Shloka 28
Citraketu Offends Śiva, Is Cursed by Pārvatī, and Is Glorified as a Vaiṣṇava
नारायणपरा: सर्वे न कुतश्चन बिभ्यति । स्वर्गापवर्गनरकेष्वपि तुल्यार्थदर्शिन: ॥ २८ ॥
nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati svargāpavarga-narakeṣv api tulyārtha-darśinaḥ
Les dévots entièrement voués à Nārāyaṇa ne craignent aucune condition d’existence. Pour eux, le ciel, la délivrance et l’enfer se valent, car ils ne recherchent que le service du Seigneur.
Pārvatī might naturally have inquired how devotees become so exalted. Therefore this verse explains that they are nārāyaṇa-para, simply dependent on Nārāyaṇa. They do not mind reverses in life because in the service of Nārāyaṇa they have learned to tolerate whatever hardships there may be. They do not care whether they are in heaven or in hell: they simply engage in the service of the Lord. This is their excellence. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam: they are liberally engaged in the service of the Lord, and therefore they are excellent. By using the word bhṛtya-bhṛtyānām, Lord Śiva pointed out that although Citraketu provided one example of tolerance and excellence, all the devotees who have taken shelter of the Lord as eternal servants are glorious. They have no eagerness to be happy by being placed in the heavenly planets, becoming liberated or becoming one with Brahman, the supreme effulgence. These benefits do not appeal to their minds. They are simply interested in giving direct service to the Lord.
FAQs
This verse states that those who are fully devoted to Nārāyaṇa do not fear anything, because their shelter is the Lord rather than external circumstances.
Because a Nārāyaṇa-centered devotee values only devotion and service; pleasure, suffering, or even liberation are secondary and do not change their commitment.
Anchor your identity in devotional practice (hearing, chanting, remembrance) so success, loss, praise, or hardship do not shake your inner purpose.