TEXT 21
yas tam vivikta-caritair anuvartamanam
natyadriyat parama-bhagavata-prasangah
sa tvam dvijanupatha-punya-rajah-punitah
srivatsa-laksma kim aga bhaga-bhajanas tvam
SYNONYMS
yahwho; tamLaksmi; viviktacompletely pure; caritaihdevotional services; anuvartamanamserving; nanot; atyadriyatattached; paramathe highest; bhagavatadevotees; prasangahattached; sahthe Supreme Lord; tvamYou; dvijaof the brahmanas; anupathaon the path; punyasanctified; rajahdust; punitahpurified; srivatsaof Srivatsa; laksmathe mark; kimwhat; agahYou obtained; bhagaall opulences or all good qualities; bhajanahthe reservoir; tvamYou.
TRANSLATION
O Lord, You are exceedingly attached to the activities of Your pure devotees, yet You are never attached to the goddesses of fortune who constantly engage in Your transcendental loving service. How can You be purified, therefore, by the dust of the path traversed by the brahmanas, and how can You be glorified or made fortunate by the marks of Srivatsa on Your chest?
PURPORT
It is said in the Brahma-samhita that the Lord is always served by many hundreds of thousands of goddesses of fortune in His Vaikuntha planet, yet because of His attitude of renunciation of all opulences, He is not attached to any one of them. The Lord has six opulencesunlimited wealth, unlimited fame, unlimited strength, unlimited beauty, unlimited knowledge and unlimited renunciation. All the demigods and other living entities worship Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, just to get her favor, yet the Lord is never attached to her because He can create an unlimited number of such goddesses for His transcendental service. The goddess of fortune, Laksmi, is sometimes envious of the tulasi leaves which are placed at the lotus feet of the Lord, for they remain fixed there and do not move, whereas Laksmiji, although stationed by the chest of the Lord, sometimes has to please other devotees who pray for her favor. Laksmiji sometimes has to go to satisfy her numerous devotees, but tulasi leaves never forsake their position, and the Lord therefore appreciates the service of the tulasi more than the service of Laksmi. When the Lord says, therefore, that it is due to the causeless mercy of the brahmanas that Laksmiji does not leave Him, we can understand that Laksmiji is attracted by the opulence of the Lord, not by the brahmanas benedictions upon Him. The Lord is not dependent on anyones mercy for His opulence; He is always self-sufficient. The Lords statement that His opulence is due to the benediction of the brahmanas and Vaisnavas is only to teach others that they should offer respect to the brahmanas and Vaisnavas, the devotees of the Lord.

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