FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.21.51

अद्य नस्तमस: पारस्त्वयोपासादित: प्रभो । भ्राम्यतां नष्टद‍ृष्टीनां कर्मभिर्दैवसंज्ञितै: ॥ ५१ ॥
adya nas tamasaḥ pāras
[adya nas tamasah paaras]
tvayopāsāditaḥ prabho
[tvayopaasaaditah prabho]
bhrāmyatāṁ naṣṭa-dṛṣṭīnāṁ
[bhraamyataam nashta-drishteenaam]
karmabhir daiva-saṁjñitaiḥ
[karmabhir daiva-samjnitaih]
adya — today naḥ — of us tamasaḥ — of the darkness of material existence pāraḥ — the other side tvayā — by you upāsāditaḥ — increased prabho — O lord bhrāmyatām — who are wandering naṣṭa-dṛṣṭīnām — who have lost their goal of life karmabhiḥ — on account of past deeds daiva-saṁjñitaiḥ — arranged by superior authority.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
adya nas tamasaḥ pāras
adya
today
naḥ
of us
tamasaḥ
of the darkness of material existence
pāraḥ
the other side
tvayopāsāditaḥ prabho
tvayā
by you
upāsāditaḥ
increased
prabho
O lord
bhrāmyatāṁ naṣṭa-dṛṣṭīnāṁ
bhrāmyatām
who are wandering
naṣṭa-dṛṣṭīnām
who have lost their goal of life
karmabhir daiva-saṁjñitaiḥ
karmabhiḥ
on account of past deeds
daiva-saṁjñitaiḥ
arranged by superior authority.
The citizens continued: Today you have opened our eyes and revealed how to cross to the other side of the ocean of darkness. By our past deeds and by the arrangement of superior authority, we are entangled in a network of fruitive activities and have lost sight of the destination of life; thus we have been wandering within the universe.

In this verse, the words karmabhir daiva-saṁjñitaiḥ are very significant. Due to the quality of our actions, we come to the association of the modes of material nature, and by superior arrangement we are given a chance to enjoy the fruitive results of such activities in different types of bodies. In this way, having lost sight of their destination in life, all living entities are wandering in different species throughout the universe, sometimes getting birth in a lower species and sometimes existence in higher planetary systems; thus we are all wandering since time immemorial. It is by the grace of the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead that we get the clue of devotional life, and thus progressive success in our life begins. Here this is admitted by the citizens of King Pṛthu; in full consciousness they admit the benefit they have derived from the activities of Mahārāja Pṛthu.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O Lord! Forced to wander around blindly by our prārabdha-karmas, we have been delivered from ignorance by you today.
You opened our eyes to the way across the ocean of darkness; we've been entangled in karma without seeing the goal. Real leadership reveals the way out, not just better management of the way in.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I being given the way out and still optimizing for the way in?
  • Whose 'eye-opening' do I need to actually act on rather than merely admire?
📝 My note

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