प्रसीदतोऽत्यन्तशमं स्वत: स्वयम् ।
यन्नित्यसम्बन्धनिषेवया तत:
परं किमत्रास्ति मुखं हविर्भुजाम् ॥ ४० ॥
prasīdato 'tyanta-śamaṁ svataḥ svayam
yan-nitya-sambandha-niṣevayā tataḥ
paraṁ kim atrāsti mukhaṁ havir-bhujām
janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa
SYNONYMS
pumān—a person; labheta—can achieve; anati-velam—without delay; ātmanaḥ—of his soul; prasīdataḥ—being satisfied; atyanta—the greatest; śamam—peace; svataḥ—automatically; svayam—personally; yat—whose; nitya—regular; sambandha—relationship; niṣevayā—by dint of service; tataḥ—after that; param—superior; kim—what; atra—here; asti—there is; mukham—happiness; haviḥ—clarified butter; bhujām—those who drink.
TRANSLATION
By regular service to the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, one can clear the dirt from his heart and thus enjoy supreme peace and liberation from material attachment and be satisfied. In this world there is no fruitive activity superior to serving the brāhmaṇa class, for this can bring pleasure to the demigods, for whom the many sacrifices are recommended.
PURPORT
In Bhagavad-gītā (2.65) it is said: prasāde sarva-duḥkhānāṁ hānir asyopajāyate. Unless one is self-satisfied, he cannot be free from the miserable conditions of material existence. Therefore it is essential to render service to the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas to achieve the perfection of self-satisfaction. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore says:
janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa
The particular use of the word anativelam ("without delay ") is very significant because simply by serving brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas one can get liberation. There is no need to undergo severe penances and austerities. The vivid example of this is Nārada Muni himself. In his previous birth, he was simply a maidservant's son, but he got the opportunity to serve exalted brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, and thus in his next life he not only became liberated, but became famous as the supreme spiritual master of the entire Vaiṣṇava disciplic succession. According to the Vedic system, therefore, it is customarily recommended that after performing a ritualistic ceremony, one should feed the brāhmaṇas.