Shloka 41
Vidura’s Questions on Devotion and Sarga; Maitreya Begins the Account of Creation
मार्गन्ति यत्ते मुखपद्मनीडै- श्छन्द:सुपर्णैऋर्षयो विविक्ते । यस्याघमर्षोदसरिद्वराया: पदं पदं तीर्थपद: प्रपन्ना: ॥ ४१ ॥
mārganti yat te mukha-padma-nīḍaiś chandaḥ-suparṇair ṛṣayo vivikte yasyāgha-marṣoda-sarid-varāyāḥ padaṁ padaṁ tīrtha-padaḥ prapannāḥ
Les sages à l’esprit limpide, portés par les ailes des Védas, recherchent dans la solitude le nid de Ton visage de lotus. Et puisque Tes pieds sont d’eux‑mêmes l’abri de tous les lieux saints, ils se rendent à Tes pieds à chaque pas, en prenant refuge auprès du plus noble des fleuves, la Gaṅgā, qui efface le péché.
The paramahaṁsas are compared to royal swans who make their nests on the petals of the lotus flower. The Lord’s transcendental bodily parts are always compared to the lotus flower because in the material world the lotus flower is the last word in beauty. The most beautiful thing in the world is the Vedas, or Bhagavad-gītā, because therein knowledge is imparted by the Personality of Godhead Himself. The paramahaṁsa makes his nest in the lotuslike face of the Lord and always seeks shelter at His lotus feet, which are reached by the wings of Vedic wisdom. Since the Lord is the original source of all emanations, intelligent persons, enlightened by Vedic knowledge, seek the shelter of the Lord, just as birds who leave the nest again search out the nest to take complete rest. All Vedic knowledge is meant for understanding the Supreme Lord, as stated by the Lord in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) : vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ. Intelligent persons, who are like swans, take shelter of the Lord by all means and do not hover on the mental plane by fruitlessly speculating on different philosophies.
FAQs
This verse says sages seek the Supreme Lord through the Vedic meters and hymns, poetically described as winged carriers arising from His lotus mouth—implying the Vedas ultimately point to Him.
In teaching devotion and purification, Maitreya explains that true sanctity comes from the Lord’s lotus feet; even the greatest sacred river is holy because it takes shelter of Him at every step.
Use scripture (mantra, study, chanting) as a direct means to remember God, and treat pilgrimage or sacred practices as meaningful when they deepen surrender and devotion to the Lord.