FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.22.58

वर्षति स्म यथाकामं पर्जन्य इव तर्पयन् । समुद्र इव दुर्बोध: सत्त्वेनाचलराडिव ॥ ५८ ॥
varṣati sma yathā-kāmaṁ
[varshati sma yathaa-kaamam]
parjanya iva tarpayan
[parjanya iva tarpayan]
samudra iva durbodhaḥ
[samudra iva durbodhah]
sattvenācala-rāḍ iva
[sattvenaachala-raad iva]
varṣati — pouring sma — used to yathā-kāmam — as much as one can desire parjanyaḥ — water iva — like tarpayan — pleasing samudraḥ — the sea iva — likened durbodhaḥ — not understandable sattvena — by existential position acala — the hills rāṭ iva — like the king of.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
varṣati sma yathā-kāmaṁ
varṣati
pouring
sma
used to
yathā-kāmam
as much as one can desire
parjanya iva tarpayan
parjanyaḥ
water
iva
like
tarpayan
pleasing
samudra iva durbodhaḥ
samudraḥ
the sea
iva
likened
durbodhaḥ
not understandable
sattvenācala-rāḍ iva
sattvena
by existential position
acala
the hills
rāṭ iva
like the king of.
Just as rainfall satisfies everyone’s desires, Mahārāja Pṛthu used to satisfy everyone. He was like the sea in that no one could understand his depths, and he was like Meru, the king of hills, in the fixity of his purpose.

Mahārāja Pṛthu used to distribute his mercy to suffering humanity, and it was like rainfall after excessive heat. The ocean is wide and expansive, and it is very difficult to measure its length and breadth; similarly, Pṛthu Mahārāja was so deep and grave that no one could fathom his purposes. The hill known as Meru is fixed in the universe as a universal pivot, and no one can move it an inch from its position; similarly, no one could ever dissuade Mahārāja Pṛthu when he was determined.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Like Parjanya, god of rain, he showered whatever was desired. Like the ocean he was unfathomable. He was steady like Sumeru. Sattvena means by steadiness. Acala-raṭ is Sumeru.
Like rain he satisfied everyone, like sea unfathomable, like Meru fixed in purpose. Three different qualities each used at the right moment; don't be only one of them.
Reflection Questions
  • Which of these — rain, sea-depth, Meru-fixity — is most absent in my conduct?
  • Where would adding the missing one change how others experience me?
📝 My note

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