Devanagari
ये तु त्वदीयचरणाम्बुजकोशगन्धं
जिघ्रन्ति कर्णविवरै: श्रुतिवातनीतम् ।
भक्त्या गृहीतचरण: परया च तेषां
नापैषि नाथ हृदयाम्बुरुहात्स्वपुंसाम् ॥ ५ ॥
Verse text
ye tu tvadīya-caraṇāmbuja-kośa-gandhaṁ
jighranti karṇa-vivaraiḥ śruti-vāta-nītam
bhaktyā gṛhīta-caraṇaḥ parayā ca teṣāṁ
nāpaiṣi nātha hṛdayāmburuhāt sva-puṁsām
Synonyms
ye
—
those who
;
tu
—
but
;
tvadīya
—
Your
;
caraṇa
—
ambuja — lotus feet
;
kośa
—
inside
;
gandham
—
flavor
;
jighranti
—
smell
;
karṇa
—
vivaraiḥ — through the channel of the ears
;
śruti
—
vāta — nītam — carried by the air of Vedic sound
;
bhaktyā
—
by devotional service
;
gṛhīta
—
caraṇaḥ — accepting the lotus feet
;
parayā
—
transcendental
;
ca
—
also
;
teṣām
—
for them
;
na
—
never
;
apaiṣi
—
separate
;
nātha
—
O my Lord
;
hṛdaya
—
heart
;
ambu
—
ruhāt — from the lotus of
;
sva
—
puṁsām — of Your own devotees .
Translation
O my Lord, persons who smell the aroma of Your lotus feet, carried by the air of Vedic sound through the holes of the ears, accept Your devotional service. For them You are never separated from the lotus of their hearts.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
O master! You do not give up the lotus hearts of your devotees who smell through their ears the fragrance of your lotus bud feet brought by the wind of the Vedas, and take your lotus feet as the greatest treasure through prema-bhakti.
The worshippers of the impersonal Brahman are described as jṣānīs in the scriptures. The worshippers of the person form are described as devotees. Among the two types of people, the devotees are successful and dear to the Lord. This is explained in two verses. Śruti refers to the Vedas or to the process of hearing in bhakti. The devotees smell through the ears the fragrance of your lotus feet brought by the wind of the Vedas or the hearing process, and accept your feet as the final goal of human endeavor with the highest devotion, prema-bhakti, like bees eager for the fragrance of your lotus feet. Just as they do not give up their greed for your lotus feet, you also do not give up them, being greedy for their lotus hearts filled with sweet prema. They mutually bring each other under control.
Purport
For the pure devotee of the Lord there is nothing beyond the lotus feet of the Lord, and the Lord knows that such devotees do not wish anything more than that. The word
tu
specifically establishes this fact. The Lord also does not wish to be separated from the lotus hearts of those pure devotees. That is the transcendental relationship between the pure devotees and the Personality of Godhead. Because the Lord does not wish to separate Himself from the hearts of such pure devotees, it is understood that they are specifically dearer than the impersonalists. The relationship of the pure devotees with the Lord develops because of devotional service to the Lord on the authentic basis of Vedic authority. Such pure devotees are not mundane sentimentalists, but are factually realists because their activities are supported by the Vedic authorities who have given aural reception to the facts mentioned in the Vedic literatures.
The word
parayā
is very significant.
Parā bhakti,
or spontaneous love of God, is the basis of an intimate relationship with the Lord. This highest stage of relationship with the Lord can be attained simply by hearing about Him (His name, form, quality, etc.) from authentic sources like
Bhagavad-gītā
and
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
recited by pure, unalloyed devotees of the Lord.