SB5.18.20

TEXT 20

sa vai patiḥ syād akutobhayaḥ svayaṁ

samantataḥ pāti bhayāturaṁ janam

sa eka evetarathā mitho bhayaṁ

naivātmalābhād adhi manyate param

SYNONYMS

saḥ—he; vai—indeed; patiḥ—a husband; syāt—would be; akutaḥ-bhayaḥ—who is not fearful of anyone; svayam—self-sufficient; samantataḥ—entirely; pāti—maintains; bhaya-āturam—who is very afraid; janam—a person; saḥ—therefore he; ekaḥ—one; eva—only; itarathā—otherwise; mithaḥ—from one another; bhayam—fear; na—not; eva—indeed; ātma-lābhāt—than the attainment of You; adhi—greater; manyate—is accepted; param—other thing.

TRANSLATION

He alone who is never afraid but who, on the contrary, gives complete shelter to all fearful persons can actually become a husband and protector. Therefore, my Lord, you are the only husband, and no one else can claim this position. If you were not the only husband, You would be afraid of others. Therefore persons learned in all Vedic literature accept only Your Lordship as everyone’s master, and they think no one else a better husband and protector than You.

PURPORT

Here the meaning of husband or guardian is clearly explained. people want to become a husband, a guardian, a governor or a political leader without knowing the actual meaning of such a superior position. There are many people all over the world—indeed, throughout the universe—who claim for some time that they are husbands, political leaders or guardians, but in due course of time the Supreme Lord desires their removal from their posts, and their careers are immediately finished. Therefore those who are actually learned and advanced in spiritual life do not accept any leader, husband or maintainer other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TEXT 21

yā tasya te pāda-saroruhārhaṇaṁ

nikāmayet sākhila-kāma-lampaṭā

tad eva rāsīpsitam īpsito ’rcito

yad-bhagna-yācñā bhagavan pratapyate

SYNONYMS

yā—a woman who; tasya—of Him; te—of You; pāda-saroruha—of the lotus feet; arhaṇam—the worship; nikāmayet—fully desires; sā—such a woman; akhila-kāma-lampaṭā—although maintaining all kinds of material desire; tat—that; eva—only; rāsi—You award; īpsitam—some other desired benediction; īpsitaḥ—being looked to for; arcitaḥ—worshiped; yat—from which; bhagna-yācñā—one who desires objects other than Your lotus feet and who thus becomes broken; bhagavan—O my Lord; pratapyate—is pained.

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord, You automatically fulfill all the desires of a woman who worships Your lotus feet in pure love. However, if a woman worships Your lotus feet for a particular purpose, You also quickly fulfill her desires, but in the end she becomes broken-hearted and laments. Therefore one need not worship Your lotus feet for some material benefit.

PURPORT

TEXT 22

mat-prāptaye ’jeśa-surāsurādayas

tapyanta ugraṁ tapa aindriye dhiyaḥ

ṛte bhavat-pāda-parāyaṇān na māṁ

vindanty ahaṁ tvad-dhṛdayā yato ’jita

SYNONYMS

mat-prāptaye—to obtain my mercy; aja—Lord Brahmā; īśa—Lord Śiva; sura—the other demigods, headed by King Indra, Candra and Varuṇa; asura-ādayaḥ—as well as the demons; tapyante—undergo; ugram—severe; tapaḥ—austerity; aindriye dhiyaḥ—whose minds are absorbed in thoughts of superior sense gratification; ṛte—unless; bhavat-pāda-parāyaṇāt—one who is wholly and solely engaged in the service of the Supreme Lord’s lotus feet; na—not; mām—me; vindanti—obtain; aham—I; tvat—in You; hṛdayāḥ—whose hearts; yataḥ—therefore; ajita—O unconquerable one.

TRANSLATION

O supreme unconquerable Lord, when they become absorbed in thoughts of material enjoyment, Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, as well as other demigods and demons, undergo severe penances and austerities to receive my benedictions. But I do not favor anyone, however great he may be; unless he is always engaged in the service of Your lotus feet. Because I always keep You within my heart, I cannot favor anyone but a devotee.

PURPORT

TEXT 23

sa tvaṁ mamāpy acyuta śīrṣṇi vanditaṁ

karāmbujaṁ yat tvad-adhāyi sātvatām

bibharṣi māṁ lakṣma vareṇya māyayā

ka īśvarasyehitam ūhituṁ vibhur iti

SYNONYMS

saḥ—that; tvam—You; mama—of me; api—also; acyuta—O infallible one; śīrṣṇi—on the head; vanditam—worshiped; kara-ambujam—Your lotus hand; yat—which; tvat—by You; adhāyi—placed; sātvatām—on the head of the devotees; bibharṣi—You maintain; mām—me; lakṣma—as an insignia on Your chest; vareṇya—O worshipable one; māyayā—with deceit; kaḥ—who; īśvarasya—of the supremely powerful controller; īhitam—the desires; ūhitum—to understand by reason and argument; vibhuḥ—is able; iti—thus.

TRANSLATION

O infallible one, Your lotus palm is the source of all benediction. Therefore Your pure devotees worship it, and You very mercifully place Your hand on their heads. I wish that You may also place Your hand on My head, for although You already bear my insignia of golden streaks on Your chest, I regard this honor as merely a kind of false prestige for me. You show Your real mercy to Your devotees, not to me. Of course, You are the supreme absolute controller, and no one can understand Your motives.

PURPORT

In many places, the śāstras describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead as being more inclined toward His devotees than toward His wife, who always remains on His chest. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.14.15) it is stated:

na tathā me priyatama
ātma-yonir na śaṅkaraḥ
na ca saṅkarṣaṇo na śrīr
naivātmā ca yathā bhavān

Here Kṛṣṇa plainly says that His devotees are more dear to Him than Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa (the original cause of creation), the goddess of fortune or even His own Self. Elsewhere in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.9.20) Śukadeva Gosvāmī says,

nemam viriñco na bhavo
na śrīr apy aṅga saṁśrayā
prasādaṁ lebhire gopī
yat tat prāpa vimuktidāt

The Supreme Lord, who can award liberation to anyone, showed more mercy toward the gopīs than to Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva or even the goddess of fortune, who is His own wife and is associated with His body. Similarly, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.47.60) also states:

nāyaṁ śriyo ’ṅga u nitānta-rateḥ prasādaḥ
svar-yoṣitāṁ nalina-gandha-rucāṁ kuto ’nyāḥ
rāsotsave ’sya bhuja-daṇḍa-gṛhīta-kaṇṭha-
labdhāśiṣāṁ ya udagād vraja-sundarīṇām

“The gopīs received benedictions from the Lord that neither Lakṣmīdevī nor the most beautiful dancers in the heavenly planets could attain. In the rāsa dance, the Lord showed His favor to the most fortunate gopīs by placing His arms on their shoulders and dancing with each of them individually. No one can compare with the gopīs, who received the causeless mercy of the Lord.”

TEXT 24

ramyake ca bhagavataḥ priyatamaṁ mātsyam avatāra-rūpaṁ tad-varṣa-puruṣasya manoḥ prāk-pradarśitaṁ sa idānīm api mahatā bhakti-yogenārādhayatīdaṁ codāharati.

SYNONYMS

ramyake ca—also in Ramyaka-varṣa; bhagavataḥ—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; priya-tamam—the foremost; mātsyam—fish; avatāra-rūpam—the form of the incarnation; tat-varṣa-puruṣasya—of the ruler of that land; manoḥ—Manu; prāk—previously (at the end of the Cākṣuṣa-manvantara); pradarśitam—exhibited; saḥ—that Manu; idānīm api—even until now; mahatā bhakti-yogena—by dint of advanced devotional service; ārādhayati—worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead; idam—this; ca—and; udāharati—chants.

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: In Ramyaka-varṣa, where Vaivasvata Manu rules, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as Lord Matsya at the end of the last era [the Cākṣuṣa-manvantara]. Vaivasvata Manu now worships Lord Matsya in pure devotional service and chants the following mantra.

SB5.18.25

TEXT 25

oṁ namo bhagavate mukhyatamāya namaḥ sattvāya prāṇāyaujase sahase balāya mahā-matsyāya nama iti.

SYNONYMS

om—O my Lord; namaḥ—respectful obeisances; bhagavate—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mukhya-tamāya—the first incarnation to appear; namaḥ—my respectful obeisances; sattvāya—unto the pure transcendence; prāṇāya—the origin of life; ojase—the source of the potency of the senses; sahase—the origin of all mental power; balāya—the origin of bodily strength; mahā-matsyāya—unto the gigantic fish incarnation; namaḥ—respectful obeisances; iti—thus.

TRANSLATION

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is pure transcendence. He is the origin of all life, bodily strength, mental power and sensory ability. Known as Matsyāvatāra, the gigantic fish incarnation, He appears first among all the incarnations. Again I offer my obeisances unto Him.

PURPORT

Śrīla Jayadeva Gosvāmī sings:

pralayo payodhi-jale dhṛtavān asi vedaṁ
vihita-vahitra-caritram akhedam
keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra jaya jagad-īśa hare

TEXT 26

antar bahiś cākhila-loka-pālakair

adṛṣṭa-rūpo vicarasy uru-svanaḥ

sa īśvaras tvaṁ ya idaṁ vaśe ’nayan

nāmnā yathā dārumayīṁ naraḥ striyam

SYNONYMS

antaḥ—within; bahiḥ—without; ca—also; akhila-loka-pālakaiḥ—by the leaders of the different planets, societies, kingdoms and so on; adṛṣṭa-rūpaḥ—not seen; vicarasi—You wander; uru—very great; svanaḥ—whose sounds (Vedic mantras); saḥ—He; īśvaraḥ—the supreme controller; tvam—You; yaḥ—who; idam—this; vaśe—under control; anayat—has brought; nāmnā—by different names like brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra; yathā—exactly like; dārumayīm—made of wood; naraḥ—a man; striyam—a doll.

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord, just as a puppeteer controls his dancing dolls and a husband controls his wife, Your Lordship controls all the living entities in the universe, such as the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras. Although You are in everyone’s heart as the supreme witness and commander and are outside everyone as well, the so-called leaders of societies, communities and countries cannot realize You. Only those who hear the vibration of the Vedic mantras can appreciate You.

PURPORT

TEXT 27

yaṁ loka-pālāḥ kila matsara-jvarā

hitvā yatanto ’pi pṛthak sametya ca

pātuṁ na śekur dvi-padaś catuṣ-padaḥ

sarīsṛpaṁ sthāṇu yad atra dṛśyate

SYNONYMS

yam—whom (You); loka-pālāḥ—the great leaders of the universe, beginning with Lord Brahmā; kila—what to speak of others; matsara-jvarāḥ—who are suffering from the fever of envy; hitvā—leaving aside; yatantaḥ—endeavoring; api—although; pṛthak—separately; sametya—combined; ca—also; pātum—to protect; na—not; śekuḥ—able; dvi-padaḥ—two-legged; catuḥ-padaḥ—four-legged; sarīsṛpam—reptiles; sthāṇu—not moving; yat—whatever; atra—within this material world; dṛśyate—is visible.

TRANSLATION

My Lord, from the great leaders of the universe, such as Lord Brahmā and other demigods, down to the political leaders of this world, all are envious of Your authority. Without Your help, however, they could neither separately nor concertedly maintain the innumerable living entities within the universe. You are actually the only maintainer of all human beings, of animals like cows and asses, and of plants, reptiles, birds, mountains and whatever else is visible within this material world.

PURPORT

It is fashionable for materialistic persons to compete with the power of God. When so-called scientists try to manufacture living entities in their laboratories, their only purpose is to defy the talent and ability of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called illusion. It exists even in the higher planetary systems, where great demigods like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and others reside. In this world everyone is puffed up with false prestige despite the failure of all his endeavors. When so-called philanthropists, who supposedly want to help the poor, are approached by members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they say, “You are simply wasting your time, while I am feeding vast masses of starving people.” Unfortunately, their meager efforts, either singly or together, do not solve anyone’s problems.

TEXT 28

bhavān yugāntārṇava ūrmi-mālini

kṣoṇīm imām oṣadhi-vīrudhāṁ nidhim

mayā sahoru kramate ’ja ojasā

tasmai jagat-prāṇa-gaṇātmane nama iti

SYNONYMS

bhavān—Your Lordship; yuga-anta-arṇave—in the water of devastation at the end of the millennium; ūrmi-mālini—possessing rows of big waves; kṣoṇīm—the planet earth; imām—this; oṣadhi-vīrudhām—of all kinds of herbs and drugs; nidhim—the storehouse; mayā—me; saha—with; uru—great; kramate—You roamed; aja—O unborn one; ojasā—with speed; tasmai—unto Him; jagat—of the entire universe; prāṇa-gaṇa-ātmane—the ultimate source of life; namaḥ—my respectful obeisances; iti—thus.

TRANSLATION

O almighty Lord, at the end of the millennium this planet earth, which is the source of all kinds of herbs, drugs and trees, was inundated by water and drowned beneath the devastating waves. At that time, You protected me along with the earth and roamed the sea with great speed. O unborn one, You are the actual maintainer of the entire universal creation, and therefore You are the cause of all living entities. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.

PURPORT

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