Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 27
The Prayers of the Personified Vedas (Śruti-stuti) and the Indescribable Absolute
तव परि ये चरन्त्यखिलसत्त्वनिकेततया त उत पदाक्रमन्त्यविगणय्य शिरो निर्ऋतेः । परिवयसे पशूनिव गिरा विबुधानपि तां- स्त्वयि कृतसौहृदा: खलु पुनन्ति न ये विमुखा: ॥ २७ ॥
tava pari ye caranty akhila-sattva-niketatayā ta uta padākramanty avigaṇayya śiro nirṛteḥ parivayase paśūn iva girā vibudhān api tāṁs tvayi kṛta-sauhṛdāḥ khalu punanti na ye vimukhāḥ
Những người sùng kính thờ Ngài như nơi nương tựa của muôn loài thì coi thường tử thần và đặt chân lên đầu Diêm Vương. Nhưng bằng lời Veda, Ngài trói buộc kẻ quay lưng, dù họ là học giả uyên thâm, như trói loài vật. Chỉ những bhakta đầy tình thân với Ngài, không ngoảnh mặt, mới tự thanh tịnh và thanh tịnh người khác; kẻ thù nghịch thì không.
The personified Vedas have now set aside the erroneous philosophies of several contending schools: the asad-utpatti-vāda of the Vaiśeṣikas, who presume a material source of creation; the sad-vināśa-vada of the Naiyāyikas, who would deprive the liberated soul of consciousness; the saguṇatva-bheda-vāda of the Sāṅkhyas, who isolate the soul from all his apparent qualities; the vipaṇa-vāda of the Mīmāṁsakas, who condemn the soul to eternal involvement in the mundane commerce of karma; and the vivarta-vāda of the Māyāvādīs, who denigrate the soul’s real life in this world as a hallucination. Having rejected all these ideas, the personified Vedas now present the philosophy of devotional service, paricaryā-vāda.
FAQs
This verse says devotees, sheltered in the Lord who is the abode of all beings, disregard Death itself—symbolically “stepping on the head of Mṛtyu”—because devotion fixes them in the Lord beyond mortality.
The personified Vedas (Śrutis) speak to the Supreme Lord, presenting the Vedic conclusion that pure devotion grants fearlessness, purifies the world, and leads to liberation.
Keeping the company of sincere devotees—those not averse to God—uplifts one’s habits, speech, and values, making spiritual practice easier and reducing fear, anxiety, and material obsession.