Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.9.8

śrī-prahrāda uvāca

brahmādayah sura-ganā munayo 'tha siddhāh

sattvaikatāna-gatayo vacasām pravāhaih

nārādhitum puru-gunair adhunāpi pipruh

kim toshtum arhati sa me harir ugra-jāteh

SYNONYMS

śrī-prahrādah uvāca — Prahlāda Mahārāja prayed; brahma-ādayah — headed by Lord Brahmā; sura-ganāh — the inhabitants of the upper planetary systems; munayah — the great saintly persons; atha — as well (like the four Kumāras and others); siddhāh — who have attained perfection or full knowledge; sattva — to spiritual existence; ekatāna-gatayah — who have taken without diversion to any material activities; vacasām — of descriptions or words; pravāhaih — by streams; na — not; ārādhitum — to satisfy; puru-gunaih — although fully qualified; adhunā — until now; api — even; pipruh — were able; kim — whether; toshtum — to become pleased; arhati — is able; sah — He (the Lord); me — my; harih — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ugra-jāteh — who am born in an asuric family.

TRANSLATION

Prahlāda Mahārāja prayed: How is it possible for me, who have been born in a family of asuras, to offer suitable prayers to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Even until now, all the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā, and all the saintly persons, could not satisfy the Lord by streams of excellent words, although such persons are very qualified, being in the mode of goodness. Then what is to be said of me? I am not at all qualified.

PURPORT

A Vaishnava who is fully qualified to serve the Lord still thinks himself extremely low while offering prayers to the Lord. For example, Krishnadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, the author of Caitanya-caritāmrita, says:

jagāi mādhāi haite muñi se pāpishtha

purīshera kīta haite muñi se laghishtha

(Cc. Ādi 5.205)

Thus he considers himself unqualified, lower than the worms in stool, and more sinful than Jagāi and Mādhāi. A pure Vaishnava actually thinks of himself in this way. Similarly, although Prahlāda Mahārāja was a pure, exalted Vaishnava, he thought himself most unqualified to offer prayers to the Supreme Lord. Mahājano yena gatah sa panthāh. Every pure Vaishnava should think like this. One should not be falsely proud of his Vaishnava qualifications. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has therefore instructed us:

trinād api sunīcena

taror iva sahishnunā

amāninā mānadena

kīrtanīyah sadā harih

[Cc. adi 17.31]

"One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly." Unless one is meek and humble, to make progress in spiritual life is very difficult.

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