Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapter 14 Verse 34

Canto 10: The Summum Bonum | Chapter 14: Brahmā's Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.14.34

tad bhūri-bhāgyam iha janma kim apy aṭavyāḿ

yad gokule 'pi katamāńghri-rajo-'bhiṣekam

yaj-jīvitaḿ tu nikhilaḿ bhagavān mukundas

tv adyāpi yat-pada-rajaḥ śruti-mṛgyam eva

SYNONYMS

tat — that; bhūri-bhāgyam — the greatest good fortune; iha — here; janma — the birth; kim api — any whatsoever; aṭavyām — in the forest (of Vṛndāvana); yat — which; gokule — in Gokula; api — even; katama — of any (of the devotees); ańghri — of the feet; rajaḥ — by the dust; abhiṣekam — bathing; yat — whose; jīvitam — life; tu — indeed; nikhilam — whole; bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mukundaḥ — Lord Mukunda; tu — but; adya api — even until now; yat — whose; pāda-rajaḥ — dust of the feet; śruti — by the Vedas; mṛgyam — sought after; eva — certainly.

TRANSLATION

My greatest possible good fortune would be to take any birth whatever in this forest of Gokula and have my head bathed by the dust falling from the lotus feet of any of its residents. Their entire life and soul is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mukunda, the dust of whose lotus feet is still being searched for in the Vedic mantras.

PURPORT

This verse indicates that Lord Brahmā desires to take birth even as the smallest blade of grass in Vṛndāvana so that the holy residents of the Lord's abode may walk upon his head and bless him with the dust of their feet. Being realistic, Lord Brahmā does not aspire to directly achieve the dust of Lord Kṛṣṇa's feet; rather, he aspires for the mercy of the Lord's devotees. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that Brahmā is willing to take birth even as a stone in a paved footpath in the Lord's abode. Since Brahmā is the creator of the entire universe, we can just imagine the glorious position of the residents of Vṛndāvana.

The Lord's devotees achieve their exalted position by unalloyed devotion and love. One cannot achieve such spiritual opulence by any puffed-up material process of personal improvement. In Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals the mind of Brahmā as follows: "But if I am not so fortunate as to take birth within the forest of Vṛndāvana, I beg to be allowed to take birth outside the immediate area of Vṛndāvana so that when the devotees go out they will walk over me. Even that would be a great fortune for me. I am just aspiring for a birth in which I will be smeared by the dust of the devotees' feet."

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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
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Dravida dasa Brahmacari