FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.6.21

हस्तावस्य विनिर्भिन्नाविन्द्र: स्वर्पतिराविशत् । वार्तयांशेन पुरुषो यया वृत्तिं प्रपद्यते ॥ २१ ॥
hastāv asya vinirbhinnāv
[hastaav asya vinirbhinnaav]
indraḥ svar-patir āviśat
[indrah svar-patir aavishat]
vārtayāṁśena puruṣo
[vaartayaamshena purusho]
yayā vṛttiṁ prapadyate
[yayaa vrittim prapadyate]
Word-for-word
hastau — hands asya — of the gigantic form vinirbhinnau — being separately manifested indraḥ — the King of heaven svaḥ-patiḥ — the ruler of heavenly planets āviśat — entered into it vārtayā aṁśena — with partial mercantile principles puruṣaḥ — the living entity yayā — by which vṛttim — business of livelihood prapadyate — transacts.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
hastāv asya vinirbhinnāv
hastau
hands
asya
of the gigantic form
vinirbhinnau
being separately manifested
indraḥ svar-patir āviśat
indraḥ
the King of heaven
svaḥ-patiḥ
the ruler of heavenly planets
āviśat
entered into it
vārtayāṁśena puruṣo
vārtayā aṁśena
with partial mercantile principles
puruṣaḥ
the living entity
yayā vṛttiṁ prapadyate
yayā
by which
vṛttim
business of livelihood
prapadyate
transacts.
Thereafter, when the hands of the gigantic form separately became manifested, Indra, the ruler of the heavenly planets, entered into them, and thus the living entity is able to transact business for his livelihood.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
When the two gross hands (adhibhūta) of the universal form manifested, the presiding deity Indra (adhidaiva) along with his portion, the sense organ called the hands, which perform buying and selling (adhyātma), entered the universal form. By the hands means of livelihood (adhibhūta) appeared. Vārtayā means the śakti of buying and selling, of receiving and giving. Vārttā means ability to make things. (This refers to the hands.) Vṛttim means livelihood.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The hands work because Indra entered the universal form's hands. The capacity to earn livelihood and transact business is not raw human cleverness but a demigod-sustained faculty. Hard work is real, but the power behind it is borrowed.
Reflection Questions
  • Do I credit my livelihood to my own hustle, or do I acknowledge the power that lets my hands work at all?
  • How would gratitude to the source of capability change my workday?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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