FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.15.40

क्षमया रोचते लक्ष्मीर्ब्राह्मी सौरी यथा प्रभा । क्षमिणामाशु भगवांस्तुष्यते हरिरीश्वर: ॥ ४० ॥
kṣamayā rocate lakṣmīr
[kshamayaa rochate lakshmeer]
brāhmī saurī yathā prabhā
[braahmee sauree yathaa prabhaa]
kṣamiṇām āśu bhagavāṁs
[kshaminaam aashu bhagavaams]
tuṣyate harir īśvaraḥ
[tushyate harir eeshvarah]
kṣamayā — simply by forgiving rocate — becomes pleasing lakṣmīḥ — the goddess of fortune brāhmī — in connection with brahminical qualifications saurī — the sun-god yathā — as prabhā — the sunshine kṣamiṇām — unto the brāhmaṇas, who are so forgiving āśu — very soon bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead tuṣyate — becomes pleased hariḥ — the Lord īśvaraḥ — the supreme controller.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kṣamayā rocate lakṣmīr
kṣamayā
simply by forgiving
rocate
becomes pleasing
lakṣmīḥ
the goddess of fortune
brāhmī saurī yathā prabhā
brāhmī
in connection with brahminical qualifications
saurī
the sun-god
yathā
as
prabhā
the sunshine
kṣamiṇām āśu bhagavāṁs
kṣamiṇām
unto the brāhmaṇas, who are so forgiving
āśu
very soon
bhagavān
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
tuṣyate harir īśvaraḥ
tuṣyate
becomes pleased
hariḥ
the Lord
īśvaraḥ
the supreme controller.
The duty of a brāhmaṇa is to culture the quality of forgiveness, which is illuminating like the sun. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is pleased with those who are forgiving.

Different personalities become beautiful by possessing different qualities. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that the cuckoo bird, although very black, is beautiful because of its sweet voice. Similarly, a woman becomes beautiful by her chastity and faithfulness to her husband, and an ugly person becomes beautiful when he becomes a learned scholar. In the same way, brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras become beautiful by their qualities. Brāhmaṇas are beautiful when they are forgiving, kṣatriyas when they are heroic and never retreat from fighting, vaiśyas when they enrich cultural activities and protect cows, and śūdras when they are faithful in the discharge of duties pleasing to their masters. Thus everyone becomes beautiful by his special qualities. And the special quality of the brāhmaṇa, as described here, is forgiveness.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The splendor of a brāhmaṇa’s qualification, like the effulgence of the sun, shines by the quality of forgiveness. The Supreme Lord is pleased with those who are forgiving. The splendor (lakṣmīḥ) related to the brāhmaṇa (brāhmī) shines by forgiveness, like the effulgence of the sun.
Forgiveness is illuminating like the sun, and the Lord is pleased with the forgiving. The qualities that please the Lord are unfashionable in every era — but they are also the only ones with cosmic backing.
Reflection Questions
  • Which forgiveness am I withholding that is keeping my own life dim?
  • What would shift in my heart if I treated forgiving as a way to please the Lord directly?
📝 My note

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