jÄ«vasya yaḥ saá¹sarato vimoká¹£aṇaá¹
na jÄnato 'nartha-vahÄc charÄ«rataḥ
lÄ«lÄvatÄraiḥ sva-yaÅ›aḥ pradÄ«pakaá¹
prÄjvÄlayat tvÄ tam ahaá¹ prapadye

 jÄ«vasya - for the conditioned living being; yaḥ - He (the Supreme Lord) who; saá¹sarataḥ - (the conditioned soul) caught in the cycle of birth and death; vimoká¹£aṇam - liberation; na jÄnataḥ - not knowing; anartha - unwanted things; vahÄt - which brings; Å›arÄ«rataḥ - from the material body; lÄ«lÄ - for pastimes; avatÄraiḥ - by His appearances in this world; sva - His own; yaÅ›aḥ - fame; pradÄ«pakam - the torch; prÄjvÄlayat - made to blaze; tvÄ - You; tam - that Lord; aham - I; prapadye - approach for shelter.


Text

The living being caught in the cycle of birth and death does not know how he can be delivered from the material body, which brings him so much trouble. But You, the Supreme Lord, descend to this world in various personal forms, and by performing Your pastimes You illumine the soul’s path with the blazing torch of Your fame. Therefore I surrender unto You.

Purport

ÅšrÄ«la PrabhupÄda writes: “[NÄrada said,] In the bodily concept of existence, everyone is driven by material desires, and thus everyone develops new material bodies one after another in the cycle of birth and death. Being absorbed in such a concept of existence, one does not know how to get out of the encagement of the material body. Out of Your causeless mercy, my Lord, You descend to exhibit Your different transcendental pastimes, which are illuminating and full of glory. Therefore I have no alternative but to offer my respectful obeisances unto You. My dear Lord, You are the Supreme, Parabrahman, and Your pastimes as an ordinary human are another tactical resource, exactly like a play on the stage in which the actor plays parts different from his own identity.â€