FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.1.4

संशयोऽयं महान् ब्रह्मन् दारागारसुतादिषु । सक्तस्य यत्सिद्धिरभूत्कृष्णे च मतिरच्युता ॥ ४ ॥
saṁśayo ’yaṁ mahān brahman
[samshayo ’yam mahaan brahman]
dārāgāra-sutādiṣu
[daaraagaara-sutaadishu]
saktasya yat siddhir abhūt
[saktasya yat siddhir abhoot]
kṛṣṇe ca matir acyutā
[krishne cha matir achyutaa]
Word-for-word
saṁśayaḥ — doubt ayam — this mahān — great brahman — O brāhmaṇa dāra — to the wife āgāra — home suta — children ādiṣu — and so on saktasya — of a person attached yat — because siddhiḥ — perfection abhūt — became kṛṣṇe — unto Kṛṣṇa ca — also matiḥ — attachment acyutā — infallible.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
saṁśayo ’yaṁ mahān brahman
saṁśayaḥ
doubt
dārāgāra-sutādiṣu
saktasya yat siddhir abhūt
ayam
this
kṛṣṇe ca matir acyutā
mahān
great
brahman
O brāhmaṇa
dāra
to the wife
āgāra
home
suta
children
ādiṣu
and so on
saktasya
of a person attached
yat
because
siddhiḥ
perfection
abhūt
became
kṛṣṇe
unto Kṛṣṇa
ca
also
matiḥ
attachment
acyutā
infallible.
The King continued: O great brāhmaṇa, this is my great doubt. How was it possible for a person like King Priyavrata, who was so attached to wife, children and home, to achieve the topmost infallible perfection in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
Purport

King Parīkṣit wondered how a person so attached to wife, children and home could become so perfectly Kṛṣṇa conscious. Prahlāda Mahārāja has said:

matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho ’bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām

A gṛhavrata, one who has taken a vow to execute family duties, has no chance to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is because most gṛhavratas are guided by sense gratification and therefore gradually glide down to the darkest regions of material existence ( adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram ). How can they possibly become perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Mahārāja Parīkṣit asked Śukadeva Gosvāmī to resolve this great doubt.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Great brāhmaṇa! My doubt is that though he was attached to wife, house and children, he still attained perfection and always thought of Kṛṣṇa. How is it that though, because of some aparādha, he became attached to household life, he still attained perfection and his attention did not waver from Kṛṣṇa.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
It seems impossible that someone deeply attached to spouse, children and home could become perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yet by the Lord's grace, even the most entangled life can be reoriented. No one is too far gone.
Reflection Questions
  • What attachment in your life feels too sticky to release — and what would it look like to let Kṛṣṇa work on it instead of you?
  • Do you believe perfection is possible from where you actually stand, not from where you imagine you should be?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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