Devanagari
अथाप्याश्रावये ब्रह्म नरलोकविडम्बनम् ।
राज्ञ: पैतृष्वस्रेयस्य भक्तस्य च चिकीर्षितम् ॥ ४० ॥
Verse text
athāpy āśrāvaye brahma
nara-loka-viḍambanam
rājṣaḥ paitṛ-ṣvasreyasya
bhaktasya ca cikīrṣitam
Synonyms
atha api
—
nonetheless
;
āśrāvaye
—
I shall tell
;
brahma
—
O Supreme Truth
;
nara
—
loka — of human society
;
viḍambanam
—
(to You) who imitate
;
rājṣaḥ
—
of the King (Yudhiṣṭhira)
;
paitṛ
—
of Your father
;
svasreyasya
—
of the sister’s son
;
bhaktasya
—
Your devotee
;
ca
—
and
;
cikīrṣitam
—
the intentions .
Translation
Nonetheless, O Supreme Truth playing the part of a human being, I shall tell You what Your devotee Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, the son of Your father’s sister, intends to do.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Nonetheless, O Supreme Truth playing the part of a human being, I shall tell You what Your devotee Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, the son of Your father's sister, intends to do.
KB 10.70.40
“My dear Lord, You are the Supreme, Para-brahman, and Your pastimes as an ordinary human are another tactical resource, exactly like a play on the stage in which the actor plays parts different from his own identity. Because the Pāṇḍavas are Your cousins, You have inquired about them in the role of their well-wisher, and therefore I shall let You know about their intentions. Now please hear me.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Now he answers the second question of the Lord in five verses. "O form of Brahman, (both brahma and Brahman readings are correct as they are alternatives of the vocative case), even though you know everything, I will let you hear (asravaye), since you have the same qualities as an ordinary human being (nara loka vidambanam)."
This is an example of the ornament called contrast (vyatireka):. praise of the Lord’s expertise by citing low qualities of the human being.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Though you are omniscient, I will tell you everything (ā—śrāvaye) since you are playing as a human being. Your question is suitable since Yudhiṣṭhira is the son of Kuntī who has great affectionate for you. He is also your great devotee.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
I will tell you, because by your human pastimes you make steady the earth, or all humans or all jīvas. And he is a king, your cousin and a devotee. Or I will tell you about Yudhiṣṭhira’s intentions which support human beings or resemble human actions.