Devanagari
मां भजन्ति गुणा: सर्वे निर्गुणं निरपेक्षकम् ।
सुहृदं प्रियमात्मानं साम्यासङ्गादयोऽगुणा: ॥ ४० ॥
Verse text
māṁ bhajanti guṇāḥ sarve
nirguṇaṁ nirapekṣakam
suhṛdaṁ priyam ātmānaṁ
sāmyāsaṅgādayo ’guṇāḥ
Synonyms
mām
—
Me
;
bhajanti
—
serve and take shelter of
;
guṇāḥ
—
qualities
;
sarve
—
all
;
nirguṇam
—
free from the modes of nature
;
nirapekṣakam
—
detached
;
su
—
hṛdam — the well-wisher
;
priyam
—
the most dear
;
ātmānam
—
the Supersoul
;
sāmya
—
being equally situated everywhere
;
asaṅga
—
detachment
;
ādayaḥ
—
and so on
;
aguṇāḥ
—
free from the transformation of the material modes .
Translation
All superior transcendental qualities, such as being beyond the modes of nature, detached, the well-wisher, the most dear, the Supersoul, equally situated everywhere, and free from material entanglement — all such qualities, free from the transformations of material qualities, find their shelter and worshipable object in Me.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
All superior qualities, which are eternal, such as equality to all beings and attachment to my devotee, reside in me. I am beyond the material guṇas, not dependent on material qualities, and am the devotees’ friend, giving love to them.
“When you say that you are the supreme shelter of power and fame, we see that you also show identification with the body. How have you taught us knowledge by doing that?” True, but I do not have a material body different from myself, as the jīva has. It has no ahaṅkāra made of prakṛti. It arises from my svarūpa and is full of eternity, knowledge and bliss. That is explained in this verse. All qualities take shelter of me, who am beyond the guṇas of māyā. I am not dependent on the qualities of māyā (nirapekṣam). But I work for the benefit of my devotees, since I am controlled by their prema (priyam) and show affection for them. According to i-gu-pa-dha-jṣā-prī-kiraḥ ka (Pāṇinī 1.3.135) priya means "one who pleases.” What are the qualities? I am equal to all since I am indifferent to material things and I am attached (āsaṅga) to my devotees who are spiritual entities. The word ādi indicates the unlimited qualities such as truthfulness and cleanliness whcih are mentioned in the First Canto by the earth personified. Śrīdhara Svāmī says that aguṇaḥ means that the Lord has a form whose qualities do not change. Those qualities are eternal. In the First Canto it is said:
ete cānye ca bhagavan nityā yatra mahā-guṇāḥ
prārthyā mahattvam icchadbhir na viyanti sma karhicit ||
In the Lord reside the following eternal, great qualities, which do not disappear at any time. SB 1.16.31
Thus the qualities arising from the Lord’s svarūpa belong to the svarūpa of the Lord (ātmānam). Śruti say śakti vividhaiva śruyate svābhāvikī jṣāna-bala-kriyā ca: the Lord has many spiritual energies, such as the energy of jṣāna, bala and kriyā. (Śvetāsvatāra Upaniṣad)
Purport
Because in the previous verse Lord Kṛṣṇa explained His exalted nature, the sons of Brahmā might have slightly doubted the Lord’s position, thinking that they had detected some pride within the Lord’s mind. Therefore, they may have doubted the instructions they had just received from Lord Haṁsa. Anticipating any such reluctance, the Lord immediately clarifies the situation in the present verse. The Lord explains that, unlike ordinary living entities even up to the standard of Brahmā, the Lord’s transcendental body is not different from His eternal Self and has no material qualities such as false egotism. The Lord’s transcendental form is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss, and is thus
nirguṇam,
beyond the modes of nature. Because the Lord completely ignores the so-called enjoyment offered by the illusory energy, He is called
nirapekṣakam,
and being the best well-wisher of His devotees, He is called
suhṛdam.
Priyam
indicates that the Lord is the supreme lovable object and that He establishes wonderful affectionate relationships with His devotees.
Sāmya
indicates that the Lord is neutral and detached in all material situations. These and other exalted qualities find their shelter and worshipable object in the Lord, who does not take material designations into consideration but awards His mercy to anyone who takes shelter of Him. In
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
(1.16.26-30)
mother Bhūmi, the predominating deity of the earth, gives a list of some of the Lord’s transcendental qualities, and even more are found in
The Nectar of Devotion.
Actually, the Lord’s qualities are unlimited, but a small sample is given here simply to establish the Lord’s transcendental position.
Śrīla Madhvācārya has quoted from the
Kāla-saṁhitā
as follows. “The demigods are not actually perfectly endowed with transcendental qualities. Indeed, their opulences are limited, and therefore they worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, who is simultaneously free of all material qualities and completely endowed with all transcendental qualities, which exist in His personal body.”