FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.32.25

स तदैवात्मनात्मानं नि:सङ्गं समदर्शनम् । हेयोपादेयरहितमारूढं पदमीक्षते ॥ २५ ॥
sa tadaivātmanātmānaṁ
[sa tadaivaatmanaatmaanam]
niḥsaṅgaṁ sama-darśanam
[nihsangam sama-darshanam]
heyopādeya-rahitam
[heyopaadeya-rahitam]
ārūḍhaṁ padam īkṣate
[aaroodham padam eekshate]
Word-for-word
saḥ — the pure devotee tadā — then eva — certainly ātmanā — by his transcendental intelligence ātmānam — himself niḥsaṅgam — without material attachment sama-darśanam — equipoised in vision heya — to be rejected upādeya — acceptable rahitam — devoid of ārūḍham — elevated padam — to the transcendental position īkṣate — he sees.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sa tadaivātmanātmānaṁ
saḥ
the pure devotee
tadā
then
eva
certainly
ātmanā
by his transcendental intelligence
ātmānam
himself
niḥsaṅgaṁ sama-darśanam
niḥsaṅgam
without material attachment
sama-darśanam
equipoised in vision
heyopādeya-rahitam
heya
to be rejected
upādeya
acceptable
rahitam
devoid of
ārūḍhaṁ padam īkṣate
ārūḍham
elevated
padam
to the transcendental position
īkṣate
he sees.
Because of his transcendental intelligence, the pure devotee is equipoised in his vision and sees himself to be uncontaminated by matter. He does not see anything as superior or inferior, and he feels himself elevated to the transcendental platform of being equal in qualities with the Supreme Person.
Purport

Perception of the disagreeable arises from attachment. A devotee has no personal attachment to anything; therefore for him there is no question of agreeable or disagreeable. For the service of the Lord he can accept anything, even though it may be disagreeable to his personal interest. In fact, he is completely free from personal interest, and thus anything agreeable to the Lord is agreeable to him. For example, for Arjuna at first fighting was not agreeable, but when he understood that the fighting was agreeable to the Lord, he accepted the fighting as agreeable. That is the position of a pure devotee. For his personal interest there is nothing which is agreeable or disagreeable; everything is done for the Lord, and therefore he is free from attachment and detachment. That is the transcendental stage of neutrality. A pure devotee enjoys life in the pleasure of the Supreme Lord.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
When the mind of a person with some bhakti does not perceive differences such as good or bad in material objects which are equally accepted by the senses, by intelligence he then experiences himself as jīva endowed with detachment, with equal vision, devoid of conceptions of good or bad, and then realizes Vaikuṇtha or Brahman, which is almost achieved. By what symptoms should jñāna and vairāgya produced by bhakti be understood? This verse answers. Jñāna occurs when the mind of a person with some bhakti, being fixed in the Lord by attraction to his qualities, does not accept inequality in material objects to be seen, heard or touched, which are actually all equal as far as being received by the senses. Inequality means “This is good to hear, this is not good to hear.” He treats equally stone and gold which may be criticized or praised by others. By intelligence he experiences the jīva, and by its detachment, he experiences Vaikuṇtḥa (padam) or Brahman, which is almost achieved.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
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. The verse keeps returning to pure devotee.
Reflection Questions
  • What ordinary activity could you re-aim today so it becomes an offering rather than a transaction?
  • Where in your life are you still 'enjoying' the fruits of work you call devotional?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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