Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 46
Kṛṣṇa’s Impending Departure; Uddhava’s Surrender; King Yadu and the Avadhūta’s Twenty-Four Gurus
Beginnings
क्वचिच्छन्न: क्वचित् स्पष्ट उपास्य: श्रेय इच्छताम् । भुङ्क्ते सर्वत्र दातृणां दहन् प्रागुत्तराशुभम् ॥ ४६ ॥
kvacic channaḥ kvacit spaṣṭa upāsyaḥ śreya icchatām bhuṅkte sarvatra dātṝṇāṁ dahan prāg-uttarāśubham
Tel le feu, le saint tantôt demeure caché, tantôt se révèle. Pour le bien de ceux qui désirent la vraie félicité, il accepte d’être honoré comme maître spirituel; et, recevant leurs offrandes avec miséricorde, il réduit en cendres les fautes passées et futures de ses adorateurs.
A saintly person prefers to conceal his exalted spiritual position, but to instruct the suffering people of the world he sometimes reveals his own greatness. This is compared to a fire that sometimes burns unnoticed beneath ashes and sometimes blazes openly. Just as fire devours the ghee and other offerings given by the performers of sacrifice, similarly a saintly person accepts the praise offered by his conditioned followers, knowing that in fact all praise is meant for the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. Although an ordinary person immediately becomes puffed up and foolish when he is praised, such inauspicious tendencies within a saintly person are burned to ashes by his attachment to the Absolute Truth. In this way, he is just like fire.
FAQs
This verse describes a genuine holy person as not always publicly recognizable—sometimes concealed, sometimes openly manifest—yet always worthy of worship for those seeking the highest spiritual good (śreyas).
The verse says the saint accepts gifts from donors and, by that acceptance, burns away their inauspicious karma—both past and future—thus purifying the giver.
Seek authentic devotees and support them with respectful service and charity; give with sincerity (not for prestige), and let that act become a means of purification and spiritual progress.