Devanagari
तस्मिन्महायोगमये मुमुक्षुशरणे सुरा: ।
ददृशु: शिवमासीनं त्यक्तामर्षमिवान्तकम् ॥ ३३ ॥
Verse text
tasmin mahā-yogamaye
mumukṣu-śaraṇe surāḥ
dadṛśuḥ śivam āsīnaṁ
tyaktāmarṣam ivāntakam
Synonyms
tasmin
—
under that tree
;
mahā
—
yoga — maye — having many sages engaged in meditation on the Supreme
;
mumukṣu
—
of those who desire liberation
;
śaraṇe
—
the shelter
;
surāḥ
—
the demigods
;
dadṛśuḥ
—
saw
;
śivam
—
Lord Śiva
;
āsīnam
—
seated
;
tyakta
—
amarṣam — having given up anger
;
iva
—
as
;
antakam
—
eternal time .
Translation
The demigods saw Lord Śiva sitting under that tree, which was competent to give perfection to mystic yogīs and deliver all people. As grave as time eternal, he appeared to have given up all anger.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Under that tree which was the shelter of aspirants for liberation, and which bestowed great powers, the devatās saw Śiva sitting, appearing like death, but seeming to have given up his anger.
He appeared to be death, by thinking of the offense committed to him, but he appeared to have given up anger towards the devatās.
Purport
In this verse the word
mahā-yogamaye
is very significant.
Yoga
means meditation on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and
mahā-yoga
means those who engage in the devotional service of Viṣṇu. Meditation means remembering,
smaraṇam.
There are nine different kinds of devotional service, of which
smaraṇam
is one process; the
yogī
remembers the form of Viṣṇu within his heart. Thus there were many devotees engaged in meditation on Lord Viṣṇu under the big banyan tree.
The Sanskrit word
mahā
is derived from the affix
mahat.
This affix is used when there is a great number or quantity, so
mahā-yoga
indicates that there were many great
yogīs
and devotees meditating on the form of Lord Viṣṇu. Generally such meditators are desirous of liberation from material bondage, and they are promoted to the spiritual world, to one of the Vaikuṇṭhas. Liberation means freedom from material bondage or nescience. In the material world we are suffering life after life because of our bodily identification, and liberation is freedom from that miserable condition of life.