Devanagari
अदृष्टाय नमस्कृत्य नृप: सन्दर्शितात्मने ।
अव्यक्ताय च देवानां देवाय स्वपुरं ययौ ॥ ३८ ॥
Verse text
adṛṣṭāya namaskṛtya
nṛpaḥ sandarśitātmane
avyaktāya ca devānāṁ
devāya sva-puraṁ yayau
Synonyms
adṛṣṭāya
—
unto one who is beyond the purview of material vision
;
namaḥ
—
kṛtya — offering obeisances
;
nṛpaḥ
—
the King
;
sandarśita
—
revealed
;
ātmane
—
unto the Supreme Soul
;
avyaktāya
—
who is beyond the manifestation of the material world
;
ca
—
also
;
devānām
—
of the demigods
;
devāya
—
unto the Supreme Lord
;
sva
—
puram — to his own house
;
yayau
—
returned .
Translation
King Pṛthu then offered his respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the Supreme Lord of all demigods. Although not an object of material vision, the Lord revealed Himself to the sight of Mahārāja Pṛthu. After offering obeisances to the Lord, the King returned to his home.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Offering respects to the Lord, the lord of the devatās, who is not visible to material eyes, and who was invisible to others but still visible to Pṛthu, the King returned to his house.
The Lord was invisible to others (adṛṣtāya) but visible to Pṛthu (sandarśitātmane). Pṛthu remained looking at the Lord until he had gone to Vaikuṇṭha.
Thus ends the commentary on the Twentieth Chapter of the Fourth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
Chapter Twenty-one
Pṛthu Instructs the Citizens
Purport
The Supreme Lord is not visible to material eyes, but when the material senses are inclined to the transcendental loving service of the Lord and are thus purified, the Lord reveals Himself to the vision of the devotee.
Avyakta
means “unmanifested.” Although the material world is the creation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is unmanifested to material eyes. Mahārāja Pṛthu, however, developed spiritual eyes by his pure devotional service. Here, therefore, the Lord is described as
sandarśitātmā,
for He reveals Himself to the vision of the devotee, although He is not visible to ordinary eyes.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fourth Canto, Twentieth Chapter, of the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
entitled “Lord Viṣṇu’s Appearance in the Sacrificial Arena of Mahārāja Pṛthu.”