FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.21.56

अथापि पृच्छे त्वां वीर यदर्थं त्वमिहागत: । तद्वयं निर्व्यलीकेन प्रतिपद्यामहे हृदा ॥ ५६ ॥
athāpi pṛcche tvāṁ vīra
[athaapi prichche tvaam veera]
yad-arthaṁ tvam ihāgataḥ
[yad-artham tvam ihaagatah]
tad vayaṁ nirvyalīkena
[tad vayam nirvyaleekena]
pratipadyāmahe hṛdā
[pratipadyaamahe hridaa]
atha api — in spite of all this pṛcche — I ask tvām — you vīra — O valiant King yat-artham — the purpose tvam — you iha — here āgataḥ — have come tat — that vayam — we nirvyalīkena — without reservation pratipadyāmahe — we shall carry out hṛdā — with heart and soul.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
athāpi pṛcche tvāṁ vīra
atha api
in spite of all this
pṛcche
I ask
tvām
you
vīra
O valiant King
yad-arthaṁ tvam ihāgataḥ
yat-artham
the purpose
tvam
you
iha
here
āgataḥ
have come
tad vayaṁ nirvyalīkena
tat
that
vayam
we
nirvyalīkena
without reservation
pratipadyāmahe hṛdā
pratipadyāmahe
we shall carry out
hṛdā
with heart and soul.
In spite of all this, I ask you, O valiant King, the purpose for which you have come here. Whatever it may be, we shall carry it out without reservation.

When a guest comes to a friend’s house, it is understood that there is some special purpose. Kardama Muni could understand that such a great king as Svāyambhuva, although traveling to inspect the condition of his kingdom, must have had some special purpose to come to his hermitage. Thus he prepared himself to fulfill the King’s desire. Formerly it was customary that the sages used to go to the kings and the kings used to visit the sages in their hermitages; each was glad to fulfill the other’s purpose. This reciprocal relationship is called bhakti-kārya. There is a nice verse describing the relationship of mutual beneficial interest between the brāhmaṇa and the kṣatriya ( kṣatraṁ dvijatvam ). Kṣatram means “the royal order,” and dvijatvam means “the brahminical order.” The two were meant for mutual interest. The royal order would give protection to the brāhmaṇas for the cultivation of spiritual advancement in society, and the brāhmaṇas would give their valuable instruction to the royal order on how the state and the citizens can gradually be elevated in spiritual perfection.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Third Canto, Twenty-first Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Conversation Between Manu and Kardama.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O courageous warrior! I ask you why you have come to my hermitage. I accept the reason sincerely in my heart. Though I know in general why you come, I still ask why you come to my leaf hut. You will not become successful in quelling the sinful by coming here. I accept the reason in my heart, sincerely or joyfully (nirvyalīkena). Thus ends the commentary on Twenty-first Chapter of the Third Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas Chapter Twenty-two Kardama Marries Devahūti
Devotional service is named here as the central fact of spiritual life, not a hobby alongside it. The verse asks us to make the Lord the actual recipient of our daily activity rather than a polite afterthought.
Reflection Questions
  • What ordinary activity could you re-aim today so it becomes an offering rather than a transaction?
  • Whom in your life would notice if your devotional service deepened, and what would they see?
📝 My note

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