Shloka 26
Kuntī’s Prayers and the Neutralization of the Brahmāstra
Uttarā Protected; Yudhiṣṭhira’s Grief Begins
जन्मैश्वर्यश्रुतश्रीभिरेधमानमद: पुमान् । नैवार्हत्यभिधातुं वै त्वामकिञ्चनगोचरम् ॥ २६ ॥
janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir edhamāna-madaḥ pumān naivārhaty abhidhātuṁ vai tvām akiñcana-gocaram
പ്രഭോ! നിങ്ങൾ എളുപ്പത്തിൽ സമീപിക്കപ്പെടുന്നവൻ; എന്നാൽ ഭൗതികാസക്തി ശൂന്യമായ അകിഞ്ചനർക്കു മാത്രമേ ഗമ്യമാകൂ. ജന്മം, ഐശ്വര്യം, വിദ്യ, ദേഹശ്രീ എന്നിവയുടെ മദത്തിൽ വളരുന്നവൻ ശുദ്ധഭാവത്തോടെ നിങ്ങളെ സമീപിക്കുകയില്ല.
Being materially advanced means taking birth in an aristocratic family and possessing great wealth, an education and attractive personal beauty. All materialistic men are mad after possessing all these material opulences, and this is known as the advancement of material civilization. But the result is that by possessing all these material assets one becomes artificially puffed up, intoxicated by such temporary possessions. Consequently, such materially puffed up persons are incapable of uttering the holy name of the Lord by addressing Him feelingly, “O Govinda, O Kṛṣṇa.” It is said in the śāstras that by once uttering the holy name of the Lord, the sinner gets rid of a quantity of sins that he is unable to commit. Such is the power of uttering the holy name of the Lord. There is not the least exaggeration in this statement. Actually the Lord’s holy name has such powerful potency. But there is a quality to such utterances also. It depends on the quality of feeling. A helpless man can feelingly utter the holy name of the Lord, whereas a man who utters the same holy name in great material satisfaction cannot be so sincere. A materially puffed up person may utter the holy name of the Lord occasionally, but he is incapable of uttering the name in quality. Therefore, the four principles of material advancement, namely (1) high parentage, (2) good wealth, (3) high education and (4) attractive beauty, are, so to speak, disqualifications for progress on the path of spiritual advancement. The material covering of the pure spirit soul is an external feature, as much as fever is an external feature of the unhealthy body. The general process is to decrease the degree of the fever and not to aggravate it by maltreatment. Sometimes it is seen that spiritually advanced persons become materially impoverished. This is no discouragement. On the other hand, such impoverishment is a good sign as much as the falling of temperature is a good sign. The principle of life should be to decrease the degree of material intoxication which leads one to be more and more illusioned about the aim of life. Grossly illusioned persons are quite unfit for entrance into the kingdom of God.
FAQs
It says that pride arising from high birth, opulence, learning, and beauty disqualifies a person from truly approaching or addressing the Lord, who is accessible to the humble and materially detached.
In her prayers, Kuntīdevī emphasizes that Kṛṣṇa is most approachable to those who have no material shelter and thus take exclusive refuge in Him, contrasting them with the materially proud.
Cultivate humility by seeing achievements and advantages as temporary, reduce dependence on status and possessions, and consciously practice devotion through gratitude, service, and sincere prayer.