FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.7.22

त्वमेक: सर्वजगत ईश्वरो बन्धमोक्षयो: । तं त्वामर्चन्ति कुशला: प्रपन्नार्तिहरं गुरुम् ॥ २२ ॥
tvam ekaḥ sarva-jagata
[tvam ekah sarva-jagata]
īśvaro bandha-mokṣayoḥ
[eeshvaro bandha-mokshayoh]
taṁ tvām arcanti kuśalāḥ
[tam tvaam archanti kushalaah]
prapannārti-haraṁ gurum
[prapannaarti-haram gurum]
Word-for-word
tvam ekaḥ — Your Lordship is indeed sarva-jagataḥ — of the three worlds īśvaraḥ — the controller bandha-mokṣayoḥ — of both bondage and liberation tam — that controller tvām arcanti — worship you kuśalāḥ — persons who want good fortune prapanna-ārti-haram — who can mitigate all the distresses of a sheltered devotee gurum — you who act as a good advisor to all fallen souls.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tvam ekaḥ sarva-jagata
tvam ekaḥ
Your Lordship is indeed
sarva-jagataḥ
of the three worlds
īśvaro bandha-mokṣayoḥ
īśvaraḥ
the controller
bandha-mokṣayoḥ
of both bondage and liberation
taṁ tvām arcanti kuśalāḥ
tam
that controller
tvām arcanti
worship you
kuśalāḥ
persons who want good fortune
prapannārti-haraṁ gurum
prapanna-ārti-haram
who can mitigate all the distresses of a sheltered devotee
gurum
you who act as a good advisor to all fallen souls.
O lord, you are the cause of bondage and liberation of the entire universe because you are its ruler. Those who are advanced in spiritual consciousness surrender unto you, and therefore you are the cause of mitigating their distresses, and you are also the cause of their liberation. We therefore worship Your Lordship.
Purport

Actually Lord Viṣṇu maintains and accomplishes all good fortune. If one has to take shelter of Lord Viṣṇu, why should the demigods take shelter of Lord Śiva? They did so because Lord Viṣṇu acts through Lord Śiva in the creation of the material world. Lord Śiva acts on behalf of Lord Viṣṇu. When the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (14.4) that He is the father of all living entities ( ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā ), this refers to actions performed by Lord Viṣṇu through Lord Śiva. Lord Viṣṇu is always unattached to material activities, and when material activities are to be performed, Lord Viṣṇu performs them through Lord Śiva. Lord Śiva is therefore worshiped on the level of Lord Viṣṇu. When Lord Viṣṇu is untouched by the external energy He is Lord Viṣṇu, but when He is in touch with the external energy, He appears in His feature as Lord Śiva.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
You alone are the controller of the whole universe and the controller of bondage and liberation. Intelligent people worship you, the guru who takes away the distress of surrendered souls. “But Viṣṇu is the protector of all beings. Take shelter of him!” You are the only lord. There are not many lords. You and Viṣṇu are one, the only difference being that you are touched by the guṇas and Viṣṇu is not.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Bondage and liberation both come through the same lord — because in essence he acts on behalf of Viṣṇu. The same hand that binds also frees. Spiritual maturity stops splitting the world into two; it sees one will behind both.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do I separate 'who binds me' from 'who frees me' as if they were two different powers?
  • What current bondage might be the very means of my liberation?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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