Devanagari
श्रीशुक उवाच
इति समभिहितो महाभागवतो भगवतस्त्रिभुवनगुरोरनुशासनमात्मनो लघुतयावनतशिरोधरो बाढमिति सबहुमानमुवाह ॥ २० ॥
Verse text
śrī-śuka uvāca
iti samabhihito mahā-bhāgavato bhagavatas tri-bhuvana-guror anuśāsanam ātmano laghutayāvanata-śirodharo bāḍham iti sabahu-mānam uvāha.
Synonyms
śrī
—
śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
;
iti
—
thus
;
samabhihitaḥ
—
completely instructed
;
mahā
—
bhāgavataḥ — the great devotee
;
bhagavataḥ
—
of the most powerful Lord Brahmā
;
tri
—
bhuvana — of the three worlds
;
guroḥ
—
the spiritual master
;
anuśāsanam
—
the order
;
ātmanaḥ
—
of himself
;
laghutayā
—
because of inferiority
;
avanata
—
bowed down
;
śirodharaḥ
—
his head
;
bāḍham
—
yes, sir
;
iti
—
thus
;
sa
—
bahu — mānam — with great respect
;
uvāha
—
carried out .
Translation
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: After thus being fully instructed by Lord Brahmā, who is the spiritual master of the three worlds, Priyavrata, his own position being inferior, offered obeisances, accepted the order and carried it out with great respect.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Śukadeva said: Thus being instructed, Priyavrata, lowering his head while thinking himself inferior, consented, and with great respect carried out the order of the great devotee Brahmā, guru for the three worlds.
Priyavrata considered himself inferior, since he was the grandson of Brahmā.
Purport
Śrī Priyavrata was the grandson of Lord Brahmā. Therefore according to social etiquette, his position was inferior. It is the duty of the inferior to carry out the order of the superior with great respect. Priyavrata therefore immediately said, “Yes, sir. I shall carry out your order.” Priyavrata is described as a
mahā-bhāgavata,
a great devotee. The duty of a great devotee is to carry out the order of the spiritual master, or the spiritual master of the spiritual master in the
paramparā
system. As described in
Bhagavad-gītā
(4.2)
,
evaṁ paramparā prāptam:
one has to receive the instructions of the Supreme Lord through the disciplic chain of spiritual masters. A devotee of the Lord always considers himself a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord.