Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.31.3

tān nirjita-prāṇa-mano-vaco-dṛśo

jitāsanān śānta-samāna-vigrahān

pare 'male brahmaṇi yojitātmanaḥ

surāsureḍyo dadṛśe sma nāradaḥ

SYNONYMS

tān — all of them; nirjita — completely controlled; prāṇa — the life air (by the prāṇāyāma process); manaḥ — mind; vacaḥ — words; dṛśaḥ — and vision; jita-āsanān — who conquered the yogic āsana, or sitting posture; śānta — pacified; samāna — straight; vigrahān — whose bodies; pare — transcendental; amale — free from all material contamination; brahmaṇi — in the Supreme; yojita — engaged; ātmanaḥ — whose minds; sura-asura-īḍyaḥ — worshiped by the demons and by the demigods; dadṛśe — saw; sma — in the past; nāradaḥ — the great sage Nārada.

TRANSLATION

After practicing the yogāsana for mystic yoga, the Pracetās managed to control their life air, mind, words and external vision. Thus by the prāṇāyāma process they were completely relieved of material attachment. By remaining perpendicular, they could concentrate their minds on the uppermost Brahman. While they were practicing this prāṇāyāma, the great sage Nārada, who is worshiped both by demons and by demigods, came to see them.

PURPORT

In this verse the words pare amale are significant. The realization of Brahman is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases — impersonal effulgence (Brahman), localized Paramātmā and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān. In his prayers, Lord Śiva concentrated upon the personal features of Parabrahman, described in personal terms as snigdha-prāvṛḍ-ghana-śyāmam (Bhāg. 4.24.45). Following the instructions of Lord Śiva, the Pracetās also concentrated their minds on the Śyāmasundara form of the Supreme Brahman. Although impersonal Brahman, Paramātmā Brahman and Brahman as the Supreme Person are all on the same transcendental platform, the personal feature of the Supreme Brahman is the ultimate goal and last word in transcendence.

The great sage Nārada travels everywhere. He goes to the demons and the demigods and is equally respected. He is consequently described herein as surāsureḍya, worshiped both by demons and by demigods. For Nārada Muni, the door of every house is open. Although there is perpetual animosity between the demons and demigods, Nārada Muni is welcomed everywhere. Nārada is considered one of the demigods, of course, and the word devarṣi means "the saintly person among the demigods." But not even the demons envy Nārada Muni; therefore he is equally worshiped both by demons and by demigods. A perfect Vaiṣṇava's position should be just like Nārada Muni's, completely independent and unbiased.

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