FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.4.7

ब्रह्मण्योऽन्य: कुतो नाभेर्विप्रा मङ्गलपूजिता: । यस्य बर्हिषि यज्ञेशं दर्शयामासुरोजसा ॥ ७ ॥
brahmaṇyo ’nyaḥ kuto nābher
[brahmanyo ’nyah kuto naabher]
viprā maṅgala-pūjitāḥ
[vipraa mangala-poojitaah]
yasya barhiṣi yajñeśaṁ
[yasya barhishi yajnesham]
darśayām āsur ojasā
[darshayaam aasur ojasaa]
brahmaṇyaḥ — a devotee of the brāhmaṇas anyaḥ — any, other kutaḥ — where is nābheḥ — besides Mahārāja Nābhi viprāḥ — the brāhmaṇas maṅgala-pūjitāḥ — well worshiped and satisfied yasya — of whom barhiṣi — in the sacrificial arena yajña-īśam — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the enjoyer of all sacrificial ceremonies darśayām āsuḥ — showed ojasā — by their brahminical prowess.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
brahmaṇyo ’nyaḥ kuto nābher
brahmaṇyaḥ
a devotee of the brāhmaṇas
viprā maṅgala-pūjitāḥ
anyaḥ
any, other
kutaḥ
where is
nābheḥ
besides Mahārāja Nābhi
viprāḥ
the brāhmaṇas
yasya barhiṣi yajñeśaṁ
darśayām āsur ojasā
maṅgala-pūjitāḥ
well worshiped and satisfied
yasya
of whom
barhiṣi
in the sacrificial arena
yajña-īśam
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the enjoyer of all sacrificial ceremonies
darśayām āsuḥ
showed
ojasā
by their brahminical prowess.
[The second prayer is this.] “Who is a better worshiper of brāhmaṇas than Mahārāja Nābhi? Because he worshiped the qualified brāhmaṇas to their full satisfaction, the brāhmaṇas, by their brahminical prowess, showed Mahārāja Nābhi the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, in person.”

The brāhmaṇas engaged as priests in the sacrificial ceremony were not ordinary brāhmaṇas. They were so powerful that they could bring forth the Supreme Personality of Godhead by their prayers. Thus Mahārāja Nābhi was able to see the Lord face to face. Unless one is a Vaiṣṇava, he cannot call forth the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord does not accept an invitation unless one is a Vaiṣṇava. Therefore it is said in Padma Purāṇa:

ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ avaiṣṇavo gurur na syād vaiṣṇavaḥ śva-paco guruḥ

“A scholarly brāhmaṇa expert in all subjects of Vedic knowledge is unfit to become a spiritual master without being a Vaiṣṇava, but a person born in a family of a lower caste can become a spiritual master if he is a Vaiṣṇava.” These brāhmaṇas were certainly very expert in chanting the Vedic mantras. They were competent in the performance of the Vedic rituals, and over and above this they were Vaiṣṇavas. Therefore by their spiritual powers they could call on the Supreme Personality of Godhead and enable their disciple, Mahārāja Nābhi, to see the Lord face to face. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura comments that the word ojasā means “by dint of devotional service.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Who other than King Nābhi was affectionate to the brāhmaṇas? The brāhmaṇas pleased with his charity, revealed to him the Lord by the power of their bhakti during the sacrifice. The brāhmaṇas were pleased by his donations and other acts so that auspiciousness was created. Or they were worshipped by auspiciousness, since the King was a devotee. By the power of bhakti, they revealed the Lord to him.
Honoring qualified brāhmaṇas and devotees draws the Lord Himself near. Reverence for those who truly know the Lord is a shortcut to the Lord; disrespect for them closes a door we did not know we had open.
Reflection Questions
  • Whom in your life are you under-honoring whose connection with the Lord deserves more reverence?
  • What concrete act of honoring a qualified devotee could you offer this week?
📝 My note

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