FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.21.43

तेषामहं पादसरोजरेणु- मार्या वहेयाधिकिरीटमायु: । यं नित्यदा बिभ्रत आशु पापं नश्यत्यमुं सर्वगुणा भजन्ति ॥ ४३ ॥
teṣām ahaṁ pāda-saroja-reṇum
[teshaam aham paada-saroja-renum]
āryā vaheyādhi-kirīṭam āyuḥ
[aaryaa vaheyaadhi-kireetam aayuh]
yaṁ nityadā bibhrata āśu pāpaṁ
[yam nityadaa bibhrata aashu paapam]
naśyaty amuṁ sarva-guṇā bhajanti
[nashyaty amum sarva-gunaa bhajanti]
Word-for-word
teṣām — of all of them aham — I pāda — feet saroja — lotus reṇum — dust āryāḥ — O respectable persons vaheya — shall bear adhi — up to kirīṭam — helmet āyuḥ — up to the end of life yam — which nityadā — always bibhrataḥ — carrying āśu — very soon pāpam — sinful activities naśyati — are vanquished amum — all those sarva-guṇāḥ — fully qualified bhajanti — worship.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
teṣām ahaṁ pāda-saroja-reṇum
teṣām
of all of them
aham
I
pāda
feet
saroja
lotus
reṇum
dust
āryā vaheyādhi-kirīṭam āyuḥ
āryāḥ
O respectable persons
vaheya
shall bear
adhi
up to
kirīṭam
helmet
āyuḥ
up to the end of life
yaṁ nityadā bibhrata āśu pāpaṁ
yam
which
nityadā
always
bibhrataḥ
carrying
āśu
very soon
pāpam
sinful activities
naśyaty amuṁ sarva-guṇā bhajanti
naśyati
are vanquished
amum
all those
sarva-guṇāḥ
fully qualified
bhajanti
worship.
O respectable personalities present here, I beg the blessings of all of you that I may perpetually carry on my crown the dust of the lotus feet of such brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas until the end of my life. He who can carry such dust on his head is very soon relieved of all the reactions which arise from sinful life, and eventually he develops all good and desirable qualities.
Purport

It is said that one who has unflinching faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which means unflinching faith in the Vaiṣṇava or the pure devotee of the Supreme Lord, develops all the good qualities of the demigods: yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ ( Bhāg. 5.18.12 ). Prahlāda Mahārāja also said, naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim ( Bhāg. 7.5.32 ): unless one takes the dust of the lotus feet of a pure Vaiṣṇava on one’s head, one cannot understand what the Supreme Personality of Godhead is, and unless one knows the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one’s life remains imperfect. A great soul who has fully surrendered to the Supreme Lord after understanding Him fully and after repeatedly undergoing austerities and penances for many, many lives is very rare. The crown of a king is simply a big load if the king or head of the state does not actually bear the dust of the lotus feet of brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas. In other words, if a liberal king like Pṛthu Mahārāja does not follow the instructions of brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas or does not follow the brahminical culture, he is simply a burden on the state, for he cannot benefit the citizens. Mahārāja Pṛthu is the perfect example of an ideal chief executive.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Honorable people! Since the brāhmaṇa, by faith, austerity, proper conduct, silence, and senses control, continually supports the eternal, pure Veda in which this universe is reflected as in a mirror, in order to obtain knowledge of the truth about objects, for my whole life I pray to carry on my crown the dust from the lotus feet of the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, which quickly destroys sin and awards all good qualities to the bearer. The brāhmaṇa is not superior to the fire just because he is conscious, but because he has knowledge. The brāhmaṇa supports the Veda (brahma) by faith, austerity, proper conduct (maṅgala), silence and sense control. The definition of maṅgala is given as follows: praśastācaraṇaṁ nityam apraśastasya varjanam yat tad dhi maṅgalaṁ proktam ṛṣibhis tattva-darśibhiḥ The wise sages have said that maṅgala means proper conduct at all times, while being devoid of bad conduct. Silence means avoiding that talking which is contrary to studying the Vedas. Samādhinā means with “steadiness of mind.” Why? They support the Vedas for knowledge of real things (artha-dṛṣtaye). How do the Vedas do this? In the Vedas (yatra) everything in this world becomes its subject. (The Vedas reveal everything about the world.) The Vedas are like a mirror. O honorable people (āryāḥ)! For my whole life (ā āyuḥ) I shall carry (vaheya) on (adhi) my crown their foot dust. Potential case is used to express a wish. For the person carrying that dust (yam), it destroys sin, and all good qualities come to that person who carries that dust (amum).
Related values & verses
Related verses
SB 5.18.12 SB 7.5.32
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
I beg your blessings that I may carry the dust of brāhmaṇas' and Vaiṣṇavas' feet on my crown until death. The dust of the right feet is more precious than any jewel; ask for it explicitly.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose foot-dust is mine to seek that I have been embarrassed to ask for?
  • Where would explicit petition for blessing change everything?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 21