Canto 9: Liberation | Chapter 21: The Dynasty of Bharata; |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 9.21.7
athānyo bhokṣyamāṇasya
vibhaktasya mahīpateḥ
vibhaktaḿ vyabhajat tasmai
vṛṣalāya hariḿ smaran
SYNONYMS
atha — thereafter; anyaḥ — another guest; bhokṣyamāṇasya — who was just about to eat; vibhaktasya — after setting aside the share for the family; mahīpateḥ — of the King; vibhaktam — the food allotted for the family; vyabhajat — he divided and distributed; tasmai — unto him; vṛṣalāya — unto a śūdra; harim — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; smaran — remembering.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, having divided the remaining food with his relatives, Rantideva was just about to eat his own share when a śūdra guest arrived. Seeing the śūdra in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, King Rantideva gave him also a share of the food.
PURPORT
Because King Rantideva saw everyone as part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he never distinguished between the brāhmaṇa and the śūdra, the poor and the rich. Such equal vision is called sama-darśinaḥ (paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg. 5.18]). One who has actually realized that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in everyone's heart and that every living being is part of the Lord does not make any distinction between the brāhmaṇa and the śūdra, the poor (daridra) and the rich (dhanī). Such a person sees all living beings equally and treats them equally, without discrimination.
Copyright © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness