great ; aṣṭa — ṛddhi — yuktām — composed of the eight kinds of mystic perfection ; apunaḥ — bhavam — cessation of repeated birth (liberation, salvation) ; vā — either ; ārtim — sufferings ; prapadye — I accept ; akhila — deha — bhājām — of all living entities ; antaḥ — sthitaḥ — staying among them ; yena — by which ; bhavanti — they become ; aduḥkhāḥ — without distress .

Translation

I do not pray to the Supreme Personality of Godhead for the eight perfections of mystic yoga, nor for salvation from repeated birth and death. I want only to stay among all the living entities and suffer all distresses on their behalf, so that they may be freed from suffering.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

I do not pray to the Supreme Lord for the eight perfections of mystic yoga, nor for salvation from repeated birth and death. I want only to stay among all the living entities and suffer all distresses on their behalf, so that they may be freed from suffering. I shall remain among the suffering beings and take the suffering due to them. I alone should experience the suffering of all jīvas. I can tolerate my suffering but I cannot tolerate the suffering of others.

Purport

Vāsudeva Datta made a similar statement to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, requesting the Lord to liberate all living entities in His presence. Vāsudeva Datta submitted that if they were unfit to be liberated, he himself would take all their sinful reactions and suffer personally so that the Lord might deliver them. A Vaiṣṇava is therefore described as being para-duḥkha-duḥkhī, very much aggrieved by the sufferings of others. As such, a Vaiṣṇava engages in activities for the real welfare of human society.