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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
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<< VERSE 22 >>
प्रत्युद्गमप्रश्रयणाभिवादनं विधीयते साधु मिथः सुमध्यमे । प्राज्ञैः परस्मै पुरुषाय चेतसा गुहाशयायैव न देहमानिने ॥२२॥
pratyudgama-praśrayaṇābhivādanaṁ vidhīyate sādhu mithaḥ sumadhyame prājñaiḥ parasmai puruṣāya cetasā guhā-śayāyaiva na deha-mānine
WORD BY WORD
pratyudgama standing up from one’s seat; praśrayaṇa welcoming; abhivādanam obeisances; vidhīyate are intended; sādhu proper; mithaḥ mutually; su-madhyame my dear young wife; prājñaiḥ by the wise; parasmai unto the Supreme; puruṣāya unto the Supersoul; cetasā with the intelligence; guhā-śayāya sitting within the body; eva certainly; na not; deha-mānine to the person identifying with the body;
TRANSLATION
| My dear young wife, certainly friends and relatives offer mutual greetings by standing up, welcoming one another and offering obeisances. But those who are elevated to the transcendental platform, being intelligent, offer such respects to the Supersoul, who is sitting within the body, not to the person who identifies with the body.
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PURPORT
| It may be argued that since Dakṣa was the father-in-law of Lord Śiva, it was certainly the duty of Lord Śiva to offer him respect. In answer to that argument it is explained here that when a learned person stands up or offers obeisances in welcome, he offers respect to the Supersoul, who is sitting within everyone’s heart. Among Vaiṣṇavas, therefore, it is seen that even when a disciple offers obeisances to his spiritual master, the spiritual master immediately returns the obeisances because they are mutually offered not to the body but to the Supersoul. Therefore the spiritual master also offers respect to the Supersoul situated in the body of the disciple. The Lord says in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that offering respect to His devotee is more valuable than offering respect to Him. Devotees do not identify with the body, so offering respect to a Vaiṣṇava means offering respect to Viṣṇu. It is stated also that, as a matter of etiquette, as soon as one sees a Vaiṣṇava one must immediately offer him respect, indicating the Supersoul sitting within. A Vaiṣṇava sees the body as a temple of Viṣṇu. Since Lord Śiva had already offered respect to the Supersoul in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, offering respect to Dakṣa, who identified with his body, was already performed. There was no need to offer respect to his body, for that is not directed by any Vedic injunction.
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