FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.1.20

शरणं तं प्रपद्येऽहं य एव जगदीश्वर: । प्रजामात्मसमां मह्यं प्रयच्छत्विति चिन्तयन् ॥ २० ॥
śaraṇaṁ taṁ prapadye ’haṁ
[sharanam tam prapadye ’ham]
ya eva jagad-īśvaraḥ
[ya eva jagad-eeshvarah]
prajām ātma-samāṁ mahyaṁ
[prajaam aatma-samaam mahyam]
prayacchatv iti cintayan
[prayachchatv iti chintayan]
śaraṇam — taking shelter tam — unto Him prapadye — surrender aham — I yaḥ — one who eva — certainly jagat-īśvaraḥ — master of the universe prajām — son ātma-samām — like Himself mahyam — unto me prayacchatu — let Him give iti — thus cintayan — thinking.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śaraṇaṁ taṁ prapadye ’haṁ
śaraṇam
taking shelter
tam
unto Him
prapadye
surrender
ya eva jagad-īśvaraḥ
aham
I
prajām ātma-samāṁ mahyaṁ
yaḥ
one who
eva
certainly
jagat-īśvaraḥ
master of the universe
prayacchatv iti cintayan
prajām
son
ātma-samām
like Himself
mahyam
unto me
prayacchatu
let Him give
iti
thus
cintayan
thinking.
He was thinking: May the Lord of the universe, of whom I have taken shelter, kindly be pleased to offer me a son exactly like Him.

It appears that the great sage Atri Muni had no specific idea of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Of course, he must have been conversant with the Vedic information that there is a Supreme Personality of Godhead who is the creator of the universe, from whom everything emanated, who maintains this created manifestation, and in whom the entire manifestation is conserved after dissolution. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni ( Taittirīya Upaniṣad 3.1.1). The Vedic mantras give us information of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so Atri Muni concentrated his mind upon that Supreme Personality of Godhead, even without knowing His name, just to beg from Him a child exactly on His level. This kind of devotional service, in which knowledge of God’s name is lacking, is also described in Bhagavad-gītā where the Lord says that four kinds of men with backgrounds of pious activities come to Him asking for what they need. Atri Muni wanted a son exactly like the Lord, and therefore he is not supposed to have been a pure devotee, because he had a desire to be fulfilled, and that desire was material. Although he wanted a son exactly like the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this desire was material because he did not want the Personality of Godhead Himself, but only a child exactly like Him. If he had desired the Supreme Personality of Godhead as his child, he would have been completely free of material desires because he would have wanted the Supreme Absolute Truth, but because he wanted a similar child, his desire was material. Thus Atri Muni cannot be counted among the pure devotees.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
He thought, “I surrender to the Lord of the universe. May he give me offspring equal to him!”
Atri prayed for a son 'exactly like' the Lord — be precise in what you ask for. Vague prayers get vague answers. The Lord responds to clarity of desire, especially when the desire is for Him.
Reflection Questions
  • Am I clear about what I am asking from the Lord, or do I drift in generalities?
  • What would I ask if I dared to be specific?
📝 My note

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