Canto 11: General HistoryChapter 11: The Symptoms of Conditioned and Liberated Living Entities

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.11.43-45

sūrye tu vidyayā trayyā

haviṣāgnau yajeta mām

ātithyena tu viprāgrye

goṣv ańga yavasādinā

vaiṣṇave bandhu-sat-kṛtyā

hṛdi khe dhyāna-niṣṭhayā

vāyau mukhya-dhiyā toye

dravyais toya-puraḥsaraiḥ

sthaṇḍile mantra-hṛdayair

bhogair ātmānam ātmani

kṣetra-jñaḿ sarva-bhūteṣu

samatvena yajeta mām

SYNONYMS

sūryein the sun; tu — indeed; vidyayā trayyā — by offering selected Vedic hymns of praise, worship and obeisances; haviṣā — with offerings of clarified butter; agnauin the fire; yajeta — one should worship; māmMe; ātithyena — by respectfully receiving them as guests even when uninvited; tu — indeed; vipra — of brāhmaṇas; agryein the best; goṣuin the cows; ańgaO Uddhava; yavasa-ādinā — by offering grass and other paraphernalia for their maintenance; vaiṣṇavein the Vaiṣṇava; bandhu — with loving friendship; sat-kṛtyā — by honoring; hṛdi — within the heart; khe — within the inner space; dhyānain meditation; niṣṭhayā — by being fixed; vāyauin the air; mukhya — the most important; dhiyā — considering by intelligence; toyein water; dravyaiḥ — by material elements; toya-puraḥ-saraiḥ — by water, etc.; sthaṇḍilein the earth; mantra-hṛdayaiḥ — by application of confidential mantras; bhogaiḥ — by offering of materially enjoyable objects; ātmānam — the jīva soul; ātmani — within the body; kṣetra-jñam — the Supersoul; sarva-bhūteṣu — within all living beings; samatvena — seeing Him equally everywhere; yajeta — one should worship; māmMe.

TRANSLATION

My dear Uddhava, one should worship Me within the sun by chanting selected Vedic mantras and by performing worship and offering obeisances. One may worship Me within fire by offering oblations of ghee, and one may worship Me among the brāhmaṇas by respectfully receiving them as guests, even when uninvited. I can be worshiped within the cows by offerings of grass and other suitable grains and paraphernalia for the pleasure and health of the cows, and one may worship Me within the Vaiṣṇavas by offering loving friendship to them and honoring them in all respects. Through steady meditation I am worshiped within the inner space of the heart, and within the air I can be worshiped by knowledge that prāṇa, the life air, is the chief among elements. I am worshiped within water by offerings of water itself, along with other elements such as flowers and tulasī leaves, and one may worship Me within the earth by proper application of confidential seed mantras. One may worship Me within the individual living entity by offering food and other enjoyable substances, and one may worship Me within all living entities by seeing the Supersoul within all of them, thus maintaining equal vision.

PURPORT

Significantly, the Lord emphasizes in these three verses that one should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is expanded within all living beings. It is not recommended that one accept any material or spiritual object other than the Lord as supreme. By maintaining steady consciousness of the Lord in His all-pervading feature, one can remain in a worshipful mood twenty-four hours a day. Thus, one will naturally try to engage all material and spiritual elements in the loving service of Lord Kṛṣṇa. If because of ignorance one forgets the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one may become inclined to worship powerful material phenomena independent of the Supreme Lord, or one may foolishly consider oneself to be supreme. One should remain sane and accept the worshipable presence of the Supreme Lord within everything.

<<< >>>

Buy Online Copyright © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari