FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.7.34

ऋषय ऊचु: अनन्वितं ते भगवन् विचेष्टितं यदात्मना चरसि हि कर्म नाज्यसे । विभूतये यत उपसेदुरीश्वरीं न मन्यते स्वयमनुवर्ततीं भवान् ॥ ३४ ॥
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ
[rishaya oochuh]
ananvitaṁ te bhagavan viceṣṭitaṁ
[ananvitam te bhagavan vicheshtitam]
yad ātmanā carasi hi karma nājyase
[yad aatmanaa charasi hi karma naajyase]
vibhūtaye yata upasedur īśvarīṁ
[vibhootaye yata upasedur eeshvareem]
na manyate svayam anuvartatīṁ bhavān
[na manyate svayam anuvartateem bhavaan]
ṛṣayaḥ — the sages ūcuḥ — prayed ananvitam — wonderful te — Your bhagavan — O possessor of all opulences viceṣṭitam — activities yat — which ātmanā — by Your potencies carasi — You execute hi — certainly karma — to such activities na ajyase — You are not attached vibhūtaye — for her mercy yataḥ — from whom upaseduḥ — worshiped īśvarīm — Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune na manyate — are not attached svayam — Yourself anuvartatīm — to Your obedient servant (Lakṣmī) bhavān — Your Lordship.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ
ṛṣayaḥ
the sages
ūcuḥ
prayed
ananvitaṁ te bhagavan viceṣṭitaṁ
ananvitam
wonderful
te
Your
bhagavan
O possessor of all opulences
viceṣṭitam
activities
yad ātmanā carasi hi karma nājyase
yat
which
ātmanā
by Your potencies
carasi
You execute
hi
certainly
karma
to such activities
na ajyase
You are not attached
vibhūtaye yata upasedur īśvarīṁ
vibhūtaye
for her mercy
yataḥ
from whom
upaseduḥ
worshiped
īśvarīm
Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune
na manyate svayam anuvartatīṁ bhavān
na manyate
are not attached
svayam
Yourself
anuvartatīm
to Your obedient servant (Lakṣmī)
bhavān
Your Lordship.
The sages prayed: Dear Lord, Your activities are most wonderful, and although You do everything by Your different potencies, You are not at all attached to such activities. You are not even attached to the goddess of fortune, who is worshiped by the great demigods like Brahmā, who pray to achieve her mercy.

In Bhagavad-gītā it is said that the Lord has no desire to achieve any result from His wonderful activities, nor has He any need to perform them. But still, in order to give an example to people in general, He sometimes acts, and those activities are very wonderful. He is not attached to anything. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti: although He acts very wonderfully, He is not at all attached to anything ( Bg. 4.14 ). He is self-sufficient. The example is given here that the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, is always engaged in the service of the Lord, but still He is not attached to her. Even great demigods like Brahmā worship the goddess of fortune in order to win her favor, but although the Lord is worshiped by many hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune, He is not at all attached to any one of them. This distinction concerning the exalted transcendental position of the Lord is specifically mentioned by the great sages: He is not like the ordinary living entity, who is attached to the results of pious activities.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The sages said: O Lord! Your activities are astounding since you perform actions by yourself and do not become contaminated by them. Whereas others worship Lakṣmī for wealth, you do not accept her for wealth. Ananvitam means “impossible for others.” Your activities are astounding because (yat) you perform them by yourself alone, and you are not attached to them. All other performers of action are attached to the result. This comment is directed to Brahmā and others. Whereas (yataḥ) others worship Lakṣmī for wealth (vibhūtaye) you do not accept her. Yataḥ can also stand for yām. You do not accept Lakṣmī whom others worship for wealth.
Related verses
The Lord acts wonderfully through His potencies yet remains unattached, even to Lakṣmī. Genuine power without attachment is rarer than power itself; it's the harder spiritual achievement.
Reflection Questions
  • Which result of my recent effort am I clinging to in a way that's making me anxious?
  • Where can I act fully and let go of the fruit a little more cleanly?
📝 My note

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