Verse 1.5.12-14

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.5.12-14:

यस्य प्रसादः सन्-मौन-शान्ति-भक्त्य्-आदि-साधनैः ।
प्रार्थ्यो नः स स्वयं वोऽभूत् प्रसन्नो वश-वर्त्य् अपि ॥ १४ ॥

yasya prasādaḥ san-mauna-śānti-bhakty-ādi-sādhanaiḥ |
prārthyo naḥ sa svayaṃ vo'bhūt prasanno vaśa-varty api || 14 ||

The mercy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa cannot be achieved by our devotional practices such as self-satisfaction, neutrality, devotion, or the association of saintly persons. Yet that same Śrī Kṛṣṇa who is pleased with you without any sādhana is under your dominance.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

Now Śrī Nārada, declaring that the Pāṇḍavas are superior to even great sages who are worshipable in the whole world, narrates the verse beginning with yasya. One can pray for the special mercy of Śrī Devakī-nandana by the following processes: The vow of utmost silence, or quality of being self-satisfied, peacefulness or liberation, the ninefold processes of devotional service, the darśana of the Deity and the association of Vaiṣṇavas. However, that mercy, which is unobtainable by those who practice these devotional processes, that same Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is pleased with you without performing any sādhana. He is not only pleased, but He is controlled by you and performs tasks such as following your orders.

Mahārāja Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira once exclaimed, “What great fortune of Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja! He is most glorious! He is the recipient of Bhagavān’s special mercy; however, we are most inglorious!”

In this way, considering himself so unfortunate, Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira became anxious, then Śrī Nārada addressed him (in the end portion of the narration of Prahlāda’s activities) (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhāgavata Purāṇa 7.10.48-50, 7.15.75-77):

यूयं नृ-लोके बत भूरि-भागा लोकं पुनाना मुनयो’भियन्ति
येषां गृहान् आवसतीति साक्षाद् गूढं परं ब्रह्म मनुष्य-लिङ्गम्
स वा अयं ब्रह्म महद्-विमृग्य कैवल्य-निर्वाण-सुखानुभूतिः
प्रियः सुहृद् वः खलु मातुलेय आत्मार्हणीयो विधि-कृद् गुरुश् च
न यस्य साक्षाद् भव-पद्मजादिभी रूपं धिया वस्तुतयोपवर्णितम्
मौनेन भक्त्योपशमेन पूजितः प्रसीदताम् एष स सात्वतां पतिः

yūyaṃ nṛ-loke bata bhūri-bhāgā lokaṃ punānā munayo’bhiyanti
yeṣāṃ gṛhān āvasatīti sākṣād gūḍhaṃ paraṃ brahma manuṣya-liṅgam
sa vā ayaṃ brahma mahad-vimṛgya kaivalya-nirvāṇa-sukhānubhūtiḥ
priyaḥ suhṛd vaḥ khalu mātuleya ātmārhaṇīyo vidhi-kṛd guruś ca
na yasya sākṣād bhava-padmajādibhī rūpaṃ dhiyā vastutayopavarṇitam
maunena bhaktyopaśamena pūjitaḥ prasīdatām eṣa sa sātvatāṃ patiḥ

“O King, that Prahlāda is fortunate and we are unfortunate—do not become distressed by thinking like this! In the planet of mortal beings, you people are most fortunate, because the sages who purify the world constantly visit your abode and in your abode the Supreme Brahman is secretly living in the form of a human being. That Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Brahman; therefore, even illustrious people are searching after Him in experiencing the happiness of impersonal liberation. However, that same Supreme Brahman is your beloved well-wisher and the son of your maternal uncle. He is your very soul, worshipful Deity, obedient servant and spiritual master. Therefore, who is as fortunate as you? O King, even the demigods such as Śiva and Brahmā cannot ascertain His form by their intelligence, then how can I describe Him? May that same Bhagavān, who is controlled by the devotees, be pleased through the vows of silence, control of the senses and only be worshipped by devotion.”

Saying this, Śrī Nārada pointed out Śrī Bhagavān who was seated in that assembly. The purport is that the rarely attained Supreme Brahman, being extremely merciful unto you, is present at this moment to give darśana to everyone; therefore, what more can I say about your great fortune? Now if you ask what is the need of the constant visits of sages who purify the world to our abode? In reply to this, he says that confidentially the Supreme Brahman is directly present in your house in human form. Therefore, sages visit to have His darśana.

In this way, after narrating about the concealed residence of Bhagavān, he is speaking about His greatly difficult to attain nature. Demigods such as Brahmā and great sages such as Sanaka could not entirely describe His form. Furthermore, demigods such as Brahmā are searching for Him in the Vedas. However, they could not obtain Him in His direct form and therefore describe Him in the form of the bliss of impersonal liberation, that is, as the topmost happiness without any qualities. This most confidential and indescribable Supreme Brahman is indeed your beloved well-wisher. Here beloved means prīti-kārī or well-wisher which means causeless benefactor. Soul means the object of great affection. Worshipful means “being worthy of worship due to being the worshipful Deity (iṣṭa-deva).” Vidha-kṛta means “fulfiller of commands or follower of orders.”

Now if the question is raised that, despite being the Supreme Brahman, why did He accept the hand of sixteen thousand one hundred and eight queens in marriage and why did he follow the rituals of religiosity? Therefore, Śrī Nārada says: yasya rūpaṃ tattvam. Even demigods such as Brahmā could not describe the absolute truth with assurety. Only on the fine intelligence of the demigods is a single limb of beauty of the Supreme Brahman shown, though directly visible, and that but a tiny depiction by using the logic of “pointing out the direction” such as, “like this and like that” is something to be said.

However, they were unable to describe His glories clearly or fully. Therefore, if His great majesty and sweet pastimes are indescribable, then how can demigods experience or describe them? “Although I have mainly mentioned the names of Bhava (Śiva) and Padma-yoni (Brahmā), even we, namely, myself and great sages such as Sanaka are also unable to describe His glories definitively or experience His pastimes. However, that same highly glorious Supreme Brahman is very pleased with you. Although by the practice of the vow of silence and other austerities we pray for His mercy, still we cannot obtain it.”

The purport is that this Supreme Brahman did not live in the abode of Śrī Prahlāda in His original form and even great sages did not go to His abode for darśana. Rather, the Supreme Brahman does not have any relationship with Śrī Prahlāda as the son of the maternal uncle as the Pāṇḍavas have. Therefore, you people are more fortunate in comparison with Śrī Prahlāda. What more can I say? You alone are most fortunate in comparison to such demigods as Śiva and Brahmā, sages like Sanaka and myself, and other devotees of Bhagavān.