SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
SlOkam – Original
yAnthi dhEvavrathA dhEvAn pithrUn yAnthi pithruvrathA: |
bhUthAni yAnthi bhUthEjyA yAnthi madhyAjinO’pi mAm ||
word-by-word meaning
dhEvavrathA – those who have vowed “we will perform yagya towards dhEvas (celestial beings such as indhra et al)”
dhEvAn – dhEvas
yAnthi – attain;
pithruvrathA – those who have vowed “we will perform yagya towards pithrus (ancestors)”
pithrUn – pithrus
yAnthi – attain;
bhUthEjyA – those who have vowed “we will perform yagya towards bhUthams (spirits)”
bhUthAni – those bhUthams
yAnthi – attain;
madhyAjina api – those who worship me (through those yagyas)
mAm yAnthi – attain me.
Simple Translation
Those who have vowed “we will perform yagya towards dhEvas (celestial beings such as indhra et al)” attain dhEvas; those who have vowed “we will perform yagya towards pithrus (ancestors)” attain pithrus; those who have vowed “we will perform yagya towards bhUthams (spirits)” attain those bhUthams; those who worship me (through those yagyas) attain me.
Rendering based on ALkoNdavilli gOvindhAchArya swAmy’s English translation of gIthA bhAshyam
‘To the Devas[1. Celestial beings.] go the devotees of the Devas[2. Celestial beings.]; to the Pitṛis[3. The Manes or the Lords of ancestors next to the Rishis (vide Manu III-I94 to 201).] go the devotees of the Pitṛis[4. The Manes or the Lords of ancestors next to the Rishis (vide Manu III-I94 to 201).]; to the Bhūtas go the worshippers of the Bhūtas, and My worshippers indeed to Myself (go).'[5. Vide Bhāg: III-32 to 35.]
Vrata=devotion, holy resolve or willing. Those who will thus: ‘By the ceremonies, Darśa-pūrṇamāsa etc., let us, worship Indra’, go to Indra etc. Those who determine: ‘By these Pitṛi-yajñās etc., let us worship the Pitṛis’, go to the Pitṛis. Those who resolve: ‘We shall worship with sacrifices the Yakshas[6. Supernatural beings (See Vish: Pur. I-5-43).], Rakshas[7. Demons(See Vish: Pur: I-5-43)], Piśāchas[8. Hobgoblins and other evil spirits.] etc., go to the respective Bhūtas (elemental spirits). But those who will: ‘We shall sacrifice to Paramātma, Who is the Lord Vāsudeva, Whose body are those Devas, Pitṛis etc.,’ attain to Me alone.
The votaries of the Devas etc., go to them, share with them measured enjoyment, and when the time comes for its finale, the votaries also share the same fate; but those who direct sacrifices to Me, attain to Myself, the Beginningless and Endless, the Omniscient, the Infallible-Willed, the vast Ocean of the multitudinous and infinite glorious Attributes, and the Measureless Bliss Itself; and from Whom there is no return.
There is, further, another distinguishing characteristic of My worshippers :—
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