Text 13
namaḥ kṛṣṇāya śuddhāya
brahmaṇe paramātmane
yogeśvarāya yogāya
tvām ahaṁ śaraṇaṁ gatā
namaḥ — obeisances; kṛṣṇāya — to Kṛṣṇa; śuddhāya — the pure; brahmaṇe — the Absolute Truth; parama-ātmane — the Supersoul; yoga — of pure devotional service; īśvarāya — the controller; yogāya — the source of all knowledge; tvām — You; aham — I; śaraṇam — for shelter; gatā — have approached.
I offer my obeisances unto You, Kṛṣṇa, the supreme pure, the Absolute Truth and the Supersoul, the Lord of pure devotional service and the source of all knowledge. I have come to You for shelter.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī has translated the word yogāya as “unto Kṛṣṇa, the source of knowledge.” The word yoga indicates connection and also the means to achieve something. As conscious souls, we have a connection with the Supreme Soul through bhakti, or devotion. Through that relationship we experience perfect knowledge of the Supreme Soul. Since the Supreme Soul is the Absolute Truth, perfect knowledge of Him means perfect knowledge of everything. As stated in the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (1.3), yasmin vijñāte sarvam evam vijñātaṁ bhavati: When the Absolute is understood, everything is understood. Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, by His spiritual potency, establishes our connection with Him, and that connection is the source of all spiritual knowledge. Thus Ācārya Śrīdhara, by his thoughtful translation, stimulates us to deeper understanding of Kṛṣṇa conscious philosophy.