FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.20.23

पृथुरुवाच वरान्विभो त्वद्वरदेश्वराद् बुध: कथं वृणीते गुणविक्रियात्मनाम् । ये नारकाणामपि सन्ति देहिनां तानीश कैवल्यपते वृणे न च ॥ २३ ॥
pṛthur uvāca
[prithur uvaacha]
varān vibho tvad varadeśvarād budhaḥ
[varaan vibho tvad varadeshvaraad budhah]
kathaṁ vṛṇīte guṇa-vikriyātmanām
[katham vrineete guna-vikriyaatmanaam]
ye nārakāṇām api santi dehināṁ
[ye naarakaanaam api santi dehinaam]
tān īśa kaivalya-pate vṛṇe na ca
[taan eesha kaivalya-pate vrine na cha]
pṛthuḥ uvāca — Pṛthu Mahārāja said varān — benedictions vibho — my dear Supreme Lord tvat — from You vara-da-īśvarāt — from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the highest of the bestowers of benedictions budhaḥ — a learned person katham — how vṛṇīte — could ask for guṇa-vikriyā — bewildered by the modes of material nature ātmanām — of the living entities ye — which nārakāṇām — of the living entities living in hell api — also santi — exist dehinām — of the embodied tān — all those īśa — O Supreme Lord kaivalya-pate — O bestower of merging in the existence of the Lord vṛṇe — I ask for na — not ca — also.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
pṛthur uvāca
pṛthuḥ uvāca
Pṛthu Mahārāja said
varān
benedictions
varān vibho tvad varadeśvarād budhaḥ
vibho
my dear Supreme Lord
tvat
from You
vara-da-īśvarāt
from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the highest of the bestowers of benedictions
budhaḥ
a learned person
kathaṁ vṛṇīte guṇa-vikriyātmanām
katham
how
vṛṇīte
could ask for
guṇa-vikriyā
bewildered by the modes of material nature
ātmanām
of the living entities
ye nārakāṇām api santi dehināṁ
ye
which
nārakāṇām
of the living entities living in hell
api
also
santi
exist
dehinām
of the embodied
tān īśa kaivalya-pate vṛṇe na ca
tān
all those
īśa
O Supreme Lord
kaivalya-pate
O bestower of merging in the existence of the Lord
vṛṇe
I ask for
na
not
ca
also.
My dear Lord, You are the best of the demigods who can offer benedictions. Why, therefore, should any learned person ask You for benedictions meant for living entities bewildered by the modes of nature? Such benedictions are available automatically, even in the lives of living entities suffering in hellish conditions. My dear Lord, You can certainly bestow merging into Your existence, but I do not wish to have such a benediction.

There are different kinds of benedictions according to a person’s demands. For karmīs the best benediction is promotion to the higher planetary systems, where the duration of life is very long and the standard of living and happiness is very high. There are others, namely jñānīs and yogīs, who want the benediction of merging into the existence of the Lord. This is called kaivalya. The Lord is therefore addressed as kaivalya-pati, the master or Lord of the benediction known as kaivalya. But devotees receive a different type of benediction from the Lord. Devotees are anxious neither for the heavenly planets nor for merging into the existence of the Lord. According to devotees, kaivalya, or merging into the existence of the Lord, is considered as good as hell. The word naraka means “hell.” Similarly, everyone who exists in this material world is called nāraka because this material existence itself is known as a hellish condition of life. Pṛthu Mahārāja, however, expressed that he was interested neither in the benediction desired by the karmīs nor that desired by the jñānīs and yogīs. Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī Prabhu, a great devotee of Lord Caitanya, described that kaivalya is no better than a hellish condition of life, and as for the delights of the heavenly planets, they are factually will-o’-the-wisps, or phantasmagoria. They are not wanted by devotees. Devotees do not even care for the positions held by Lord Brahmā or Lord Śiva, nor does a devotee desire to become equal with Lord Viṣṇu. As a pure devotee of the Lord, Pṛthu Mahārāja made his position very clear.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Pṛthu said: O Lord! How can an intelligent person ask for benedictions from you, the Lord who gives all benedictions? O Lord of liberation! I do not ask for those benedictions which exist for people in hellish existence, with minds which are a transformation of the guṇas. Pṛthu replies to the Lord’s request to ask for a boon. How can an intelligent person ask? A foolish person will ask for material boons. Asking for Svarga and such things are the boons of the materialists with minds created by transformation of the guṇas. O Lord of kaivalya! Even the person desiring liberation does not ask for these boons. How can I accept them, since I cannot tolerate the name of liberation? (Even liberation is unattractive, what to speak of material enjoyment!)
You are the best of benediction-givers, but the wise don't ask for benedictions available even in hell. The point isn't to use the relationship for crumbs; ask only for what only He can give.
Reflection Questions
  • Which 'available-in-hell' benediction have I been asking the Lord for?
  • What request only He can fulfill have I been postponing?
📝 My note

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