हर्ता प्रमथ्यैव शिरो यदीह ।
तत्रानृणो भूतबलिं विधाय
मनस्विनां पादरजः प्रपत्स्ये ॥१८॥
atho hare me kuliśena vīra
hartÄ pramathyaiva Å›iro yadÄ«ha
tatrÄnṛṇo bhÅ«ta-baliá¹ vidhÄya
manasvinÄá¹ pÄda-rajaḥ prapatsye
atho - otherwise; hare - O King Indra; me - of me; kuliÅ›ena - by your thunderbolt; vÄ«ra - O great hero; hartÄ - you cut off; pramathya - destroying my army; eva - certainly; Å›iraḥ - head; yadi - if; iha - in this battle; tatra - in that case; anṛṇaḥ - relieved of all debts in this material world; bhÅ«ta-balim - a presentation for all living entities; vidhÄya - arranging; manasvinÄm - of great sages like NÄrada Muni; pÄda-rajaḥ - the dust of the lotus feet; prapatsye - I shall achieve.
But if in this battle you cut off my head with your thunderbolt and kill my soldiers, O Indra, O great hero, I shall take great pleasure in offering my body to other living entities [such as jackals and vultures]. I shall thus be relieved of my obligations to the reactions of my karma, and my fortune will be to receive the dust from the lotus feet of great devotees like NÄrada Muni.
ÅšrÄ« Narottama dÄsa ṬhÄkura sings:
ei chaya gosÄñi yÄra, mui tÄra dÄsa
tÄṅ’ sabÄra pada-reṇu mora pañca-grÄsa
“I am the servant of the Six GosvÄmÄ«s, and the dust of their lotus feet provides my five kinds of food.†A Vaiṣṇava always desires the dust of the lotus feet of previous ÄcÄryas and Vaiṣṇavas. Vá¹›trÄsura was certain that he would be killed in the battle with Indra, because this was the desire of Lord Viṣṇu. He was prepared for death because he knew that after his death he was destined to return home, back to Godhead. This is a great destination, and it is achieved by the grace of a Vaiṣṇava. ChÄá¸iyÄ vaiṣṇava-sevÄ nistÄra pÄyeche kebÄ: no one has ever gone back to Godhead without being favored by a Vaiṣṇava. In this verse, therefore, we find the words manasvinÄá¹ pÄda-rajaḥ prapatsye: “I shall receive the dust of the lotus feet of great devotees.†The word manasvinÄm refers to great devotees who always think of Kṛṣṇa. They are always peaceful, thinking of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore they are called dhÄ«ra. The best example of such a devotee is NÄrada Muni. If one receives the dust of the lotus feet of a manasvÄ«, a great devotee, he certainly returns home, back to Godhead.
