यथा हि पुरुषस्येह विष्णो: पादोपसर्पणम् ।
यदेष सर्वभूतानां प्रिय आत्मेश्वर: सुहृत् ॥
yathā hi puruṣasyeha viṣṇoḥ pādopasarpaṇam |
yad eṣa sarva-bhūtānāṁ priya ātmeśvaraḥ suhṛt ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.6.2)
“[Prahlāda Mahārāja:] Here [i.e., in human life], a person’s approaching the feet of Viṣṇu is certainly appropriate, since he is the beloved, the Self, the Lord, and the well-wisher of all beings.”
Commentary
tatra bhāgavata-dharmācaraṇasyaiva yuktatvaṁ darśayati—yathā hīti | yad yasmāt eṣa bhūtānāṁ svabhāva eva priyaḥ prema-viṣayaḥ prema-kartā ca | tatra hetuḥ—ātmā paramātmā | pādopasarpaṇe hetv-antaraṁ yasmāc caiṣa īśvaraḥ kartum akartum anyathā-kartuṁ samarthaḥ | suhṛt sarveṣāṁ hitaṁ cikīrṣuś ceti |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā)
“In this regard, he [i.e., Prahlāda Mahārāja] shows the appropriateness of engaging in Bhāgavata-dharma alone: yathā hi … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. [Why?] ‘Since’ (yat) he [i.e., Viṣṇu] is by [his] nature the beloved [of all beings], that is, the object of prema [from them] and a performer of prema [in relation to them]. The cause of this [i.e., of his being the beloved of all] is that he is ‘the Self’ (Ātmā), that is, the Paramātmā. Another reason for approaching his feet is because he is also ‘the Lord’ (Īśvara), that, he is capable of doing [anything], not doing [anything], and doing otherwise [with anything]. He is also ‘the well-wisher’ (suhṛt) [of all], that is, he is desirous of acting for the benefit of all.”
bhāgavata-dharmān kena prakāreṇa ācaret ? ity apekṣāyām āha—yathā yena prakāreṇa viṣṇoḥ pādayor upa samīpe samarpaṇaṁ prāptir bhavet, tathā ācared ity anuṣaṅgaḥ | tam eva prakāraṁ caturvidhaṁ vyañjayan viṣṇuṁ viśinaṣṭi—yad yasmād eṣa priya ity-ādi | tena, yeṣām ahaṁ priya ātmā sutaś ca sakhā guruḥ suhṛdo daivam iṣṭam iti bhagavad-ukti-prāmāṇyena kāntā-bhāva-śānti-rati-dāsya-bhāva-sakhya-bhāvānāṁ madhye yena bhāvena upasarpitum icchet tenaivopasarpan bhāgavatān dharmān ācared iti rāga-bhaktāv api vidhir vyañjitaḥ | ātma-tulyatvād ātmā suta iti tantreṇoktā pañcaiva bhāvāḥ prahlādenopadiṣṭā iti vā |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“‘In what way should one practice Bhāgavata-dharmas?’ In anticipation of this [question], he [i.e., Prahlāda Mahārāja] says: ‘One should practice them in a way by which attainment of the feet of Viṣṇu can occur.’ This is the anuṣaṅga [i.e., the content to be supplied to complete the sense of the sentence]. He [thus] suggests four types of ways as he describes Viṣṇu: ‘Since (yat) he is the beloved … [i.e., the Self, the Lord, and the well-wisher of all beings].’ Based on the authoritativeness of the statement of Bhagavān [in SB 3.25.38], ‘I am the beloved, Self, son, friend, guru, well-wisher, and Iṣṭa-devatā of whom …,’ among the bhāvas of kāntā-bhāva, śānti-rati, dāsya-bhāva, and sakhya-bhāva, one should practice Bhāgavata-dharmas approaching [Bhagāvan] with the exact bhāva by which one may desire to approach [him]. In regard to rāga-bhakti as well, this injunction is suggested. Alternately, since the son is [also understood to be] the self because of [his] being like oneself, five bhāvas, stated by a tantra [i.e., a double meaning of one of the words] are taught by Prahlāda.”