Devanagari
सुनन्दनन्दप्रमुखै: पर्षदै: सनकादिभि: ।
सुरेशैर्ब्रह्मरुद्राद्यैर्नवभिश्च द्विजोत्तमै: ॥ ५३ ॥
प्रह्रादनारदवसुप्रमुखैर्भागवतोत्तमै: ।
स्तूयमानं पृथग्भावैर्वचोभिरमलात्मभि: ॥ ५४ ॥
श्रिया पुष्ट्या गिरा कान्त्या कीर्त्या तुष्ट्येलयोर्जया ।
विद्ययाविद्यया शक्त्या मायया च निषेवितम् ॥ ५५ ॥
Verse text
sunanda-nanda-pramukhaiḥ
parṣadaiḥ sanakādibhiḥ
sureśair brahma-rudrādyair
navabhiś ca dvijottamaiḥ
prahrāda-nārada-vasu
pramukhair bhāgavatottamaiḥ
stūyamānaṁ pṛthag-bhāvair
vacobhir amalātmabhiḥ
śriyā puṣṭyā girā kāntyā
kīrtyā tuṣṭyelayorjayā
vidyayāvidyayā śaktyā
māyayā ca niṣevitam
Synonyms
sunanda
—
nanda — pramukhaiḥ — headed by Sunanda and Nanda
;
parṣadaiḥ
—
by His personal attendants
;
sanaka
—
ādibhiḥ — by Sanaka Kumāra and his brothers
;
sura
—
īśaiḥ — by the chief demigods
;
brahma
—
rudra — ādyaiḥ — headed by Brahmā and Rudra
;
navabhiḥ
—
nine
;
ca
—
and
;
dvija
—
uttamaiḥ — by the chief brāhmaṇas (headed by Marīci)
;
prahrāda
—
nārada — vasu — pramukhaiḥ — headed by Prahlāda, Nārada and Uparicara Vasu
;
bhāgavata
—
uttamaiḥ — by the most exalted devotees
;
stūyamānam
—
being praised
;
pṛthak
—
bhāvaiḥ — by each in a different loving attitude
;
vacobhiḥ
—
with words
;
amala
—
ātmabhiḥ — sanctified
;
śrīyā puṣṭyā gīrā kāntyā kīrtyā tuṣṭyā ilayā ūrjayā
—
by His internal potencies Śrī, Puṣṭi, Gīr, Kānti, Kīrti, Tuṣṭi, Ilā and Ūrjā
;
vidyayā avidyayā
—
by His potencies of knowledge and ignorance
;
śaktyā
—
by His internal pleasure potency
;
māyayā
—
by His material creative potency
;
ca
—
and
;
niṣevitam
—
being served .
Translation
Encircling the Lord and worshiping Him were Nanda, Sunanda and His other personal attendants; Sanaka and the other Kumāras; Brahmā, Rudra and other chief demigods; the nine chief brāhmaṇas; and the best of the saintly devotees, headed by Prahlāda, Nārada and Uparicara Vasu. Each of these great personalities was worshiping the Lord by chanting sanctified words of praise in his own unique mood. Also in attendance were the Lord’s principal internal potencies — Śrī, Puṣṭi, Gīr, Kānti, Kīrti, Tuṣṭi, Ilā and Ūrjā — as were His material potencies Vidyā, Avidyā and Māyā, and His internal pleasure potency, Śakti.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Encircling the Lord and worshiping Him were Nanda, Sunanda and His other personal attendants; Sanaka and the other Kumāras; Brahmā, Rudra and other chief demigods; the nine chief brāhmaṇas; and the best of the saintly devotees, headed by Prahlāda, Nārada and Uparicara Vasu. Each of these great personalities was worshiping the Lord by chanting sanctified words of praise in his own unique mood. Also in attendance were the Lord's principal internal potencies—Śrī, Puṣṭi, Gīr, Kānti, Kīrti, Tuṣṭi, Ilā and Ūrjā—as were His material potencies Vidyā, Avidyā and Māyā, and His internal pleasure potency, Śakti.
KB 10.39.53-55
Akrūra also saw His Lordship surrounded by intimate associates like the four Kumāras—Sanaka, Sanātana, Sananda and Sanat-kumāra—and other associates like Sunanda and Nanda, as well as demigods like Brahmā and Lord Śiva. The nine great learned sages were there, and also devotees like Prahlāda and Nārada and the eight Vasus. All were engaged in offering prayers to the Lord with clean hearts and pure words.
Purport
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains the Lord’s potencies mentioned in these verses: “Śrī is the potency of wealth; Puṣṭi that of strength; Gīr, knowledge; Kānti, beauty; Kīrti, fame; and Tuṣṭi, renunciation. These are the Lord’s six opulences. Ilā is His
bhū-śakti,
also known as
sandhinī,
the internal potency of whom the element earth is an expansion. Ūrjā is His internal potency for performing pastimes; she expands as the
tulasī
plant in this world. Vidyā and Avidyā [knowledge and ignorance] are external potencies who cause the living entities’ liberation and bondage, respectively. Śakti is His internal pleasure potency,
hlādinī,
and Māyā is an internal potency who is the basis of Vidyā and Avidyā. The word
ca
implies the presence of the Lord’s marginal energy, the
jīva-śakti,
who is subordinate to Māyā. Lord Viṣṇu was being served by all these personified potencies.”
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
He was praised by excellent words with various moods. The associates worshipped him as master. Sanaka worshipped him as Brahman. Brahma and others worshipped him as the Supreme Lord. Marici and others worshipped him as Prajapati. Prahlad and others worshipped him as their personal deity. Vasu was situated above, the associates in the eight directions, Sanaka and others behind, Brahma and others to the right , Marici and others to the left, and Prahlada and others in front. Narada was almost in front. All these are eternal associates. The material forms of Brahma and others are expansions of these eternal forms. The Padma Purana, Uttara khanda explains this. "All the devatas in the spiritual sky are eternal. Those devatas in the material svarga are not eternal."
He was surrounded by various energies who were emanations from his svarupa. The six opulences are indicated in this verse: sri or aisvarya. pusti or bala, gi or jnana, kanti or sobha, kirti or yasa, and tusti or vairagya.
Ila is the internal bhu sakti, sandhini shakti, whose expansion is the material earth. Urjja is the internal lila sakti, whose expansion is tulasi on the earth. Vidya and avidya are the two external energies which cause liberation and bondage. Sakti refers to the internal hladini sakti. Maya is the external energy, the source of vidya and avidya. Ca in this verse indicates the jiva or tatastha sakti. The Lord is eternally served (ni (nitya kala) sevita) by these saktis.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Three verses describe his retinue. Parṣadaiḥ refers to the most intimate associates, next to him, since they personally serve him. Though the Kumāras and others are also devotees, they were further away since they did not serve. Those who were intimate or antaraṅga were closer to the Lord than others since they have no material desires and have realized the form of the Lord. Among Brahmā and others, Brahmā and Śiva are actually beyond d the guṇas but since they partially take on the identity of ruling the universe, they are shown to be bahiraṅga or external associates. The others listed in the first two verses are external. The nine Prajāpatis Marīci, Atri, Āṅgirasa, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhṛgu, Vaśiṣṭa and Dakṣa were further away because of having fewer qualities such as knowledge. Though Prahlāda and others had great qualities, they considered themselves lowly worshippers among the associates and thus remained generally further away. Thus they are described here as the most distant. This type of positioning is described in the scriptures: the direct associates are in the eight directions. Behind them the Kumāras and other sages are situated. Brahmā and others are in the ten directions, or on the right side. Marīci and others are on the left side. Prahlāda and others face him and Nārada and others face him from above. Since they are eternal associates who surround the Lord, they have forms which act as lords of the material realm. Padma Purāṇa says:
nityāḥ sarva paraṁ dhāmni ye cānye ca divaukasaḥ
te vai prākṛta-nāke’smin anityās tridaśeśvarāḥ
All the others in the spiritual world are eternal. Those in the material heavenly planets are temporary devatās.
Śruti says te ha nākaṁ mahahimānaṁ sacante: the devatās associate with the Lord in the spiritual world. They praised individually (pṛthag-bhāvair) with excellent (amalātmabhiḥ) words or words with no fault. Or they praised with special words (pṛthag-bhāvair), as excellent speakers. Amalātmabhiḥ (pure) can also modify the various persons who praised.
His śaktis were also surrounding him. Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that Ilā is Bhū and Ūrjā is strength. Vidyā and Avidyā cause liberation and bondage for the jīvas. Śakti refers to hlādinī and saṁvit śaktis. Hlādinī gives experience of the Lord’s innate bliss and saṁvit is a great śakti of consciousness arising from his svarūpa-śakti. This śakti, being the original śakti, is different from māyā-śakti. She, as Mahālākṣmī serves the Lord intimately. She touches him. It is said hlādinyā samvitāśliṣṭaḥ saccidānanda īśvaraḥ: the Lord full of eternity, knowledge and bliss is embraced by his hlādinī and saṁvit śaktis. Some foolish commentator has annotated the word saṁvit in his commentary with the word jñanam. The verse also says māyayā ca niṣevitam. The word ca indicates that this other śakti is secondary since this māyā-śakti does not touch the Lord. Viṣṇu Purāṇa says:
hlādinī sandhinī saṁvit tvayy ekā guṇa-saṁśraye |
hlāda-tāpa-karī miśrā tvayi no guṇa-varjite |
In you who are the shelter of all spiritual qualities exist the energies of hlādinī, sandhinī and saṁvit. In you who are devoid of material qualities, the mixture of happiness and distress found in the material world does not exist.
In the Second Canto it is said:
vilajjamānayā yasya sthātum īkṣā-pathe ’muyā |
vimohitā vikatthante mamāham iti durdhiyaḥ ||
The ignorant jīvas, bewildered by māyā who is ashamed to stand in sight of the Lord, boast about “I” and “mine.” SB 2.5.13
Since they are of similar types, both are described as one in the verse. Śrī bestows wealth. Puṣṭi gives nourishment to the body. Gīḥ bestows power of speech. Kānti bestows beauty. Kīrti gives fame. Tuṣṭi gives satisfaction internally. Īlā supplies Bhū (earth) and Ūrjā produces Līlā. Vidyā gives correct knowledge of things. Aviyā produces false knowledge. Sometimes ignorance manifests through prema as a funciton of hlādini-śakti. This list also represents other śaktis. In Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa it is said:
evaṁ paraṁ pade nityair murtair hari-parāyaṇaiḥ
divyābhir mahiṣībhiś ca rājate vibhur īśvaraḥ
The Supreme Lord reigns in the spiritual world with eternal forms of many effulgent, fully dedicated queens.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Three verses describe his retinue. Parṣadaiḥ refers to the most intimate associates, next to him, since they personally serve him. Next were the sages such as the Kumāras. Behind were the devatās headed by Brahmā. To the right were the nine prajāpatis: Marīci, Atri, Aṅgirasā, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhṛgu, Vaśiṣṭha and Dakṣa. On the left was Nārada. Further away were Prahlāda and the Vasus. These are the āvaraṇa forms. In the first circle were Garuḍa and others, being the chief servants (pramukhaiḥ). In the second circle were Dhruva, Ambarīṣa and others. The others are clearly described here.
They served with many words or with many speakers whose hearts were pure. They were all qualified. Or they all were dedicated (ātmabhiḥ) to Kṛṣṇa (amala—he takes away all obstacles). Since all the words mean Kṛṣṇa, all these meanings are appropriate.
The words expressed different moods. Thus they were not repetitive or useless. Or he was served by all types of kīrtaṇa (vacobhiḥ) with different bhāvas--utterances of Kṛṣṇa and Nārāyaṇa. For the pārṣadas he was Kṛṣṇa the form of eternity, knowledge and bliss, the enjoyer of Ramā. For the Kumāras he was parabrahman. For Brahmā and others he was the supreme Lord, attracting everyone by his greatness. For the prajāpatis he was dharma personified, generating pious acts like sacrifice. For Prahlāda he was Śyāmasundara. For Nārada he was the best of the Yadus. For the Vasus he was the joy of Gokula. Thus there was excellence in the words. Their very natures were pure (amalātmabhiḥ).
The śaktis are described as an āvaraṇa. Śrī is situated on his chest. She controls all wealth. The others are controllers of various qualities. Puṣṭi nourishes the body. Tuṣṭi nourishes the mind. Gīḥ controls words in general. Īlā controls prayers. Ūrjā is the śakti of the senses. There are twelve servants situated in the four directions starting from east, in groups of three. They constantly serve the lord with betel nut, cāmara etc.