FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.21.36

अहो ममामी वितरन्त्यनुग्रहं हरिं गुरुं यज्ञभुजामधीश्वरम् । स्वधर्मयोगेन यजन्ति मामका निरन्तरं क्षोणितले द‍ृढव्रता: ॥ ३६ ॥
aho mamāmī vitaranty anugrahaṁ
[aho mamaamee vitaranty anugraham]
hariṁ guruṁ yajña-bhujām adhīśvaram
[harim gurum yajna-bhujaam adheeshvaram]
sva-dharma-yogena yajanti māmakā
[sva-dharma-yogena yajanti maamakaa]
nirantaraṁ kṣoṇi-tale dṛḍha-vratāḥ
[nirantaram kshoni-tale dridha-vrataah]
aho — O all of you mama — unto me amī — all of them vitaranti — distributing anugraham — mercy harim — the Supreme Personality of Godhead gurum — the supreme spiritual master yajña-bhujām — all the demigods eligible to accept yajña offerings adhīśvaram — the supreme master sva-dharma — occupational duties yogena — by dint of yajanti — worship māmakāḥ — having a relationship with me nirantaram — incessantly kṣoṇi-tale — on the surface of the globe dṛḍha-vratāḥ — with firm determination.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
aho mamāmī vitaranty anugrahaṁ
aho
O all of you
mama
unto me
amī
all of them
vitaranti
distributing
anugraham
mercy
hariṁ guruṁ yajña-bhujām adhīśvaram
harim
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
gurum
the supreme spiritual master
yajña-bhujām
all the demigods eligible to accept yajña offerings
adhīśvaram
the supreme master
sva-dharma-yogena yajanti māmakā
sva-dharma
occupational duties
yogena
by dint of
yajanti
worship
māmakāḥ
having a relationship with me
nirantaraṁ kṣoṇi-tale dṛḍha-vratāḥ
nirantaram
incessantly
kṣoṇi-tale
on the surface of the globe
dṛḍha-vratāḥ
with firm determination.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the master and enjoyer of the results of all sacrifices, and He is the supreme spiritual master as well. All of you citizens on the surface of the globe who have a relationship with me and are worshiping Him by dint of your occupational duties are bestowing your mercy upon me. Therefore, O my citizens, I thank you.

Mahārāja Pṛthu’s advice to his citizens to take to devotional service is now concluded in two ways. He has repeatedly advised persons who are neophytes to engage themselves in devotional service according to the capacities of the different orders of social and spiritual life, but here he specifically thanks those already engaged in such devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is actually the enjoyer of all sacrificial ceremonies and who is also the supreme teacher as antaryāmī, or Paramātmā. There is specific mention of the word gurum, which indicates the Supreme Personality as caitya-guru. The Supreme Godhead in His Paramātmā feature is present in everyone’s heart, and He is always trying to induce the individual soul to surrender unto Him and to engage in devotional service; therefore He is the original spiritual master. He manifests Himself as spiritual master both internally and externally to help the conditioned soul both ways. Therefore He has been mentioned herein as gurum. It appears, however, that in the time of Mahārāja Pṛthu all the people on the surface of the globe were his subjects. Most of them — in fact, almost all of them — were engaged in devotional service. Therefore he thanked them in a humble way for engaging in devotional service and thus bestowing their mercy upon him. In other words, in a state where the citizens and the head of state are engaged in devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they help one another and are mutually benefited.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The citizens under my care on this earth are merciful to me. With great determination they constantly worship the Supreme Lord, the enjoyer of sacrifice and the supreme guru, by their occupational duties. “O King! O master! We have become successful by your instructions. We will always worship the Lord.” When Pṛthu hears the citizens speaking in this way, he speaks.
The Lord is master of all sacrifices and supreme guru; by worshiping Him through your occupations, you are bestowing mercy on me. The leader is mercied by his people's correct devotion; the flow goes both ways.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose 'mercy upon me' have I underestimated when they did their duty rightly?
  • Where am I asking for blessing from those whose work doesn't yet honor the Lord?
📝 My note

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