Verse 2.1.78

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.1.78:

देव्याः प्रभावाद् आनन्दम् अस्याप्य् आराधने लभे ।
तन् न जह्यां कदाप्य् एनम् एतन् मन्त्र-जपं न च ॥ ७८ ॥

devyāḥ prabhāvād ānandam asyāpy ārādhane labhe |
tan na jahyāṃ kadāpy enam etan mantra-japaṃ na ca || 78 ||

devyāḥ–of the goddess; prabhāvāt–by the power; ānandam–happiness; asya–of Him; api–however; ārādhane–in the worship; labhe–I get; tat–therefore; na jahyām–I shall not abandon; kadā api–ever; enam–Him; etan–this; mantra-japam–chanting of His mantra; na–not; ca–also.

“Although the qualities of being the Supreme Lord of the universe are not fully manifest in my Lord, still, by the potency of the goddess, I derive happiness from worshiping Him. Therefore, I shall never abandon Him or the chanting of His mantra.”

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

The brāhmaṇa might be questioned, “Can you not feel the same happiness in your heart through the worship of any other?” He replies in this verse beginning with devyā, saying, “Although my Lord does not possess the characteristics of the Lord of the universe, nevertheless, by Devī’s power, I experience joy in worshiping Him.”

One might further object, “If your Prabhu does not have the qualities of the Lord of the universe, then you should give up worshiping Him and worship someone else instead.” The brāhmaṇa answers this in the line beginning with tat. Here tat means, “Because of my respect for Devī’s order,–or, alternatively, “Because I experience bliss,”–I can never give up either my worshipable Deity or the chanting of His mantra.”