FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.2.5-6

यस्याङ्के शिर आधाय लोक: स्वपिति निर्वृत: । स्वयं धर्ममधर्मं वा न हि वेद यथा पशु: ॥ ५ ॥ स कथं न्यर्पितात्मानं कृतमैत्रमचेतनम् । विस्रम्भणीयो भूतानां सघृणो दोग्धुमर्हति ॥ ६ ॥
yasyāṅke śira ādhāya
[yasyaanke shira aadhaaya]
lokaḥ svapiti nirvṛtaḥ
[lokah svapiti nirvritah]
svayaṁ dharmam adharmaṁ vā
[svayam dharmam adharmam vaa]
na hi veda yathā paśuḥ
[na hi veda yathaa pashuh]
sa kathaṁ nyarpitātmānaṁ
[sa katham nyarpitaatmaanam]
kṛta-maitram acetanam
[krita-maitram achetanam]
visrambhaṇīyo bhūtānāṁ
[visrambhaneeyo bhootaanaam]
saghṛṇo dogdhum arhati
[saghrino dogdhum arhati]
yasya — of whom aṅke — on the lap śiraḥ — the head ādhāya — placing lokaḥ — the general mass of people svapiti — sleep nirvṛtaḥ — in peace svayam — personally dharmam — religious principles or the goal of life adharmam — irreligious principles vā — or na — not hi — indeed veda — know yathā — exactly like paśuḥ — an animal saḥ — such a person katham — how nyarpita-ātmānam — unto the living entity who has fully surrendered kṛta-maitram — endowed with good faith and friendship acetanam — with undeveloped consciousness, foolish visrambhaṇīyaḥ — deserving to be the object of faith bhūtānām — of the living entities sa-ghṛṇaḥ — who has a soft heart for the good of all people dogdhum — to give pain arhati — is able.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yasyāṅke śira ādhāya
yasya
of whom
aṅke
on the lap
śiraḥ
the head
ādhāya
placing
lokaḥ svapiti nirvṛtaḥ
lokaḥ
the general mass of people
svapiti
sleep
nirvṛtaḥ
in peace
svayaṁ dharmam adharmaṁ vā
svayam
personally
dharmam
religious principles or the goal of life
adharmam
irreligious principles
vā
or
na hi veda yathā paśuḥ
na
not
hi
indeed
veda
know
yathā
exactly like
paśuḥ
an animal
sa kathaṁ nyarpitātmānaṁ
saḥ
such a person
katham
how
nyarpita-ātmānam
unto the living entity who has fully surrendered
kṛta-maitram acetanam
kṛta-maitram
endowed with good faith and friendship
acetanam
with undeveloped consciousness, foolish
visrambhaṇīyo bhūtānāṁ
visrambhaṇīyaḥ
deserving to be the object of faith
bhūtānām
of the living entities
saghṛṇo dogdhum arhati
sa-ghṛṇaḥ
who has a soft heart for the good of all people
dogdhum
to give pain
arhati
is able.
People in general are not very advanced in knowledge by which to discriminate between religion and irreligion. The innocent, unenlightened citizen is like an ignorant animal sleeping in peace with its head on the lap of its master, faithfully believing in the master’s protection. If a leader is actually kindhearted and deserves to be the object of a living entity’s faith, how can he punish or kill a foolish person who has fully surrendered in good faith and friendship?

The Sanskrit word viśvasta-ghāta refers to one who breaks faith or causes a breach of trust. The mass of people should always feel security because of the government’s protection. Therefore, how regrettable it is for the government itself to cause a breach of trust and put the citizens in difficulty for political reasons. We actually saw during the partition days in India that although Hindus and Muslims were living together peacefully, manipulation by politicians suddenly aroused feelings of hatred between them, and thus the Hindus and Muslims killed one another over politics. This is a sign of Kali-yuga. In this age, animals are kept nicely sheltered, completely confident that their masters will protect them, but unfortunately as soon as the animals are fat, they are immediately sent for slaughter. Such cruelty is condemned by Vaiṣṇavas like the Viṣṇudūtas. Indeed, the hellish conditions already described await the sinful men responsible for such suffering. One who betrays the confidence of a living entity who takes shelter of him in good faith, whether that living entity be a human being or an animal, is extremely sinful. Because such betrayals now go unpunished by the government, all of human society is terribly contaminated. The people of this age are therefore described as mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ. As a consequence of such sinfulness, men are condemned ( mandāḥ ), their intelligence is unclear ( sumanda-matayaḥ ), they are unfortunate ( manda-bhāgyāḥ ), and therefore they are always disturbed by many problems ( upadrutāḥ ). This is their situation in this life, and after death they are punished in hellish conditions.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The common people, like animals, sleeping peacefully with their heads on the lap of the master, do not know dharma and adharma. How can the compassionate leader, who should have the trust of all beings, give pain to those who have surrendered in friendship, and have undeveloped consciousness? Because of the betrayal of trust, we speak of further adharma. This is expressed in two verses. Nyarpitātmānam means to the person who has completely offered himself. Why should he trust the leader? The leader should be worthy of being trusted and should be compassionate to all beings.
Ordinary people, lacking discrimination between dharma and adharma, trust their leaders the way a sleeping animal trusts its master. This makes betrayal of public trust an especially grave act.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I 'asleep' — trusting authorities I haven't actually examined?
  • Where am I being trusted by others to know better? Am I worthy of that trust?
📝 My note

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