Shloka 22

Nārada’s Past Life, the Lord’s Brief Vision, and the Power of Kīrtana

Devanagari script

सकृद् यद्दर्शितं रूपमेतत्कामाय तेऽनघ । मत्काम: शनकै: साधु सर्वान्मुञ्चति हृच्छयान् ॥ २२ ॥

Transliteration

sakṛd yad darśitaṁ rūpam etat kāmāya te ’nagha mat-kāmaḥ śanakaiḥ sādhu sarvān muñcati hṛc-chayān

Translation

โอ้ผู้ไร้มลทิน เจ้าได้เห็นรูปของเรานี้เพียงครั้งเดียวเพื่อเพิ่มความปรารถนาใฝ่หาเรา เพราะผู้ที่โหยหาเรา ย่อมค่อย ๆ หลุดพ้นจากความใคร่ปรารถนาทางวัตถุทั้งปวงในดวงใจ

Synonyms

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: क्रियाविशेषण (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb): ‘once’

• यत्: which
• यत्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom/Acc sg); सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• दर्शितम्: shown
• दर्शितम्: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa/Qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/कर्मणि भूतकृदन्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘shown’

• रूपम्: form
• रूपम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom/Acc sg)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषण (demonstrative) ‘this’

• कामाय: for desire (for longing)
• कामाय: सम्प्रदान (Sampradāna/Recipient-purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी एकवचन (Dative sg)

• ते: your / of you
• ते: सम्बन्ध (Sambandha/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी एकवचन (Gen sg) / चतुर्थी एकवचन (Dat sg) रूप; अत्र षष्ठी: ‘of you/your’

• अनघ: O sinless one
• अनघ: सम्बोधन (Sambodhana/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन (Voc sg); विशेषणरूपेण संबोधन

• मत्कामः: one who desires me (my-desirer)
• मत्कामः: कर्ता (Kartā/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत् (अस्मद्-षष्ठी) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom sg)

• शनकैः: gradually
• शनकैः: क्रियाविशेषण (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शनकैः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), क्रियाविशेषण (manner adverb): ‘gradually/slowly’

• साधु: well
• साधु: क्रियाविशेषण (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साधु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), क्रियाविशेषण: ‘well/properly’

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया बहुवचन (Acc pl); ‘all’ (qualifying hṛcchayān)

• मुञ्चति: releases
• मुञ्चति: क्रिया (Kriyā/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘releases/lets go’

• हृच्छयान्: desires of the heart
• हृच्छयान्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृत् (प्रातिपदिक) + शय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (हृदः शयाः = heart-dwellers); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया बहुवचन (Acc pl)

Purport

A living being cannot be vacant of desires. He is not a dead stone. He must be working, thinking, feeling and willing. But when he thinks, feels and wills materially, he becomes entangled, and conversely when he thinks, feels and wills for the service of the Lord, he becomes gradually freed from all entanglement. The more a person is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, the more he acquires a hankering for it. That is the transcendental nature of godly service. Material service has satiation, whereas spiritual service of the Lord has neither satiation nor end. One can go on increasing his hankerings for the loving transcendental service of the Lord, and yet he will not find satiation or end. By intense service of the Lord, one can experience the presence of the Lord transcendentally. Therefore seeing the Lord means being engaged in His service because His service and His person are identical. The sincere devotee should go on with sincere service of the Lord. The Lord will give proper direction as to how and where it has to be done. There was no material desire in Nārada, and yet just to increase his intense desire for the Lord, he was so advised.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada Muni
• Vyāsadeva

FAQs

How does Srimad Bhagavatam explain the purification of desires through bhakti?

This verse says that when one becomes mat-kāma—desiring only the Lord—a saintly devotee gradually relinquishes all latent heart-desires (hṛc-chayān).

Why did Narada Muni say this to Vyasadeva in Canto 1 Chapter 6?

Nārada instructs Vyāsa that true spiritual fulfillment is not in satisfying separate desires, but in exclusive devotion to the Lord, which naturally dissolves other cravings over time.

How can I apply the teaching of “mat-kāmaḥ śanakaiḥ” in modern life?

Keep your primary aim as devotion to the Lord (mat-kāma), and practice consistently—your secondary cravings and anxieties will lessen gradually rather than instantly.