FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.18.21

अथापि यत्पादनखावसृष्टं जगद्विरिञ्चोपहृतार्हणाम्भ: । सेशं पुनात्यन्यतमो मुकुन्दात् को नाम लोके भगवत्पदार्थ: ॥ २१ ॥
athāpi yat-pāda-nakhāvasṛṣṭaṁ
[athaapi yat-paada-nakhaavasrishtam]
jagad viriñcopahṛtārhaṇāmbhaḥ
[jagad virinchopahritaarhanaambhah]
seśaṁ punāty anyatamo mukundāt
[sesham punaaty anyatamo mukundaat]
ko nāma loke bhagavat-padārthaḥ
[ko naama loke bhagavat-padaarthah]
atha — therefore api — certainly yat — whose pāda-nakha — nails of the feet avasṛṣṭam — emanating jagat — the whole universe viriñca — Brahmājī upahṛta — collected arhaṇa — worship ambhaḥ — water sa — along with īśam — Lord Śiva punāti — purifies anyatamaḥ — who else mukundāt — besides the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa kaḥ — who nāma — name loke — within the world bhagavat — Supreme Lord pada — position arthaḥ — worth.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
athāpi yat-pāda-nakhāvasṛṣṭaṁ
atha
therefore
api
certainly
yat
whose
pāda-nakha
nails of the feet
avasṛṣṭam
emanating
jagad viriñcopahṛtārhaṇāmbhaḥ
jagat
the whole universe
viriñca
Brahmājī
upahṛta
collected
arhaṇa
worship
ambhaḥ
water
seśaṁ punāty anyatamo mukundāt
sa
along with
īśam
Lord Śiva
punāti
purifies
anyatamaḥ
who else
mukundāt
besides the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa
kaḥ
who
ko nāma loke bhagavat-padārthaḥ
nāma
name
loke
within the world
bhagavat
Supreme Lord
pada
position
arthaḥ
worth.
Who can be worthy of the name of the Supreme Lord but the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa? Brahmājī collected the water emanating from the nails of His feet in order to award it to Lord Śiva as a worshipful welcome. This very water [the Ganges] is purifying the whole universe, including Lord Śiva.

The conception of many gods in the Vedic literatures by the ignorant is completely wrong. The Lord is one without a second, but He expands Himself in many ways, and this is confirmed in the Vedas. Such expansions of the Lord are limitless, but some of them are the living entities. The living entities are not as powerful as the Lord’s plenary expansions, and therefore there are two different types of expansions. Lord Brahmā is generally one of the living entities, and Lord Śiva is the medium between the Lord and the living entities. In other words, even demigods like Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, who are the chief amongst all demigods, are never equal to or greater than Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, and all-powerful demigods like Brahmā and Śiva are engaged in the worship of Viṣṇu or Lord Kṛṣṇa; therefore who can be more powerful than Mukunda (Lord Kṛṣṇa) to be factually called the Supreme Personality of Godhead? The goddess of fortune, Lakṣmījī, Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva are not independently powerful; they are powerful as expansions of the Supreme Lord, and all of them are engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and so also are the living entities. There are four sects of worshipful devotees of the Lord, and the chief amongst them are the Brahma sampradāya, Rudra sampradāya and Śrī sampradāya, descending directly from Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, respectively. Besides the above-mentioned three sampradāyas, there is the Kumāra sampradāya, descending from Sanat-kumāra. All of the four original sampradāyas are still scrupulously engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord up to date, and they all declare that Lord Kṛṣṇa, Mukunda, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and no other personality is equal to Him or greater than Him.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Who can be called by the name Bhagavān except Mukunda whose toe-nail water purifies the universe along with Śiva and becomes arghya for Brahmā.
Commentary

The water which flows from the toenail of the Lord, which acts as arghya water (arhaṇa) for Brahmā for worship (upahṛta), purified the whole universe along with Śiva (seśam). The meaning of the word Bhagavān cannot apply to anyone except Mukunda. He is the Lord of everyone. Since the most elevated persons in the universe — Lakṣmī, Brahmā and Śiva — serve his feet, they point out that he is supreme.

Who else but Kṛṣṇa can be worthy of the name Supreme? Brahmā collected water from His nails as worship-welcome; Śiva accepted that water. Even the highest serve at His feet. The hierarchy is settled.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do I unsettle the hierarchy by my own pride?
  • What would 'collecting water from His feet' look like in my devotion?
📝 My note

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