Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 9.5.20

prito 'smy anugrihito 'smi

tava bhagavatasya vai

darsana-sparsanalapair

atithyenatma-medhasa

SYNONYMS

pritah -- very much satisfied; asmi -- I am; anugrihitah -- very much favored; asmi -- I am; tava -- your; bhagavatasya -- because of your being a pure devotee; vai -- indeed; darsana -- by seeing you; sparsana -- and touching your feet; alapaih -- by talking with you; atithyena -- by your hospitality; atma-medhasa -- by my own intelligence.

TRANSLATION

Durvasa Muni said: I am very pleased with you, my dear King. At first I thought of you as an ordinary human being and accepted your hospitality, but later I could understand, by my own intelligence, that you are the most exalted devotee of the Lord. Therefore, simply by seeing you, touching your feet and talking with you, I have been pleased and have become obliged to you.

PURPORT

It is said, vaishnavera kriya mudra vijneha na bujhaya: even a very intelligent man cannot understand the activities of a pure Vaishnava. Therefore, because Durvasa Muni was a great mystic yogi, he first mistook Maharaja Ambarisha for an ordinary human being and wanted to punish him. Such is the mistaken observation of a Vaishnava. When Durvasa Muni was persecuted by the Sudarsana cakra, however, his intelligence developed. Therefore the word atma-medhasa is used to indicate that by his personal experience he would understand how great a Vaishnava the King was. When Durvasa Muni was chased by the Sudarsana cakra, he wanted to take shelter of Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, and he was even able to go to the spiritual world, meet the Personality of Godhead and talk with Him face to face, yet he was unable to be rescued from the attack of the Sudarsana cakra. Thus he could understand the influence of a Vaishnava by personal experience. Durvasa Muni was certainly a great yogi and a very learned brahmana, but despite his being a real yogi he was unable to understand the influence of a Vaishnava. Therefore it is said, vaishnavera kriya mudra vijneha na bujhaya: even the most learned person cannot understand the value of a Vaishnava. There is always a possibility for so-called jnanis and yogis to be mistaken when studying the character of a Vaishnava. A Vaishnava can be understood by how much he is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in terms of his inconceivable activities.

<<< >>>

Copyright (c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness