SB 10.39.42 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तौ रथस्थौ कथमिह सुतावानकदुन्दुभे: । तर्हि स्वित्स्यन्दने न स्त इत्युन्मज्ज्य व्यचष्ट स: ॥ ४२ ॥ तत्रापि च यथापूर्वमासीनौ पुनरेव स: । न्यमज्जद् दर्शनं यन्मे मृषा किं सलिले तयो: ॥ ४३ ॥

Verse text

tau ratha-sthau katham iha sutāv ānakadundubheḥ tarhi svit syandane na sta ity unmajjya vyacaṣṭa saḥ tatrāpi ca yathā-pūrvam āsīnau punar eva saḥ nyamajjad darśanaṁ yan me mṛṣā kiṁ salile tayoḥ

Synonyms

tau — They ; ratha — sthau — present on the chariot ; katham — how ; iha — here ; sutau — the two sons ; ānakadundubheḥ — of Vasudeva ; tarhi — then ; svit — whether ; syandane — on the chariot ; na staḥ — They are not there ; iti — thinking this ; unmajjya — rising from the water ; vyacaṣṭa — saw ; saḥ — he ; tatra api — in the same place ; ca — and ; yathā — as ; pūrvam — previously ; āsīnau — sitting ; punaḥ — again ; eva — indeed ; saḥ — he ; nyamajjat — entered the water ; darśanam — the vision ; yat — if ; me — my ; mṛṣā — false ; kim — perhaps ; salile — in the water ; tayoḥ — of Them .

Translation

Akrūra thought, “How can the two sons of Ānakadundubhi, who are sitting in the chariot, be standing here in the water? They must have left the chariot.” But when he came out of the river, there They were on the chariot, just as before. Asking himself “Was the vision I had of Them in the water an illusion?” Akrūra reentered the pool.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Akrūra thought, "How can the two sons of Ānakadundubhi, who are sitting in the chariot, be standing here in the water? They must have left the chariot." But when he came out of the river, there They were on the chariot, just as before. Asking himself "Was the vision I had of Them in the water an illusion?" Akrūra reentered the pool. KB 10.39.42-43 He was surprised to see Them there because he was confident that They were sitting on the chariot. Confused, he immediately came out of the water and went to see where the boys were, and he was very much surprised to see that They were sitting on the chariot as before. When he saw Them on the chariot, he began to wonder whether he had mistakenly seen Them in the water. He therefore went back to the river.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

The two verses should be explained together. “How can the two sons of Ānakadundubhi, who are sitting in the chariot, be standing here in the water (iha)?” In this way (iti) he thought. But he saw they were sitting on the chariot (tatrāpi) as before. Then repeatedly Akrūra submerged himself in the water. The cause was to find out “Is my (me) seeing them (tayoḥ) in the water an illusion?”

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

How can the two sons of Vasudeva be in the water? He had committed offense by giving up the Lord, considering bathing to be more important. He then thought that Vasudeva was an ordinary person, calling him by that name alone (ānakadundubheḥ), instead of uttering “Vasudeva.” By uttering Vasudeva he would be uttering what was similar to Vāsudeva, the Lord. Are they not on the chariot? He came out of the water. But they are on the chariot as previously. Akrūra saw that (vyacaṣṭa). He again entered the water in order to see if what he in theater was false.