TEXT 27
satyam disaty arthitam arthito nrnam
naivarthado yat punar arthita yatah
svayam vidhatte bhajatam anicchatam
icchapidhanam nija-pada-pallavam
SYNONYMS
satyamcertainly; disatiHe offers; arthitamthe object prayed for; arthitahbeing prayed to; nrnamby the human beings; nanot; evaindeed; artha-dahthe bestower of benedictions; yatwhich; punahagain; arthitaa demand for a benediction; yatahfrom which; svayampersonally; vidhatteHe gives; bhajatamunto those engaged in His service; anicchatamalthough not desiring it; iccha-pidhanamwhich covers all desirable things; nija-pada-pallavamHis own lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead fulfills the material desires of a devotee who approaches Him with such motives, but He does not bestow benedictions upon the devotee that will cause him to demand more benedictions again. However, the Lord willingly gives the devotee shelter at His own lotus feet, even though such a person does not aspire for it, and that shelter satisfies all his desires. That is the Supreme Personalitys special mercy.
PURPORT
The devotees mentioned in the previous verse approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead with material motives, but this verse explains how such devotees are saved from those desires. Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.3.10) advises:
Whether one is freed from all material desires, is full of material desires, or desires to become one with the Supreme, he should engage in devotional service. In this way, not only will the devotees desires be fulfilled, but the day will come when he will have no other desire than to serve the lotus feet of the Lord. One who engages in the service of the Lord with some motive is called a sakama-bhakta, and one who serves the Lord without any motives is called an akama-bhakta. Krsna is so merciful that He turns a sakama-bhakta into an akama-bhakta. A pure devotee, an akama-bhakta, who has no material motives, is satisfied simply to serve the lotus feet of the Lord. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (6.22). Yam labdhva caparam labham manyate nadhikam tatah: if one engages in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, he does not want anything more. This is the highest stage of devotional service. The Lord is so kind even to a sakama-bhakta, a motivated devotee, that He satisfies his desires in such a way that one day he becomes an akama-bhakta. Dhruva Maharaja, for example, became a bhakta with the motive of getting a better kingdom than that of his father, but finally he became an akama-bhakta and said to the Lord, svamin krtarthosmi varam na yace: My dear Lord, I am very satisfied simply to serve Your lotus feet. I do not want any material benefits. Sometimes it is found that a small child eats dirty things, but his parents take away the dirty things and offer him a sandesa or some other sweetmeat. Devotees who aspire for material benedictions are compared to such children. The Lord is so kind that He takes away their material desires and gives them the highest benediction. Therefore, even for material motives, one should not worship anyone other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead; one must fully engage himself in the devotional service of the Lord so that all his desires will be fulfilled and at the end he can go back home, back to Godhead. This is explained in Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 22.3739, 41) as follows.
Anyakamia devotee may desire something other than service to the lotus feet of the Lord; yadi kare krsnera bhajanabut if he engages in Lord Krsnas service; na magiteha krsna tare dena sva-caranaKrsna gives him shelter at His lotus feet, even though he does not aspire for it. Krsna kahethe Lord says; ama bhajeHe is engaged in My service; mage visaya-sukhabut he wants the benefits of material sense gratification. Amrta chadi visa mage:such a devotee is like a person who asks for poison instead of nectar. Ei bada murkha: That is his foolishness. Ami-vijna: But I am experienced. Ei murkhe visaya kene diba: Why should I give such a foolish person the dirty things of material enjoyment? Sva-carana-mrta: It would be better for Me to give him shelter at My lotus feet. Visaya bhulaiba: I shall cause him to forget all material desires. Kama lagi krsna bhajeif one engages in the service of the Lord for sense gratification; paya krsna-rasethe result is that he ultimately gets a taste for serving the lotus feet of the Lord. Kama chadi da haite haya abhilase: He then gives up all material desires and wants to become an eternal servant of the Lord.

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