Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 11
Prahlāda’s Prayers Pacify Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva
Prahlāda-stuti and the Lord’s Benediction Offer
नैवात्मन: प्रभुरयं निजलाभपूर्णो मानं जनादविदुष: करुणो वृणीते । यद् यज्जनो भगवते विदधीत मानं तच्चात्मने प्रतिमुखस्य यथा मुखश्री: ॥ ११ ॥
naivātmanaḥ prabhur ayaṁ nija-lābha-pūrṇo mānaṁ janād aviduṣaḥ karuṇo vṛṇīte yad yaj jano bhagavate vidadhīta mānaṁ tac cātmane prati-mukhasya yathā mukha-śrīḥ
Der Höchste Herr ist in Sich selbst vollkommen erfüllt; Er verlangt keine Ehren von Unwissenden. Aus Barmherzigkeit kommt jede Verehrung, die man Bhagavān darbringt, dem Verehrer selbst zugute—so wie, wenn man das Gesicht schmückt, auch sein Spiegelbild geschmückt erscheint.
In bhakti-yoga it is recommended that a devotee follow nine principles: śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam/ arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam. This service of glorifying the Lord by hearing, chanting and so on is not, of course, meant for the benefit of the Lord; this devotional service is recommended for the benefit of the devotee. The Lord is always glorious, whether the devotee glorifies Him or not, but if the devotee engages in glorifying the Lord, the devotee himself automatically becomes glorious. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. By glorifying the Lord constantly, the living entity becomes purified in the core of his heart, and thus he can understand that he does not belong to the material world but is a spirit soul whose actual activity is to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that he may become free from the material clutches. Thus the blazing fire of material existence is immediately extinguished ( bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam ). A foolish person is amazed that Kṛṣṇa orders, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: “Abandon all varieties of religious activities and just surrender unto Me.” Some foolish scholars even say that this is too much to demand. But this demand is not for the benefit of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; rather, it is for the benefit of human society. If human beings individually and collectively surrender everything to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all of human society will benefit. One who does not dedicate everything to the Supreme Lord is described in this verse as aviduṣa, a rascal. In Bhagavad-gītā (7.15) , the Lord Himself speaks in the same way:
FAQs
No—this verse says the Lord is already complete (nija-lābha-pūrṇa) and accepts worship only out of compassion, for the worship benefits the worshiper.
Prahlāda explains that people may think God gains something from their praise, but in truth the Lord is self-sufficient; He accepts offerings to uplift the devotee’s heart and consciousness.
Offer respect and service to Bhagavān without ego or bargaining—knowing the spiritual gain (purification, humility, devotion) returns to you, like a reflection returning to the face.