FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.72.3

శ్రీయుధిష్ఠిర ఉవాచ క్రతురాజేన గోవిన్ద రాజసూయేన పావనీ: । యక్ష్యే విభూతీర్భవతస్తత్ సమ్పాదయ న: ప్రభో ॥ ౩ ॥
śrī-yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
[shree-yudhishthira uvaacha]
kratu-rājena govinda
[kratu-raajena govinda]
rājasūyena pāvanīḥ
[raajasooyena paavaneeh]
yakṣye vibhūtīr bhavatas
[yakshye vibhooteer bhavatas]
tat sampādaya naḥ prabho
[tat sampaadaya nah prabho]
śrī - yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca — Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira said kratu — of major fire sacrifices rājena — with the king govinda — O Kṛṣṇa rājasūyena — named Rājasūya pāvanīḥ — purifying yakṣye — I wish to worship vibhūtīḥ — the opulent expansions bhavataḥ — of Yourself tat — that sampādaya — please allow to happen naḥ — for us prabho — O master .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
śrī - yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca
Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira said
kratu-rājena govinda
kratu
of major fire sacrifices
rājena
with the king
govinda
O Kṛṣṇa
rājasūyena pāvanīḥ
rājasūyena
named Rājasūya
pāvanīḥ
purifying
yakṣye vibhūtīr bhavatas
yakṣye
I wish to worship
vibhūtīḥ
the opulent expansions
bhavataḥ
of Yourself
tat sampādaya naḥ prabho
tat
that
sampādaya
please allow to happen
naḥ
for us
prabho
O master .
  • govinda — O Kṛṣṇa, giver of pleasure to the cows and the senses
    Yudhiṣṭhira does not use 'Vāsudeva' or 'Nārāyaṇa' — he uses Govinda, the intimate Vraja name. Even on the formal sabhā floor, the relationship is personal.
  • rājasūyena — by means of the Rājasūya sacrifice
    Instrumental — the Rājasūya is the instrument, not the goal. The goal is worship of Kṛṣṇa's vibhūtis. Gauḍīyas note: even the king-of-sacrifices is merely a tool placed at the Lord's feet.
  • pāvanīḥ — purifying
    Feminine plural agreeing with vibhūtīḥ. Kṛṣṇa's expansions are themselves the purifying agents — the sacrifice does not purify Kṛṣṇa's vibhūtis; they purify the sacrifice and the sacrificer.
  • vibhūtīḥ — opulent expansions
    The same word Kṛṣṇa uses in Gītā 10. Worshipping the vibhūtis is worshipping the Lord through His manifest glories. Yudhiṣṭhira is not separating Kṛṣṇa from His expansions — he is honouring the inseparable both.
  • sampādaya — please bring to completion
    Causative imperative — 'cause this to happen'. He does not say 'I will do it'; he says 'please make it happen for us'. The Vaiṣṇava king is permanently a kiṅkara of the Lord, even on the throne.
Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira said: O Govinda, I desire to worship Your auspicious, opulent expansions by the Rājasūya sacrifice, the king of Vedic ceremonies. Please make our endeavor a success, my Lord.

Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī states that the word vibhūtīḥ refers to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s expansions ( aṁśān ), and Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura further explains that here the word vibhūtīḥ refers to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s opulent expansions within this world, such as the demigods and other empowered beings. Thus Śrīla Prabhupāda treats this verse as follows in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: “My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, the sacrifice known as the Rājasūya- yajña is to be performed by the emperor, and it is considered to be the king of all sacrifices. By performing this sacrifice, I wish to satisfy all the demigods, who are Your empowered representatives within this material world, and I wish that You will kindly help me in this great adventure so that it may be successfully executed. As far as the Pāṇḍavas are concerned, we have nothing to ask from the demigods. We are personally fully satisfied by being Your devotees. As you say in the Bhagavad-gītā, ‘Persons who are bewildered by material desires worship the demigods,’ but our purpose is different. I want to perform this Rājasūya sacrifice and invite the demigods to show them that they have no power independent of You. They are all Your servants and You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Foolish persons with a poor fund of knowledge consider Your Lordship an ordinary human being. Sometimes they try to find fault in You, and sometimes they defame You. Therefore I wish to perform the Rājasūya- yajña. I wish to invite all the demigods, beginning from Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and other exalted chiefs of the heavenly planets, and in that great assembly of the demigods from all parts of the universe, I want to substantiate that You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that everyone is Your servant.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira said: O Govinda, I desire to worship Your auspicious, opulent expansions by the Rājasūya sacrifice, the king of Vedic ceremonies. Please make our endeavor a success, my Lord.
Commentary

"I wish by this king of sacrifices to worship the devatas (vibhutis), who are a display of your power, who are purified by looking at you (pavanih)." By his statement the Lord’s superiority to others shines like fire. "Seeing you they have become successful. Please allow us to perform this sacrifice."

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

The rājasūya is called the king of sacrifices since it is difficult to perform. In worshipping devatās during the sacrifice, Yudhiṣṭhira understood that they were the Lord’s vibhūtis. This indicates the full devotion of Yudhiṣṭhira to Kṛṣṇa. Though Nārada had indicated that Yudhiṣṭhira desired the sacrifice to get wealth for worshiping Kṛṣṇa, with humility Yudhiṣṭhira indicated another reason for the sacrifice. The sacrifice will destroy obstacles to bhakti. Being dissatisfied he said, “Govinda, this desire is proper for us devotees since you have appeared on earth to reveal your unlimited glories.” The singular verb is used though Yudhiṣṭhira was not the principal person in the sacrifice. It depended on many persons such as his brothers and sages. But by your śakti this can be accomplished. O capable one (prabho), endowed with all powers! I will accomplish this sacrifice because of you. Or you are our master (prabho) and we are surrendered to you. Therefore this sacrifice is suitable.

Related values
Sthitaprajna (Steady Wisdom)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomShanti (Peace / Tranquility)Abhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Saurya (Heroism / Bravery)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Ishvara Pranidhana (Surrender to God)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses

A merchant about to fund a wedding will not consult the household staff — he consults the patriarch whose name the wedding bears. Yudhiṣṭhira's Rājasūya is not for his own glory but to worship Kṛṣṇa's vibhūtis; so he first asks the One being worshipped whether the worship may proceed.

Bali's Aśvamedha and Vāmana

Bali Mahārāja undertook the great sacrifices to display the demons' supremacy, and Viṣṇu Himself came to harvest the fruit as Vāmana. The contrast is instructive: when a king performs the king-of-sacrifices for the King-of-kings rather than for himself, the Lord does not need to come and humble him — He comes to bless him.

Yudhiṣṭhira frames the Rājasūya in exactly this mode: yakṣye vibhūtīḥ bhavataḥ — 'I wish to worship Your opulent expansions'.

📝 My note

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