FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.13.37

अनीह: परितुष्टात्मा यद‍ृच्छोपनतादहम् । नो चेच्छये बह्वहानि महाहिरिव सत्त्ववान् ॥ ३७ ॥
anīhaḥ parituṣṭātmā
[aneehah paritushtaatmaa]
yadṛcchopanatād aham
[yadrichchopanataad aham]
no cec chaye bahv-ahāni
[no chech chaye bahv-ahaani]
mahāhir iva sattvavān
[mahaahir iva sattvavaan]
Word-for-word
anīhaḥ — with no desire to possess more parituṣṭa — very satisfied ātmā — self yadṛcchā — in its own way, without endeavor upanatāt — by things brought in by possession aham — I no — not cet — if so śaye — I lie down bahu — many ahāni — days mahā-ahiḥ — a python iva — like sattva-vān — enduring.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
anīhaḥ parituṣṭātmā
anīhaḥ
with no desire to possess more
parituṣṭa
very satisfied
ātmā
self
yadṛcchopanatād aham
yadṛcchā
in its own way, without endeavor
upanatāt
by things brought in by possession
aham
I
no cec chaye bahv-ahāni
no
not
cet
if so
mahāhir iva sattvavān
śaye
I lie down
bahu
many
ahāni
days
mahā-ahiḥ
a python
iva
like
sattva-vān
enduring.
I do not endeavor to get anything, but am satisfied with whatever is achieved in its own way. If I do not get anything, I am patient and unagitated like a python and lie down in this way for many days.
Purport

One should learn detachment from the bumblebees, for they collect drops of honey here and there and keep it in their honeycomb, but then someone comes and by force takes all the honey away, leaving the bumblebees with nothing. Therefore one should learn from the bumblebee not to keep more money than one needs. Similarly, one should learn from the python to stay in one place for many, many days without food and then eat only if something comes in its own way. Thus the learned brāhmaṇa gave instructions gained from two creatures, namely the bumblebee and the python.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
I do not endeavor to get anything but am satisfied with whatever comes on its own. If I do not get anything, I am patient like a python and sleep in this way for many days. He explains what the python has taught him. I sleep (śaye) patiently (sattvavān).
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
I do not endeavor; I am satisfied with what comes; if nothing comes I lie patiently like a python. This is radical non-effort, anchored in trust. Most of our 'work' is anxiety dressed up as duty.
Reflection Questions
  • Where could you experiment with non-effort and see if anything you genuinely need actually disappears?
  • What does your anxiety look like when you stop scrambling for a day?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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