Devanagari
अस्यापि देव वपुषो मदनुग्रहस्य
स्वेच्छामयस्य न तु भूतमयस्य कोऽपि ।
नेशे महि त्ववसितुं मनसान्तरेण
साक्षात्तवैव किमुतात्मसुखानुभूते: ॥ २ ॥
Verse text
asyāpi deva vapuṣo mad-anugrahasya
svecchā-mayasya na tu bhūta-mayasya ko ’pi
neśe mahi tv avasituṁ manasāntareṇa
sākṣāt tavaiva kim utātma-sukhānubhūteḥ
Synonyms
asya
—
of this
;
api
—
even
;
deva
—
O Lord
;
vapuṣaḥ
—
the body
;
mat
—
anugrahasya — which has shown mercy to me
;
sva
—
icchā — mayasya — which appears in response to the desires of Your pure devotees
;
na
—
not
;
tu
—
on the other hand
;
bhūta
—
mayasya — a product of matter
;
kaḥ
—
Brahmā
;
api
—
even
;
na īśe
—
I am not able
;
mahi
—
the potency
;
tu
—
indeed
;
avasitum
—
to estimate
;
manasā
—
with my mind
;
antareṇa
—
which is controlled and withdrawn
;
sākṣāt
—
directly
;
tava
—
Your
;
eva
—
indeed
;
kim uta
—
what to speak
;
ātma
—
within Yourself
;
sukha
—
of happiness
;
anubhūteḥ
—
of Your experience .
Translation
My dear Lord, neither I nor anyone else can estimate the potency of this transcendental body of Yours, which has shown such mercy to me and which appears just to fulfill the desires of Your pure devotees. Although my mind is completely withdrawn from material affairs, I cannot understand Your personal form. How, then, could I possibly understand the happiness You experience within Yourself?
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
My dear Lord, neither I nor anyone else can estimate the potency of this transcendental body of Yours, which has shown such mercy to me and which appears just to fulfill the desires of Your pure devotees. Although my mind is completely withdrawn from material affairs, I cannot understand Your personal form. How, then, could I possibly understand the happiness You experience within Yourself?
KB 10.14.2
Brahmā continued: “Your appearance as a cowherd child is for the benefit of the devotees, and although I have committed an offense at Your lotus feet by stealing away Your boys and calves, I can understand that You have bestowed Your mercy upon me. This shows Your transcendental quality of being very affectionate toward Your devotees. But in spite of Your great affection for me, I cannot estimate the potency of Your bodily activities. It is to be understood that when I, Lord Brahmā, the supreme personality of this universe, cannot estimate the childlike body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then what to speak of others? And if I cannot estimate the spiritual potency of Your childlike body, then what can I understand about Your transcendental pastimes? Therefore, as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, anyone who can understand a little of the transcendental pastimes, appearance and disappearance of the Lord becomes immediately eligible to enter into the kingdom of God after quitting the material body. This statement is confirmed in the Vedas, where it is stated: Simply by understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one can overcome the chain of repeated birth and death.
Purport
In
Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Chapter Fourteen, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that in the present verse Lord Brahmā expressed the following prayerful sentiment: “Your appearance as a cowherd child is for the benefit of the devotees, and although I have committed an offense at Your lotus feet by stealing away Your boys and calves, I can understand that You have bestowed Your mercy upon me. That is Your transcendental quality: You are very affectionate toward Your devotees. But in spite of Your great affection for me, I cannot estimate the potency of Your bodily activities. It is to be understood that when I, Lord Brahmā, the supreme personality of this universe, cannot estimate the childlike body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then what to speak of others? And if I cannot estimate the spiritual potency of Your childlike body, then what can I understand about Your transcendental pastimes? Therefore, as it is said in the
Bhagavad-gītā,
anyone who can understand a little of the transcendental pastimes, appearance and disappearance of the Lord immediately becomes eligible to enter the kingdom of God after quitting the material body. This statement is confirmed in the
Vedas,
where it is stated simply: By understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one can overcome the chain of repeated birth and death. I therefore recommend that people should not try to understand You by their speculative knowledge.”
When Brahmā disrespected the supreme status of the Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa first bewildered him by exhibiting the Lord’s own transcendental power. Then, having humbled His devotee Brahmā, Kṛṣṇa gave him His personal audience.
According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental body can also function through the agency of His plenary expansions, called
viṣṇu-tattva.
As stated by Brahmā himself in the
Brahma-saṁhitā
(5.32)
:
aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti.
This verse indicates not only that the Lord can perform any bodily function with any of His limbs but also that He can see through the eyes of His Viṣṇu expansions or, indeed, through the eyes of any living entity, and similarly that He can hear through the ears of any Viṣṇu or
jīva
expansion. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura points out that although the Lord can perform any function with any one of His senses, in His transcendental pastimes as Śrī Kṛṣṇa He generally sees with His eyes, touches with His hands, hears with His ears and so on. Thus He behaves like the most beautiful and charming young cowherd boy.
The Vedic knowledge expands from Lord Brahmā, who is described in the first verse of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
as
ādi-kavi,
the primeval Vedic scholar. Yet Brahmā could not understand the transcendental body of Lord Kṛṣṇa, because it is beyond the reach of ordinary Vedic knowledge. Among all the transcendental forms of the Lord, the two-armed form of Govinda — Kṛṣṇa — is original and supreme. Thus Lord Govinda’s pastimes of stealing butter, drinking the
gopīs’
breast milk, tending the calves, playing His flute and playing childhood sports are extraordinary even in comparison with the activities of the Lord’s Viṣṇu expansions.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Krsna’s objection: "Hear me Lord Brahma! You are the master of all powers in this universe, while I am but the son of a forest cowherd man. You are an ancient figure, and I am but a small boy. You are knowledgeable of all the Vedas, and endowed with the highest conduct, whereas I as a keeper of cows am ignorant, without knowledge of proper conduct, so that I even run around with some yogurt rice in my hand. You are the supreme Lord, controller of all illusion, full of bliss, whereas I am bewildered by your illusion, and wander about the forest in grief for lost calves. Thus I am not qualified for your praise."
Fearing such objections from Krsna, Brahma began to speak, revealing his repentance for committing offense to Krsna out of ignorance. "I cannot understand (avasitum) the greatness of your body, which appears foolish, engaged in childish play, what to speak of your pastimes of kaisora age. If I cannot understand the greatness of your body, what to speak of the extent of happiness that you experience in your mind by herding the calves.
If I cannot comprehend the happiness that your cowherd friends experience, what to say of the happiness that you experience directly? If one who is controlled in mind cannot understand that happiness what to say of those with uncontrolled minds?"
In this way five levels of ignorance have been expressed. Brahma describes Krsna’s body in this way to indicate that he cannot understand him by study of scripture, austerity or yoga. He is understood only by mercy. "Your greatness is shown through your mercy to me who have committed offense to you. That mercy consists of showing your sweet form after showing forms of great power (four handed visnu forms). What is the cause of mercy? Your body is sva icchamaya, responding to the desires of the devotees, who desire to see or serve you. Because of your affection for youe devotees you show mercy. Though I am an offender, because I have a semblance of devotion, I have attained qualification for a drop of mercy."
"But to fulfill desires and show mercy are traits of human beings also."
" But your body is not material (bhutamaya). Your body is spiritua: the brahma samhita says that Krsna senses can perform the functions of all other senses. When any of the Lord’s limbs (parts) appears in the material world as avatara, then it assumes all the functions of all the senses. If the Lord’s hand appears in the world, then it takes a form with all senses. Govinda however still sees with his eyes, and hears with his ears and thinks with his mind. He does not see with his hands.
You have shown me the forms of Vasudeva, (deva vapu), who previously was merciful to me by teaching the four verses of bhagavatam (mad anugrahasya). Your body, for the purpose of fulfilling your desires (iccha maya) is the source of these Vasudeva forms (sva ). Though your body fulfills your desires, it is not like our bodies, bhuta maya, but it is spiritual. The greatness of this body even I (brahma-- ka) cannot understand though I have revealed the Vedas and studied the fruit of the Vedas, Bhagavatam. I cannot even understand the greatness of your Vasudeva forms, what to speak of the greatness of the source of those forms (saksat tava), with human shape. What is the greatness of that human form? In this form Krsna realizes his true happiness, which is rare even in other avatara forms, through pastimes such as stealing yogurt, drinking the gopis’ breast milk, herding cows and acting naughty."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that this verse is an answer to the objection “You offer respects to me, but actually you are simply describing my form.” The actual purpose is to praise the Lord by describing his excellences. Tava in the last line should be linked with vapuṣaḥ in the first line. No one can understand your body appearing as avatāra in this present form (asya api), though it has become easily available to the world. You have shown me mercy since you encourage my creation of the universe. Śrīdhara Svāmī takes the version with na tu but there is another version with tanu-bhūta-mayasya. In his commentary he does not mention the two versions directly and in his first explanation used the version with na tu. Linked with the phrase “I cannot understand your glory” the words na tu can indicate conjecture. In giving an alternate meaning however he takes the other version with tanu. The version with tanu is seen the main editions everywhere. According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, sākṣāt tava means “of you in the form of Bhagavān.” The word eva means “only.” Thus the phrase sakṣāt tava eva means “of you who surpasses all other avatāras.” He explains the phrase ātma-sukhānubhūteḥ as “beyond the guṇas.” This means he is not limited by the guṇas controlled by Brahmā, Śiva and Viṣṇu. His greatness as avatāri is his bliss. This is understood from the śruti. Etasyaivānandasya anyāni bhūtāni mātrām upajīvanti: all living beings take their life from the Lord full of bliss. (Brhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.3.32) Ko hy evānyāt kaḥ prāṇyād yad eṣa ākāśa ānando na syāt: who could breathe without this Brahman, if this blissful Brahman were not present? (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.7.1) Parāsya śāktir vividhaiva śryuyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca: the Lord has natural energies of knowledge, strength and action. (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8) Brahmā does not state in this verse that Brahman is incomprehensible in its impersonal feature, for he explains that Kṛṣṇa with his personal features is more difficult to understand than Brahman in verse 6. And if the universal form (bhūta-mayasya) is hard to understand what can one say about your form?
My explanation will take the version with tanu-bhūta-mayasya. This agrees with Citsukha. He explains that the phrase means that the Lord spreads everywhere up to Brahma-loka by his subtle bodies. “Subtle bodies” means spiritual bodies which are inconceivable, made of śuddha-sattva. Śruti describes the Lord as asya mahato bhūtasya: he is the Lord, with spiritual body. (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.5.11) Among the thousand names of Viṣṇu is lokanātho mahadbhūtam: he is Lord of the universe, with a spiritual body. Thus the phrase tanu-bhūta-mayasya indicates the Lord with a spiritual body. Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that because he is Bhagavān, there is no question of a controller above him or being controlled by anyone. Since it was already said that the universal form does not control him, no one controls him and he is never to be controlled by anyone. The qualities of this particular form were described in the previous verse.
Now, here is my own explanation. “Why do you praise me by describing this form with the yogurt rice and flute?” In answer to this, Brahmā speaks the present verse. With reverence he admits his incompetence. You have a body of the presiding deity (deva) of the universe (asya) which is called Nārāyaṇa, displayed in the four-armed forms just shown to me. But they actually belong to one body. Brahmā will later say nārāyaṇo ’ṅgaṁ nara-bhū-jalāyanāt: Nārāyaṇa is your expansion, and he is called Nārāyaṇa because he is the generating source of the primeval water of the universe. SB 10.14.14
This body is then described. It has given me mercy etc. This form is directly Bhagavān (sākṣat tava eva). Your happiness is exclusively known by yourself. Or, by showing just one of the forms that you showed me, you are merciful. Just by that one form I can understand your glory.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
“You offer respects to me, but actually you are simply describing my form.” This verse answers.
Though you manifested many forms you are only one form (vapuṣaḥ). Or it could mean any form. That form showed me mercy because you protect my creation by destroying adharma and propagating dharma. Your body is not made of material elements like that of effulgent devatās. It is made of parabrahman (ātma-sukhānubhūteḥ). Or it is direct knowledge (experience of the ātmā as happiness). Because of this, it cannot be understood by the inner mind, what to speak of direct perception. Therefore I have described the form I saw.
Or no one can understand the greatness of your cowherd boy form (tava vapuṣaḥ), superior to your form as the lord of Vaikuṇṭha (deva-vapuṣaḥ). Or no one can understand the greatness (mahi) of your (tasya) cowherd form (asya). What to speak of your form as brahman (ātma-sukhānubhūteh). The four armed forms are superior to your form as brahman. But the cowherd boy form is greater than the Vaikuṇṭha forms (divya-vapuṣaḥ).
Giving mercy to me, an offender, is your free will (svecchā-mayasya). You give mercy not only to devotees as in Dāmodara pastimes, but to all jīvas.
Are you not the cause of all entities (na tu bhūta-mayasya)? Yes, you are the sole shelter of the universe. You have appeared to give benefit to the world. Another version has nanu, easy to understand. Śrīdhara Svāmī accepts this alternate version
Description of the Lord’s form are the highest praise, as in the following:
rūpaṁ yat tat prāhur avyaktam ādyaṁ
brahma jyotir nirguṇaṁ nirvikāram
sattā-mātraṁ nirviśeṣaṁ nirīhaṁ
sa tvaṁ sākṣād viṣṇur adhyātma-dīpaḥ
That form which they say is invisible, the cause of all causes, the greatest, self-manifesting, without qualities, without change, pure existence, without variety and without action, is directly you, the Supreme Lord, who manifests our intelligence. SB 10.3.24
.
satya-vrataṁ satya-paraṁ tri-satyaṁ
satyasya yoniṁ nihitaṁ ca satye
satyasya satyam ṛta-satya-netraṁ
satyātmakaṁ tvāṁ śaraṇaṁ prapannāḥ
The devatās prayed: O Lord, you are true to your promise, truth incarnate, pervading all aspects of time with truth, before the creation, during its existence and after its destruction. You are the revealer of sweet words and truth. We surrender to you, the embodiment of truth. SB 10.2.26