Devanagari
युधिष्ठिर उवाच
किं न आचरितं श्रेयो न वेदाहमधीश्वर ।
योगेश्वराणां दुर्दर्शो यन्नो दृष्ट: कुमेधसाम् ॥ ११ ॥
Verse text
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
kiṁ na ācaritaṁ śreyo
na vedāham adhīśvara
yogeśvarāṇāṁ durdarśo
yan no dṛṣṭaḥ ku-medhasām
Synonyms
yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca
—
Yudhiṣṭhira said
;
kim
—
what
;
naḥ
—
by us
;
ācaritam
—
performed
;
śreyaḥ
—
pious work
;
na veda
—
do not know
;
aham
—
I
;
adhīśvara
—
O supreme controller
;
yoga
—
of mystic yoga
;
īśvarāṇām
—
by the masters
;
durdarśaḥ
—
rarely seen
;
yat
—
that
;
naḥ
—
by us
;
dṛṣṭaḥ
—
seen
;
ku
—
medhasam — who are unintelligent .
Translation
King Yudhiṣṭhira said: O supreme controller, I do not know what pious deeds we fools have done so that we can see You, whom the masters of yogic perfection rarely see.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
King Yudhiṣṭhira said: O supreme controller, I do not know what pious deeds we fools have done so that we can see You, whom the masters of yogic perfection rarely see.
KB 10.58.11
Then King Yudhiṣṭhira also praised Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality and universal friend of everyone, but because Kṛṣṇa was taking special care of the Pāṇḍavas, King Yudhiṣṭhira said, “My dear Kṛṣṇa, we do not know what sort of pious activities we have executed in our past lives that have made You so kind and gracious to us. We know very well that the great mystics who always engage in meditation to capture You do not find it easy to obtain such grace, nor can they draw any personal attention from You. I cannot understand why You are so kind to us. We are not yogīs; on the contrary, we are attached to material contaminations. We are householders dealing in politics, worldly affairs. I do not know why You are so kind to us.”
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Hearing of the Lord’s affection for his devotee, Yudhiṣṭhira describes the Lord’s affection for the most fallen, taking shelter of humility while thinking of himself unqualified as a devotee because of his modest nature. What auspicious act did we perform in our previous lives so that we, who are devoid of bhakti (ku-medhasām), see you now? You are only seen after a long time by even the masters of bhakti-yoga. It is only because you are affectionate to the most fallen that we see you. O independent lord (adhīśvara)! Or, O protector of us unintelligent miserable souls (adhi īśvara)!
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Hearing of the Lord’s affection for his devotee, Yudhiṣṭhira describes the Lord’s affection for the most fallen, taking shelter of humility, while thinking of himself unqualified as a devotee because of his modest nature. I, the son of Dharma, the eldest brother, do not know what pious acts we have done. Or let others know. I do not know. He mocks those who think they are knowledgeable. Why? O supremely independent (adhīśvara)! You are not seen even in the hearts of experts at samādhi (yogeśvarānām). Or O lord of suffering persons like us (adhīśvara)! O protector! Or O Lord who reveals his additional powers (adhīśvara)! You are seen by the best of devotees only when they suffer (dur). You become visible only after a long time and great suffering. I do not know the pious acts by which you are seen by us, devoid of bhakti (kumedhasām). We do not have the piety of great bhakti. We can see you only because you are affectionate to the lowest.