FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.11.6

अप्रत्तं नस्त्वया किं नु भगवन् भुवनेश्वर । यन्नोऽन्तर्हृदयं विश्य तमो हंसि स्वरोचिषा ॥ ६ ॥
aprattaṁ nas tvayā kiṁ nu
[aprattam nas tvayaa kim nu]
bhagavan bhuvaneśvara
[bhagavan bhuvaneshvara]
yan no ’ntar-hṛdayaṁ viśya
[yan no ’ntar-hridayam vishya]
tamo haṁsi sva-rociṣā
[tamo hamsi sva-rochishaa]
aprattam — not given naḥ — unto us tvayā — by Your Lordship kim — what nu — indeed bhagavan — O Supreme Lord bhuvana-īśvara — O master of the whole universe yat — because naḥ — our antaḥ-hṛdayam — within the core of the heart viśya — entering tamaḥ — the darkness of ignorance haṁsi — You annihilate sva-rociṣā — by Your own effulgence.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
aprattaṁ nas tvayā kiṁ nu
aprattam
not given
naḥ
unto us
tvayā
by Your Lordship
kim
what
nu
indeed
bhagavan bhuvaneśvara
bhagavan
O Supreme Lord
bhuvana-īśvara
O master of the whole universe
yan no ’ntar-hṛdayaṁ viśya
yat
because
naḥ
our
antaḥ-hṛdayam
within the core of the heart
viśya
entering
tamo haṁsi sva-rociṣā
tamaḥ
the darkness of ignorance
haṁsi
You annihilate
sva-rociṣā
by Your own effulgence.
O Lord, You are the master of the entire universe. What have You not given to us? You have entered the core of our hearts and dissipated the darkness of our ignorance by Your effulgence. This is the supreme gift. We do not need a material donation.

When Dhruva Mahārāja was offered a benediction by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he replied, “O my Lord, I am fully satisfied. I do not need any material benediction.” Similarly, when Prahlāda Mahārāja was offered a benediction by Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, he also refused to accept it and instead declared that a devotee should not be like a vaṇik, a mercantile man who gives something in exchange for some profit. One who becomes a devotee for some material profit is not a pure devotee. Brāhmaṇas are always enlightened by the Supreme Personality of Godhead within the heart ( sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca ). And because the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas are always directed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are not greedy for material wealth. What is absolutely necessary they possess, but they do not want an expanded kingdom. An example of this was given by Vāmanadeva. Acting as a brahmacārī, Lord Vāmanadeva wanted only three paces of land. Aspiring to possess more and more for personal sense gratification is simply ignorance, and this ignorance is conspicuous by its absence from the heart of a brāhmaṇa or Vaiṣṇava.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O Lord! Master of the entire universe! What have you not given to us? Since you have entered the core of our hearts and dissipated the darkness of our ignorance by your effulgence, what is the use of the earth to us? What did you not give? You gave everything. Since you have entered our hearts, what is the use of the earth to us?
The brāhmaṇas confess they need nothing more — the Lord has entered their hearts and dissipated ignorance. The supreme gift is internal, and any further material exchange is essentially decorative.
Reflection Questions
  • Have I let the Lord enter my heart enough that further material 'gifts' from Him are not needed?
  • What material 'gifts' am I still asking for that would be embarrassing if I had truly received the supreme one?
📝 My note

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