Shloka 15
Devotion in Kimpuruṣa-varṣa and the Glory of Bhārata-varṣa
Rāmacandra & Nara-Nārāyaṇa; Rivers, Varṇāśrama, and Liberation
तन्न: प्रभो त्वं कुकलेवरार्पितां त्वन्माययाहंममतामधोक्षज । भिन्द्याम येनाशु वयं सुदुर्भिदां विधेहि योगं त्वयि न: स्वभावमिति ॥ १५ ॥
tan naḥ prabho tvaṁ kukalevarārpitāṁ tvan-māyayāhaṁ-mamatām adhokṣaja bhindyāma yenāśu vayaṁ sudurbhidāṁ vidhehi yogaṁ tvayi naḥ svabhāvam iti
Therefore, O Lord, O Transcendence, kindly help us by giving us the power to execute bhakti-yoga so that we can control our restless minds and fix them upon You. We are all infected by Your illusory energy; therefore we are very attached to the body, which is full of stool and urine, and to anything related with the body. Except for devotional service, there is no way to give up this attachment. Therefore kindly bestow upon us this benediction.
The Lord advises in Bhagavad-gītā: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. The perfect yoga system consists of always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, always engaging in devotional service, always worshiping Kṛṣṇa and always offering obeisances unto Him. Unless we practice this yoga system, our illusory attachment for this bad body, which is full of stool and urine, is impossible to give up. The perfection of yoga consists of giving up attachment for this body and bodily relationships and transferring that attachment to Kṛṣṇa. We are very attached to material enjoyment, but when we transfer that same attachment to Kṛṣṇa, we traverse the path of liberation. One has to practice this yoga system and none other.
FAQs
This verse teaches that ahaṁ-mamatā is imposed by māyā upon bodily identity, and it is overcome by the Lord’s grace through steadfast yoga—devotional connection to Adhokṣaja.
Adhokṣaja is the Supreme Lord beyond the reach of material senses; He is addressed because only His mercy can help devotees pierce the deeply rooted knot of false ego.
Regularly redirect identity from body-based labels to devotion—through prayer, chanting, and service—asking the Lord to make bhakti one’s steady ‘second nature’ and reduce possessiveness and ego-driven anxiety.