यथाग्निमेधस्यमृतं च गोषु
भुव्यन्नमम्बूद्यमने च वृत्तिम् ।
योगैर्मनुष्या अधियन्ति हि त्वां
गुणेषु बुद्ध्या कवयो वदन्ति ॥
yathāgnim edhasy amṛtaṁ ca goṣu
bhuvy annam ambūdyamane ca vṛttim |
yogair manuṣyā adhiyanti hi tvāṁ
guṇeṣu buddhyā kavayo vadanti ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 8.6.12; cited in Rāga-vartma-candrikā: 1.7)
“As human beings by [various] means attain fire from wood, milk from cows, food and water from the land, and a livelihood from exertion, so the wise [attain and] speak of you [even] amid the guṇas with the intellect.”
Alternate translation:
“As human beings attain fire from wood, milk from cows, food and water from the land, and a livelihood from exertion by various means, so the wise [attain and] speak with you [even] amid the guṇas with understanding [given by you].”
Commentary
etad eva sadṛṣṭāntam āha, yathāgniṁ kāṣṭhe mathanena, amṛtam ājyaṁ goṣu dohanādinā, bhuvy annaṁ vrīhy-ādi karṣaṇādinā, ambu ca khananena, udyamane puruṣa-kāre vāṇijyādinā vṛttiṁ jīvikām, yad vā, ambu udyamane ghaṭī-yantrādinoddharaṇe yogair upāyair manuṣyā adhiyanti prāpnuvanti, tathā kavayas tvaṁ buddhyā guṇeṣv adhiyanti vadanti ca |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“He states this itself with illustrations: as human beings by [various] means (yogaiḥ) attain (adhiyanti) fire from wood by kindling [it], ghee (amṛtam) from cows by milking and so forth, food, that is, rice and so on, from the land by ploughing and so on, water too [from the land] by digging, and a livelihood (vṛttim) from exertion (udyamane), such as commerce, or, alternately, [as they attain] water by exertion, that is, by lifting well-buckets and so on, so the wise attain and speak of you amid the guṇas with the intellect.”
kathaṁ māṁ paśyantīty atas tad-upāyaṁ sa-dṛṣṭāntam āha—yatheti | manuṣyā guṇeṣu guṇamaye jagati nirguṇaṁ tvāṁ yogair ‘bhaktyāham ekayā grāhya’ iti tvad-ukter bhakti-bhedaiḥ adhiyanti prāpnuvanti buddhyā tvad-dattayā vadanti ca, tvayā sahokti-pratyuktau kurvanti | edhasi kāṣṭhe agniṁ manthanena yatheti manthanam api gurūpadeśenaiva yathā jānanti tathaiva śrī-gurūpadiṣṭayā śravaṇa-kīrtanādi-bhaktyā mano manthanena muhur mathitayā tvāṁ paśyanti ‘yasya svarūpaṁ kavayo vipaścito guṇeṣu dāruṣv iva jāta-vedasam | mathnanti mathnā manasā didṛkṣavo gūḍhaṁ kriyārthair nama īritātmane ||’ iti pañcamokteḥ | sādhu-sāhāyya-bhūyastve tv alpāyāsenaivety atra dṛṣṭāntaḥ—goṣu amṛtaṁ dagdhaṁ dohanena yatheti vatsa-mukha-saṅghṛṣṭā pīna-prastutam ity arthaḥ | prācīna-bhakti-bīja-sad-bhāve tu bhakti-bāhulya-prāptyaiva tvat-prāptir ity atra dṛṣṭāntaḥ—bhuvi annaṁ karṣaṇādinā yathā | prācīna-sādhu-saṅga-bahu-bhakti-sad-bhāve tu pratibandhakābhāva eva tvat-prāptir ity atra dṛṣṭāntaḥ—ambu jalaṁ khananāt tadāvaraka-mṛttikādi-dūrīkaraṇena yatheti | labdha-bhaktīnāṁ tu bhajana-mātreṇa nityam eva tvat-prāptir ity atra dṛṣṭāntaḥ—udyamane vṛttiṁ nartaka-gāyakādīnāṁ prati sva-śilpodyamenaiva jīvikāṁ yatheti |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“[Bhagavān inquires:] How do people see me?’ Thus, he [i.e., Brahmā] describes the means thereto with illustrations: yathā … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. Human beings (manuṣyāḥ) attain (adhiyanti) you (tvām), who are nirguṇa, amid the guṇas (guṇeṣu), that is, in the world made of the guṇas, by [various] means (yogaiḥ), that is, by [various] types of bhakti, as per your statement [in SB 11.14.21], ‘I am attainable by means of one-pointed bhakti’ (Bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyaḥ), and they speak (vadanti) with the understanding (buddhyā) given by you, that is, they engage in conversation with you. Regarding, ‘As they [attain] fire in wood (edhasi) by kindling [i.e., by twisting a piece of wood set amid other pieces of wood],’ as they learn even [this process of] kindling [fire] only through the teaching of a guru, so exactly they see you by repeatedly kindling, that is, by kindling the mind, by means of [forms of] bhakti taught by the blessed guru such as hearing [of] and praising [you], as per the statement in the Fifth Canto [i.e., SB 5.18.36]: ‘Obeisance unto he whose self is said to be hidden by activities and objects and whose true nature the wise and learned, desirous of seeing, kindle amid the guṇas with the kindling rod of the mind like fire amid pieces of wood.’ In the presence of an abundance of assistance from sādhus, with only a little effort [attainment of you occurs]. Thus, an illustration in this regard [is given]: as [human beings attain] milk (amṛtam) from cows by milking, meaning, [milk becomes] ready in the udder after being rubbed by the mouth of a calf. In the presence of a prior seed of bhakti [i.e., a saṁskāra for bhakti from one’s past life], attainment of you occurs only as a result of attaining an abundance of bhakti. Thus, an illustration in this regard [is given]: as [human beings attain] food from the land by means of ploughing and so on. In the presence of an abundance of bhakti as a result of prior association with sādhus, attainment of you occurs just by the absence of impediments. Thus, an illustration in this regard [is given]: as [human beings attain] water (ambu) [from the land] by removing the earth and so forth covering it by digging. Attainment of you is verily constant just by worship (bhajana) [of you] itself for those who have attained bhakti [in full]. Thus, an illustration in this regard [is given]: as [human beings attain] a livelihood from exertion, that is, as the livelihood of dancers, singers, and others is [attained] just by the exertion of [performing] their own arts.”