Devanagari
वैन्यस्तु धुर्यो महतां संस्थित्याध्यात्मशिक्षया ।
आप्तकाममिवात्मानं मेन आत्मन्यवस्थित: ॥ ४९ ॥
Verse text
vainyas tu dhuryo mahatāṁ
saṁsthityādhyātma-śikṣayā
āpta-kāmam ivātmānaṁ
mena ātmany avasthitaḥ
Synonyms
vainyaḥ
—
the son of Vena Mahārāja (Pṛthu)
;
tu
—
of course
;
dhuryaḥ
—
the chief
;
mahatām
—
of great personalities
;
saṁsthityā
—
being completely fixed
;
ādhyātma
—
śikṣayā — in the matter of self-realization
;
āpta
—
achieved
;
kāmam
—
desires
;
iva
—
like
;
ātmānam
—
in self-satisfaction
;
mene
—
considered
;
ātmani
—
in the self
;
avasthitaḥ
—
situated .
Translation
Amongst great personalities, Mahārāja Pṛthu was the chief by virtue of his fixed position in relation to spiritual enlightenment. He remained satisfied as one who has achieved all success in spiritual understanding.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Pṛthu, chief of the great souls, considered himself almost satisfied by the complete teachings about ātmā, but he remained situated in his nature of pure bhakti.
He considered himself as if fully satisfied (āpta-kāmam iva) by the complete limits of teachings on ātmā. However he was not fully satisfied. Since he was a pure devotee, he could be fully satisfied only by pure bhakti. He had previously asked about the ātmā just as he had asked about other scriptures from knowers of the Vedas. That inquiry was now complete. The word iva indicates that now that part was complete. He was still situated in his nature (ātmani). By the teachings about ātmā, his nature as of pure bhakti did not disappear.
Purport
Remaining fixed in devotional service gives one the utmost in self-satisfaction. Actually self-satisfaction can be achieved only by pure devotees, who have no desire other than to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since the Supreme Personality of Godhead has nothing to desire, He is fully satisfied with Himself. Similarly, a devotee who has no desire other than to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead is as self-satisfied as the Supreme Lord. Everyone is hankering after peace of mind and self-satisfaction, but these can only be achieved by becoming a pure devotee of the Lord.
King Pṛthu’s statements in previous verses regarding his vast knowledge and perfect devotional service are justified here, for he is considered best amongst all
mahātmās.
In
Bhagavad-gītā
(9.13)
Śrī Kṛṣṇa speaks of
mahātmās
in this way:
mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
bhajanty ananya-manaso
jṣātvā bhūtādim avyayam
“O son of Pṛthā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.”
The
mahātmās
are not under the clutches of the illusory energy but are under the protection of the spiritual energy. Because of this, the real
mahātmā
is always engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. Pṛthu Mahārāja exhibited all the symptoms of a
mahātmā;
therefore he is mentioned in this verse as
dhuryo mahatām,
best of the
mahātmās.