FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.2

यथा हि पुरुषस्येह विष्णो: पादोपसर्पणम् । यदेष सर्वभूतानां प्रिय आत्मेश्वर: सुहृत् ॥ २ ॥
yathā hi puruṣasyeha
[yathaa hi purushasyeha]
viṣṇoḥ pādopasarpaṇam
[vishnoh paadopasarpanam]
yad eṣa sarva-bhūtānāṁ
[yad esha sarva-bhootaanaam]
priya ātmeśvaraḥ suhṛt
[priya aatmeshvarah suhrit]
Word-for-word
yathā — in order that hi — indeed puruṣasya — of a living entity iha — here viṣṇoḥ — of Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead pāda-upasarpaṇam — approaching the lotus feet yat — because eṣaḥ — this sarva-bhūtānām — of all living entities priyaḥ — the dear one ātma-īśvaraḥ — the master of the soul, the Supersoul suhṛt — the best well-wisher and friend.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yathā hi puruṣasyeha
yathā
in order that
hi
indeed
puruṣasya
of a living entity
iha
here
viṣṇoḥ pādopasarpaṇam
viṣṇoḥ
of Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
pāda-upasarpaṇam
approaching the lotus feet
yad eṣa sarva-bhūtānāṁ
yat
because
eṣaḥ
this
sarva-bhūtānām
of all living entities
priya ātmeśvaraḥ suhṛt
priyaḥ
the dear one
ātma-īśvaraḥ
the master of the soul, the Supersoul
suhṛt
the best well-wisher and friend.
The human form of life affords one a chance to return home, back to Godhead. Therefore every living entity, especially in the human form of life, must engage in devotional service to the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu. This devotional service is natural because Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the most beloved, the master of the soul, and the well-wisher of all other living beings.
Purport

The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (5.29) :

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

“The sage who knows Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.” Simply by understanding these three facts — that the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, is the proprietor of the entire creation, that He is the best well-wishing friend of all living entities, and that He is the supreme enjoyer of everything — one becomes peaceful and happy. For this transcendental happiness, the living entity has wandered throughout the universe in different forms of life and different planetary systems, but because he has forgotten his intimate relationship with Viṣṇu, he has merely suffered, life after life. Therefore, the educational system in the human form of life should be so perfect that one will understand his intimate relationship with God, or Viṣṇu. Every living entity has an intimate relationship with God. One should therefore glorify the Lord in the adoration of śānta-rasa or revive his eternal relationship with Viṣṇu as a servant in dāsya-rasa, a friend in sakhya-rasa, a parent in vātsalya-rasa or a conjugal lover in mādhurya-rasa. All these relationships are on the platform of love. Viṣṇu is the center of love for everyone, and therefore the duty of everyone is to engage in the loving service of the Lord. As stated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead ( Bhāg. 3.25.38 ), yeṣām ahaṁ priya ātmā sutaś ca sakhā guruḥ suhṛdo daivam iṣṭam. In any form of life, we are related with Viṣṇu, who is the most beloved, the Supersoul, son, friend and guru. Our eternal relationship with God can be revived in the human form of life, and that should be the goal of education. Indeed, that is the perfection of life and the perfection of education.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
One should perform bhakti by the methods which allow one to surrender to the lotus feet of the Lord, since the Lord is a dear lover, a son, Brahman, the master and the friend of all beings. How should one practice bhāgavata-dharma? One should perform it by the method which enables one to attain surrender to the lotus feet of Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu is described in order to indicate four different methods. na karhicin mat-parāḥ śānta-rūpe naṅkṣyanti no me 'nimiṣo leḍhi hetiḥ yeṣām ahaṁ priya ātmā sutaś ca sakhā guruḥ suhṛdo daivam iṣṭam The devotees in the spiritual world are deprived of any enjoyment. My wheel of time does not afflict those devotees, for whom I am a lover, the ātmā, son, friend, elder, companion or worshipable deity. SB 3.25.38 Thus, among the bhāvas of mādhurya (priya), śānta-rati (ātmā), dāsya (īsvara), or sakhya (suhṛt) one should surrender to the Lord by whichever bhāva one desires. Thus it is said that one should perform bhāgvatān dharmān—one should perform these dharmas. This is an order for performance of rāga-bhakti. Prahlāda has also taught the fifth bhāva called vātsalya by taking another meaning in the word ātmā since ātmā can mean son (one’s own).
Related values & verses
Related verses
SB 3.25.38
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The human form is given to return home to God; Lord Viṣṇu is the most beloved, the master of the soul, the well-wisher of every being. Devotion is the natural response to who He already is. You are not inventing the relationship — only recognizing it.
Reflection Questions
  • What relationship in your life is most naturally devotional, and what would change if you scaled that quality toward the Lord?
  • Where do you treat devotion as an obligation rather than a recognition?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 6