FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.5.48

नावम: कर्मकल्पोऽपि विफलायेश्वरार्पित: । कल्पते पुरुषस्यैव स ह्यात्मा दयितो हित: ॥ ४८ ॥
nāvamaḥ karma-kalpo ’pi
[naavamah karma-kalpo ’pi]
viphalāyeśvarārpitaḥ
[viphalaayeshvaraarpitah]
kalpate puruṣasyaiva
[kalpate purushasyaiva]
sa hy ātmā dayito hitaḥ
[sa hy aatmaa dayito hitah]
na — not avamaḥ — very little, or insignificant karma — activities kalpaḥ — rightly executed api — even viphalāya — go in vain īśvara-arpitaḥ — because of being dedicated to the Supreme Personality of Godhead kalpate — it is so accepted puruṣasya — of all persons eva — indeed saḥ — the Supreme Personality of Godhead hi — certainly ātmā — the Supersoul, the supreme father dayitaḥ — extremely dear hitaḥ — beneficial.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nāvamaḥ karma-kalpo ’pi
na
not
avamaḥ
very little, or insignificant
karma
activities
kalpaḥ
rightly executed
api
even
viphalāyeśvarārpitaḥ
viphalāya
go in vain
īśvara-arpitaḥ
because of being dedicated to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
kalpate puruṣasyaiva
kalpate
it is so accepted
puruṣasya
of all persons
eva
indeed
sa hy ātmā dayito hitaḥ
saḥ
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
hi
certainly
ātmā
the Supersoul, the supreme father
dayitaḥ
extremely dear
hitaḥ
beneficial.
Activities dedicated to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even if performed in small measure, never go in vain. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, being the supreme father, is naturally very dear and always ready to act for the good of the living entities.

In Bhagavad-gītā (2.40) , the Lord says svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt: this dharma, devotional service, is so important that even if performed to a very small, almost negligible extent, it can give one the supreme result. There are many instances in the history of the world in which even a slight service rendered to the Lord has saved a living entity from the greatest danger. Ajāmila, for example, was saved by the Supreme Personality of Godhead from the greatest danger, that of going to hell. He was saved simply because he chanted the name Nārāyaṇa at the end of his life. When Ajāmila chanted this holy name of the Lord, Nārāyaṇa, he did not chant knowingly; actually he was calling his youngest son, whose name was Nārāyaṇa. Nonetheless, Lord Nārāyaṇa took this chanting seriously, and thus Ajāmila achieved the result of ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ, remembering Nārāyaṇa at the end of life. If one somehow or other remembers the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa or Rāma at the end of life, he immediately achieves the transcendental result of going back home, back to Godhead.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is actually the only object of our love. As long as we are in this material world we have so many desires to fulfill, but when we come in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we immediately become perfect and fully satisfied, just as a child is fully satisfied when he comes to the lap of his mother. Dhruva Mahārāja went to the forest to achieve some material result by austerity and penance, but when he actually saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead he said, “I do not want any material benediction. I am completely satisfied.” Even if one wants some material benefit from serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this can be achieved extremely easily, without hard labor. Therefore the śāstra recommends:

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṁ param

“Whether one desires everything or nothing or desires to merge into the existence of the Lord, he is intelligent only if he worships Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by rendering transcendental loving service.” ( Bhāg. 2.3.10 ) Even if one has material desires, one can undoubtedly achieve what he wants by rendering service to the Lord.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Even a small shadow of action offered to the Lord does not go in vain. The Lord, the soul of the person, is affectionate to the person and acts as his benefactor. Even a little action offered to you gives huge results. And lots of actions not offered to you give no result. Even a small (avamaḥ) trace of action (karma-kalpaḥ) is not without result, since (hi) the Lord, the soul of the person, is affectionate and acts for one’s benefit. Respect for the Lord brings results and disrespect for the Lord brings failure.
Related verses
Even tiny acts of devotional service never go in vain; the Lord, the supreme father, is ready to act for our welfare. There is no minimum threshold for bhakti to count. Begin small, but begin.
Reflection Questions
  • What small act of bhakti have I been delaying because it felt 'too small to matter'?
  • How would my practice change if I trusted that no offering is ever wasted?
📝 My note

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