Devanagari
देशान् पुण्यानाश्रयेत मद्भक्तै: साधुभि: श्रितान् ।
देवासुरमनुष्येषु मद्भक्ताचरितानि च ॥ १० ॥
Verse text
deśān puṇyān āśrayeta
mad-bhaktaiḥ sādhubhiḥ śritān
devāsura-manuṣyeṣu
mad-bhaktācaritāni ca
Synonyms
deśān
—
places
;
puṇyān
—
sacred
;
āśrayeta
—
he should take shelter of
;
mat
—
bhaktaiḥ — by My devotees
;
sādhubhiḥ
—
saintly
;
śritān
—
resorted to
;
deva
—
among the demigods
;
asura
—
demons
;
manuṣyeṣu
—
and human beings
;
mat
—
bhakta — of My devotees
;
ācaritāni
—
the activities
;
ca
—
and .
Translation
One should take shelter of holy places where My saintly devotees reside, and one should be guided by the exemplary activities of My devotees, who appear among the demigods, demons and human beings.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
One should take shelter of holy places where my saintly devotees reside, and one should be guided by the exemplary activities of my devotees, who appear among the devatās, demons and human beings.
In pure bhakti, the methods of vaidhi and rāgānuga are indicated by giving two interpretations. One should live in places like Dvārakā. One should follow after the activities of devotees among the devatās (Nārada), among the demons (Prahlāda) and among humans (Ambarīṣa). This indicates vaidhi-bhakti. One should live in Gokula, Vṛndāvana or Govardhana, and follow after the activities of Candrakānti, Vṛndā and the gopīs. [Note: Candrakānti was the daughter of a Gandharva. Vṛṇda’s was the wife of a demon named Jalandhara in one pastime on earth. Perhaps this is the connection of Vṛnda with the demons. ] This indicates rāgānuga-bhakti.
Purport
Nārada Muni is one of the great devotees of the Lord who appeared among the demigods. Prahlāda Mahārāja appeared among the demons, and many other great devotees, such as Ambarīṣa Mahārāja and the Pāṇḍavas, appeared among human beings. One should take shelter of the devotees’ exemplary activities and also the holy places where devotees reside. Thus one will remain safe on the path of devotional service.