न ह्यच्युतं प्रीणयतो बह्वायासोऽसुरात्मजाः ।
आत्मत्वात्सर्वभूतानां सिद्धत्वादिह सर्वतः ॥
na hy acyutaṁ prīṇayato bahv-āyāso’surātmajāḥ |
ātmatvāt sarva-bhūtānāṁ siddhatvād iha sarvataḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.6.19)
“[Prahlāda Mahārāja:] O sons of asuras! On account of [his] being the Self of all beings and [his] being present everywhere here [in this world], there is certainly no huge endeavor [required] for the sake of pleasing Acyuta.”
Commentary
nanu bālānām asmākaṁ tad bhajanam aśakyam iti cet tatrāha—na hīti | bahv-āyāso’ti-prayāsaḥ |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“Well, worship of him [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān] is not possible for we who are [just] young boys.’ If this [objection is raised], to that he says na hi … [i.e.. Prahlāda Mahārāja speaks this verse]. ‘Huge endeavor’ (bahv-āyāsaḥ) means extreme exertion [i.e., pleasing Śrī Bhagavān does not require any strenuous exertion because (1) he is present everywhere and thus there is no exertion needed to reach or find him, and (2) he is the Self of all beings and thus there is no exertion needed to acquire external paraphernalia to please him].”
prīṇayataḥ paricaryayā prīṇayitum na bahv-āyāsaḥ, yathā kuṭumbaṁ prīṇayata iti bhāvaḥ | na ca tasyānveṣaṇe śramaḥ ātmavat hṛdy eva vartamānatvāt, na ca tat-prīṇane’pi śramaḥ sarvataḥ sarvair api prakārair mānasair apy upacārais tat-prīṇanasya siddhatvāt, tathā acyutaṁ prīṇayānīti saṅkalpa-mātreṇāpi prīteḥ siddhatvāt śravaṇa-kīrtanādy-anyatamenāpi vā siddhatvāt |
(Sārātha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“There is no huge endeavor [required] for the sake of pleasing [Acyuta], that is, to please [him] with service, as there is for the sake of pleasing a family. This is the purport [i.e., the amount of exertion required to please Śrī Bhagavān is far less than the amount of exertion required to please a family, meaning, to see to all the needs and wants of one’s family members]. And there is no exertion [required] for the sake of searching for him because of [his] being verily present in the heart like the self, and there is no exertion [required] even for the sake of pleasing him because of pleasing him’s being accomplished completely even just by means of [offerings to him of] all types of mental articles, or, because of [his] pleasure being accomplished even just by means of the resolve (saṅkalpa), ‘I shall please Acyuta,’ or, because of [his pleasure] being accomplished even just by means of hearing [about him], praising [him], and so forth [i.e., one has to go to great lengths to please one’s family members and other persons in this world but such exertion is not required to please Śrī Bhagavān; there is no effort needed to find or reach him as there is with people of the world because he is ever-present within’s own heart, and there is no great effort needed to please him as there is with people of this world because one can please him (1) just by offering him mentally conceived articles, (2) just by fostering the resolve (saṅkalpa), ‘I shall please him,’ and (3) just by engaging in hearing about him, praising him, remembering him, and other activities that can be done anywhere at any time with hardly any dependence upon external paraphernalia].”