Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.5.47

darśanālińganālāpaih

śayanāsana-bhojanaih

ātmā vām pāvitah krishne

putra-sneham prakurvatoh

SYNONYMS

darśana — by seeing; ālińgana — embracing; ālāpaih — and conversing; śayana — in taking rest; āsana — sitting; bhojanaih — and eating; ātmā — the hearts; vām — of you two; pāvitah — have become purified; krishne — for Lord Krishna; putra-sneham — the affection toward a son; prakurvatoh — who were manifesting.

TRANSLATION

My dear Vasudeva, you and your good wife Devakī have manifested great transcendental love for Krishna, accepting Him as your son. Indeed, you are always seeing the Lord, embracing Him, speaking with Him, resting with Him, sitting together with Him and taking your meals with Him. By such affectionate and intimate association with the Lord, undoubtedly both of you have completely purified your hearts. In other words, you are already perfect.

PURPORT

The words ātmā vām pāvitah in this verse are very significant. Ordinary conditioned souls are required to purify their existence by practicing the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga and learning how to offer all of their activities in the devotional service of the Lord. Such a regulative, gradual process, however, cannot be applied to those exalted souls who are personally attending the Lord as His parents, boyfriends, girl friends, advisors, sons, etc. Due to Vasudeva and Devakī's intense love for Krishna as their son, they had already achieved the highest perfectional stage of life. Although in the previous verse Śrī Nārada Muni informed Vasudeva that he and his wife had become glorious by Krishna's taking birth as their son, Vasudeva might have argued that other personal associates of the Lord, such as Jaya and Vijaya, had fallen down due to offending the brāhmana class. Therefore, in the present verse Nārada has used the word pāvitah: "You are completely purified, and therefore you are completely free from the slightest trace of discrepancy in your devotional service, due to your intense love for Krishna."

It is understood from the commentary of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura that Śrī Vasudeva, Krishna's pastime father, is actually an eternally liberated nitya-siddha associate of the Personality of Godhead. Vasudeva has a spiritual body, just as Krishna does, and he is always merged in the overwhelming ecstatic desire to serve Krishna, his beautiful son. However, Nārada could understand that due to extreme humility, Vasudeva considered himself an ordinary human being and was feeling very anxious to receive transcendental instructions on the devotional service of the Lord. Accepting the ecstatic humility of Vasudeva, and to relieve his anxiety, Śrī Nārada Muni instructed him in the science of bhakti-yoga as one might instruct an ordinary human being. However, at the some time Nārada has revealed that actually Śrī Vasudeva and Devakī are already completely glorious by their unprecedented fortune of having Krishna and Balarāma as their sons. Therefore, Nārada is telling Vasudeva, "My dear Vasudeva, do not in any way be discouraged or doubtful about your position. Undoubtedly you are immediately going back home, back to Godhead. And actually you and your good wife are the most fortunate persons."

In conclusion, everyone should become fortunate by fully developing his dormant love for Krishna. Many terrible demons who opposed Krishna eventually achieved a happy state of life by their association with Krishna. Therefore there is no doubt about the supreme bliss achieved by the loving devotees of the Lord who day and night can only think of pleasing Krishna.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
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