Text 41]
The Activities of the Pracetās
1541
tad aham bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” (Bg. 9.26)
Thus there are restrictions for the advanced Āryans. Although the Lord Himself can eat anything and everything, He nonetheless restricts Himself to vegetables, fruits, milk, and so on. This verse thus describes the activities of those who claim to be Āryans.
TEXT 41
मनुः स्वयम्भूर्मगवान् भवश्च येऽन्ये तपोज्ञानविशुद्धसत्त्वाः । अदृष्टपारा अपि यन्महिम्नः स्तुवन्त्यथो त्वाऽऽत्मसमं गृणीमः ॥४१॥
manuḥ svayambhūr bhagavān bhavaś ca ye 'nye tapo-jñāna-viśuddha-sattvāḥ adṛṣṭa-pārā api yan-mahimnaḥ stuvanty atho tvātma-samam gṛṇṭmaḥ
manuḥ—Svāyambhuva Manu; svayam-bhūḥ—Lord Brahmā; bhagavān—the most powerful; bhavaḥ—Lord Śiva; ca—also; ye—who; anye—others; tapaḥ—by austerity; jñāna—by knowledge; viśuddha—pure; sattvāḥ—whose existence; adṛṣṭa-pārāḥ—who cannot see the end; api—although; yat—Your; mahimnaḥ—of glories; stuvanti—they offer prayers; atho—therefore; tvā—unto You; ātma-samam—according to capacity; gṛṇṭmaḥ—we offered prayers.
TRANSLATION
Dear Lord, even great yogīs and mystics who are very much advanced by virtue of austerities and knowledge and who have completely situated themselves in pure existence, as well as great personalities like Manu, Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, cannot fully understand Your glories and potencies. Nonetheless they have offered their prayers according to their own capacities. In the same way, we, although much lower than these personalities, also offer our prayers according to our own capability.