SB 8.5.44

SB 8.5.44

Devanagari

नमोऽस्तु तस्मा उपशान्तशक्तये स्वाराज्यलाभप्रतिपूरितात्मने । गुणेषु मायारचितेषु वृत्तिभि- र्न सज्जमानाय नभस्वदूतये ॥ ४४ ॥

Verse text

namo ’stu tasmā upaśānta-śaktaye svārājya-lābha-pratipūritātmane guṇeṣu māyā-raciteṣu vṛttibhir na sajjamānāya nabhasvad-ūtaye

Synonyms

namaḥ our respectful obeisances ; astu let there be ; tasmai unto Him ; upaśānta śaktaye — who does not endeavor to achieve anything else, who is free from restlessness ; svārājya completely independent ; lābha of all gains ; pratipūrita fully achieved ; ātmane unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; guṇeṣu of the material world, which is moving because of the three modes of nature ; māyā raciteṣu — things created by the external energy ; vṛttibhiḥ by such activities of the senses ; na sajjamānāya one who does not become attached, or one who is above material pains and pleasures ; nabhasvat the air ; ūtaye unto the Lord, who has created this material world as His pastime .

Translation

Let us offer our respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is completely silent, free from endeavor, and completely satisfied by His own achievements. He is not attached to the activities of the material world through His senses. Indeed, in performing His pastimes in this material world, He is just like the unattached air.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

We offer respects to you, possessor of spiritual śaktis, whose mind is satisfied in itself because of existing through your svarūpa-śakti. We offer respects to you, who remain unattached to the actions of the senses directed to the guṇas made of māyā and who are detached like the air in relation to the creation. All we can do is offer respects to you, whose form is beyond māyā and difficult to understand. We offer respects to you who possess spiritual śaktis (upaśānta-śaktaye) like the saṁvit-śakti, to the Lord whose mind is fully satisfied because of the possessing existence through his svarūpa-śakti. “Then why is he attached to creating this universe?” He is not attached to the actions directed to the world made of the material guṇas. He has pastimes of creation (ūti) like air (which remains unattached to everything in the air).

Purport

We can simply understand that behind the activities of material nature is the Supreme Lord, by whose indications everything takes place, although we cannot see Him. Even without seeing Him, we should offer Him our respectful obeisances. We should know that He is complete. Everything is done systematically by His energies ( parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate ), and therefore He has nothing to do ( na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate ). As indicated here by the word upaśānta-śaktaye, His different energies act, but although He sets these energies in action, He Himself has nothing to do. He is not attached to anything, for He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, let us offer our respectful obeisances unto Him.