Surrender unto His Lotus Feet - Part 21

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous offering, "Surrender unto His Lotus Feet" wherein we were meditating on Srimad Bhagavatam verse 2.6.7 and about elephant king Gajendra surrendering to Lord's lotus feet when being attacked by crocodile in the lake. In the last offering we saw the verse 8.3.15 wherein Gajendra glorifies the Lord Who is the Supreme Cause of all Causes, Who is the Causeless and Wonderful Cause of everything. 

Now we shall continue to meditate on the other qualities glorified by Gajendra in verse 8.3.15

namo namas te ’khila-kāraṇāya
niṣkāraṇāyādbhuta-kāraṇāya
sarvāgamāmnāya-mahārṇavāya
namo ’pavargāya parāyaṇāya

My Lord, You are the cause of all causes, but You Yourself have no cause. Therefore You are the wonderful cause of everything. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, who are the shelter of the Vedic knowledge contained in the śāstras like the Pañcarātras and Vedānta-sūtra, which are Your representations, and who are the source of the paramparā system. Because it is You who can give liberation, You are the only shelter for all transcendentalists. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto You.

2. sarvāgamāmnāya - unto the source of the paramparā system of all Vedic knowledge; To help conditioned souls, Krishna has given the Vedic scriptures. The Vedas guide the conditioned soul to go to Krishna. Vedas are also an incarnation of Krishna. In purport to Srimad Bhagavatam verse 1.6.25, Srila Prabhupada says, "The Personality of Godhead produced the four Vedas by His breathing, and He is seen and realized through the transcendental sound of the Vedas." They were also compiled by Vyasadev Who is also an incarnation of Krishna. Lord also spoke the Bhagavad Gita on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Vyasadev also compiled the Puranas and Upanishads. The source of all these scriptures is Krishna. Lord says in Bhagavad Gita verse 15.15

vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham

By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.

3. mahārṇavāya -  the great ocean of knowledge, or the great ocean wherein all the rivers of knowledge merge; Lord is omniscient of everyone and everything - because He is eternal and omnipresent. He is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ - embodiment of eternity, knowledge and bliss.

4 apavargāya - unto You who can give deliverance or liberation. Gajendra realised that neither his relatives nor his friends, or near and dear ones could save him in this most crucial situation in his life. This material world is a place of "pa varga". Our beloved spiritual master HH Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj while explaining about pa varga says,

Pa - Parishram - We over endeavour so much for material things such that Fa - Fen or foam comes out of our mouth. Once we get what we wanted, then  slowly we get Ba - Bandhan or become attached to it, Then we face Bha - Bhaya, We always remain fearful for losing what we got. And Ma - Mrtyu or death is the greatest fear in this world.

So if we want to get delivered from this "pa varga", then we must surrender unto Krishna who is glorified as apavargāya. Lord is also glorified as Mukunda - mukti dadāti iti Mukunda. - one who can bestow liberation from material life.

5. parāyaṇāya - shelter for all transcendentalists. Lord gives His shelter for all those who surrender Unto Him and He never forsakes them. Sukadev Goswami prays in verse 2.4.13

bhūyo namaḥ sad-vṛjina-cchide ’satām
asambhavāyākhila-sattva-mūrtaye
puṁsāṁ punaḥ pāramahaṁsya āśrame
vyavasthitānām anumṛgya-dāśuṣe

I again offer my respectful obeisances unto the form of complete existence and transcendence, who is the liberator of the pious devotees from all distresses and the destroyer of the further advances in atheistic temperament of the nondevotee-demons. For the transcendentalists who are situated in the topmost spiritual perfection, He grants their specific destinations.

Lord's lotus feet are shelter for all and He rewards this cool shelter to transcendentalists as well. 

Krishna willing we shall meditate further in the subsequent offering.

Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva
Sudarshana devi dasi