Shloka 13
Varṣa-devatā Worship in Jambūdvīpa: Hayagrīva/Hayaśīrṣa, Nṛsiṁha, Kāmadeva (Pradyumna), Matsya, Kūrma, and Varāha
हरिर्हि साक्षाद्भगवान् शरीरिणा- मात्मा झषाणामिव तोयमीप्सितम् । हित्वा महांस्तं यदि सज्जते गृहे तदा महत्त्वं वयसा दम्पतीनाम् ॥ १३ ॥
harir hi sākṣād bhagavān śarīriṇām ātmā jhaṣāṇām iva toyam īpsitam hitvā mahāṁs taṁ yadi sajjate gṛhe tadā mahattvaṁ vayasā dampatīnām
జలచరాలు ఎల్లప్పుడూ విశాల జలరాశిలోనే ఉండాలని కోరుకునే విధంగా, సమస్త దేహధారులు సహజంగా సాక్షాత్ భగవాన్ హరి—పరమాత్మ—యొక్క మహత్తర సత్తాలో నిలవాలని కోరుతారు. కాబట్టి భౌతిక లెక్కలలో గొప్పవాడైనా ఆ మహాత్ముని ఆశ్రయాన్ని విడిచి గృహాసక్తిలో పడితే, అతని గొప్పతనం యువ, నీచ దంపతుల గొప్పతనంలా మాత్రమే ఉంటుంది; భౌతికాసక్తి ఆధ్యాత్మిక గుణాలను హరిస్తుంది।
Although crocodiles are very fierce animals, they are powerless when they venture out of the water onto land. When they are out of the water, they cannot exhibit their original power. Similarly, the all-pervading Supersoul, Paramātmā, is the source of all living entities, and all living entities are part and parcel of Him. When the living entity remains in contact with the all-pervading Vāsudeva, the Personality of Godhead, he manifests his spiritual power, exactly as the crocodile exhibits its strength in the water. In other words, the greatness of the living entity can be perceived when he is in the spiritual world, engaged in spiritual activities. Many householders, although well-educated in the knowledge of the Vedas, become attached to family life. They are compared herein to crocodiles out of water, for they are devoid of all spiritual strength. Their greatness is like that of a young husband and wife who, though uneducated, praise one another and become attracted to their own temporary beauty. This kind of greatness is appreciated only by low-class men with no qualifications.
FAQs
This verse says that if one abandons the Supreme Lord (Hari) and becomes absorbed in home-centered attachment, one’s so-called greatness becomes only the ‘greatness’ of aging—life passes, but the real purpose (devotion to Hari) is missed.
Just as fish cannot live without water and naturally seek it, embodied beings are sustained and fulfilled only by their true Self, Hari; without devotion to Him, life becomes spiritually suffocating.
Make Hari the center of the home—daily remembrance, chanting, worship, and offering one’s duties to God—so that family life supports bhakti instead of replacing it.