Shloka 2
Hymns to Nārāyaṇa: Humility, Bhakti, Yoga, and the Guṇas
मित्र उवाच / नतोस्म्यज्ञस्त्वच्चरणारविन्दं भवच्छिदं स्वस्त्ययनं भवच्छिदे / वेद स्वयं भगवान्वासुदेवो नाहं नाग्निर्न त्रिदेवा मुनीन्द्राः
mitra uvāca / natosmyajñastvaccaraṇāravindaṃ bhavacchidaṃ svastyayanaṃ bhavacchide / veda svayaṃ bhagavānvāsudevo nāhaṃ nāgnirna tridevā munīndrāḥ
Mitra sprach: „Obwohl ich unwissend bin, verneige ich mich vor dem Lotus Deiner Füße—Du, der das Werden der Welt durchschneidet, Du, der du dem nach Moksha Strebenden ein glückverheißender Zufluchtsort bist. Wahrlich, nur der selige Herr Vāsudeva selbst erkennt dies ganz; nicht ich, nicht Agni, nicht die drei Götter, nicht einmal die erhabensten Weisen.“
Mitra
Concept: Only Bhagavān Vāsudeva fully knows the highest truth; the devotee approaches through humility and surrender to the Lord’s feet as the auspicious refuge that cuts saṃsāra.
Vedantic Theme: Īśvara-sarvajñatva and jīva-alpatva; saṃsāra-ccheda through śaraṇāgati; implicit distinction between limited knowers (devas/ṛṣis) and the Supreme.
Application: Cultivate humility in spiritual inquiry; take refuge in Viṣṇu’s feet through prayer and remembrance rather than relying on status, learning, or even celestial authority.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: recurring motif of ‘Hari’s feet’ as refuge and ‘saṃsāra-ccheda’ in bhakti passages (general thematic parallel)
FAQs
This verse frames surrender to the Lord’s feet as an “auspicious refuge” that cuts through saṁsāra, emphasizing devotion as a direct support for liberation.
Mitra states that complete knowledge belongs to Bhagavān Vāsudeva alone, placing divine revelation above even gods (Agni, tri-devas) and great sages.
Cultivate humility in spiritual learning: seek guidance through devotion, and treat ultimate truth as something realized through surrender and practice, not mere status or scholarship.