namaḥ kṛṣṇÄya Å›uddhÄya
brahmaṇe paramÄtmane
yogeÅ›varÄya yogÄya
tvÄm ahaá¹ Å›araṇaá¹ gatÄ
namaḥ - obeisances; kṛṣṇÄya - to Kṛṣṇa; Å›uddhÄya - the pure; brahmaṇe - the Absolute Truth; parama-Ätmane - the Supersoul; yoga - of pure devotional service; Ä«Å›varÄya - the controller; yogÄya - the source of all knowledge; tvÄm - You; aham - I; Å›araṇam - for shelter; gatÄ - have approached.
I offer my obeisances unto You, Kṛṣṇa, the supreme pure, the Absolute Truth and the Supersoul, the Lord of pure devotional service and the source of all knowledge. I have come to You for shelter.
ÅšrÄ«la ÅšrÄ«dhara SvÄmÄ« has translated the word yogÄya as “unto Kṛṣṇa, the source of knowledge.†The word yoga indicates connection and also the means to achieve something. As conscious souls, we have a connection with the Supreme Soul through bhakti, or devotion. Through that relationship we experience perfect knowledge of the Supreme Soul. Since the Supreme Soul is the Absolute Truth, perfect knowledge of Him means perfect knowledge of everything. As stated in the Muṇá¸aka Upaniá¹£ad (1.3), yasmin vijñÄte sarvam evam vijñÄtaá¹ bhavati: When the Absolute is understood, everything is understood. Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, by His spiritual potency, establishes our connection with Him, and that connection is the source of all spiritual knowledge. Thus Ä€cÄrya ÅšrÄ«dhara, by his thoughtful translation, stimulates us to deeper understanding of Kṛṣṇa conscious philosophy.
