Shloka 46
Matsya-avatāra: The Lord as Fish Saves the Vedas and Guides Satyavrata
श्रीराजोवाच अनाद्यविद्योपहतात्मसंविद- स्तन्मूलसंसारपरिश्रमातुरा: । यदृच्छयोपसृता यमाप्नुयु- र्विमुक्तिदो न: परमो गुरुर्भवान् ॥ ४६ ॥
śrī-rājovāca anādy-avidyopahatātma-saṁvidas tan-mūla-saṁsāra-pariśramāturāḥ yadṛcchayopasṛtā yam āpnuyur vimuktido naḥ paramo gurur bhavān
Raja berkata: Mereka yang sejak tiada berawal kehilangan kesedaran diri kerana avidyā, dan kerana akar kejahilan itu letih oleh kepayahan samsara, dengan rahmat Tuhan berpeluang mendekati bhakta pemberi pembebasan seperti tuan. Tuanlah guru tertinggi kami.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is actually the supreme spiritual master. The Supreme Lord knows everything about the suffering of the conditioned soul, and therefore He appears in this material world, sometimes personally, sometimes by an incarnation and sometimes by authorizing a living being to act on His behalf. In all cases, however, He is the original spiritual master who enlightens the conditioned souls who are suffering in the material world. The Lord is always busy helping the conditioned souls in many ways. Therefore He is addressed here as paramo gurur bhavān. The representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who acts to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness is also guided by the Supreme Lord to act properly in executing the Lord’s order. Such a person may appear to be an ordinary human being, but because he acts on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme spiritual master, he is not to be neglected as ordinary. It is therefore said, ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt: an ācārya who acts on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead should be understood to be as good as the Supreme Lord Himself.
FAQs
This verse says that conditioned souls, exhausted by saṁsāra rooted in ignorance, attain the supreme goal when they come close to the Lord by good fortune; He is the giver of liberation.
In the Matsya-avatāra narrative (Canto 8, Chapter 24), the King recognizes the Lord before him and prays, acknowledging that only the Lord can remove ignorance and grant liberation.
Seek sādhana and guidance that brings you nearer to the Supreme—hearing, reflection, and devotion—so that life is not spent in anxious labor born of misidentification, but directed toward lasting freedom.