Å›rÄ«-vasudeva uvÄca
namo vaḥ sarva-devebhya
ṛṣayaḥ śrotum arhatha
karmaá¹‡Ä karma-nirhÄro
yathÄ syÄn nas tad ucyatÄm
Å›rÄ«-vasudevaḥ uvÄca - ÅšrÄ« Vasudeva said; namaḥ - obeisances; vaḥ - to you; sarva - all; devebhyaḥ - (who comprise) the demigods; ṛṣayaḥ - O sages; Å›rotum arhatha - please listen; karmaá¹‡Ä - by material work; karma - of (previous) work; nirhÄraḥ - the purging; yathÄ - how; syÄt - there may be; naḥ - to us; tat - that; ucyatÄm - please say.
Śrī Vasudeva said: Obeisances to you, the residence of all the demigods. Please hear me, O sages. Kindly tell us how the reactions of one’s work can be counteracted by further work.
Here Vasudeva addresses the sages as “the residence of all the demigods.†His statement is confirmed in the authoritative Å›ruti-mantras, which declare, yÄvatÄ«r vai devatÄs tÄḥ sarvÄ veda-vidi brÄhmaṇe vasanti: “Whatever demigods exist, all reside in a brÄhmaṇa who knows the Veda.â€
