FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.16.40

जितमजित तदा भवता यदाह भागवतं धर्ममनवद्यम् । निष्किञ्चना ये मुनय आत्मारामा यमुपासतेऽपवर्गाय ॥ ४० ॥
jitam ajita tadā bhavatā
[jitam ajita tadaa bhavataa]
yadāha bhāgavataṁ dharmam anavadyam
[yadaaha bhaagavatam dharmam anavadyam]
niṣkiñcanā ye munaya
[nishkinchanaa ye munaya]
ātmārāmā yam upāsate ’pavargāya
[aatmaaraamaa yam upaasate ’pavargaaya]
Word-for-word
jitam — conquered ajita — O unconquerable one tadā — then bhavatā — by Your Lordship yadā — when āha — spoke bhāgavatam — which helps the devotee approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead dharmam — the religious process anavadyam — faultless (free from contamination) niṣkiñcanāḥ — who have no desire to be happy with material opulences ye — those who munayaḥ — great philosophers and exalted sages ātma-ārāmāḥ — who are self-satisfied (being completely aware of their constitutional position as eternal servants of the Lord) yam — whom upāsate — worship apavargāya — for achieving liberation from material bondage.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
jitam ajita tadā bhavatā
jitam
conquered
ajita
O unconquerable one
tadā
then
bhavatā
by Your Lordship
yadāha bhāgavataṁ dharmam anavadyam
yadā
when
āha
spoke
bhāgavatam
which helps the devotee approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead
dharmam
the religious process
anavadyam
faultless (free from contamination)
niṣkiñcanā ye munaya
niṣkiñcanāḥ
who have no desire to be happy with material opulences
ye
those who
munayaḥ
great philosophers and exalted sages
ātmārāmā yam upāsate ’pavargāya
ātma-ārāmāḥ
who are self-satisfied (being completely aware of their constitutional position as eternal servants of the Lord)
yam
whom
upāsate
worship
apavargāya
for achieving liberation from material bondage.
O unconquerable one, when You spoke about bhāgavata-dharma, which is the uncontaminated religious system for achieving the shelter of Your lotus feet, that was Your victory. Persons who have no material desires, like the Kumāras, who are self-satisfied sages, worship You to be liberated from material contamination. In other words, they accept the process of bhāgavata-dharma to achieve shelter at Your lotus feet.
Purport

As stated by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu:

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu- śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

“One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desires for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.”

The Nārada-pañcarātra also says:

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa- sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate

“One should be free from all material designations and cleansed of all material contamination. He should be restored to his pure identity, in which he engages his senses in the service of the proprietor of the senses. That is called devotional service.” This is also called bhāgavata-dharma. Without material aspirations, one should simply serve Kṛṣṇa, as advised in Bhagavad-gītā, Nārada-pañcarātra and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhāgavata-dharma is the process of religion enunciated by pure devotees, direct representatives of the Supreme Personality of Godhead like Nārada, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and their humble servants in the disciplic succession. By understanding bhāgavata-dharma, one immediately becomes free from material contamination. Living entities, who are part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are loitering in this material world suffering. When they are instructed by the Lord Himself about bhāgavata-dharma and they adopt it, that is victory for the Lord, for He then reclaims these fallen souls. A devotee following the principles of bhāgavata-dharma feels very much obligated to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He can understand the difference between life without bhāgavata-dharma and life with bhāgavata-dharma and thus he ever remains obliged to the Lord. Taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and bringing fallen souls to Kṛṣṇa consciousness is victory for Lord Kṛṣṇa.

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati

“The supreme occupation [ dharma ] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self.” ( Bhāg. 1.2.6 ) Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the pure transcendental process of religion.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O unconquered Lord! When you spoke about pure bhakti, the path which the devotees who meditate on you and enjoy in you follow for attaining prema, the devotees were conquered by you. If this is the excellence of bhakti with material desires because of your power, then who much more bhakti without material desires will yield! (This is the kaimutika.) However, this niṣkāma-bhakti is instigated by you. Your victory over your devotees who are niṣkāma mentioned in verse 34 is caused by you, who are so merciful, and desire to be controlled by your devotee. That is your special victory. That is explained in this verse. O unconquered Lord! When you spoke about niṣkāma (anavadyam) dharma of the devotees, the devotees became indebted to you. You were conquered by devotees through that niṣkāma-bhakti, but that bhakti was spoken by you. That is your good quality. Thus the devotees are indebted to you. Those who were pure from the beginning (niṣkiñcanāḥ), as well as those sages (munayah) who by association with the pure devotees gave up their previous ideas, and some jīvanmuktas (ātmārāmāḥ) who achieved their position by austerity, follow that dharma. Or the two words munayaḥ and ātmā-rāmāh can modify niṣkiñcanāḥ. The pure devotees who continually contemplated you, and derived pleasure from you, follow this dharma. Apavargāya here means “for that goal to which the four vargas of artha, dharma, kāma and mokṣa are inferior.” That means prema. Or apavarga can mean bhakti as in the prose of the Fifth Canto: yo 'sau bhagavati sarva-bhūtātmany anātmye 'nirukte 'nilayane paramātmani vāsudeve 'nanya-nimitta-bhakti-yoga-lakṣaṇo nānā-gati-nimittāvidyā-granthi-randhana-dvāreṇa yadā hi mahā-puruṣa-puruṣa-prasaṅgaḥ. Liberation (apavarga), whose essential nature is unmotivated bhakti-yoga to the Lord full of qualities, who attracts the minds of all beings, who is not the object of merging, who is not described by material words, who remains beyond destruction of the universe, who is the most excellent ātmā, who is the son of Vasudeva, takes place by destruction of the knot of ignorance which causes various material goals, when there is association with devotees of the Lord. SB 5.19.20
Related values & verses
Related verses
SB 1.2.6
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
When You spoke of bhāgavata-dharma — the uncontaminated religious system — that was Your victory. The Kumāras and others are silently engaged in it. The Lord's victory was a teaching, not a battle.
Reflection Questions
  • What 'speaking' of mine could be a victory rather than a complaint?
  • Whose silent practice am I missing because there is no fanfare?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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