Verse 2.41

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.41:

তোমরা সে পার’ কৃষ্ণ-ভজন দিবারে দাসেরে সেবিলে কৃষ্ণ অনুগ্রহ করে ॥ ৪১ ॥

तोमरा से पार’ कृष्ण-भजन दिबारे दासेरे सेविले कृष्ण अनुग्रह करे ॥ ४१ ॥

tomarā se pāra’ kṛṣṇa-bhajana dibāre dāsere sevile kṛṣṇa anugraha kare || 41 ||

tomara se para’ krsna-bhajana dibare dasere sevile krsna anugraha kare (41)

English translation:

(41) “You alone are capable of awarding devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. For Kṛṣṇa bestows His mercy on one who serves His servants.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

The second half of verse 41 and the first half of verse 43 are explained as follows: In the Itihāsa-samuccaya, Lomaśa Muni states:

tasmād viṣṇu-prasādāya vaiṣṇavān paritoṣayet prasāda-sumukho viṣṇus tenaiva syān na saṃśayaḥ

“To attain the mercy of Lord Viṣṇu, one should satisfy the Vaiṣṇavas. There is no doubt that by their mercy, Viṣṇu will be pleased.”

Also in the Itihāsa-samuccaya, the Supreme Lord says:

na me ‘bhaktaś catur-vedī mad-bhaktaḥ śva-pacaḥ priyaḥ

tasmai deyaṃ tato grāhyaṃ sa ca pūjyo yathā hy aham

“Even though a person is a very learned scholar of the Sanskrit Vedic literatures, he is not accepted as My devotee unless he is pure in devotional service. Even though a person is born in a family of dog- eaters, he is very dear to Me if he is a pure devotee who has no motive to enjoy fruitive activities or mental speculation. Indeed, all respects should be given to him, and whatever he offers should be accepted. Such devotees are as worshipable as I am.”

In the Ādi Purāṇa it is stated:

ye me bhakta-janāḥ pārtha na me bhaktāś ca te janāḥ

mad-bhaktānāṃ ca ye bhaktās te me bhakta-tamā matāḥ

“Lord Kṛṣṇa told Arjuna, ‘Those who are My direct devotees are actually not My devotees, but those who are the devotees of My servant are factually My devotees.’”

At the end of the narration on Yajñamāla in the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa it is stated:

hari-bhakti-ratān yas tu hari-buddhyā prapūjayet tasya tūṣyanti viprendrā brahma-viṣṇu-śivādayaḥ

“O best of the brāhmaṇas, if one worships the Vaiṣṇavas who are fixed in

devotional service to Viṣṇu by considering them nondifferent bodily limbs of Śrī Hari, then everyone, including Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva, are pleased.”

In the Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa, Śiva speaks to Umā as follows:

arcayitvā tu govindaṃ tadīyān nārcayet tu yaḥ na sa bhāgavato jñeyaḥ

kevalaṃ dāmbhikaḥ smṛtaḥ

tasmād sarva-prayatnena vaiṣṇavān pūjayet sadā“

One who worships Lord Govinda but fails to worship His devotees should be understood to be not a devotee of the Lord but simply a victim of false pride. Therefore one should always worship the Vaiṣṇavas by all means.” In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.26.34) Lord Kṛṣṇa speaks to Uddhava as follows:

santo diśanti cakṣūṃsi bahir arkaḥ samutthitaḥ devatā bāndhavāḥ santaḥ santa ātmāham eva ca

“My devotees bestow divine eyes, whereas the sun allows only external sight, and that only when it is risen in the sky. My devotees are one’s real worshipable deities and real family; they are one’s own self, and ultimately they are nondifferent from Me.”

In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (7.5.32) Prahlāda Mahārāja speaks to Hiraṇyakaśipu as follows:

naiṣāṃ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṃ spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ mahīyasāṃ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṃ niṣkiñcanānāṃ na vṛṇīta yāvat

“Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava completely freed from material contamination, persons very much inclined toward materialistic life cannot be attached to the lotus feet of the Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities. Only by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious and taking shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord in this way can one be freed from material contamination.”

In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (9.4.63, 66, 68) the Supreme Lord speaks to Durvāsā the following words:

śrī-bhagavān uvāca ahaṃ bhakta-parādhīno hy asvatantra iva dvija sādhubhir grasta-hṛdayo

bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyaḥ

“I am completely under the control of My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent. Because My devotees are completely devoid of material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to speak of My devotee, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me.

mayi nirbaddha-hṛdayāḥ sādhavaḥ sama-darśanāḥ vaśe kurvanti māṃ bhaktyā sat-striyaḥ sat-patiṃ yathā

“As chaste women bring their gentle husbands under control by service, the pure devotees, who are equal to everyone and completely attached to Me in the core of the heart, bring Me under their full control.

sādhavo hṛdayaṃ mahyaṃ sādhūnāṃ hṛdayaṃ tv aham mad-anyat te na jānanti nāhaṃ tebhyo manāg api

“The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart, and I am always in the heart of the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else

but Me, and I do not know anyone else but them.”

In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (10.51.53) Mucukunda speaks to Kṛṣṇa as follows:

bhavāpavargo bhramato yadā bhavej janasya tarhy acyuta sat-samāgamaḥ sat-saṅgamo yarhi tadaiva sad-gatau parāvareśe tvayi jāyate matiḥ

“When the material life of a wandering soul has ceased, O Acyuta, he may attain the association of Your devotees. And when he associates with them, there awakens in him devotion unto You, who are the goal of the devotees and the Lord of all causes and their effects.”