TEXT 44
tasmāt praṇamya praṇidhāya kāyaṁ
prasādaye tvām aham īśam īḍyam
piteva putrasya sakheva sakhyuḥ
priyaḥ priyāyārhasi deva soḍhum
tasmāt – therefore; praṇamya – offering obeisances; praṇidhāya – laying down; kāyam – the body; prasādaye – to beg mercy; tvām – unto You; aham – I; īśam – unto the Supreme Lord; īḍyam – worshipable; pitā iva – like a father; putrasya – with a son; sakhā iva – like a friend; sakhyuḥ – with a friend; priyaḥ – a lover; priyāyāḥ – with the dearmost; arhasi – You should; deva – my Lord; soḍhum – tolerate.
You are the Supreme Lord, to be worshiped by every living being. Thus I fall down to offer You my respectful obeisances and ask Your mercy. As a father tolerates the impudence of his son, a friend the impertinence of a friend, or a husband the familiarity of his wife, please tolerate the wrongs I may have done You.
Kṛṣṇa’s devotees relate to Kṛṣṇa in various relationships; one might treat Kṛṣṇa as a son, or one might treat Kṛṣṇa as a husband, as a friend, or as a master. Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are related in friendship. As the father tolerates, or the husband or a master tolerates, so Kṛṣṇa tolerates.