Devanagari
यश: शिवं सुश्रव आर्यसङ्गमे
यदृच्छया चोपशृणोति ते सकृत् ।
कथं गुणज्ञो विरमेद्विना पशुं
श्रीर्यत्प्रवव्रे गुणसङ्ग्रहेच्छया ॥ २६ ॥
Verse text
yaśaḥ śivaṁ suśrava ārya-saṅgame
yadṛcchayā copaśṛṇoti te sakṛt
kathaṁ guṇa-jṣo viramed vinā paśuṁ
śrīr yat pravavre guṇa-saṅgrahecchayā
Synonyms
yaśaḥ
—
glorification
;
śivam
—
all-auspicious
;
su
—
śravaḥ — O highly glorified Lord
;
ārya
—
saṅgame — in the association of advanced devotees
;
yadṛcchayā
—
somehow or other
;
ca
—
also
;
upaśṛṇoti
—
hears
;
te
—
Your
;
sakṛt
—
even once
;
katham
—
how
;
guṇa
—
jṣaḥ — one who appreciates good qualities
;
viramet
—
can cease
;
vinā
—
unless
;
paśum
—
an animal
;
śrīḥ
—
the goddess of fortune
;
yat
—
which
;
pravavre
—
accepted
;
guṇa
—
Your qualities
;
saṅgraha
—
to receive
;
icchayā
—
with a desire .
Translation
My dear highly glorified Lord, if one, in the association of pure devotees, hears even once the glories of Your activities, he does not, unless he is nothing but an animal, give up the association of devotees, for no intelligent person would be so careless as to leave their association. The perfection of chanting and hearing about Your glories was accepted even by the goddess of fortune, who desired to hear of Your unlimited activities and transcendental glories.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Lord of auspicious fame! What person, having heard by chance, just once, your auspicious qualities in the association of devotees, what person who knows your qualities, which even Lakṣmī accepts with a desire to completely taste those qualities, gives up that glorification? Only an animal would do so.
“Become detached from the taste of my topics and accept liberation desired by the best of yogīs.” Pṛthu replies in this verse. O Lord of auspicious fame! How can he who hears your glories, by chance (yadṛcchayā), without special effort, suddenly, and who thus knows your qualities, give them up? The person who gives up that glorification is an animal among humans. Also implied is “He who does not give them up is a real human, among animals.” The yogīs give up the nectar of glorifying the Lord:
evaṁ harau bhagavati pratilabdha-bhāvo
bhaktyā dravad-dhṛdaya utpulakaḥ pramodāt
autkaṇṭhya-bāṣpa-kalayā muhur ardyamānas
tac cāpi citta-baḍiśaṁ śanakair viyuṅkte
The unfortunate yogī who has developed love for the Lord, full of all sweet qualities, whose heart is somewhat soft because of devotion, whose body hairs stand on end in ecstasy, who is constantly overcome with intense tears of joy, gradually withdraws his hook-like mind from the Lord’s form. SB 3.28.34
The karmīs by nature have no interest in the Lord’s topics:
trai-vargikās te puruṣa vimukhā hari-medhasaḥ
kathāyāṁ kathanīyoru-vikramasya madhudviṣaḥ
These persons are interested in artha, dharma and kāma, and are averse to topics of the Supreme Lord who knows how to destroy saṁsāra, who is the killer of Madhu, the most heroic lord, worthy of praise. SB 3.32.18
Give these two persons liberation, like feeding oil cake, chaff and rubbish to animals. But do not give it humans like me. “Yogīs and karmīs who give up your topics are proof that liberation and material benefits are greater in taste than your topics. What is the proof that the taste for my topics is greater than liberation or material enjoyment?” Lakṣmī, Brahmā and other persons worshipped by the whole universe, endowed with all qualities, accept your glories, with a desire to be able to taste completely (saṁgraha) your qualities—your form, taste, fragrance, sound, touch, pastimes, charm and mercy. That is the proof. There are others also, like Śukadeva, who after tasting the happiness of liberation for a long time, found it trifling, and found pleasure in your glories. This is the proof.
The yogīs are like bulls, conditioned to eat grass, who, chewing the sugar cane shoots, find the stalks too tough, and savor grass instead. The karmī is like the camel which gives up mango buds and savors thorns. What kind of proof is that? Because the happiness of all other items is included in bhakti, it is the compilation of all human goals and all qualities. With a desire for the Lord, who contains all happiness (guṇa-saṅgraha), Lakṣmī accepts your glories. This part is Śrīdhara Svāmī’s explanation of guṇa-saṅgraha.
Purport
The association of devotees (
ārya-saṅgama
) is the most important factor in this world. The word
ārya
refers to those who are advancing spiritually. In the history of the human race, the Āryan family is considered to be the most elevated community in the world because it adopts the Vedic civilization. The Āryan family is distributed all over the world and is known as Indo-Āryan. In prehistoric days all of the members of the Āryan family followed the Vedic principles, and therefore they became spiritually advanced. The kings, known as
rājarṣis,
were so perfectly educated as
kṣatriyas,
or protectors of the citizens, and so greatly advanced in spiritual life, that there was not a bit of trouble for the citizens.
The glorification of the Supreme Lord can be very much appreciated by the Āryan family. Although there is no bar for others, the members of the Āryan family very quickly catch the essence of spiritual life. How is it that we are finding it very easy to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness among the Europeans and Americans? History reports that the Americans and Europeans proved their capability when they were anxious to expand colonization, but at the present time, being contaminated by the advancement of material science, their sons and grandsons are turning into reprobates. This is due to their having lost their original spiritual culture, which is Vedic civilization. Presently these descendants of the Āryan family are taking this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very seriously. Others who are associating with them and hearing the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa
mahā-mantra
from the lips of pure devotees are also becoming captivated by the transcendental vibration. Transcendental vibrations are very much effective when chanted among Āryans, but even though one does not belong to the Āryan family, he will become a Vaiṣṇava simply by hearing the
mantra
because the vibration has great influence over everyone.
Mahārāja Pṛthu points out that even the goddess of fortune, who is the constant companion of Lord Nārāyaṇa, specifically wanted to hear about the Lord’s glories, and for the association of the
gopīs,
who are pure devotees, the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, underwent severe austerities. The impersonalist may ask why one should bother chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa
mahā-mantra
continually for so many years instead of stopping and trying for
kaivalya,
liberation, or merging into the existence of the Lord. In answer, Mahārāja Pṛthu maintains that the attraction of this chanting is so great that one cannot give up the process unless he is an animal. This is the case even if one comes in contact with this transcendental vibration by chance. Pṛthu Mahārāja is very emphatic in this connection — only an animal can give up the practice of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Those who are not animals but actually intelligent, advanced, human, civilized men cannot give up this practice of continually chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.