Devanagari
मनोरुत्तानपादस्य ध्रुवस्यापि महीपते: ।
प्रियव्रतस्य राजर्षेरङ्गस्यास्मत्पितु: पितु: ॥ २८ ॥
ईदृशानामथान्येषामजस्य च भवस्य च ।
प्रह्लादस्य बलेश्चापि कृत्यमस्ति गदाभृता ॥ २९ ॥
Verse text
manor uttānapādasya
dhruvasyāpi mahīpateḥ
priyavratasya rājarṣer
aṅgasyāsmat-pituḥ pituḥ
īdṛśānām athānyeṣām
ajasya ca bhavasya ca
prahlādasya baleś cāpi
kṛtyam asti gadābhṛtā
Synonyms
manoḥ
—
of Manu (Svāyambhuva Manu)
;
uttānapādasya
—
of Uttānapāda, the father of Dhruva Mahārāja
;
dhruvasya
—
of Dhruva Mahārāja
;
api
—
certainly
;
mahī
—
pateḥ — of the great king
;
priyavratasya
—
of Priyavrata, in the family of Mahārāja Dhruva
;
rājarṣeḥ
—
of great saintly kings
;
aṅgasya
—
of the name Aṅga
;
asmat
—
my
;
pituḥ
—
of my father
;
pituḥ
—
of the father
;
īdṛśānām
—
of such personalities
;
atha
—
also
;
anyeṣām
—
of others
;
ajasya
—
of the supreme immortal
;
ca
—
also
;
bhavasya
—
of the living entities
;
ca
—
also
;
prahlādasya
—
of Mahārāja Prahlāda
;
baleḥ
—
of Mahārāja Bali
;
ca
—
also
;
api
—
certainly
;
kṛtyam
—
acknowledged by them
;
asti
—
there is
;
gadā
—
bhṛtā — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who carries a club .
Translation
This is confirmed not only by the evidence of the Vedas but also by the personal behavior of great personalities like Manu, Uttānapāda, Dhruva, Priyavrata and my grandfather Aṅga, as well as by many other great personalities and ordinary living entities, exemplified by Mahārāja Prahlāda and Bali, all of whom are theists, believing in the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who carries a club.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
This is also the conclusion of Manu, Uttānapāda, King Dhruva, the saintly king Priyavrata, my grandfather Aṅga, many other great persons, Brahmā, Śiva, Prahlāda and Bali—but not those lamentable persons straying from dharma like Vena. The achievements of artha, dharma, kāma, Svarga and mokṣa are generally given by the independent Supreme Lord, holder of the club.
God’s existence is also proved by the experiences of the wise. Svāyambhuva Manu, my paternal grandfather (pituḥ pituḥ) Aṅga, and others got certain achievements by the Supreme Lord’s mercy. Prahlāda and Bali are included, though they appeared after Pṛthu, since they are known from the scriptures. Gaḍa-bhṛtā indicates the Lord holding a club, having a sweet attractive form (not impersonal Brahman). Kṛtyam (achievement) indicates constant service to the Lord’s feet. Others however are deplorable. The son of the daughter of death, Vena, and others, who strayed from dharma, are lamentable. Implied here by Pṛthu is “Let those who disagree with my opinion at this place be sent to the city of my maternal grandfather, death.” The Lord is further described. He is aikātmya, the independent (aikya) svarūpa (ātmya). Ātmya has the same meaning as ātmā. He is the cause, with his independent form, of artha, dharma and kāma (trivarga), Svarga (the result of dharma) and liberation (apavarga). Thus, persons desiring these things should worship the Lord. The Lord is the cause of achievements for persons without desires and for persons with desires. The proof is as follows:
akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ |
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṁ param ||
The person desiring destruction of all desires, the person with all desires, even the person with the intense desire for liberation, if he has good intelligence, will worship the Supreme Lord with pure bhakti. SB 2.3.10
yat karmabhir yat tapasā jṣāna-vairāgyataś ca yat
yogena dāna-dharmeṇa śreyobhir itarair api
sarvaṁ mad-bhakti-yogena mad-bhakto labhate 'ṣjasā
svargāpavargaṁ mad-dhāma kathaṣcid yadi vāṣchati
Everything that can be achieved by karma, penance, jṣāna, vairāgya, mystic yoga, charity, dharma and all other auspicious means of perfecting life is easily achieved by my devotee through bhakti. If somehow or other my devotee desires Svarga, liberation, or residence in my abode, he easily achieves such benedictions. SB 11.20.32.-33
Prāyena (generally) here indicates that sometimes the pure form is mixed with karma or jṣāna. Thus by bhakti mixed with karma and jṣāna results appear. However, the results of trivarga, svarga or liberation do not come from karma or jṣāna but by bhakti alone. This is the meaning. Thus not only the Lord but the bhakti, included in his svarūpa, is also proved.
Purport
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura states that one has to ascertain the right path for his activities by following in the footsteps of great saintly persons and books of knowledge under the guidance of a spiritual master (
sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya
). A saintly person is one who follows the Vedic injunctions, which are the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The word
guru
refers to one who gives proper direction under the authority of the Vedic injunctions and according to the examples of the lives of great personalities. The best way to mold one’s life is to follow in the footsteps of the authorized personalities like those mentioned herein by Pṛthu Mahārāja, beginning with Svāyambhuva Manu. The safest path in life is to follow such great personalities, especially those mentioned in the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
The
mahājanas,
or great personalities, are Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Nārada Muni, Manu, the Kumāras, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Bali Mahārāja, Yamarāja, Bhīṣma, Janaka, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Kapila Muni.