Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.17.7
तत्त्वं न: सर्वधर्मज्ञ धर्मस्त्वद्भक्तिलक्षण: ।
यथा यस्य विधीयेत तथा वर्णय मे प्रभो ॥ ७ ॥
tat tvaṁ naḥ sarva-dharma-jña
[tat tvam nah sarva-dharma-jna]
dharmas tvad-bhakti-lakṣaṇaḥ
[dharmas tvad-bhakti-lakshanah]
yathā yasya vidhīyeta
[yathaa yasya vidheeyeta]
tathā varṇaya me prabho
[tathaa varnaya me prabho]
Word-for-word
tat
—
therefore
tvam
—
You
naḥ
—
among us (human beings)
sarva-dharma-jña
—
O supreme knower of religious principles
dharmaḥ
—
the spiritual path
tvat-bhakti
—
by loving service to You
lakṣaṇaḥ
—
characterized
yathā
—
in which way
yasya
—
of whom
vidhīyeta
—
may be executed
tathā
—
in that way
varṇaya
—
please describe
me
—
unto me
prabho
—
my Lord.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tat tvaṁ naḥ sarva-dharma-jña
tat
therefore
tvam
You
naḥ
among us (human beings)
sarva-dharma-jña
O supreme knower of religious principles
dharmaḥ
the spiritual path
dharmas tvad-bhakti-lakṣaṇaḥ
tvat-bhakti
by loving service to You
lakṣaṇaḥ
characterized
yathā yasya vidhīyeta
yathā
in which way
yasya
of whom
vidhīyeta
may be executed
tathā varṇaya me prabho
tathā
in that way
varṇaya
please describe
me
unto me
prabho
my Lord.
Therefore, my Lord, since You are the knower of all religious principles, please describe to me the human beings who may execute the path of loving service to You and how such service is to be rendered.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Therefore, my Lord, since you are the knower of all religious principles, please describe to me how the human beings may execute dharma to produce bhakti for you.
Explain how dharma should be executed which shows or is a cause of (mixed) bhakti (tvad-bhakti-lakṣaṇaḥ).
Personal Guidance
Uddhava asks the Lord, knower of all dharma, to describe which human beings can practice loving service and how. The question targets both the who and the how.
Reflection Questions
- Am I clear about who I am in this teaching, and how I should serve?
- Where does clarity about role help and where might it constrain?
My note
Source: vedabase.io