तथान्ये तापसाः सिद्धा रामं वैश्वानरोपमाः।
न्यायवृत्ता यथान्यायं तर्पयामासुरीश्वरम्॥
tathānye tāpasāḥ siddhā rāmaṁ vaiśvānaropamāḥ
nyāya-vṛttā yathā-nyāyaṁ tarpayām āsur īśvaram
tathā = then; anye = other; tāpasāḥ = ascetics; siddhāḥ = and who were perfectly fixed in their spiriual practices; rāmam = Rāma; vaiśvānara-upamāḥ = who were as good as fire; nyāya-vṛttāḥ = whose engagements were appropriate; yathā-nyāyam = appropriately; tarpayām āsuḥ = served; īśvaram = the Supreme Lord.
Then other ascetics whose engagements were appropriate, who were as good as fire and who were perfectly fixed in their spiritual practices appropriately served Rāma, the Supreme Lord.
[1] tapo-vane maṭhe brahmacaryādāv āśramo ’striyām. (Bāṇa)
[2] śaraṇaṁ gṛha-rakṣitroḥ. (Amara)
[3] aṅgaṇaṁ catvarājire. (Amara)
[4] vaṇiṅ mūla-dhane pātre bhāṇḍam. (Vaijayantī)
[5] sphyaś ca. kapālāni ca. (Taittirīya-saṁhitā 1.6.8.2-3)
[6] bhāgo rūpārthake prokto bhāgadheyaika-deśayoḥ. (Viśva)
[7] muktā-phaleṣu cchāyāyās taralatvam ivāntarā / pratibhāti yad aṅgeṣu lāvaṇyaṁ tad ihocyate. (Siṁhabhūpāla’s Rasārṇava-sudhākara 1.284)
[8] aṅgāny abhūṣitāny eva valayādyair vibhūṣaṇaiḥ / yena bhūṣitavad bhāti tad rūpam iti kathyate. (Siṁhabhūpāla’s Rasārṇava-sudhākara 1.282)
[9] aṅga-pratyaṅgakānāṁ yaḥ sanniveśo yathocitaḥ / suśliṣṭa-sandhi-bandhaḥ syāt tat saundaryam ihocyate. (Siṁhabhūpāla’s Rasārṇava-sudhākara 1.286)
[10] indro māyābhiḥ puru-rūpa īyate.
1 The living entities are constitutionally servants of the Lord and so their services unto the Lord are services in accordance with their constitutional position: dāsa-bhūto harer eva nānyasyaiva kadācana (Padma Purāṇa quoted in Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī’s Paramātma-sandarbha 19). Other services are not in accordance with their constitutional position. One cannot do away with serving someone else, because we are dependent on others for our existence, experience and functioning (sattā, pratīti and pravṛtti), and services are manifestations of our dependence on others. This has been pointed out by Prabhupāda in his introduction to Bhagavad-gītā.
These ascetics [also] engaged in services that were in accordance with their constitutional position.1 These sages were as good as fire, that is, they didn’t even come close to facing any obstacle [to their spiritual realization]. In other words, they rejected all activities that opposed their constitutional position—forbidden activities, concessionally allowed activities and prescribed activities other [than the activities of surrender unto the Lord]. These ascetics were unable to engage in physical services. They satisfied the Supreme Lord by offering Him prayers, obeisances and so on.