FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.19.36

तं सुखाराध्यमृजुभिरनन्यशरणैर्नृभि: । कृतज्ञ: को न सेवेत दुराराध्यमसाधुभि: ॥ ३६ ॥
taṁ sukhārādhyam ṛjubhir
[tam sukhaaraadhyam rijubhir]
ananya-śaraṇair nṛbhiḥ
[ananya-sharanair nribhih]
kṛtajñaḥ ko na seveta
[kritajnah ko na seveta]
durārādhyam asādhubhiḥ
[duraaraadhyam asaadhubhih]
Word-for-word
tam — unto Him sukha — easily ārādhyam — worshiped ṛjubhiḥ — by the unpretentious ananya — no other śaraṇaiḥ — who take shelter nṛbhiḥ — by men kṛta-jñaḥ — grateful soul kaḥ — what na — not seveta — would render service durārādhyam — impossible to be worshiped asādhubhiḥ — by the nondevotees.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
taṁ sukhārādhyam ṛjubhir
tam
unto Him
sukha
easily
ārādhyam
worshiped
ṛjubhiḥ
by the unpretentious
ananya-śaraṇair nṛbhiḥ
ananya
no other
śaraṇaiḥ
who take shelter
nṛbhiḥ
by men
kṛtajñaḥ ko na seveta
kṛta-jñaḥ
grateful soul
kaḥ
what
na
not
seveta
would render service
durārādhyam asādhubhiḥ
durārādhyam
impossible to be worshiped
asādhubhiḥ
by the nondevotees.
What grateful soul is there who would not render his loving service to such a great master as the Personality of Godhead? The Lord can be easily pleased by spotless devotees who resort exclusively to Him for protection, though the unrighteous man finds it difficult to propitiate Him.
Purport

Every living entity, especially persons in the human race, must feel grateful for the benedictions offered by the grace of the Supreme Lord. Therefore anyone with a simple heart of gratefulness must be Kṛṣṇa conscious and offer devotional service to the Lord. Those who are actually thieves and rogues do not recognize or acknowledge the benedictions offered to them by the Supreme Lord, and they cannot render Him devotional service. Ungrateful persons are those who do not understand how much benefit they are deriving by the arrangement of the Lord. They enjoy the sunshine and moonshine, and they get water free of charge, yet they do not feel grateful, but simply go on enjoying these gifts of the Lord. Therefore, they must be called thieves and rogues.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
What grateful person would not worship the Supreme Lord who quickly rescued the king of the elephants from the material world when he was caught by the crocodile while his wives lamented, as he meditated on the lotus feet of the Lord, and who is willingly worshipped by the sincerely surrendered souls while not worshiped by the crooked? The Lord delivers humans just by their hearing his pastimes, but he even delivers animals, just by their remembrance of him. Jhaṣa means crocodile. What to speak of delivering the elephant from the crocodile, he delivered the elephant even from the material world (kṛcchrataḥ). Kareṇūnām means “of the female elephants, his wives.” One recognizes that the Lord is the protector of the surrendered souls, one who is grateful (kṛtajñaḥ), should always worship that Lord. He is not worshipped by those who are crooked (asādhubhiḥ), who surrender to someone else.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The verse defines life's success by surrender, not by accumulation. What looks like 'giving up' from outside is, from inside, finally arriving at one's natural position. Its centre of gravity is devotional service to the Lord.
Reflection Questions
  • Where is your devotional life mostly verbal, and where is it actually costing you something?
  • What would steady, unglamorous service look like for you this month?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 19