Text 12
tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya
sarvātmanā mahi gṛṇāmi yathā manīṣam
nīco ’jayā guṇa-visargam anupraviṣṭaḥ
pūyeta yena hi pumān anuvarṇitena
tasmāt — therefore; aham — I; vigata-viklavaḥ — having given up contemplation of being unfit; īśvarasya — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sarva-ātmanā — in full surrender; mahi — glory; gṛṇāmi — I shall chant or describe; yathā manīṣam — according to my intelligence; nīcaḥ — although lowborn (my father being a great demon, devoid of all good qualities); ajayā — because of ignorance; guṇa-visargam — the material world (wherein the living entity takes birth according to the contamination of the modes of nature); anupraviṣṭaḥ — entered into; pūyeta — may be purified; yena — by which (the glory of the Lord); hi — indeed; pumān — a person; anuvarṇitena — being chanted or recited.
Therefore, although I was born in a demoniac family, I may without a doubt offer prayers to the Lord with full endeavor, as far as my intelligence allows. Anyone who has been forced by ignorance to enter the material world may be purified of material life if he offers prayers to the Lord and hears the Lord’s glories.
It is clearly understood that a devotee does not need to be born in a very high family, to be rich, to be aristocratic or to be very beautiful. None of these qualifications will engage one in devotional service. With devotion one should feel, “God is great, and I am very small. Therefore my duty is to offer my prayers to the Lord.” Only on this basis can one understand and render service to the Lord. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (18.55):
bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā
viśate tad-anantaram
“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.” Thus Prahlāda Mahārāja decided to offer his best prayers to the Lord, without consideration of his material position.