सर्वात्मना महि गृणामि यथा मनीषम् ।
नीचोऽजया गुणविसर्गमनुप्रविष्टः
पूयेत येन हि पुमाननुवर्णितेन ॥१२॥
tasmÄd ahaá¹ vigata-viklava Ä«Å›varasya
sarvÄtmanÄ mahi gṛṇÄmi yathÄ manÄ«á¹£am
nÄ«co 'jayÄ guṇa-visargam anupraviá¹£á¹aḥ
pÅ«yeta yena hi pumÄn anuvarṇitena
4 times this text was mentioned in purports to other texts: LSB(4)
tasmÄt - therefore; aham - I; vigata-viklavaḥ - having given up contemplation of being unfit; Ä«Å›varasya - of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sarva-ÄtmanÄ - in full surrender; mahi - glory; gṛṇÄmi - I shall chant or describe; yathÄ manÄ«á¹£am - according to my intelligence; nÄ«caḥ - although lowborn (my father being a great demon, devoid of all good qualities); ajayÄ - because of ignorance; guṇa-visargam - the material world (wherein the living entity takes birth according to the contamination of the modes of nature); anupraviá¹£á¹aḥ - entered into; pÅ«yeta - may be purified; yena - by which (the glory of the Lord); hi - indeed; pumÄn - a person; anuvarṇitena - being chanted or recited.
Therefore, although I was born in a demoniac family, I may without a doubt offer prayers to the Lord with full endeavor, as far as my intelligence allows. Anyone who has been forced by ignorance to enter the material world may be purified of material life if he offers prayers to the Lord and hears the Lord’s glories.
It is clearly understood that a devotee does not need to be born in a very high family, to be rich, to be aristocratic or to be very beautiful. None of these qualifications will engage one in devotional service. With devotion one should feel, “God is great, and I am very small. Therefore my duty is to offer my prayers to the Lord.†Only on this basis can one understand and render service to the Lord. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (18.55):
bhaktyÄ mÄm abhijÄnÄti
yÄvÄn yaÅ› cÄsmi tattvataḥ
tato mÄá¹ tattvato jñÄtvÄ
viśate tad-anantaram
“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.†Thus PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja decided to offer his best prayers to the Lord, without consideration of his material position.
