Resources

Infusing All-fold Divinity

वाणी गुणानुकथने श्रवणौ कथायां
हस्तौ च कर्मसु मनस्तव पादयोर्नः ।
स्मृत्यां शिरस्तव निवासजगत्प्रणामे
दृष्टिः सतां दर्शनेऽस्तु भवत्तनूनाम् ।।

vāṇī guṇānukathane śravaṇau kathāyāṁ
hastau ca karmasu manastava pādayornaḥ |
smṛtyāṁ śirastava nivāsajagatpraṇāme
dṛṣṭiḥ satāṁ darśane’stu bhavattanūnām ||
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.10.38

Translation:

May our speech remain engrossed in relating your glories and virtues, ears in listening to your stories, hands in doing your service, mind in the remembrance of your feet, head in prostrating before the world which is your abode and the eyes in seeing the saints who are verily your embodiment.

Points for Introspection:

Our constant effort in life should be to divinize every moment, to feel and see God everywhere and in everything. Then alone the life will be fulfilled and we will experience Supreme bliss. But how to bring divinity in day-to-day life,? In every thought, word and action?

Throughout the day the senses and the mind remain preoccupied with worldly matters which are seemingly non-spiritual and non-divine in nature. How to have the touch of divinity in all that? How to feel the presence of God always and fill the mind with divine bliss every moment?

This śloka tells us how to go beyond the petty thoughts that make us narrow and bound, how to infuse divinity in so-called worldly interactions. It says: Divinity has to be infused in every sense organ while it is engaged in its own work. How to do it?

Our tongue keeps on talking about useless and insignificant matters that we indulge in. Throughout the day we engage in gossip and criticism. To feel sublime and divine, the tongue should always be engaged in praising the Lord and talking about his glories and excellences. The ears are ever eager to hear criticism and faults of others. How will then divinity be felt?

To experience divinity, the ears should always hear words of devotion and description of the Lord’s greatness. Hands are always active, but mostly doing work for oneself or for the near and dear ones. Where is the thought of the Divine there? So, to be immersed in divine feelings, let the hands be engaged in such acts as cleaning the temple, plucking flowers for poojā. Or, whatever we do, let us consider that as Lord’s service, and do it only as an offering to the Lord.

The mind always wastes time thinking about worldly matters. It gets agitated or excited by non-fulfillment or fulfillment of various petty desires. Most of the time, the mind is restless and tense. Divinity will dawn in a mind if it constantly remembers the holy lotus feet of the Lord. That divine feeling will bring peace and bliss to the mind.

We move about with our head held high, proud of our possessions and achievements in our life. We feel we have done everything and forget the fact that by God’s grace alone we are able to perform any act. It is He who enlivens our senses, the organs, the mind and the intelligence. If we always remember the fact that God resides in everything in this world and bow our head in humility and devotion to every object of the world, then we will always feel the divine touch of God.

Our eyes see various things all around. But while seeing, we do not remember that God is present everywhere. The eyes, instead of indulging in worldly sights should see the Saints who are verily the embodiments of God.

When, instead of engaging the senses and the mind in worldly objects, which are perishable, we engage them in the remembrance, talk and thought of the Lord, engage the hands in divine work, then every moment will become divine and full of bliss. Chanting this śloka will help us divinize our very existence.

Word Meaning:

वाणी (vāṇī) = speech, language, words; गुणानुकथने (guṇānukathane) = in relating qualities and virtues; श्रवणौ (śravaṇau) = the ears; कथायाम् (kathāyām) = in stories; हस्तौ (hastau) = pair of hands; च (ca) = and; कर्मसु  (karmasu) = in work, in service; मनः (manaḥ) = mind; तव (tava) = your; पादयोः (pādayoḥ) = on pair of feet; नः (naḥ) = our; स्मृत्याम् (smṛtyām) = in remembrance; शिरः (śiraḥ) = the head; तव(tava) = your; निवास-जगत्-प्रणामे (nivāsa-jagat-praṇāme) = in prostrating to the world which is your abode; दृष्टिः (dṛṣṭiḥ) = sight, eyes; सताम् (satām) = of the saints; दर्शने (darśane) = in seeing; अस्तु (astu) = let it be, may it be so; भवत्  (bhavat) तनूनाम्  (tanūnām) = of Your embodiments;

अन्वयः

वाणी (तव) गुणानुकथने, श्रवणौ (तव) कथायाम्, हस्तौ च कर्मसु, मनः तव पादयोः स्मृत्याम्, नः शिरः तव निवास- जगत्-प्रणामे, दृष्टिः भवत् तनूनाम् सताम् दर्शने अस्तु ।

vāṇī(tava) guṇānukathane, śravaṇau (tava) kathāyām, hastau ca karmasu, manaḥ tava pādayoḥ smṛtyām,naḥ śiraḥ tava nivāsa-jagat-praṇāme, dṛṣṭiḥ bhavat tanūnām satām darśane astu.