क्वचिच्छन्न: क्वचित् स्पष्ट उपास्य: श्रेय इच्छताम् । भुङ्क्ते सर्वत्र दातृणां दहन् प्रागुत्तराशुभम् ॥ ४६ ॥
kvacic channaḥ kvacit spaṣṭa upāsyaḥ śreya icchatām bhuṅkte sarvatra dātṝṇāṁ dahan prāg-uttarāśubham
- kvacit
- sometimes
- channaḥ
- concealed
- kvacit
- sometimes
- spaṣṭaḥ
- manifest
- upāsyaḥ
- worshipable
- śreyaḥ
- the highest good
- icchatām
- by those desiring
- bhuṅkte
- he devours
- sarvatra
- on all sides
- dātṝṇām
- of those making offerings to him
- dahan
- burning
- prāk
- previous
- uttara
- and future
- aśubham
- sinful reactions
A saintly person, just like fire, sometimes appears in a concealed form and at other times reveals himself. For the welfare of the conditioned souls who desire real happiness, a saintly person may accept the worshipable position of spiritual master, and thus like fire he burns to ashes all the past and future sinful reactions of his worshipers by mercifully accepting their offerings.