Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 15
Nābhi’s Sacrifice and Lord Viṣṇu’s Promise to Appear as a Son (Ṛṣabhadeva’s Advent Prelude)
यदु ह वाव तव पुनरदभ्रकर्तरिह समाहूतस्तत्रार्थधियां मन्दानां नस्तद्यद्देवहेलनं देवदेवार्हसि साम्येन सर्वान् प्रतिवोढुमविदुषाम् ॥ १५ ॥
yad u ha vāva tava punar adabhra-kartar iha samāhūtas tatrārtha-dhiyāṁ mandānāṁ nas tad yad deva-helanaṁ deva-devārhasi sāmyena sarvān prativoḍhum aviduṣām.
اے پروردگار! آپ عجیب و غریب لیلائیں اور اعمال کرنے والے ہیں۔ اس عظیم یَجْن کا ہمارا مقصد صرف بیٹے کی طلب تھا، اس لیے ہماری سمجھ کمزور ہے اور ہم زندگی کے اعلیٰ مقصد کے تعین میں ناتجربہ کار ہیں۔ حقیر مادّی غرض سے آپ کو اس یَجْن میں بلا کر ہم نے آپ کے کمل چرنوں کی سخت بے ادبی کی ہے۔ پس اے دیوتاؤں کے دیوتا! اپنی بے سبب رحمت اور یکساں نظر سے ہمارا قصور معاف فرمائیں۔
The priests were certainly unhappy to have called the Supreme Lord from Vaikuṇṭha for such an insignificant reason. A pure devotee never wants to see the Lord unnecessarily. The Lord is engaged in various activities, and the pure devotee does not want to see Him whimsically, for his own sense gratification. The pure devotee simply depends on the Lord’s mercy, and when the Lord is pleased, he can see Him face to face. The Lord is unseen even by demigods like Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva. By calling on the Supreme Lord, the priests of Nābhi Mahārāja proved themselves unintelligent; nonetheless, the Lord came out of His causeless mercy. All of them therefore wanted to be excused by the Lord.
FAQs
This verse shows devotees admitting possible deva-helana (disrespect to the divine) and praying to the Lord of lords to forgive and tolerate the ignorance of conditioned souls.
Because their intelligence is primarily fixed on material goals (artha), they are slow to grasp spiritual truth; thus they require the Lord’s guidance and mercy.
Adopt humility, acknowledge mistakes, and practice tolerance—seeking to respond with steadiness and fairness rather than ego or resentment.