Canto 11: General History | Chapter 27: Lord Kṛṣṇa's Instructions on the Process of Deity Worship |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.27.3-4
niḥsṛtaḿ te mukhāmbhojād
yad āha bhagavān ajaḥ
putrebhyo bhṛgu-mukhyebhyo
devyai ca bhagavān bhavaḥ
etad vai sarva-varṇānām
āśramāṇāḿ ca sammatam
śreyasām uttamaḿ manye
strī-śūdrāṇāḿ ca māna-da
SYNONYMS
niḥsṛtam — emanated; te — Your; mukha-ambhojāt — from the lotus mouth; yat — which; āha — spoke; bhagavān — the great lord; ajaḥ — self-born Brahmā; putrebhyaḥ — to his sons; bhṛgu-mukhyebhyaḥ — headed by Bhṛgu; devyai — to the goddess Pārvatī; ca — and; bhagavān bhavaḥ — Lord Śiva; etat — this (process of Deity worship); vai — indeed; sarva-varṇānām — by all the occupational classes of society; āśramāṇām — and spiritual orders; ca — also; sammatam — approved; śreyasām — of different kinds of benefit in life; uttamam — the topmost; manye — I think; strī — for women; śūdrāṇām — and low-class workers; ca — also; māna-da — O magnanimous Lord.
TRANSLATION
O most magnanimous Lord, the instructions on this process of Deity worship first emanated from Your lotus mouth. Then they were spoken by the great Lord Brahmā to his sons, headed by Bhṛgu, and by Lord Śiva to his wife, Pārvatī. This process is accepted by and appropriate for all the occupational and spiritual orders of society. Therefore I consider worship of You in Your Deity form to be the most beneficial of all spiritual practices, even for women and śūdras.
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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari