Devanagari
सनत्कुमारोऽवतु कामदेवा-
द्धयशीर्षा मां पथि देवहेलनात् ।
देवर्षिवर्य: पुरुषार्चनान्तरात्
कूर्मो हरिर्मां निरयादशेषात् ॥ १७ ॥
Verse text
sanat-kumāro ’vatu kāmadevād
dhayaśīrṣā māṁ pathi deva-helanāt
devarṣi-varyaḥ puruṣārcanāntarāt
kūrmo harir māṁ nirayād aśeṣāt
Synonyms
sanat
—
kumāraḥ — the great brahmacārī named Sanat-kumāra
;
avatu
—
may he protect
;
kāma
—
devāt — from the hands of Cupid or lusty desire
;
haya
—
śīrṣā — Lord Hayagrīva, the incarnation of the Lord whose head is like that of a horse
;
mām
—
me
;
pathi
—
on the path
;
deva
—
helanāt — from neglecting to offer respectful obeisances to brāhmaṇas, Vaiṣṇavas and the Supreme Lord
;
devarṣi
—
varyaḥ — the best of the saintly sages, Nārada
;
puruṣa
—
arcana — antarāt — from the offenses in worshiping the Deity
;
kūrmaḥ
—
Lord Kūrma, the tortoise
;
hariḥ
—
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
;
mām
—
me
;
nirayāt
—
from hell
;
aśeṣāt
—
unlimited .
Translation
May Sanat-kumāra protect me from lusty desires. As I begin some auspicious activity, may Lord Hayagrīva protect me from being an offender by neglecting to offer respectful obeisances to the Supreme Lord. May Devarṣi Nārada protect me from committing offenses in worshiping the Deity, and may Lord Kūrma, the tortoise, protect me from falling to the unlimited hellish planets.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
May Sanat-kumāra protect me from lust. May Hayagrīva protect me from neglecting to offer obeisances to the Supreme Lord when going on a path. May Nārada protect me from committing offenses while worshiping the deity, and may Kūrma, the tortoise, protect me from falling to the unlimited hellish planets.
Kāmadevāt means from the impulse of lust. Pathi deva-helanāt means “not offering respects to the Lord while going on a path.” Puruṣārcanāntarāt means “from faults in worshipping.” This refers to the thirty-two offenses to the deity.
Purport
Lusty desires are very strong in everyone, and they are the greatest impediment to the discharge of devotional service. Therefore those who are very much influenced by lusty desires are advised to take shelter of Sanat-kumāra, the great
brahmacārī
devotee. Nārada Muni, who is the guide for
arcana,
is the author of the
Nārada-paṣcarātra,
which prescribes the regulative principles for worshiping the Deity. Everyone engaged in Deity worship, whether at home or in the temple, should always seek the mercy of Devarṣi Nārada in order to avoid the thirty-two offenses while worshiping the Deity. These offenses in Deity worship are mentioned in
The Nectar of Devotion.