1526
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 30]
TEXT 31
वरं वृणीमहेऽथापि नाथ त्वत्परतः परात् । न ह्यन्तस्त्वद्विभूतीनां सोऽनन्त इति गीयसे ॥३१॥
varam vṛṇṭmahe 'thāpi nātha tvat parataḥ parāt na hy antas tvad-vibhūtīnām so 'nanta iti gīyase
varam —benediction;  vṛṇṭmahe —we shall pray for;  athāpi —therefore;  nātha —O Lord;  tvat —from You;  parataḥ parāt —beyond the transcendence;  na-not ;  hi —certainly;  antaḥ —end;  tvat —Your;  vibhūtīnām —of opulences;  saḥ —You;  anantaḥ —unlimited;  iti —thus;  gīyase —are celebrated.
TRANSLATION
Dear Lord, we shall therefore pray for Your benediction because You are the Supreme beyond all transcendence and because there is no end to Your opulences. Consequently You are celebrated by the name Ananta.
PURPORT
There was no need for the Pracetās to ask any benediction from the Supreme Lord because the devotees are simply satisfied by the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Dhruva Mahārāja practiced severe austerities and penances to see the Supreme Lord, and his intention was to receive benediction from the Lord. He wanted to acquire the throne of his father—or attain an even better position—but when he was actually in the presence of the Supreme Lord, he forgot everything. He said, “My dear Lord, I do not wish to ask any benediction.” This is the actual position of the devotee. The devotee simply wants to be in the presence of the Supreme Lord—either in this world or in the next—and engage in His service. That is the ultimate goal and benediction for the devotees.
The Lord asked the Pracetās to pray for some benediction, and they said, “What kind of benediction should we pray for? The Lord is unlimited, and there are unlimited benedictions.” The purport is that if one must ask for benediction, he must ask for unlimited benediction. The words  tvat parataḥ  are very significant in this verse. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is  parataḥ parāt . The word  para  means transcendental, beyond this material world. The impersonal Brahman effulgence is beyond this