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← Chapter 11: The Yoga of the Vision of the Universal Form

Verse 11.44

Speaker: Arjuna

Sanskrit

तस्मात्प्रणम्य प्रणिधाय कायं प्रसादये त्वामहमीशमीड्यम् | पितेव पुत्रस्य सखेव सख्युः प्रियः प्रियायार्हसि देव सोढुम् ||४४||

Transliteration (IAST)

tasmāt praṇamya praṇidhāya kāyaṁ prasādaye tvām aham īśam īḍyam | piteva putrasya sakheva sakhyuḥ priyaḥ priyāyārhasi deva soḍhum ||44||

Word-by-Word Meanings

praṇamya-bowing down
praṇidhāya kāyam-prostrating the body
prasādaye-I seek grace
īśam-the Lord
īḍyam-worthy of praise
pitā iva putrasya-as a father to a son
sakhā iva sakhyuḥ-as a friend to a friend
priyaḥ priyāyāḥ-as a lover to the beloved
soḍhum-to forgive/bear with

Translation

Therefore, bowing down and prostrating my body before You, I seek Your grace, O praiseworthy Lord. As a father forgives a son, a friend a friend, a lover the beloved - please bear with me, O God.

Commentary

Arjuna appeals to three types of intimate relationship - paternal, fraternal, and romantic - to invoke Krishna's forgiveness. Shankaracharya notes that each relationship implies a different kind of tolerance: a father's patience, a friend's understanding, and a lover's indulgence. This verse beautifully captures the multi-dimensional nature of the devotee-God relationship.

Themes

bhaktisurrender