Devanagari
ममैतद् दुर्लभं मन्य उत्तम:श्लोकदर्शनम् ।
विषयात्मनो यथा ब्रह्मकीर्तनं शूद्रजन्मन: ॥ ४ ॥
Verse text
mamaitad durlabhaṁ manya
uttamaḥ-śloka-darśanam
viṣayātmano yathā brahma-
kīrtanaṁ śūdra-janmanaḥ
Synonyms
mama
—
my
;
etat
—
this
;
durlabham
—
difficult to achieve
;
manye
—
I consider
;
uttamaḥ
—
śloka — of the Supreme Lord, who is praised in the best poetry
;
darśanam
—
the audience
;
viṣaya
—
ātmanaḥ — for one who is absorbed in sense gratification
;
yathā
—
just as
;
brahma
—
of the Vedas
;
kīrtanam
—
chanting
;
śūdra
—
as a low-class man
;
janmanaḥ
—
by one who has taken his birth .
Translation
Since I am a materialistic person absorbed simply in sense gratification, I think it is as difficult for me to have gotten this opportunity to see Lord Uttamaḥśloka as it would be for one born a śūdra to be allowed to recite the Vedic mantras.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Since I am a materialistic person absorbed simply in sense gratification, I think it is as difficult for me to have gotten this opportunity to see Lord Uttamaḥśloka as it would be for one born a śūdra to be allowed to recite the Vedic mantras.
KB 10.38.4
A pure Vaiṣṇava always thinks himself unfit to serve Kṛṣṇa. So Akrūra began to think within himself that he was unfit for gaining the transcendental opportunity of seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He considered himself as unfit for seeing Kṛṣṇa as a materialistic person is for understanding the science of God or as a fourth-class person (a śūdra) is for studying the Vedas.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Akrura then spoke, overcome with humility." It is rare that I, a materialist would get the chance to see the Lord, just as it in unusual for a born sudra to recite the Vedas."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
He speaks with great humility (dainya—a sañcāri-bhāva). I consider whatever acts I did (etad) as the cause of seeing Kṛṣṇa, which is rare. Or I consider seeing him at this time (etad) a rare event. Or etad can simply refer to what he will later say: it is rare to see the Lord directly. He is the person fame destroys saṁsāra (uttamaḥ-śloka). I consider it something that is only achieved after many births by a person like me. Why? I am completely dedicated to material enjoyment (viṣayātmaṇaḥ) by prārabdha-karma. A similar example of rarity is given. A śūdra after many births can become a brāhmaṇa and then chant the Vedas. But a person born as a śūdra by karma can in this life also chant the Vedas by actions of special atonement.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
He elaborates: it is rare to see the supreme Lord. Or after describing in general the Lord’s greatness, he elaborates that greatness: he is glorified as the most attractive (uttama-śloka) or as the person who destroys saṁsāra. I consider seeing him most rare. Why? I am materialistic (viṣayaṭmanaḥ). An example of rareness is give. Śudras are not qualified to recite the Vedas. The śudra cannot do the activities prescribed for the brāhmaṇa. Their activities are distinct.
strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā |
The women, śudras and dvija-bandhus were not qualified to hear the Vedas. SB 1.4.25
By his nature the śudra is unqualified to recite or hear the Vedas.