na kāmaye ’haṁ gatim īśvarāt parām
na kāmaye ’haṁ gatim īśvarāt parām
aṣṭarddhi-yuktām apunar-bhavaṁ vā
ārtiṁ prapadye ’khila-deha-bhājām
antaḥ-sthito yena bhavanty aduḥkhāḥ
I do not pray to the Supreme Lord for the eight perfections of mystic yoga, nor for salvation from repeated birth and death. I want only to stay among all the living entities and suffer all distresses on their behalf, so that they may be freed from suffering.
I shall remain among the suffering beings and take the suffering due to them. What is it I alone experience the suffering due to all jīvas. I can tolerate my suffering but I cannot tolerate the suffering of others.
|| 9.21.13 ||
kṣut-tṛṭ-śramo gātra-paribhramaś ca
dainyaṁ klamaḥ śoka-viṣāda-mohāḥ
sarve nivṛttāḥ kṛpaṇasya jantor
jijīviṣor jīva-jalārpaṇān me
By offering water to maintain the life of this poor caṇḍāla, who is struggling to live, I have been freed from all hunger, thirst, fatigue, trembling of the body, moroseness, distress, lamentation and illusion.
“But you should drink a little of the remaining water, since you are suffering from thirst.” But I am free from hunger and thirst by offering water to save the life of a suffering living entity.
|| 9.21.14 ||
iti prabhāṣya pānīyaṁ
mriyamāṇaḥ pipāsayā
pulkasāyādadād dhīro
nisarga-karuṇo nṛpaḥ
Having spoken thus, King Rantideva, although on the verge of death because of thirst, gave his own portion of water to the caṇḍāla, for the King was naturally very kind and wise.
|| 9.21.15||
tasya tribhuvanādhīśāḥ
phaladāḥ phalam icchatām
ātmānaṁ darśayāṁ cakrur
māyā viṣṇu-vinirmitāḥ
Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Śiva, who can satisfy all materially ambitious men by giving them the rewards they desire, and who had first disguised themselves as a brāhmaṇa, śūdra and dog keeper, then manifested their real identities before King Rantideva.
Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Śiva first showed deceptive forms as a brāhmaṇa, a śūdra and dog keeper to test Rantideva. They then showed their real forms (ātmānam).
|| 9.21.16 ||
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