Text 18
atho hare me kuliśena vīra
hartā pramathyaiva śiro yadīha
tatrānṛṇo bhūta-baliṁ vidhāya
manasvināṁ pāda-rajaḥ prapatsye
atho — otherwise; hare — O King Indra; me — of me; kuliśena — by your thunderbolt; vīra — O great hero; hartā — you cut off; pramathya — destroying my army; eva — certainly; śiraḥ — head; yadi — if; iha — in this battle; tatra — in that case; anṛṇaḥ — relieved of all debts in this material world; bhūta-balim — a presentation for all living entities; vidhāya — arranging; manasvinām — of great sages like Nārada Muni; pāda-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 Nārada Muni.
Śrī Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings:
ei chaya gosāñi yāra, mui tāra dāsa
tāṅ’ sabāra pada-reṇu mora pañca-grāsa
“I am the servant of the Six Gosvāmīs, 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 ācāryas and Vaiṣṇavas. Vṛtrāsura 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. Chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā: no one has ever gone back to Godhead without being favored by a Vaiṣṇava. In this verse, therefore, we find the words manasvināṁ pāda-rajaḥ prapatsye: “I shall receive the dust of the lotus feet of great devotees.” The word manasvinām refers to great devotees who always think of Kṛṣṇa. They are always peaceful, thinking of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore they are called dhīra. The best example of such a devotee is Nārada Muni. If one receives the dust of the lotus feet of a manasvī, a great devotee, he certainly returns home, back to Godhead.