naivātmanaḥ prabhur ayaṁ nija-lābha-pūrṇo

naivātmanaḥ prabhur ayaṁ nija-lābha-pūrṇo

mānaṁ janād aviduṣaḥ karuṇo vṛṇīte

yad yaj jano bhagavate vidadhīta mānaṁ

tac cātmane prati- mukhasya yathā mukha-śrīḥ

The Lord, full in himself and merciful, does not accept the respect of an ignorant person for him own benefit. Whatever that person gives to the Lord is for that person’s benefit, just as a face’s beauty produces a beautiful reflection.

“Then respecting me by hearing, chanting and offerings is bhakti. I am pleased with that, and not by austerity or study of the Vedas. If that is so, it means that I am self-centered.” That is not so. You, the Lord, do not accept respect from an ignorant person for yourself. Everyone from Brahmā to the tree is ignorant. No righteous person accepts respect from a person devoid of knowledge of scripture. It is said that the quality of knowledge in a person is the cause of accepting his respect. And a certain quality fixed in you is a cause of accepting that person’s respect. You are complete in your own attainments, but merciful. Thus you accept the respect of an ignorant person. Why do you accept? You accept to show mercy to him. Your accepting his respect is your quality of mercy, which is fixed in you. That is the cause. You do not gain by the respect given by any material person, but the giver of respect gains. Whatever worship a person offers to the Lord is beneficial for that person, just as the beauty of tilaka on the face is reflected in a beautiful image on a mirror. Beautifying a reflection does not produce a beautiful reflection. 

|| 7.9.12 ||

tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya