TEXT 53

dharmo 'tha papa-nicayah srutayas tapamsi
brahmadi-kita-patagavadhayas ca jivah
yad-datta-matra-vibhava-prakata-prabhava
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

WORD FOR WORD

dharmah--virtue; atha--also; papa-nicayah--all vices; srutayah--the Vedas; tapamsi--penances; brahma-adi--beginning from Lord Brahma; kita-pataga-- insects; avadhayah--down to; ca--and; jivah--jivas; yat--by whom; datta-- conferred; matra--exclusively; vibhava--by the power; prakata--manifested ; prabhavah--potencies; govindam--Govinda; adi-purusam--the original person; tam--Him; aham--I; bhajami--worship.

TRANSLATION

I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, by whose conferred power are maintained the manifested potencies, that are found to exist, of all virtues, all vices, the Vedas, the penances and all jivas, from Brahma to the meanest insect.

PURPORT

By dharma is meant the allotted functions of varna and asrama manifested by the twenty dharma-sastras on the authority of the Vedas. Of these two divisions varna-dharma is that function which is the outcome of the distinctive natures of the four varnas, viz., brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra and asrama-dharma is that function which is appropriate to the respective asramas or stations of those who belong to the four stages, viz., brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. All customary activities of mankind have been targeted in these twofold divisions. Sins mean nescience, the root of all sins and sinful desire, also the greatest iniquities and sins flowing from them and the ordinary sins, i.e., all sorts of unprincipled conduct. The category of the srutis means Rg, Sama, Yajur and Atharva and the Upanisads which form the crest jewels of the Veda. The tapas mean all regular practices that are learnt with the view of the attainment of the proper function of the self. In many cases, e.g., in the form known as panca-tapas these practices are of a difficult character (yoga) with its eight constituents limbs and devotedness to the knowledge of the undifferentiated Brahman are included therein. All these are so many distinctive features within the revolving round of the fruitive activities of conditioned souls. The conditioned souls are embarked on a sojourn of successive births from 84 lakhs of varieties of generating organs. They are differentiated into different orders of beings as divas, danavas, raksasas, manavas, nagas, kinnaras, and gandharvas. These jivas, from Brahma down to the small insect, are infinite in type. They make up the aggregate of the conditioned souls from the degree of Brahma to that of the little fly and are the distinctive features within the revolving wheel of karma. Every one of them is endowed with distinctive powers as individuals and is powerful in a particular sphere. But these powers are by their nature not fully developed in them. The degree of power and nature of property vary according to the measure of manifestation of the possessions of the individual conferred upon him by Sri Govinda.