Canto 4: Creation of the Fourth Order | Chapter 30: The Activities of the Pracetās |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.30.22
pracetasa ūcuḥ
namo namaḥ kleśa-vināśanāya
nirūpitodāra-guṇāhvayāya
mano-vaco-vega-puro-javāya
sarvākṣa-mārgair agatādhvane namaḥ
SYNONYMS
pracetasaḥ ūcuḥ — the Pracetās said; namaḥ — obeisances; namaḥ — obeisances; kleśa — material distress; vināśanāya — unto one who destroys; nirūpita — settled; udāra — magnanimous; guṇa — qualities; āhvayāya — whose name; manaḥ — of the mind; vacaḥ — of speech; vega — the speed; puraḥ — before; javāya — whose speed; sarva-akṣa — of all material senses; mārgaiḥ — by the paths; agata — not perceivable; adhvane — whose course; namaḥ — we offer our respects.
TRANSLATION
The Pracetās spoke as follows: Dear Lord, You relieve all kinds of material distress. Your magnanimous transcendental qualities and holy name are all-auspicious. This conclusion is already settled. You can go faster than the speed of mind and words. You cannot be perceived by material senses. We therefore offer You respectful obeisances again and again.
PURPORT
The word nirūpita, meaning "concluded," is very significant in this verse. No one has to conduct research work to find God or make progress in spiritual knowledge. Everything is conclusively there in the Vedas. Therefore the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15), vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ: understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the process of the Vedas is perfect and conclusive. The Vedas state, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ: [BRS. 1.2.234] the transcendental names, forms, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of the Lord cannot be understood by our blunt material senses. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ: when a devotee engages his senses favorably in devotional service, the Lord, through His causeless mercy, reveals Himself to the devotee. This is the conclusive Vedic process. The Vedas also indicate that simply by chanting the holy names of the Lord one can without a doubt become spiritually advanced. We cannot approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead by the speed of mind or words, but if we stick to devotional service we can easily and quickly approach Him. In other words, the Supreme Lord is attracted by devotional service, and He can approach us more swiftly than we can approach Him with our mental speculation. The Lord has stated that He is beyond the range of mental speculation and the speed of thought, yet He can be approached easily by His causeless mercy. Thus only by His causeless mercy can He be attained. Other methods will not be effective.
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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness