Shloka 4
Prahlāda Rejects Material Boons; Forgives His Father; Tripura and the Power of Remembrance
नान्यथा तेऽखिलगुरो घटेत करुणात्मन: । यस्त आशिष आशास्ते न स भृत्य: स वै वणिक् ॥ ४ ॥
nānyathā te ’khila-guro ghaṭeta karuṇātmanaḥ yas ta āśiṣa āśāste na sa bhṛtyaḥ sa vai vaṇik
О вселенский Учитель, милосердный Господь! Ты не станешь побуждать преданного к тому, что ему во вред. Тот, кто служит ради материальной выгоды, не чистый преданный; он как торговец.
It is sometimes found that one comes to a devotee or a temple of the Lord just to get some material benefit. Such a person is described here as a mercantile man. Bhagavad-gītā speaks of ārto jijñāsur arthārthī. The word ārta refers to one who is physically distressed, and arthārthī refers to one in need of money. Such persons are forced to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead for mitigation of their distress or to get some money by the benediction of the Lord. They have been described as sukṛtī, pious, because in their distress or need for money they have approached the Supreme Lord. Unless one is pious, one cannot approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, although a pious man may receive some material benefit, one who is concerned with material benefits cannot be a pure devotee. When a pure devotee receives material opulences, this is not because of his pious activity but for the service of the Lord. When one engages in devotional service, one is automatically pious. Therefore, a pure devotee is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam. He has no desire for material profit, nor does the Lord induce him to try to profit materially. When a devotee needs something, the Supreme Personality of Godhead supplies it ( yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham ).
FAQs
In this verse, Prahlāda teaches that devotion mixed with a desire for rewards is transactional; a true servant loves and serves the Lord without bargaining for benedictions.
After the Lord protected him, Prahlāda offered prayers emphasizing pure bhakti—he did not want to approach the Lord as a dealer for boons, but as a surrendered servant.
Serve and pray with gratitude and integrity—do your spiritual practice for purification and love, not merely for material outcomes, status, or favors.