FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.7.35

येन वा भगवांस्तुष्येद्धर्मयोनिर्जनार्दन: । सम्प्रसीदति वा येषामेतदाख्याहि मेऽनघ ॥ ३५ ॥
yena vā bhagavāṁs tuṣyed
[yena vaa bhagavaams tushyed]
dharma-yonir janārdanaḥ
[dharma-yonir janaardanah]
samprasīdati vā yeṣām
[sampraseedati vaa yeshaam]
etad ākhyāhi me ’nagha
[etad aakhyaahi me ’nagha]
yena — by which vā — either bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead tuṣyet — is satisfied dharma-yoniḥ — the father of all religion janārdanaḥ — the controller of all living being samprasīdati — completely satisfied vā — either, or yeṣām — of those etat — all these ākhyāhi — kindly describe me — unto me anagha — O sinless one.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yena vā bhagavāṁs tuṣyed
yena
by which
vā
either
bhagavān
the Personality of Godhead
tuṣyet
is satisfied
dharma-yonir janārdanaḥ
dharma-yoniḥ
the father of all religion
janārdanaḥ
the controller of all living being
samprasīdati vā yeṣām
samprasīdati
completely satisfied
vā
either, or
yeṣām
of those
etad ākhyāhi me ’nagha
etat
all these
ākhyāhi
kindly describe
me
unto me
anagha
O sinless one.
O sinless one, because the Personality of Godhead, the controller of all living entities, is the father of all religion and all those who are candidates for religious activities, kindly describe how He can be completely satisfied.

All religious activities are meant ultimately to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is the father of all religious principles. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.16) , four kinds of pious men — the needy, the distressed, the enlightened and the inquisitive — approach the Lord in devotional service, and their devotion is mixed with material affection. But above them are the pure devotees, whose devotion is not tainted by any material tinges of fruitive work or speculative knowledge. Those who are only miscreants throughout their lives are compared to demons ( Bg. 7.15 ). They are bereft of all knowledge, in spite of any academic educational career they may pursue. Such miscreants are never candidates for satisfying the Lord.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O sinless one! Please tell by what acts the Lord, the cause of dharma, who gives to his sa-kāma devotees what they want, is satisfied, and please describe the sādhana for pleasing the Lord who gives prema? Vidura has already said: parāvareṣāṁ bhagavan vratāni śrutāni me vyāsa-mukhād abhīkṣṇam atṛpnuma kṣulla-sukhāvahānāṁ teṣām ṛte kṛṣṇa-kathāmṛtaughāt O my lord! I have repeatedly heard about these higher and lower statuses of human society from the mouth of Vyāsadeva, and I am quite satiated with all these lesser subject matters and their happiness. They have not satisfied me with the nectar of topics about Kṛṣṇa. SB 3.5.10 He has already understood these things from Vyāsa. However, now he wants to hear again from the mouth of Maitreya the necessary knowledge in order to become detached. Having completed those questions, now he asks what he really wants to know. Vā here means “but.” But, Janārdana, he who bestows things to his sa-kāma-bhaktas, is the cause of all dharmas. Or Janārdana can mean “he who gives suffering to his pure devotees by the pain of increased prema.” What is the method for pleasing this Lord? Please describe the type of qualification of such devotees.
Related verses
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 Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Reflection Questions
  • Where is your devotional life mostly verbal, and where is it actually costing you something?
  • Whom in your life would notice if your devotional service deepened, and what would they see?
📝 My note

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