Devanagari
इति भागवतान् धर्मान् शिक्षन् भक्त्या तदुत्थया ।
नारायणपरो मायामञ्जस्तरति दुस्तराम् ॥ ३३ ॥
Verse text
iti bhāgavatān dharmān
śikṣan bhaktyā tad-utthayā
nārāyaṇa-paro māyām
aṣjas tarati dustarām
Synonyms
iti
—
thus
;
bhāgavatān dharmān
—
the science of devotional service
;
śikṣan
—
studying
;
bhaktyā
—
by devotion
;
tat
—
utthayā — generated by it
;
nārāyaṇa
—
paraḥ — completely devoted to the Supreme Lord, Nārāyaṇa
;
māyām
—
the illusory energy
;
aṣjaḥ
—
easily
;
tarati
—
crosses beyond
;
dustarām
—
impossible to cross .
Translation
Thus learning the science of devotional service and practically engaging in the devotional service of the Lord, the devotee comes to the stage of love of Godhead. And by complete devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, the devotee easily crosses over the illusory energy, māyā, which is extremely difficult to cross.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Having learned bhakti and being dedicated to Nārāyaṇa, one will easily cross insurmountable māyā by prema-bhakti.
One thus learns about performance of bhakti. This learning ends with first part of verse 31. Following that (31-32), there are teachings about the cherished goal, prema, in order to inspire the devotee to develop that stage, thinking, “When will I develop symptoms of ecstasy?” By prema-bhakti (tad-utthayā) arising from taught bhakti (sādhana), one will cross māyā easily. But crossing māyā is a secondary result.
Purport
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has pointed out that
mukti,
or liberation, which is described in this verse by the words
māyām aṣjas tarati dustarām,
is actually a by-product or secondary result of pure love of Godhead. In the second verse of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
it is pointed out,
dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ/ vedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
teaches the science of devotional service, in which the ultimate goal is pure love of Godhead. According to the Vaiṣṇava
ācāryas,
mukti,
or liberation, is a by-product of love of Godhead.
Śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam.
One should not approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead for liberation, since one is automatically liberated by obeying the order of the Lord. Kṛṣṇa’s order is given at the end of
Bhagavad-gītā:
sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja.
Every living being should give up his mundane conceptions of life and take full shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. If one carries out this order the Lord automatically provides liberation (
mukti
). Actual happiness comes from loving God without any tinge of mental speculation or fruitive desire.
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
jṣāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
“One should render transcendental loving service to Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.” (
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu
1.1.11) So crossing over the insurmountable ocean of illusion, as described here, is not actually the principal result of
bhāgavata-dharma,
or devotional service to the Lord, but is a by-product of pure love of Godhead.