Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.74.22
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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avekṣayā
—
by grace, by the glance
Instrumental of avekṣā — looking-upon, attentive regard. The Lord's avekṣā is the activating cause of every worldly endeavour. Gauḍīyas link this to īśvara-prasāda; even pravṛtti-mārga moves only by His consent.
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śreyaḥ
—
for the ideals
From √śrī. The genuinely good — as opposed to preyaḥ, the merely pleasant. The Kaṭha distinction. Sahadeva's point: even śreyaḥ-pursuits depend on Kṛṣṇa, not on the seeker.
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dharma - ādi
—
religiosity and so on
Compound: dharma + ādi (etc.). Shorthand for the puruṣārthas — dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. All four trip without His avekṣā; bhakti, the fifth and highest, is itself His gift.
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karmāṇi
—
material activities
From √kṛ. The same word as in BG 2.47. Here it is not abandoned but located: karma exists because Kṛṣṇa generates the field where karma can be done.
It is proper to worship him first because by his mercy all actions achieve their results by his mercy. On this earth (iha) by his mercy alone are austerities, yoga and other practices (vivvidha karmani) performed, and from him all people gain auspicious results such as dharma. Both the action and the result depend on him.
By his mercy alone, all activities of everyone and their results are undertaken and achieved. Therefore he should be worshipped first. He creates various actions in this world (iha). Ādi indicates artha, kāma and mokṣa. By his mercy, the world endeavors form artha, dharma, kāma, and mokṣa. Or, ultimately for him (avekṣayā) the world endeavors for these goals. Tam etam ātmānaṁ vedānuvacanena brāhmaṇā vividiṣanti yajñena dānena tapasānāśakena: they desire to know him by the words of the Vedas, by sacrifice, charity, austerity and fasting. (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad)
By his mercy alone, all activities of everyone and their results are undertaken and achieved. Therefore he should be worshipped first. He creates various actions in this world (iha). Ādi indicates artha, kāma and mokṣa. By his mercy, the world endeavors form artha, dharma, kāma, and mokṣa. Or by his mercy one attains bhakti, most excellent and rare. He manifests many activities of bhakti in this world. By his mercy people at present (ayam) perform bhakti (dharma), attaining prema and Vaikuṇṭha (ādi). Bhakti accomplishes all karmas.
- Which of my pursuits do I treat as if they were self-generated rather than His grace?
- How does acknowledging source change my work?
A field's grain ripens because the sun consents to look on it. Every dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa that humans pursue ripens only under Bhagavān's avekṣā — His glance. Take away the glance, and the field is dust.
My note
Source: vedabase.io