Devanagari
यैरीदृशी भगवतो गतिरात्मवाद
एकान्ततो निगमिभि: प्रतिपादिता न: ।
तुष्यन्त्वदभ्रकरुणा: स्वकृतेन नित्यं
को नाम तत्प्रतिकरोति विनोदपात्रम् ॥ ४७ ॥
Verse text
yair īdṛśī bhagavato gatir ātma-vāda
ekāntato nigamibhiḥ pratipāditā naḥ
tuṣyantv adabhra-karuṇāḥ sva-kṛtena nityaṁ
ko nāma tat pratikaroti vinoda-pātram
Synonyms
yaiḥ
—
by those
;
īdṛśī
—
such kind of
;
bhagavataḥ
—
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
;
gatiḥ
—
progress
;
ātma
—
vāde — spiritual consideration
;
ekāntataḥ
—
in complete understanding
;
nigamibhiḥ
—
by Vedic evidences
;
pratipāditā
—
conclusively established
;
naḥ
—
unto us
;
tuṣyantu
—
be satisfied
;
adabhra
—
unlimited
;
karuṇāḥ
—
mercy
;
sva
—
kṛtena — by your own activity
;
nityam
—
eternal
;
kaḥ
—
who
;
nāma
—
no one
;
tat
—
that
;
pratikaroti
—
counteracts
;
vinā
—
without
;
uda
—
pātram — offering of water in cupped hands .
Translation
Pṛthu Mahārāja continued: How can such persons, who have rendered unlimited service by explaining the path of self-realization in relation to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and whose explanations are given for our enlightenment with complete conviction and Vedic evidence, be repaid except by folded palms containing water for their satisfaction? Such great personalities can be satisfied only by their own activities, which are distributed amongst human society out of their unlimited mercy.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The truth concerning the Supreme Lord has been completely presented to us by knowers of the Vedas with deliberation on the ātmā. These saints of unlimited mercy should always be satisfied with their acts of uplifting the fallen. Who can repay them for their service? One can only offer water with folded hands.
This being so, it is not possible to repay the guru even by offering everything. Ātma-vāde means “considering the ātmā.” Nigamibhiḥ means “by the knowers of the Vedas.” May they be satisfied by their acts of uplifting the suffering (sva-kṛtena)! Who can repay then? No one can, except by offering water with folded (vinā uda-patram) hands. Therefore I fold my hands. The phrase may also be taken as vinoda-pātram, the object of joking. A person who tries to repay you is simply the laughing stock of the people.
Purport
Great personalities of the material world are very eager to render welfare service to human society, but actually no one can render better service than one who distributes the knowledge of spiritual realization in relation with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All living entities are within the clutches of the illusory energy. Forgetting their real identity, they hover in material existence, transmigrating from one body to another in search of a peaceful life. Since these living entities have very little knowledge of self-realization, they are not getting any relief, although they are very anxious to attain peace of mind and some substantial happiness. Saintly persons like the Kumāras, Nārada, Prahlāda, Janaka, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Kapiladeva, as well as the followers of such authorities as the Vaiṣṇava
ācāryas
and their servants, can render a valuable service to humanity by disseminating knowledge of the relationship between the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entity. Such knowledge is the perfect benediction for humanity.
Knowledge of Kṛṣṇa is such a great gift that it is impossible to repay the benefactor. Therefore Pṛthu Mahārāja requested the Kumāras to be satisfied by their own benevolent activities in delivering souls from the clutches of
māyā.
The King saw that there was no other way to satisfy them for their exalted activities. The word
vinoda-pātram
can be divided into two words,
vinā
and
uda-pātram,
or can be understood as one word,
vinoda-pātram,
which means “joker.” A joker’s activities simply arouse laughter, and a person who tries to repay the spiritual master or teacher of the transcendental message of Kṛṣṇa becomes a laughingstock just like a joker because it is not possible to repay such a debt. The best friend and benefactor of all people is one who awakens humanity to its original Kṛṣṇa consciousness.