534 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 12

son’s advancement in every respect, so the spiritual master is very happy
to observe the ascendancy of his disciple.

TEXT 41
AC Jaa
MUM GIA at Ay |
ceragrraratt = acarfeait
Aad waafed FR TT: We2HI

narada uvaca
niinam suniteh pati-devatayas
tapah-prabhavasya sutasya tar gatim
drstvabhyupayan api veda-vadino
naivadhigantum prabhavanti kim nrpah

naradah uvaca--Narada said; ninam—certainly; suniteh—of Suniti; pati-
devatadyah—very much attached to her husband; tapah-prabhdvasya—by the
influence of austerity; sutasya—of the son; tam—that; gatim—position;
drstvd—observing; abh yupayan—the means; api—although; veda-vadinah—
strict followers of the Vedic principles or the so-called Vedantists; na—
never; eva—certainly ; adhigantum—to attain; prabhavanti—are eligible; kim
—what to speak of; nrpah—ordinary kings.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Narada said: Simply by the influence of his spiritual ad-
vancement and powerful austerity, Dhruva Maharaja, the son of Suniti,
who was devoted to her husband, acquired an exalted position not possible
even for the so-called Vedantists or strict followers of the Vedic principles
to attain, not to speak of ordinary human beings.

PURPORT

In this verse the word veda-vadinah is very significant. Generally, a per-
son who strictly follows the Vedic principles is called veda-vadi. There are
also so-called Vedantists who advertise themselves as followers of Vedanta
philosophy but who misinterpret Vedanta. This expression is also found in
the Bhagavad-gita: veda-vada-ratah, which means persons who are attached
to the Vedas without understanding the purport of the Vedas. Such persons
may go on talking about the Vedas or may execute austerities in their own
