FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.21.24

न वै जातु मृषैव स्यात्प्रजाध्यक्ष मदर्हणम् । भवद्विधेष्वतितरां मयि संगृभितात्मनाम् ॥ २४ ॥
na vai jātu mṛṣaiva syāt
[na vai jaatu mrishaiva syaat]
prajādhyakṣa mad-arhaṇam
[prajaadhyaksha mad-arhanam]
bhavad-vidheṣv atitarāṁ
[bhavad-vidheshv atitaraam]
mayi saṅgṛbhitātmanām
[mayi sangribhitaatmanaam]
Word-for-word
na — not vai — indeed jātu — ever mṛṣā — useless eva — only syāt — it may be prajā — of the living entities adhyakṣa — O leader mat-arhaṇam — worship of Me bhavat-vidheṣu — unto persons like you atitarām — entirely mayi — on Me saṅgṛbhita — are fixed ātmanām — of those whose minds.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
na vai jātu mṛṣaiva syāt
na
not
vai
indeed
jātu
ever
mṛṣā
useless
eva
only
syāt
it may be
prajādhyakṣa mad-arhaṇam
prajā
of the living entities
adhyakṣa
O leader
mat-arhaṇam
worship of Me
bhavad-vidheṣv atitarāṁ
bhavat-vidheṣu
unto persons like you
atitarām
entirely
mayi saṅgṛbhitātmanām
mayi
on Me
saṅgṛbhita
are fixed
ātmanām
of those whose minds.
The Lord continued: My dear ṛṣi, O leader of the living entities, for those who serve Me in devotion by worshiping Me, especially persons like you who have given up everything unto Me, there is never any question of frustration.
Purport

Even if he has some desires, one engaged in the service of the Lord is never frustrated. Those engaged in His service are called sakāma and akāma. Those who approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead with desires for material enjoyment are called sakāma, and those devotees who have no material desires for sense gratification but serve the Supreme Lord out of spontaneous love for Him are called akāma. Sakāma devotees are divided into four classes — those in distress, those in need of money, the inquisitive and the wise. Someone worships the Supreme Lord because of bodily or mental distress, someone else worships the Supreme Lord because he is in need of money, someone else worships the Lord out of inquisitiveness to know Him as He is, and someone wants to know the Lord as a philosopher can know Him, by the research work of his wisdom. There is no frustration for any of these four classes of men; each is endowed with the desired result of his worship.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Director of the progeny! The worship of persons such as you who fully concentrate on me in their hearts is never fruitless. Fulfilling your desire will not reduce your worship of me. Rather, you will attain me. Please take courage! satyaṁ diśaty arthitam arthito nṛṇāṁ naivārthado yat punar arthitā yataḥ svayaṁ vidhatte bhajatām anicchatām icchāpidhānaṁ nija-pāda-pallavam The Lord certainly gives desired objects to devotees who request them, but he does not give in such a way that the devotee will ask again after finishing his enjoyment. He gives his lotus feet, which include all desirables, to those worshippers who do not desire them. SB 5.19.26 Worshipping me will never be without good results. In the end I will bestow my abode. Such worship among those devotees who have absorbed their minds in me (saṅgṛbhitātmanām), such as you, certainly will give results. Gṛhīta and gṛbhīta have the same meaning. The short vowel is poetic license.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The verse treats sense gratification as the path of least resistance, not as evil. The work is to introduce a little resistance — a small rule, kept — and let the soul re-emerge. Its centre of gravity is Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Reflection Questions
  • What is your mind feeding on most often, and how is that diet shaping your devotion?
  • What small regulation of routine would free up the most attention for inner life?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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