FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.16.37

న నాకపృష్ఠం న చ సార్వభౌమం న పారమేష్ఠ్యం న రసాధిపత్యమ్ । న యోగసిద్ధీరపునర్భవం వా వాఞ్ఛన్తి యత్పాదరజ:ప్రపన్నా: ॥ ౩౭ ॥
na nāka-pṛṣṭhaṁ na ca sārva-bhaumaṁ
[na naaka-prishtham na cha saarva-bhaumam]
na pārameṣṭhyaṁ na rasādhipatyam
[na paarameshthyam na rasaadhipatyam]
na yoga-siddhīr apunar-bhavaṁ vā
[na yoga-siddheer apunar-bhavam vaa]
vāñchanti yat-pāda-rajaḥ-prapannāḥ
[vaanchanti yat-paada-rajah-prapannaah]
na — not nāka - pṛṣṭham — heaven na ca — nor sārva - bhaumam — supreme sovereignty na — not pārameṣṭhyam — the topmost position of Brahmā na — not rasa - adhipatyam — rulership over the earth na — not yoga - siddhīḥ — the perfections of yogic practice apunaḥ - bhavam — freedom from rebirth vā — or vāñchanti — desire yat — whose pāda — of the lotus feet rajaḥ — the dust prapannāḥ — those who have attained .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
na nāka-pṛṣṭhaṁ na ca sārva-bhaumaṁ
na
not
nāka - pṛṣṭham
heaven
na ca
nor
sārva - bhaumam
supreme sovereignty
na pārameṣṭhyaṁ na rasādhipatyam
na
not
pārameṣṭhyam
the topmost position of Brahmā
na
not
rasa - adhipatyam
rulership over the earth
na yoga-siddhīr apunar-bhavaṁ vā
na
not
yoga - siddhīḥ
the perfections of yogic practice
apunaḥ - bhavam
freedom from rebirth
vā
or
vāñchanti
desire
vāñchanti yat-pāda-rajaḥ-prapannāḥ
yat
whose
pāda
of the lotus feet
rajaḥ
the dust
prapannāḥ
those who have attained .
  • nāka - pṛṣṭham — heaven (the upper realm)
    Compound: nāka (heaven) + pṛṣṭha (top). The svarga of Vedic karma-kāṇḍa. Bhāgavata vocabulary: the gopīs and pure devotees refuse it. So do the Nāga-patnīs.
  • pārameṣṭhyam — the position of Brahmā
    From Parameṣṭhin (Brahmā). The highest material post in the cosmos. Gauḍīya: even creator-status is not the goal. The hierarchy of desirables ends at the foot-dust, not at Brahmā's seat.
  • yoga - siddhīḥ — the perfections of yoga
    Compound: yoga + siddhi. The eight aṣṭa-siddhis (aṇimā, laghimā, etc.). Bhāgavatam consistently treats them as obstacles: even mystic power is a distraction from foot-dust.
  • apunaḥ - bhavam — liberation (no-more-birth)
    Compound: a (not) + punaḥ (again) + bhava (birth). Mokṣa itself. The Gauḍīya signature: the devotee does not want even mokṣa. Cf. Caitanya: mama janmani janmaniśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī — let me have devotion even in birth after birth.
  • pāda - rajaḥ - prapannāḥ — those who have surrendered to the dust of (Your) feet
    Compound: pāda (foot) + rajas (dust) + prapanna (surrendered). The verse's punch-line. The Gauḍīya prayojana stated as a class of person, not as a state.
Those who have attained the dust of Your lotus feet never hanker for the kingship of heaven, limitless sovereignty, the position of Brahmā or rulership over the earth. They are not interested even in the perfections of yoga or in liberation itself.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Those who have attained the dust of Your lotus feet never hanker for the kingship of heaven, limitless sovereignty, the position of Brahmā or rulership over the earth. They are not interested even in the perfections of yoga or in liberation itself.
Commentary

"But what great result will a person get by attaining the dust of my feet?" This verse answers. "No, you cannot say this. The result is greater than anything else. Those who surrender to you do not desire svarga loka. What then to speak of those who have attained the dust from your feet?"

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Let that be! There are many glorifications of the touch of the dust of your lotus feet. The great effect of even a little surrender to your feet is inconceivable. Those who surrender do not desire Svarga, what to speak of ruling the earth, or any result of karma such as attaining the post of Brahmā. But even more, they do not desire the results of yoga or other processes. There seems to be typographical mistaken in Śrīdhara’s commentary. In the phrase pārameṣṭhyādy api tuccha manyate, the word nāka-pṛṣtham should be substituted for pārameṣṭhyādi.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Let that be! There are many glorifications of the touch of the dust of your lotus feet. The great effect of even a little surrender to your feet is inconceivable. That is expressed in this verse. Those devotees who have attained your foot dust do not desire ruling Svarga, the earth, Brahma-loka or Pātāla-loka, or yoga-siddhis like aṇima or even liberation. The lotus feet of the Lord with his form of eternity, knowledge and bliss is attained by surrender. Those goals are not desired, since they are insignificant compared to the Lord’s feet. In the phrase pārameṣṭhyādy api tuccha manyate, the word nāka-pṛṣtham should be substituted for pārameṣṭhyādi.

Related values
Kartavya (Duty / Responsibility)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)
Related verses

Those who get the dust of Your feet do not want heaven, sovereignty, the post of Brahmā, mystic powers, or even mokṣa itself. The dust is the goal; everything else falls away as small. The Vaiṣṇava's prayojana — the goal — is named in seven negations: not this, not this, not that, not any of these — only Your foot-dust.

Dhruva's regret (SB 4.9.30–31)

When the boy Dhruva, after years of austerity, finally saw Lord Viṣṇu, he had originally asked for a kingdom greater than his father's. Standing before the Lord, Dhruva confessed: 'I came for shards of glass and I have been given the cintāmaṇi; how childish my request was.'

The Nāga-patnīs reach the same realization in seven negations. Heaven, sovereignty, Brahmā's post, mystical perfections, even liberation itself — all are shards. Foot-dust alone is the cintāmaṇi.

📝 My note

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