यदि वोऽस्ति मयि प्रीतिः श्लाघ्योऽहं भवतां यदि ।
तदात्मबन्धुसदृशी बुद्धिर्वः क्रियतां मयि ॥
नाहं देवो न गन्धर्वो न यक्षो न च दानवः ।
अहं वो बान्धवो जातो नातश्चिन्त्यमतोऽन्यथा ॥
yadi vo’sti mayi prītiḥ ślāghyo’haṁ bhavatāṁ yadi |
tadātma-bandhu-sadṛśī buddhir vaḥ kriyatāṁ mayi ||
nāhaṁ devo na gandharvo na yakṣo na ca dānavaḥ |
ahaṁ vo bāndhavo jāto nātaś cintyam ato’nyathā ||
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa: 5.13.11–12; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 325)
“If you all have love (prīti) for me, and if you all [also] consider I am praiseworthy [i.e., a worthy object of reverence], then you all should [give up your awe and reverence of me and] foster the attitude in regard me that I am like the kinsmen (bandhu) of your very self (ātmā) [i.e., that I am one of your fellow cowherds, alt., that I am like the dear friend (bandhu) of your heart (ātmā)]. I am neither a deva, nor a gandharva, nor a yakṣa, nor a dānava. I have been born as your kinsmen (bāndhava—bandhu), and thus from now on I am not to be thought of otherwise [i.e., as anyone other than one of your fellow cowherds and kinsmen; I should not be thought of as any sort of devatā].”
Commentary
Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī states in Bhakti Sandarbha (325) that the following alternate reading of the second half of verse eleven can be found:
tadārcā bandhu-sadṛśīṁ bāndhavāḥ kriyatāṁ mayi |
“Then, O kinsmen (bāndhavas), you should honor me like your own kinsmen (bandhu).”