FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.24.74

अथेदं नित्यदा युक्तो जपन्नवहित: पुमान् । अचिराच्छ्रेय आप्नोति वासुदेवपरायण: ॥ ७४ ॥
athedaṁ nityadā yukto
[athedam nityadaa yukto]
japann avahitaḥ pumān
[japann avahitah pumaan]
acirāc chreya āpnoti
[achiraach chreya aapnoti]
vāsudeva-parāyaṇaḥ
[vaasudeva-paraayanah]
atha — thus idam — this nityadā — regularly yuktaḥ — with great attention japan — by murmuring avahitaḥ — fully attentive pumān — a person acirāt — without delay śreyaḥ — auspiciousness āpnoti — achieves vāsudeva-parāyaṇaḥ — one who is a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
athedaṁ nityadā yukto
atha
thus
idam
this
nityadā
regularly
yuktaḥ
with great attention
japann avahitaḥ pumān
japan
by murmuring
avahitaḥ
fully attentive
pumān
a person
acirāc chreya āpnoti
acirāt
without delay
śreyaḥ
auspiciousness
āpnoti
achieves
vāsudeva-parāyaṇaḥ
vāsudeva-parāyaṇaḥ
one who is a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
A devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa whose mind is always absorbed in Him, who with great attention and reverence chants this stotra [prayer], will achieve the greatest perfection of life without delay.

Perfection means becoming a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. As stated in the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.28), vāsudeva-parā vedā vāsudeva-parā makhāḥ. The ultimate goal of life is Vāsudeva, or Kṛṣṇa. Any devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa can attain all perfection, material gains and liberation simply by offering prayers to Him. There are many varieties of prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa chanted by great sages and great personalities such as Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva. Lord Kṛṣṇa is known as śiva-viriñci-nutam ( Bhāg. 11.5.33 ). Śiva means Lord Śiva, and viriñci means Lord Brahmā. Both of these demigods are engaged in offering prayers to Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. If we follow in the footsteps of such great personalities and become devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa, our lives will become successful. Unfortunately people do not know this secret. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum: “They do not know that the real interest and the highest perfection of life is to worship Lord Viṣṇu [Kṛṣṇa].” ( Bhāg. 7.5.31 ) It is impossible to become satisfied by trying to adjust the external energy. Without being a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, one can only be baffled and confused. To save living entities from such a calamity, Lord Kṛṣṇa points out in Bhagavad-gītā (7.19) :

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ

“After many, many births and deaths, a wise man surrenders unto Me, knowing very well that I, Vāsudeva, am everything. Such a great soul is very rare.”

We can achieve whatever benediction we want simply by becoming devotees of Vāsudeva.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Hence, the person surrendered to Vāsudeva who chants this prayer with great attention and concentration achieves the highest benefit. Atha stands for ataḥ (therefore).
Related verses
A devotee whose mind is absorbed in Kṛṣṇa, chanting this with attention and reverence, achieves greatest perfection without delay. Attention plus reverence equals immediate perfection; method, not duration.
Reflection Questions
  • Is my chanting actually attentive and reverent — or perfunctory?
  • What would 'no delay' look like in my own progress if I increased these two qualities?
📝 My note

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