Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.1.20

śrī-śuka uvāca

iti samabhihito mahā-bhāgavato bhagavatas tri-bhuvana-guror anuśāsanam ātmano laghutayāvanata-śirodharo bādham iti sabahu-mānam uvāha

SYNONYMS

śrī-śukah uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; iti — thus; samabhihitah — completely instructed; mahā-bhāgavatah — the great devotee; bhagavatah — of the most powerful Lord Brahmā; tri-bhuvana — of the three worlds; guroh — the spiritual master; anuśāsanam — the order; ātmanah — of himself; laghutayā — because of inferiority; avanata — bowed down; śirodharah — his head; bādham — yes, sir; iti — thus; sa-bahu-mānam — with great respect; uvāha — carried out.

TRANSLATION

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: After thus being fully instructed by Lord Brahmā, who is the spiritual master of the three worlds, Priyavrata, his own position being inferior, offered obeisances, accepted the order and carried it out with great respect.

PURPORT

Śrī Priyavrata was the grandson of Lord Brahmā. Therefore according to social etiquette, his position was inferior. It is the duty of the inferior to carry out the order of the superior with great respect. Priyavrata therefore immediately said, "Yes, sir. I shall carry out your order." Priyavrata is described as a mahā-bhāgavata, a great devotee. The duty of a great devotee is to carry out the order of the spiritual master, or the spiritual master of the spiritual master in the paramparā system. As described in Bhagavad-gītā (4.2), evam paramparā prāptam: one has to receive the instructions of the Supreme Lord through the disciplic chain of spiritual masters. A devotee of the Lord always considers himself a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord.

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