ŚB 10.80.34
Devanagari
नाहमिज्याप्रजातिभ्यां तपसोपशमेन वा ।
तुष्येयं सर्वभूतात्मा गुरुशुश्रूषया यथा ॥ ३४ ॥
तुष्येयं सर्वभूतात्मा गुरुशुश्रूषया यथा ॥ ३४ ॥
Verse text
nāham ijyā-prajātibhyāṁ
tapasopaśamena vā
tuṣyeyaṁ sarva-bhūtātmā
guru-śuśrūṣayā yathā
tapasopaśamena vā
tuṣyeyaṁ sarva-bhūtātmā
guru-śuśrūṣayā yathā
Synonyms
na — not; aham — I; ijyā — by ritual worship; prajātibhyām — the higher birth of brāhmaṇa initiation; tapasā — by austerity; upaśamena — by self-control; vā — or; tuṣyeyam — can be satisfied; sarva — of all; bhūta — beings; ātmā — the Soul; guru — to one’s spiritual master; śuśrūṣayā — by faithful service; yathā — as.
Translation
I, the Soul of all beings, am not as satisfied by ritual worship, brahminical initiation, penances or self-discipline as I am by faithful service rendered to one’s spiritual master.
Purport
The word prajāti here indicates either begetting good children or the second birth obtained by ritual initiation into Vedic culture. Although both of these are praiseworthy, Lord Kṛṣṇa here states that faithful service rendered to a bona fide spiritual master is still higher.