FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.21.13

ऋषिरुवाच जुष्टं बताद्याखिलसत्त्वराशे: सांसिद्ध्यमक्ष्णोस्तव दर्शनान्न: । यद्दर्शनं जन्मभिरीड्य सद्‌भि- राशासते योगिनो रूढयोगा: ॥ १३ ॥
ṛṣir uvāca
[rishir uvaacha]
juṣṭaṁ batādyākhila-sattva-rāśeḥ
[jushtam bataadyaakhila-sattva-raasheh]
sāṁsiddhyam akṣṇos tava darśanān naḥ
[saamsiddhyam akshnos tava darshanaan nah]
yad-darśanaṁ janmabhir īḍya sadbhir
[yad-darshanam janmabhir eedya sadbhir]
āśāsate yogino rūḍha-yogāḥ
[aashaasate yogino roodha-yogaah]
ṛṣiḥ uvāca — the great sage said juṣṭam — is attained bata — ah adya — now akhila — all sattva — of goodness rāśeḥ — who are the reservoir sāṁsiddhyam — the complete success akṣṇoḥ — of the two eyes tava — of You darśanāt — from the sight naḥ — by us yat — of whom darśanam — sight janmabhiḥ — through births īḍya — O worshipable Lord sadbhiḥ — gradually elevated in position āśāsate — aspire yoginaḥ — yogīs rūḍha-yogāḥ — having obtained perfection in yoga..
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ṛṣir uvāca
ṛṣiḥ uvāca
the great sage said
juṣṭaṁ batādyākhila-sattva-rāśeḥ
juṣṭam
is attained
bata
ah
adya
now
akhila
all
sattva
of goodness
rāśeḥ
who are the reservoir
sāṁsiddhyam akṣṇos tava darśanān naḥ
sāṁsiddhyam
the complete success
akṣṇoḥ
of the two eyes
tava
of You
darśanāt
from the sight
naḥ
by us
yad-darśanaṁ janmabhir īḍya sadbhir
yat
of whom
darśanam
sight
janmabhiḥ
through births
īḍya
O worshipable Lord
sadbhiḥ
gradually elevated in position
āśāsate yogino rūḍha-yogāḥ
āśāsate
aspire
yoginaḥ
yogīs
rūḍha-yogāḥ
having obtained perfection in yoga..
The great sage Kardama said: O supreme worshipful Lord, my power of sight is now fulfilled, having attained the greatest perfection of the sight of You, who are the reservoir of all existences. Through many successive births of deep meditation, advanced yogīs aspire to see Your transcendental form.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described here as the reservoir of all goodness and all pleasure. Unless one is situated in the mode of goodness, there is no real pleasure. Therefore when one’s body, mind and activities are situated in the service of the Lord, one is on the highest perfectional stage of goodness. Kardama Muni says, “Your Lordship is the reservoir of all that can be understood by the nomenclature of goodness, and by our experiencing You face to face, the perfection of sight has now been attained.” These statements are the pure devotional situation; for a devotee, the perfection of the senses is to engage in the service of the Lord. The sense of sight, when engaged in seeing the beauty of the Lord, is perfected; the power to hear, when engaged in hearing the glories of the Lord, is perfected; the power to taste, when one enjoys by eating prasāda, is perfected. When all the senses engage in relationship with the Personality of Godhead, one’s perfection is technically called bhakti-yoga, which entails detaching the senses from material indulgence and attaching them to the service of the Lord. When one is freed from all designated conditional life and fully engages in the service of the Lord, one’s service is called bhakti-yoga. Kardama Muni admits that seeing the Lord personally in bhakti-yoga is the perfection of sight. The exalted perfection of seeing the Lord is not exaggerated by Kardama Muni. He gives evidence that those who are actually elevated in yoga aspire in life after life to see this form of the Personality of Godhead. He was not a fictitious yogī. Those who are actually on the advanced path aspire only to see the eternal form of the Lord.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O Lord! Today my eyes have become successful in seeing you, the form for all beings, whom the most exalted sages practicing yoga for many births pray to see. It is the highest mercy of the Lord and my highest good fortune to see the Lord so quickly. Bata expresses astonishment. Today my eyes have become completely successful. Whatever previous perfection was there for the eyes was not perfection for eyes. This perfection is respected by all (juṣṭam). You are the form (raśeḥ) for the most fallen beings. And I have not done suitable sadhāna. Worshipable Lord! The most excellent yogīs who have perfected yoga by many births pray to see you.
Detachment in this verse is not cold rejection but clear seeing. Real renunciation is loosening the grip of 'mine' on things and people we never truly owned anyway. Its centre of gravity is Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Reflection Questions
  • What relationship or possession do you currently call 'mine' as though it could not be taken back?
  • What single 'mine' could you release this week as a small experiment?
📝 My note

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