Shloka 42
Prahlāda’s Prayers Pacify Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva
Prahlāda-stuti and the Lord’s Benediction Offer
को न्वत्र तेऽखिलगुरो भगवन्प्रयास उत्तारणेऽस्य भवसम्भवलोपहेतो: । मूढेषु वै महदनुग्रह आर्तबन्धो किं तेन ते प्रियजनाननुसेवतां न: ॥ ४२ ॥
ko nv atra te ’khila-guro bhagavan prayāsa uttāraṇe ’sya bhava-sambhava-lopa-hetoḥ mūḍheṣu vai mahad-anugraha ārta-bandho kiṁ tena te priya-janān anusevatāṁ naḥ
हे भगवन्, अखिलगुरो! जन्म-मरणाचे कारण असलेल्या या भवबंधनातून जीवांना पार पाडण्यात तुम्हाला काय कष्ट? हे आर्तबंधो! मूढांवर कृपा करणे हे महापुरुषांचे स्वभावधर्म आहे. म्हणून आम्ही जे तुमच्या सेवेत लागलो आहोत, तुमचे प्रियजन, आमच्यावर तुम्ही निःकारण दया करालच.
Here the words priya-janān anusevatāṁ naḥ indicate that the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is very favorable to devotees who act according to the instructions of His own pure devotee. In other words, one must become the servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord. If one wants to become the servant of the Lord directly, this is not as fruitful as engaging in the service of the Lord’s servant. This is the direction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who shows us the way to become gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ. One should not be proud of becoming directly the servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Rather, one must seek a pure devotee, a servant of the Lord, and engage oneself in the service of such a servant. The more one becomes the servant of the servant, the more one becomes perfect in devotional service. This is also the injunction of Bhagavad-gītā: evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. One can understand the science of the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply by the paramparā system. In this regard, Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta-sane vāsa: “Let me serve the lotus feet of the devotees of the Lord, and let me live with devotees.” Janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa. Following Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, one should aspire to be a servant of the Lord’s servant, life after life. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura also sings, tumi ta’ ṭhākura, tomāra kukura, baliyā jānaha more: “O my Lord, O Vaiṣṇava, please consider me your dog.” One must become the dog of a Vaiṣṇava, a pure devotee, for a pure devotee can deliver Kṛṣṇa without difficulty. Kṛṣṇa se tomāra, kṛṣṇa dite pāra . Kṛṣṇa is the property of His pure devotee, and if we take shelter of a pure devotee, he can deliver Kṛṣṇa very easily. Prahlāda wants to engage in the service of a devotee, and therefore he prays to Kṛṣṇa, “My dear Lord, kindly give me the shelter of Your very dear devotee so that I may engage in his service and You may then be pleased.” Mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā ( Bhāg. 11.19.21). The Lord says, “Engaging in the service of My devotee is better than trying to engage in My devotional service.”
FAQs
Prahlāda says there is no real “effort” for the Supreme Lord to deliver beings, because the Lord is the very cause of ending repeated birth and material existence.
After being saved, Prahlāda offers prayers highlighting the Lord’s boundless compassion—if the Lord shows great mercy even to the deluded, then His affectionate care for devoted servants is beyond doubt.
It encourages trust in divine protection and motivates steady devotional practice: if God helps even the misguided, sincere service and remembrance invite even greater guidance and relief in distress.