FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.11.20

नेदं यशो रघुपते: सुरयाच्ञयात्त- लीलातनोरधिकसाम्यविमुक्तधाम्न: । रक्षोवधो जलधिबन्धनमस्त्रपूगै: किं तस्य शत्रुहनने कपय: सहाया: ॥ २० ॥
nedaṁ yaśo raghupateḥ sura-yācṣayātta-
[nedam yasho raghupateh sura-yaachshayaatta-]
līlā-tanor adhika-sāmya-vimukta-dhāmnaḥ
[leelaa-tanor adhika-saamya-vimukta-dhaamnah]
rakṣo-vadho jaladhi-bandhanam astra-pūgaiḥ
[raksho-vadho jaladhi-bandhanam astra-poogaih]
kiṁ tasya śatru-hanane kapayaḥ sahāyāḥ
[kim tasya shatru-hanane kapayah sahaayaah]
Word-for-word
na — not idam — all these yaśaḥ — fame raghu-pateḥ — of Lord Rāmacandra sura-yācṣayā — by the prayers of the demigods ātta-līlā-tanoḥ — whose spiritual body is always engaged in various pastimes adhika-sāmya-vimukta-dhāmnaḥ — no one is greater than or equal to Him rakṣaḥ-vadhaḥ — killing the Rākṣasa (Rāvaṇa) jaladhi-bandhanam — bridging the ocean astra-pūgaiḥ — with bow and arrows kim — whether tasya — His śatru-hanane — in killing the enemies kapayaḥ — the monkeys sahāyāḥ — assistants.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nedaṁ yaśo raghupateḥ sura-yācṣayātta-
līlā-tanor adhika-sāmya-vimukta-dhāmnaḥ
na
not
idam
all these
rakṣo-vadho jaladhi-bandhanam astra-pūgaiḥ
kiṁ tasya śatru-hanane kapayaḥ sahāyāḥ
yaśaḥ
fame
raghu-pateḥ
of Lord Rāmacandra
sura-yācṣayā
by the prayers of the demigods
ātta-līlā-tanoḥ
whose spiritual body is always engaged in various pastimes
adhika-sāmya-vimukta-dhāmnaḥ
no one is greater than or equal to Him
rakṣaḥ-vadhaḥ
killing the Rākṣasa (Rāvaṇa)
jaladhi-bandhanam
bridging the ocean
astra-pūgaiḥ
with bow and arrows
kim
whether
tasya
His
śatru-hanane
in killing the enemies
kapayaḥ
the monkeys
sahāyāḥ
assistants.
Lord Rāmacandra’s reputation for having killed Rāvaṇa with showers of arrows at the request of the demigods and for having built a bridge over the ocean does not constitute the factual glory of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Rāmacandra, whose spiritual body is always engaged in various pastimes. Lord Rāmacandra has no equal or superior, and therefore He had no need to take help from the monkeys to gain victory over Rāvaṇa.
Purport

As stated in the Vedas ( Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8):

na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca

“The Supreme Lord has nothing to do, and no one is found to be equal to or greater than Him, for everything is done naturally and systematically by His multifarious energies.” The Lord has nothing to do ( na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate ); whatever He does is His pastime. The Lord has no duty to perform to oblige anyone. Nonetheless, He appears to act to protect His devotees or kill His enemies. Of course, no one can be the Lord’s enemy, since who could be more powerful than the Lord? There is actually no question of anyone’s being His enemy, but when the Lord wants to take pleasure in pastimes, He comes down to this material world and acts like a human being, thus showing His wonderful, glorious activities to please the devotees. His devotees always want to see the Lord victorious in varied activities, and therefore, to please Himself and them, the Lord sometimes agrees to act as a human being and perform wonderful, uncommon pastimes for the satisfaction of the devotees.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Rāmacandra's reputation for having killed Rāvaṇa with showers of arrows at the request of the devatās and for having built a bridge over the ocean does not constitute the factual glory of Rāma, whose spiritual body is always engaged in various pastimes and who has no equal or superior. He had no need to take help from the monkeys to gain victory over Rāvaṇa. One should taste the astonishing sweetness in his human pastimes, not his display of power. Ātta-līlā-tanoḥ means Rāma has an eternal form for his pastimes. Ātta means “completely obtained.” Killing Rāvaṇa is not to be praised since Rāma has power (dhāmnaḥ) with no equal or superior. What is the use of monkeys helping him? But everything becomes suitable because Rāma possesses sweetness in his human pastimes.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Defeating Rāvaṇa is not the Lord's real glory — that is mere pastime. The Supreme has no superior, no equal, and needed no monkeys; the help came because of His desire to reciprocate, not from any actual deficiency.
Reflection Questions
  • Do I imagine the Lord needs my help, or do I understand that He invites it as gift?
  • Where am I trying to make myself indispensable when the real opportunity is to be invited?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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