येनासाधारणाशक्ताधमबुद्धिः सदात्मनि ।
सर्वोत्कर्षान्वितेऽपि स्याद्बुधैस्तद्दैन्यमिष्यते ॥
yenāsādhāraṇāśaktādhama-buddhiḥ sadātmani |
sarvotkarṣānvite’pi syād budhais tad dainyam iṣyate ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.222)
“That by which a sense of [oneself] being exceptionally incapable and lowly shall exist continuously in the mind even when [one is] endowed with all excellence is called humility (dainyam) by the wise.”
Commentary
nanu dainya-śabdena dāridryaṁ vā parigraha-tyāgenākiñcanatvaṁ vā nirabhimānatvādikaṁ vā | tatrāha—yeneti | asādhāraṇo jagad-vilakṣaṇaḥ aśaktaḥ kiñcid api kartum asamarthaḥ | adhamaś cāpakṛṣṭa iti buddhir ātmani yena sadā syāt | nanu tarhi ālasyādinā sat-karma-tyāgenāsat-karma-pravṛttyāpi tathā ghaṭeta | tatrāha—sarveṇa utkarṣeṇa sad-guṇādinā anvite’pi yathā-yathaṁ vidhi-niṣedha-pālanādināpy ahaṅkārābhāvāt saṁsāra-bhayādy-ālocanena rodanādi-kāraṇa-parama-vaiyagryaṁ dainyam iti bhāvaḥ |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“[A question is raised:] ‘Well, by the word ‘humility’ (dainya) do you mean poverty (dāridryam), or, being possessionless (akiñcanatva) because of relinquishment of acquisition [i.e., non-retention of any possessions], or, non-conceitedness (nirabhimānatva) and the like, or otherwise?’ To this, he [i.e., Śrī Nārada] say yena … [i.e., he speaks this verse]: that by which a mentality of one’s being exceptionally (asādhāraṇa), that is, distinctly in comparison to people in general, incapable (aśakta), that is, unable to do anything, and lowly (adhama), that is, base, shall exist continuously in the mind [is called humility (dainyam) by the wise].
“[An objection is raised:] ‘Well, then [i.e., in the case of such a definition] that [i.e., humility] can come about even as a result of enactment of wrongful action (asat-karma) as a consequence of abandoning rightful action (sat-karma) out of laziness or otherwise.’ To that [i.e., to preclude this implication], he says acute disconcertion (parama-vaiyagryam) that is a cause of weeping and so on as a result of reflection on the dangers of saṁsāra and so forth even when [one is] endowed with all excellence, that is, qualities and so on, as a result even of apt observance of injunctions and prohibitions and so on because of an absence of egotism is [called] humility (dainyam). This is the purport.”