FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.19.4

अलं ते निरपेक्षाय पूर्णकाम नमोऽस्तु ते । महाविभूतिपतये नम: सकलसिद्धये ॥ ४ ॥
alaṁ te nirapekṣāya
[alam te nirapekshaaya]
pūrṇa-kāma namo ’stu te
[poorna-kaama namo ’stu te]
mahāvibhūti-pataye
[mahaavibhooti-pataye]
namaḥ sakala-siddhaye
[namah sakala-siddhaye]
alam — enough te — to You nirapekṣāya — indifferent pūrṇa-kāma — O Lord, whose desire is always fulfilled namaḥ — obeisances astu — may there be te — unto You mahā-vibhūti — of Lakṣmī pataye — unto the husband namaḥ — obeisances sakala-siddhaye — unto the master of all mystic perfections.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
alaṁ te nirapekṣāya
alam
enough
te
to You
nirapekṣāya
indifferent
pūrṇa-kāma namo ’stu te
pūrṇa-kāma
O Lord, whose desire is always fulfilled
namaḥ
obeisances
mahāvibhūti-pataye
namaḥ sakala-siddhaye
astu
may there be
te
unto You
mahā-vibhūti
of Lakṣmī
pataye
unto the husband
namaḥ
obeisances
sakala-siddhaye
unto the master of all mystic perfections.
[She should then pray to the Lord as follows.] My dear Lord, You are full in all opulences, but I do not beg You for opulence. I simply offer my respectful obeisances unto You. You are the husband and master of Lakṣmīdevī, the goddess of fortune, who has all opulences. Therefore You are the master of all mystic yoga. I simply offer my obeisances unto You.

A devotee knows how to appreciate the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate

“The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the complete whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the complete whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance.” Therefore, to take shelter of the Supreme Lord is required. Whatever a devotee needs will be supplied by the complete Supreme Personality of Godhead ( teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham ). Therefore a pure devotee will not ask anything from the Lord. He simply offers the Lord his respectful obeisances, and the Lord is prepared to accept whatever the devotee can secure to worship Him, even patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam a leaf, flower, fruit or water. There is no need to artificially exert oneself. It is better to be plain and simple and with respectful obeisances offer to the Lord whatever one can secure. The Lord is completely able to bless the devotee with all opulences.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O Lord, complete in your desires! I offer my respectful obeisances unto you, the independent Lord, the master of great wealth, the giver of all perfections. Alam te namaḥ astu means “May I offer plentiful respect to you.” The devatās depend on their servants to accomplish their own powers, but you do not. That is expressed in this verse. Therefore you are called independent (nirapekṣāya) because you are endowed with all great powers by your very nature. You are full in your desires. How will I please you by my offerings? You are the master of great wealth. How can I possibly please you by offering houses, gardens, elephants, servants, singing, dancing, drums, instruments and chanting of the Vedas? You are the giver of Svarga, liberation and prema (sakala-siddhaye). How can I please you by offering karma, jñāna, yoga or bhakti sādhana.
She prays: O Lord, full in all opulences, I do not beg for opulence but only offer obeisances; You are the husband and master of Lakṣmīdevī. Worship without petition is a stance.
Reflection Questions
  • When have I prayed without asking for anything, just offering obeisance?
  • What would change if some prayers carried no request?
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 19