FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 12.9.7

सूत उवाच इतीडितोऽर्चित: काममृषिणा भगवान् मुने । तथेति स स्मयन् प्रागाद् बदर्याश्रममीश्वर: ॥ ७ ॥
sūta uvāca
[soota uvaacha]
itīḍito ’rcitaḥ kāmam
[iteedito ’rchitah kaamam]
ṛṣiṇā bhagavān mune
[rishinaa bhagavaan mune]
tatheti sa smayan prāgād
[tatheti sa smayan praagaad]
badary-āśramam īśvaraḥ
[badary-aashramam eeshvarah]
Word-for-word
sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said iti — in these words īḍitaḥ — glorified arcitaḥ — worshiped kāmam — satisfactorily ṛṣiṇā — by the sage Mārkaṇḍeya bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead mune — O wise Śaunaka tathā iti — “so be it” saḥ — He smayan — smiling prāgāt — departed badarī-āśramam — for the hermitage Badarikāśrama īśvaraḥ — the Supreme Lord.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sūta uvāca
sūtaḥ uvāca
Sūta Gosvāmī said
itīḍito ’rcitaḥ kāmam
iti
in these words
īḍitaḥ
glorified
ṛṣiṇā bhagavān mune
tatheti sa smayan prāgād
badary-āśramam īśvaraḥ
arcitaḥ
worshiped
kāmam
satisfactorily
ṛṣiṇā
by the sage Mārkaṇḍeya
bhagavān
the Personality of Godhead
mune
O wise Śaunaka
tathā iti
“so be it”
saḥ
He
smayan
smiling
prāgāt
departed
badarī-āśramam
for the hermitage Badarikāśrama
īśvaraḥ
the Supreme Lord.
Sūta Gosvāmī said: O wise Śaunaka, thus satisfied by Mārkaṇḍeya’s praise and worship, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, smiling, replied, “So be it,” and then departed for His hermitage at Badarikāśrama.
Purport

The words bhagavān and īśvara in this verse refer to the Supreme Lord in His incarnation as the twin sages Nara and Nārāyaṇa. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the Supreme Lord smiled ruefully, because He prefers that His pure devotees stay away from His illusory energy. Curiosity to see the illusory energy of the Lord sometimes develops into sinful material desire. Nonetheless, to please His devotee Mārkaṇḍeya, the Lord granted his request, just as a father who cannot convince his son to give up pursuing a harmful desire may let him experience some painful reaction so that he will then voluntarily desist. Thus, understanding what would soon happen to Mārkaṇḍeya, the Lord smiled as He prepared to display the illusory potency to him.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Sūta Gosvāmī said: O wise Śaunaka! Thus satisfied by Mārkaṇḍeya's praise and worship, the Supreme Lord, smiling, replied, "So be it," and then departed for his hermitage at Badarikāśrama. The Lord smiled. Seeing māyā is only a cause of experiencing grief. If you want that, then I will give it, since I must give you a boon. You must realize “I do not like this experience of seeing māyā.” Otherwise your desire to experience it will not go away. Therefore by experiencing its suffering you will give it up. It is like a father who orders his son to give up some action performed by a stubborn son, even though the act will cause the son suffering. But for his devotee, in order to have him give up this desire, the Lord would also give him bliss by showing him his baby form within the experience of suffering. Thus the Lord smiled.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Satisfied with Markandeya's praise, the Lord smiles and says, 'So be it.' Even the granting of difficult requests can come with a smile. The Lord enjoys our boldness when it is honest.
Reflection Questions
  • Do I dare to bring bold requests, trusting His smile rather than fearing His refusal?
  • Which timid request could I reframe more boldly?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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