FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.3.39

अथेह धन्या भगवन्त इत्थं यद्वासुदेवेऽखिललोकनाथे । कुर्वन्ति सर्वात्मकमात्मभावं न यत्र भूय: परिवर्त उग्र: ॥ ३९ ॥
atheha dhanyā bhagavanta itthaṁ
[atheha dhanyaa bhagavanta ittham]
yad vāsudeve ’khila-loka-nāthe
[yad vaasudeve ’khila-loka-naathe]
kurvanti sarvātmakam ātma-bhāvaṁ
[kurvanti sarvaatmakam aatma-bhaavam]
na yatra bhūyaḥ parivarta ugraḥ
[na yatra bhooyah parivarta ugrah]
Word-for-word
atha — thus iha — in this world dhanyāḥ — successful bhagavantaḥ — perfectly cognizant ittham — such yat — what vāsudeve — unto the Personality of Godhead akhila — all-embracing loka-nāthe — unto the proprietor of all the universes kurvanti — inspires sarva-ātmakam — one- hundred-percent ātma — spirit bhāvam — ecstasy na — never yatra — wherein bhūyaḥ — again parivartaḥ — repetition ugraḥ — dreadful.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
atheha dhanyā bhagavanta itthaṁ
atha
thus
iha
in this world
dhanyāḥ
successful
bhagavantaḥ
perfectly cognizant
ittham
such
yad vāsudeve ’khila-loka-nāthe
yat
what
vāsudeve
unto the Personality of Godhead
kurvanti sarvātmakam ātma-bhāvaṁ
akhila
all-embracing
loka-nāthe
unto the proprietor of all the universes
kurvanti
inspires
sarva-ātmakam
one- hundred-percent
ātma
spirit
bhāvam
ecstasy
na yatra bhūyaḥ parivarta ugraḥ
na
never
yatra
wherein
bhūyaḥ
again
parivartaḥ
repetition
ugraḥ
dreadful.
Only by making such inquiries in this world can one be successful and perfectly cognizant, for such inquiries invoke transcendental ecstatic love unto the Personality of Godhead, who is the proprietor of all the universes, and guarantee cent-percent immunity from the dreadful repetition of birth and death.
Purport

The inquiries of the sages headed by Śaunaka are herewith praised by Sūta Gosvāmī on the merit of their transcendental nature. As already concluded, only the devotees of the Lord can know Him to a considerable extent, and no one else can know Him at all, so the devotees are perfectly cognizant of all spiritual knowledge. The Personality of Godhead is the last word in Absolute Truth. Impersonal Brahman and localized Paramātmā (Supersoul) are included in the knowledge of the Personality of Godhead. So one who knows the Personality of Godhead can automatically know all about Him, His multipotencies and His expansions. So the devotees are congratulated as being all-successful. A cent-percent devotee of the Lord is immune to the dreadful material miseries of repeated birth and death.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O men of knowledge! You are the most fortunate in this world, because when people concentrate their minds exclusively on Kṛṣṇa, the lord of all the worlds, by asking such questions, they cease painful repetition of birth.
Commentary

Sūta speaks to Śaunaka and the sages, who were lamenting, “Since we are without bhakti, let us become the object of criticism!” According to Vaiṣṇava-nirukti, sarvajñāḥ vetti vidyām avidyāṁ ca sa vācyo bhagavān: the word bhagavān means he who knows knowledge and ignorance. Thus in this verse bhagavantaḥ means knowledgeable sages rather than great devotees, since they were not so advanced. When persons concentrate their minds completely (sarvātmakam ātmabhāvam) on Vāsudeva, there is no more repetition of birth and death (parivarta).

Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Such inquiries — into the Lord, with devotion — are what actually make a life successful. They wake up ecstatic love and guarantee freedom from rebirth. The right questions, asked seriously, do the heavy lifting.
Reflection Questions
  • Which question, asked seriously for the next year, might genuinely reshape my life?
  • Where am I outsourcing inquiry to consume-able content instead of carrying the question myself?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 3