Devanagari
तदस्तु मे नाथ स भूरिभागो
भवेऽत्र वान्यत्र तु वा तिरश्चाम् ।
येनाहमेकोऽपि भवज्जनानां
भूत्वा निषेवे तव पादपल्लवम् ॥ ३० ॥
Verse text
tad astu me nātha sa bhūri-bhāgo
bhave ’tra vānyatra tu vā tiraścām
yenāham eko ’pi bhavaj-janānāṁ
bhūtvā niṣeve tava pāda-pallavam
Synonyms
tat
—
therefore
;
astu
—
may it be
;
me
—
my
;
nātha
—
O master
;
saḥ
—
that
;
bhūri
—
bhāgaḥ — greatest good fortune
;
bhave
—
in the birth
;
atra
—
this
;
vā
—
or
;
anyatra
—
in some other birth
;
tu
—
indeed
;
vā
—
or
;
tiraścām
—
among the animals
;
yena
—
by which
;
aham
—
I
;
ekaḥ
—
one
;
api
—
even
;
bhavat
—
or Your
;
janānām
—
devotees
;
bhūtvā
—
becoming
;
niṣeve
—
I may fully engage in serving
;
tava
—
Your
;
pāda
—
pallavam — lotus feet .
Translation
My dear Lord, I therefore pray to be so fortunate that in this life as Lord Brahmā or in another life, wherever I take my birth, I may be counted as one of Your devotees. I pray that wherever I may be, even among the animal species, I can engage in devotional service to Your lotus feet.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
My dear Lord, I therefore pray to be so fortunate that in this life as Lord Brahmā or in another life, wherever I take my birth, I may be counted as one of Your devotees. I pray that wherever I may be, even among the animal species, I can engage in devotional service to Your lotus feet.
KB 10.14.30
“Therefore, my dear Lord, I pray that I may be so fortunate that in this life or in another life, wherever I may take my birth, I may be counted as one of Your devotees. Wherever I may be, I pray that I may be engaged in Your devotional service. I do not even care what form of life I get in the future, because I can see that even in the form of cows and calves or cowherd boys, the devotees are so fortunate to be always engaged in Your transcendental loving service and association. Therefore I wish to be one of them instead of such an exalted person as I am now, for I am full of ignorance.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"O Brahma, crest jewel of all knowers of sadhya and sadhana, what is your desire after describing jnana and bhakti in your prayers?"
" Oh Master (indicating himself as a servant)!"
" O Brahma consider carefully and pray for the most valuable thing!"
"Yes, I have discerned the most auspicious thing of all (bhuribhaga). Whether I am born as Lord Brahma (atra bhave) or whether I am born in low species such as deer (tirascaram) for many births (with no desire for liberation, since I will lose chances to attain bhakti), whatever birth I have from the highest to lowest, I pray to take birth as one among your followers (whether advanced or neophyte)."
In the first verse of this chapter Brahma expressed the excellence of the Lord’s sweetness. In the second and thirtieth verse he praising the Lord’s power, exhibits a mixture of bhakti and jnana. In the third verse (jnane prayasam.) he concludes that bhakti is superior. In the eighth verse he shows the supremecy of pure (kevala) bhakti to Krsna. In the twenty seventh and nineteenth verse he derides kevala jnana. In the fourth and fifth verses Brahma shows the useless of kevala jnana and the success of kevala bhakti. In the twenty eighth and twenty ninth verses he discusses jnana mixed with bhakti. In the twenty fourth verse he discusses the santa bhakti and in the thirtieth verse he discusses dasya bhakti. After this, from the thirty first verse, brahma, having fallen into the ocean of Krsna’s sweetness, praises the devotees immersed in raga of vatsalya and other intimate relationships. This is the outline of Brahma’s prayers.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
I have received mercy, by which I received knowledge of your powers, by which I have begun worship, by which I have had a direct meeting with you. This has happened so quickly. Therefore I pray to you. It should be understood that until the end of the chapter these prayers are a form of offering respects ultimately to the form of Kṛṣṇa. O Lord, fulfiller of all desires (nātha)! The good fortune of attaining the position of Brahmā is not great. But it is great fortune (bhūri-bhāgaḥ) that one person (myself) among many can serve with full dedication (ni—ṣeve) your lotus feet. I am not eager to be born elsewhere in a deer body, but I desire to be born as a devotee of some sort in Vraja. This last item is indicated by using the word vā twice. Service in a deer body in Vraja consists of licking the dust from Lords limbs with affection. He prays for this after seeing such actions.
Or the last verse and this verse may be taken together. Though some are fortunate to understand your glories by a particle of mercy, what would happen if full mercy were shown? I could then be some devotee among your many associates.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Your mercy results in becoming your servant. Brahmā prays to be a servant. O Lord who fulfills all desires (nātha)! By the fortune of attaining Brahmaloka there is no great fortune. By taking birth among your devotees there is the greatest fortune (bhūri-bhagaḥ). For me, the elderst son, that is the best placement. I should be born as one among your devotees and serve with full dedication (niṣeve) your lotus feet, being born as Brahmā (atra) or elsewhere (anyatra) or in Vraja. Or elsewhere can simply modify “in an animal body.” But that is not my interest. I should have bhakti. Or your mercy should produce service to your devotees. Let me be born as one among your (tava) new devotees (bhavat-janānām) and serve the lotus feet of your associates.