FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.3.14

को वा इह तेऽपराजितोऽपराजितया माययानवसितपदव्यानावृतमतिर्विषयविषरयानावृतप्रकृतिरनुपासितमहच्चरण: ॥ १४ ॥
ko vā iha te ’parājito ’parājitayā māyayānavasita-padavyānāvṛta-matir viṣaya-viṣa-rayānāvṛta-prakṛtir anupāsita-mahac-caraṇaḥ.
[ko vaa iha te ’paraajito ’paraajitayaa maayayaanavasita-padavyaanaavrita-matir vishaya-visha-rayaanaavrita-prakritir anupaasita-mahach-charanah.]
Word-for-word
kaḥ vā — who is that person iha — within this material world te — of Your Lordship aparājitaḥ — not conquered aparājitayā — by the unconquerable māyayā — illusory energy anavasita-padavya — whose path cannot be ascertained anāvṛta-matiḥ — whose intelligence is not bewildered viṣaya-viṣa — of material enjoyment, which is like poison raya — by the course anāvṛta — not covered prakṛtiḥ — whose nature anupāsita — without worshiping mahat-caraṇaḥ — the lotus feet of great devotees.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ko vā iha te ’parājito ’parājitayā māyayānavasita-padavyānāvṛta-matir viṣaya-viṣa-rayānāvṛta-prakṛtir anupāsita-mahac-caraṇaḥ.
kaḥ vā
who is that person
iha
within this material world
te
of Your Lordship
aparājitaḥ
not conquered
aparājitayā
by the unconquerable
māyayā
illusory energy
anavasita-padavya
whose path cannot be ascertained
anāvṛta-matiḥ
whose intelligence is not bewildered
viṣaya-viṣa
of material enjoyment, which is like poison
raya
by the course
anāvṛta
not covered
prakṛtiḥ
whose nature
anupāsita
without worshiping
mahat-caraṇaḥ
the lotus feet of great devotees.
Dear Lord, unless one worships the lotus feet of great devotees, one will be conquered by the illusory energy, and his intelligence will be bewildered. Indeed, who has not been carried away by the waves of material enjoyment, which are like poison? Your illusory energy is unconquerable. No one can see the path of this material energy or tell how it is working.
Purport

Mahārāja Nābhi was inclined to performing great sacrifices for begetting a son. The son might be as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but such a material desire — be it great or insignificant — is brought about by the influence of māyā. A devotee does not at all desire anything for sense gratification. Devotion is therefore explained as devoid of material desires ( anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya ). Everyone is subjected to the influence of māyā and entangled in all kinds of material desire, and Mahārāja Nābhi was no exception. Freedom from māyā’s influence is possible when one engages in the service of the great devotees ( mahac-caraṇa-sevā ). Without worshiping the lotus feet of a great devotee, one cannot be freed from māyā’s influence. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore says, chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā: “Who has been freed from māyā’s clutches without serving the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava?” Māyā is aparājita, and her influence is also aparājita. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (7.14) :

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā

“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome.”

Only a devotee can surpass māyā’s great influence. It was no fault on Mahārāja Nābhi’s part that he wanted a son. He wanted a son like the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the best of all sons. By the association of the Lord’s devotee, one no longer desires material opulence. This is confirmed in Caitanya-caritāmṛta ( Madhya 22.54) :

‘sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’ sarva-śāstre kaya lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya

and:

mahat-kṛpā vinā kona karme ‘bhakti’ naya kṛṣṇa-bhakti dūre rahu, saṁsāra nahe kṣaya

If one is serious about escaping māyā’s influence and returning home, back to Godhead, one must associate with a sādhu (devotee). That is the verdict of all scriptures. By the slight association of a devotee, one can be freed from the clutches of māyā. Without the mercy of the pure devotee, one cannot get freedom by any means. Certainly a pure devotee’s association is necessary in order to obtain the loving service of the Lord. One cannot be freed from māyā’s clutches without sādhu-saṅga, the benediction of a great devotee. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.32) Prahlāda Mahārāja says:

naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad arthaḥ mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṁ niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat

One cannot become the Lord’s pure devotee without taking the dust of a great devotee on his head ( pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekam ). A pure devotee is niṣkiñcana; he has no material desire to enjoy the material world. One has to take shelter of such a pure devotee in order to attain his qualities. The pure devotee is always free from the clutches of māyā and her influence.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
You are free of māyā, but is there a person who does not worship the great devotees whose intelligence is not covered by unconquerable and indiscernible māyā, and whose nature is not covered by the force of material poison? But this is not his fault. Whose intelligence is not covered by your māyā of you who have defeated māyā (aparājitaḥ) whose ways are not discernable, and which is unconquerable? No one is free from māyā. He who worships the feet of great devotees is free from māyā, and this King has not had this opportunity.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Without serving the lotus feet of great devotees, anyone — even the king at a sacrifice — gets swept by māyā's poisonous waves. The single most reliable way to escape illusion is association with those already free of it.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose company is currently shaping you most — and is that influence pulling you toward the Lord or away?
  • What concrete step toward genuine association with devotees could you take this week?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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