FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.25

विपद: सन्तु ता: शश्वत्तत्र तत्र जगद्गुरो । भवतो दर्शनं यत्स्यादपुनर्भवदर्शनम् ॥ २५ ॥
vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat
[vipadah santu taah shashvat]
tatra tatra jagad-guro
[tatra tatra jagad-guro]
bhavato darśanaṁ yat syād
[bhavato darshanam yat syaad]
apunar bhava-darśanam
[apunar bhava-darshanam]
vipadaḥ — calamities santu — let there be tāḥ — all śaśvat — again and again tatra — there tatra — and there jagat-guro — O Lord of the universe bhavataḥ — Your darśanam — meeting yat — that which syāt — is apunaḥ — not again bhava-darśanam — seeing repetition of birth and death.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat
vipadaḥ
calamities
santu
let there be
tāḥ
all
śaśvat
again and again
tatra tatra jagad-guro
tatra
there
tatra
and there
jagat-guro
O Lord of the universe
bhavato darśanaṁ yat syād
bhavataḥ
Your
darśanam
meeting
yat
that which
syāt
is
apunar bhava-darśanam
apunaḥ
not again
bhava-darśanam
seeing repetition of birth and death.
I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.

Generally the distressed, the needy, the intelligent and the inquisitive, who have performed some pious activities, worship or begin to worship the Lord. Others, who are thriving on misdeeds only, regardless of status, cannot approach the Supreme due to being misled by the illusory energy. Therefore, for a pious person, if there is some calamity there is no other alternative than to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Constantly remembering the lotus feet of the Lord means preparing for liberation from birth and death. Therefore, even though there are so-called calamities, they are welcome because they give us an opportunity to remember the Lord, which means liberation.

One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are accepted as the most suitable boat for crossing the ocean of nescience, can achieve liberation as easily as one leaps over the holes made by the hoofs of a calf. Such persons are meant to reside in the abode of the Lord, and they have nothing to do with a place where there is danger in every step.

This material world is certified by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā as a dangerous place full of calamities. Less intelligent persons prepare plans to adjust to those calamities without knowing that the nature of this place is itself full of calamities. They have no information of the abode of the Lord, which is full of bliss and without trace of calamity. The duty of the sane person, therefore, is to be undisturbed by worldly calamities, which are sure to happen in all circumstances. Suffering all sorts of unavoidable misfortunes, one should make progress in spiritual realization because that is the mission of human life. The spirit soul is transcendental to all material calamities; therefore, the so-called calamities are called false. A man may see a tiger swallowing him in a dream, and he may cry for this calamity. Actually there is no tiger and there is no suffering; it is simply a case of dreams. In the same way, all calamities of life are said to be dreams. If someone is lucky enough to get in contact with the Lord by devotional service, it is all gain. Contact with the Lord by any one of the nine devotional services is always a forward step on the path going back to Godhead.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O guru of the universe! May we have dangers in such situations continually, because in those dangers we will see you, and by that we will gain release from this material world.
Commentary

These dangers are a great blessing to me. O guru of the universe! To give benefit to us, you destroy unsteadiness caused by intoxication with material comfort by giving the ointment of dangers arising out of your mercy. Through those dangers (yad) we can see you. By seeing you, we no longer will see the suffering of material existence.

I wish those calamities would happen again so we could see You again — for seeing You ends birth and death. Trouble that drives us toward the Lord is more valuable than ease that lets us forget Him.
Reflection Questions
  • Have I ever silently wished for the difficulty that made me pray?
  • Where would I refuse a return to comfort if it meant losing the closeness it cost me?
📝 My note

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