FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.9.42

मायां विविदिषन् विष्णोर्मायेशस्य महामुनि: । महाभागवतो राजन् पितरं पर्यतोषयत् ॥ ४२ ॥
māyāṁ vividiṣan viṣṇor
[maayaam vividishan vishnor]
māyeśasya mahā-muniḥ
[maayeshasya mahaa-munih]
mahā-bhāgavato rājan
[mahaa-bhaagavato raajan]
pitaraṁ paryatoṣayat
[pitaram paryatoshayat]
māyām — energies vividiṣan — desiring to know viṣṇoḥ — of the Personality of Godhead māyā-īśasya — of the master of all energies mahā-muniḥ — the great sage mahā-bhāgavataḥ — the first-class devotee of the Lord rājan — O King pitaram — unto his father paryatoṣayat — very much pleased.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
māyāṁ vividiṣan viṣṇor
māyām
energies
vividiṣan
desiring to know
viṣṇoḥ
of the Personality of Godhead
māyeśasya mahā-muniḥ
māyā-īśasya
of the master of all energies
mahā-muniḥ
the great sage
mahā-bhāgavato rājan
mahā-bhāgavataḥ
the first-class devotee of the Lord
rājan
O King
pitaraṁ paryatoṣayat
pitaram
unto his father
paryatoṣayat
very much pleased.
Nārada very much pleased his father and desired to know all about the energies of Viṣṇu, the master of all energies, for Nārada was the greatest of all sages and greatest of all devotees, O King.

Lord Brahmā, being the creator of all living beings in the universe, is originally the father of several well-known sons, like Dakṣa, the catuḥ-sanas, and Nārada. In three departments of human knowledge disseminated by the Vedas, namely fruitive work ( karma-kāṇḍa ), transcendental knowledge ( jñāna-kāṇḍa ) and devotional service ( upāsanā-kāṇḍa ), Devarṣi Nārada inherited from his father Brahmā devotional service, whereas Dakṣa inherited from his father fruitive work, and Sanaka, Sanātana, etc., inherited from their father information about jñāna-kāṇḍa, or transcendental knowledge. But out of them all, Nārada is described here as the most beloved son of Brahmā because of good behavior, obedience, meekness and readiness to render service unto the father. And Nārada is famous as the greatest of all sages because of his being the greatest of all devotees. Nārada is the spiritual master of many famous devotees of the Lord. He is the spiritual master of Prahlāda, Dhruva and Vyāsa, down to the forest animal hunter Kirāta. His only business is to turn everyone to the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Therefore all these features of Nārada make him the dearmost son of his father, and all this is due to Nārada’s being a first-class devotee of the Lord. The devotees are always anxious to know more and more about the Supreme Lord, the master of all energies. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.9) :

mac-cittā mad-gata-prāṇā bodhayantaḥ parasparam kathayantaś ca māṁ nityaṁ tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca

The Supreme Lord is unlimited, and His energies are also unlimited. No one can know them completely. Brahmājī, being the greatest living entity within this universe and being directly instructed by the Lord, must know more than anyone within this universe, although such knowledge may not be complete. Thus it is the duty of everyone to ask about the unlimited Lord from the spiritual master in the disciplic succession of Brahmā, which descends from Nārada to Vyāsa, from Vyāsa to Śukadeva and so on.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Nārada, the dearest to Brahmā among all his sons, was devoted to his father, and obedient. O King! This great devotee, this great sage, desiring to understand the māyā of Viṣṇu, the master of māyā, satisfied his father by his proper conduct, respect and sense control.
Commentary

Riktha means inheritance. Rikthādāna means a son, who inherits the wealth of the father. Nārada was the dearest son of Brahmā. Among the wealth of karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga and bhakti-yoga belonging to Brahmā, Dakṣa and others obtained karma-yoga. The Kumāras obtained jñāna-yoga. Nārada obtained bhakti-yoga, because of his outstanding qualities. Anuvrataḥ means that he was devoted to his father.

Māyām refers to the material energy, or to the mercy of the Lord. Nārada desired to understand the variegated nature of māyā. Viṣṇu is the master of material māyā. Or māyeśasya can mean “of he who controls everything by mercy (māyā).”

Among Brahmā's many sons, Nārada inherited devotional service — the highest branch of Vedic knowledge — while others inherited fruitive work or speculative knowledge. What you receive depends on what you ask for and serve.
Reflection Questions
  • Which inheritance am I actually asking for: karma, jñāna, or bhakti?
  • What in my behavior toward teachers is shaping which legacy I receive?
📝 My note

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