Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.7.8
श्रीशुक उवाच
स इत्थं चोदित: क्षत्त्रा तत्त्वजिज्ञासुना मुनि: ।
प्रत्याह भगवच्चित्त: स्मयन्निव गतस्मय: ॥ ८ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca
[shree-shuka uvaacha]
sa itthaṁ coditaḥ kṣattrā
[sa ittham choditah kshattraa]
tattva-jijñāsunā muniḥ
[tattva-jijnaasunaa munih]
pratyāha bhagavac-cittaḥ
[pratyaaha bhagavach-chittah]
smayann iva gata-smayaḥ
[smayann iva gata-smayah]
Word-for-word
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca
—
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
saḥ
—
he (Maitreya Muni)
ittham
—
in this way
coditaḥ
—
being agitated
kṣattrā
—
by Vidura
tattva-jijñāsunā
—
by one who was anxious to inquire to know the truth
muniḥ
—
the great sage
pratyāha
—
replied
bhagavat-cittaḥ
—
God conscious
smayan
—
wondering
iva
—
as if
gata-smayaḥ
—
without hesitation.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-śuka uvāca
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
sa itthaṁ coditaḥ kṣattrā
saḥ
he (Maitreya Muni)
ittham
in this way
coditaḥ
being agitated
kṣattrā
by Vidura
tattva-jijñāsunā muniḥ
tattva-jijñāsunā
by one who was anxious to inquire to know the truth
muniḥ
the great sage
pratyāha bhagavac-cittaḥ
pratyāha
replied
bhagavat-cittaḥ
God conscious
smayann iva gata-smayaḥ
smayan
wondering
iva
as if
gata-smayaḥ
without hesitation.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King, Maitreya, being thus agitated by the inquisitive Vidura, at first seemed astonished, but then he replied to him without hesitation, since he was fully God conscious.
Purport
Since the great sage Maitreya was filled with God consciousness, he had no reason to be astonished at such contradictory questions by Vidura. Therefore, although as a devotee he externally expressed surprise, as if he did not know how to reply to those questions, he immediately became perfectly settled and properly replied to Vidura. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati ( Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3). Anyone who is a devotee of the Lord knows about the Lord to some extent, and devotional service to the Lord makes him able to know everything by the grace of the Lord. Although a devotee may apparently express himself to be ignorant, he is full of knowledge in every intricate matter.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Śukadeva said: When Vidura, inquisitive about the absolute truth, asked Maitreya these questions, Maitreya, becoming absorbed in the Lord, answered as if astonished, though he was actually without astonishment.
Thinking of how to resolve these questions, Maitreya remembered the Lord (bhagavac-cittaḥ). Then he got the answer. Externally acting surprised, he seemed to say,“Oh these are difficult doubts to resolve!” However, he had actually resolved the doubts.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Real devotion is steady, not theatrical. The verse treats bhakti as the work the soul was made for — every other career is a temporary detour from this primary employment. Its centre of gravity is devotional service to the Lord.
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
Source: vedabase.io