FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.25

ఉచ్ఛిష్టలేపాననుమోదితో ద్విజై: సకృత్స్మ భుఞ్జే తదపాస్తకిల్బిష: । ఏవం ప్రవృత్తస్య విశుద్ధచేతస- స్తద్ధర్మ ఏవాత్మరుచి: ప్రజాయతే ॥ ౨౫ ॥
ucchiṣṭa-lepān anumodito dvijaiḥ
[uchchishta-lepaan anumodito dvijaih]
sakṛt sma bhuṣje tad-apāsta-kilbiṣaḥ
[sakrit sma bhushje tad-apaasta-kilbishah]
evaṁ pravṛttasya viśuddha-cetasas
[evam pravrittasya vishuddha-chetasas]
tad-dharma evātma-ruciḥ prajāyate
[tad-dharma evaatma-ruchih prajaayate]
ucchiṣṭa-lepān — the remnants of foodstuff anumoditaḥ — being permitted dvijaiḥ — by the Vedāntist brāhmaṇas sakṛt — once upon a time sma — in the past bhuṣje — took tat — by that action apāsta — eliminated kilbiṣaḥ — all sins evam — thus pravṛttasya — being engaged viśuddha-cetasaḥ — of one whose mind is purified tat — that particular dharmaḥ — nature eva — certainly ātma-ruciḥ — transcendental attraction prajāyate — was manifested.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ucchiṣṭa-lepān anumodito dvijaiḥ
ucchiṣṭa-lepān
the remnants of foodstuff
anumoditaḥ
being permitted
dvijaiḥ
by the Vedāntist brāhmaṇas
sakṛt sma bhuṣje tad-apāsta-kilbiṣaḥ
sakṛt
once upon a time
sma
in the past
bhuṣje
took
tat
by that action
apāsta
eliminated
kilbiṣaḥ
all sins
evaṁ pravṛttasya viśuddha-cetasas
evam
thus
pravṛttasya
being engaged
viśuddha-cetasaḥ
of one whose mind is purified
tat
that particular
tad-dharma evātma-ruciḥ prajāyate
dharmaḥ
nature
eva
certainly
ātma-ruciḥ
transcendental attraction
prajāyate
was manifested.
Once only, by their permission, I took the remnants of their food, and by so doing all my sins were at once eradicated. Thus being engaged, I became purified in heart, and at that time the very nature of the transcendentalist became attractive to me.

Pure devotion is as much infectious, in a good sense, as infectious diseases. A pure devotee is cleared from all kinds of sins. The Personality of Godhead is the purest entity, and unless one is equally pure from the infection of material qualities, one cannot become a pure devotee of the Lord. The bhakti-vedāntas as above mentioned were pure devotees, and the boy became infected with their qualities of purity by their association and by eating once the remnants of the foodstuff taken by them. Such remnants may be taken even without permission of the pure devotees. There are sometimes pseudodevotees, and one should be very much cautious about them. There are many things which hinder one from entering devotional service. But by the association of pure devotees all these obstacles are removed. The neophyte devotee becomes practically enriched with the transcendental qualities of the pure devotee, which means attraction for the Personality of Godhead’s name, fame, qualities, pastimes, etc. Infection of the qualities of the pure devotee means to imbibe the taste of pure devotion always in the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead. This transcendental taste at once makes all material things distasteful. Therefore a pure devotee is not at all attracted by material activities. After the elimination of all sins or obstacles on the path of devotional service, one can become attracted, one can have steadiness, one can have perfect taste, one can have transcendental emotions, and at last one can be situated on the plane of loving service of the Lord. All these stages develop by the association of pure devotees, and that is the purport of this stanza.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
One time only I happened to eat their food remnants with their permission. All obstacles to bhakti disappeared by that. Having developed an inclination for bhakti, being pure in mind, taste for devotional processes inevitably developed in my mind.
Commentary

After getting permission from them to do so, I ate one time some rice stuck to one of their dishes. By that all obstacles to bhakti were destroyed (tad-apāsta-klibiṣaḥ). Having taken their food, I developed without effort bhakti in the form of hearing, chanting and remembering the Lord continually. Having developed a tendency for bhakti after eating the devotees’ food (evaṁ pravṛttasya), which applies to anyone else as well, I inevitably developed a taste (ruciḥ prajāyate) for hearing and chanting (tad-dharme) in the mind (ātma). By this verse five stages of bhakti should be understood: desire for worship (spṛhā), bhakti, anartha-nivṛtti, niṣṭhā and ruci. [Note: These five stages and the four stages mentioned in the previous commentary are listed first in the commentary on 1.2.21. ]

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