Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.64.25
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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brahmaṇyasya
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of one devoted to the brāhmaṇas
From brahmaṇya (friendly to / devoted to brāhmaṇas). The very quality Kṛṣṇa is called by in verse 31 (brahmaṇya-deva). Nṛga claims the same epithet for himself — and yet was undone. The doctrine: brahmaṇyatā is the protection, and even brahmaṇyatā can slip.
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vadānyasya
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of the generous one
From vadānya (open-handed). The standard Bhāgavata epithet for charitable devotees; later, Caitanya is called mahā-vadānya (CC Mad 19) for distributing the holy name. Nṛga's vadānyatā preserved his memory of Kṛṣṇa even in the lizard form.
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dāsasya keśava
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of Your servant, O Keśava
Dāsa (servant) + Keśava (slayer of the demon Keśin; also 'beautifully-haired one'). The king claims dāsya from inside the lizard's body. Gauḍīyas note: the servant-relation is preserved through any upādhi.
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bhavat - sandarśana - arthinaḥ
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of one hankering for Your audience
Bhavat (Your) + sandarśana (full vision) + arthin (desirer). His abiding desire to see Kṛṣṇa is what preserved his memory — and ultimately what brought Kṛṣṇa to the well. The Bhāgavatam's law: sustained desire for Bhagavān's darśana eventually summons Him.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī comments on this verse as follows: “Since King Nṛga openly declared that he had two outstanding qualities — namely devotion to the brāhmaṇas, and generosity — it is clear that he possessed these qualities only partially, since someone who is truly pure would not boast about them. It is also clear that King Nṛga considered such piety to be a separate goal, desirable for its own sake. Thus he did not fully appreciate pure devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa had not been the only goal of Nṛga’s life, as He was for Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, even in the stage of regulative practice. Nor do we find that King Nṛga overcame obstacles like those Ambarīṣa did when Durvāsā Muni became angry at him. Still, we can conclude that since Nṛga was able to see the Lord for some reason or another, he must have had the good quality of sincerely desiring the Lord’s association.” Śrīla Prabhupāda confirms the above analysis in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: “On the whole, [Nṛga] had not developed Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Kṛṣṇa conscious person develops love of God, Kṛṣṇa, not love for pious or impious activities; therefore he is not subjected to the results of such action. As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, a devotee, by the grace of the Lord, does not become subjected to the resultant reactions of fruitive activities.” Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī offers the following commentary: “When Nṛga mentioned ‘one who hankered to have Your audience,’ he was referring to an incident concerning a certain great devotee King Nṛga had once met. This devotee was very eager to acquire a temple for a most beautiful Deity of the Supreme Lord, and he also wanted copies of such scriptures as the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Being very generous, Nṛga arranged for these things, and the devotee was so satisfied that he blessed the King: ‘My dear King, may you have the audience of the Supreme Lord.’ From that time on, Nṛga desired to see the Lord.”
Nrga had mixed bhakti because performing karma with a little devotion. Taking shelter of this mixed bhakti, he thus expressed himself humbly before the Lord as his servant. At sometime, a great devotee desired to attain a temple for a beautiful deity and to obtain scriptures like Gita and Bhagavatam. Nrga, being very generous, readily supplied these things. Being satisified with Nrga, the devotee said, "O King, I give blessings that you may see the Lord." From the time of getting that blessing, Nrga Nrga had great desire to see the Lord. "Remembrance of you is not lost even today, first as a lizard and then as a proud devata, which is also unfavorable for remembrance." He does not say so directly (my), out of humility.
I have never lost my memory. However he omits the subject “I” out of humility. In the lizard body and in the body of great devatā, which is the opposite, my memory was not destroyed. The reasons are given. I was a devotee of brāhmaṇas and moreover satisfied them with sufficient charity. Moreover I was your servant: I attained dāsya-bhakti to you—in the form of offering my actions to you in order to give good quality to those actions. Because of this, understanding your glories, I longed to see you since you are Keśava. ko brahmeti samakhyāta īśohaṁ sarvadehinām Āvān tavāṅga-sambhūtau tasmat keśava-nāmavān Ka means Brahmā. Īśa means me, the lord of all souls (Śiva). We two arise from your limbs. Thus you are called Keśava, the Lord of Brahmā and Śiva. Hari-vaṁśa How could a person reject you and offer one’s actions to someone else? Or, since you are devoted to brāhmaṇas as witnessed by Bhṛgu and you are generous as witnessed by Bali and even me, I offered my actions to you as a servant. In taking the body of a lizard there was a good result. Because of realizing the futility of actions like charity, which he performed because of lack of faith in hearing and because of disinclination to direct bhakti such as hearing about the Lord, he was able to meet the Lord later by the power of his determination. His desire to see the Lord was motivated by desire for some result. It was not niṣkāma. One can infer that the cause of his desire was attainment of Svarga. But since the Lord is generous, because he did focus on the Lord, finally he would attain the supreme destination. satyaṁ diśaty arthitam arthito nṛṇāṁ naivārthado yat punar arthitā yataḥ svayaṁ vidhatte bhajatām anicchatām icchāpidhānaṁ nija-pāda-pallavam The Lord certainly gives desired objects to devotees who request them, but he does not give those objects in such a way that the devotee will ask again after finishing his enjoyment. In other words, he gives his lotus feet, which include all desirables, to those worshippers who do not even desire them. SB 5.19.27 On seeing the Lord those desires were uprooted. Since I was absorbed fully in serving brāhmaṇas and charity works, I was “like a servant.” I had the qualities of a servant but not the variety of qualities found in the Lord’s real servants. I did not desire to see the Lord from possessing the qualities of the real servants, but only because of general qualities of being a servant. But because of the power of realizing a portion of your qualities, even now my memory has not been destroyed. Rather it resulted in seeing you. I conclude that my actions of serving brāhmaṇas and giving charity were only imitations arising from pride, because even today in front of you those qualities boldly appear. Previously I did not have respect for scriptures with rules followed by Ambarīśa and others. Thus those actions of charity became an obstacle. But by the power of your mercy, I have now been able to see you. Since my pride has now been broken, though I enjoy a heavenly body, because of your mercy, I will become your follower, as stated in the verse satyaṁ diśati.
I have never lost my memory. However he omits the subject “I” out of humility. In the lizard body and in the body of a great devatā, which is the opposite, my memory was not destroyed. The reasons are given. Because I am your servant I longed to see directly you or others such as Pradyumna etc. The cause of being a servant is mentioned. O Keśava! You are directly the supreme Lord! ko brahmeti samakhyāta īśohaṁ sarvadehinām Āvān tavāṅga-sambhūtau tasmat keśava-nāmavān Ka means Brahmā. Īśa means me, the lord of all souls (Śiva). We two arise from your limbs. Thus you are called Keśava, the Lord of Brahmā and Śiva. Hari-vaṁśa Or Keśava means he who killed Keśī. By mentioning the last pastime in Vṛndāvan, all the pastimes there are indicated. Thus Keśava indicates he who manifested unlimited qualities as Bhagavān. By the power of seeing Jagannātha previously, later he worshipped the lord of Dvārakā. Because the Lord was praised as Jagannātha, seeing him was possible. Thus he fell into a well in Dvārakā. And by being a servant of the Lord, there, with a desire to see the Lord, he developed knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. He became a lizard to show the fault, even for devotees or the Lord, of taking from brāhmaṇas, in order to teach people. This is described in Bhāgavatāmṛta.
The body wears the curse but the heart does not forget. Nṛga's lizard form lasted ages; his memory of being a brāhmaṇya servant of Kṛṣṇa lasted longer. The Gauḍīya promise: kṛṣṇa-smṛti survives every demotion the body suffers.
Bharata, born from the deer-attachment as a deer, retained his human memory and his Hari-smaraṇa even in the animal body (SB 5.8–9). In his final birth as the apparently-dull Jaḍa Bharata, he refused to speak — but his inner devotion was intact through three bodies.
Nṛga in the lizard form parallels Bharata in the deer body: piety embarrassed by the form on the outside, kṛṣṇa-smṛti unbroken on the inside. The Gauḍīya assurance: nothing in saṁsāra erases what bhakti has planted.
My note
Source: vedabase.io