Devanagari
श्रुतस्य पुंसां सुचिरश्रमस्य
नन्वञ्जसा सूरिभिरीडितोऽर्थ: ।
तत्तद्गुणानुश्रवणं मुकुन्द-
पादारविन्द हृदयेषु येषाम् ॥ ४ ॥
Verse text
śrutasya puṁsāṁ sucira-śramasya
nanv aṣjasā sūribhir īḍito ’rthaḥ
tat-tad-guṇānuśravaṇaṁ mukunda-
pādāravindaṁ hṛdayeṣu yeṣām
Synonyms
śrutasya
—
of persons who are in the process of hearing
;
puṁsām
—
of such persons
;
sucira
—
for a long time
;
śramasya
—
laboring very hard
;
nanu
—
certainly
;
aṣjasā
—
elaborately
;
sūribhiḥ
—
by pure devotees
;
īḍitaḥ
—
explained by
;
arthaḥ
—
statements
;
tat
—
that
;
tat
—
that
;
guṇa
—
transcendental qualities
;
anuśravaṇam
—
thinking
;
mukunda
—
the Personality of Godhead, who awards liberation
;
pāda
—
aravindam — the lotus feet
;
hṛdayeṣu
—
within the heart
;
yeṣām
—
of them .
Translation
Persons who hear from a spiritual master with great labor and for a long time must hear from the mouths of pure devotees about the character and activities of pure devotees. Pure devotees always think within their hearts of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, who awards His devotees liberation.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The goal of a person engaged in hearing scripture from the guru for a long time, praised by the great devotees, is hearing the glories of those in whose hearts Mukunda resides.
Without hearing about the Lord and his devotees, knowledge of the most learned person is useless. The goal (arthaḥ) of the person engaged in studying scripture from the mouth of guru (śrutasya) in which there is long efforts (sucira-śramasya) is praised by the great devotees. Other goals are condemned. What is that goal? It is hearing and chanting of the qualities of persons in whose hearts exist the lotus feet of the Kṛṣṇa.
Purport
Transcendental students are those who undergo great penance in being trained by hearing the
Vedas
from a bona fide spiritual master. Not only must they hear about the activities of the Lord, but they must also hear about the transcendental qualities of the devotees who are constantly thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord within their hearts. A pure devotee of the Lord cannot be separated from the lotus feet of the Lord for even a moment. Undoubtedly the Lord is always within the hearts of all living creatures, but they hardly know about it because they are deluded by the illusory material energy. The devotees, however, realize the presence of the Lord, and therefore they can always see the lotus feet of the Lord within their hearts. Such pure devotees of the Lord are as glorious as the Lord; they are, in fact, recommended by the Lord as more worshipable than He Himself. Worship of the devotee is more potent than worship of the Lord. It is therefore the duty of the transcendental students to hear of pure devotees, as explained by similar devotees of the Lord, because one cannot explain about the Lord or His devotee unless one happens to be a pure devotee himself.